CALL FOR PAPERS

EuroPLoP 2011
16th Conference on Pattern Languages of Programs
July 13-17, 2011
Irsee Monastery, Bavaria, Germany
http://www.hillside.net/europlop

Important Dates
- February 15, 2011: Paper submission deadline
- March 1, 2011: Start of shepherding
- April 19, 2011: Second draft due for review
- May 7, 2011: Paper acceptance notification
- May 23, 2011: Closing date for early registration
- June 15, 2011: End of shepherding
- June 22, 2011: Conference draft version due
- July 13-17, 2011: Conference
- December 2011: Proceedings version due

Proceedings published in the ACM Digital Library - http://portal.acm.org/ (approval pending).
Papers discussed at a writer's workshop at this conference qualify for submission to the new journal Transactions on Pattern Languages of Programming published by Springer.

EuroPLoP is the premier European conference on patterns about software and its creation. The conference offers a variety of workshops that allow you to learn about patterns, to receive feedback on your own work, and to discuss with fellow enthusiasts. It is a unique venue to exchange knowledge about best practices and learn from other experts in various fields.

EuroPLoP 2011 will be held July 13-17, 2011 in Bavaria, Germany. Join us for an experience that will combine outstanding technical events with a visit to the lovely Bavarian countryside.

EuroPLoP accepts papers containing patterns or pattern languages as well as experience reports and papers related to the theory and use of patterns.
Papers submitted to EuroPLoP cover a wide range of subjects, from technical issues, like Java coding techniques, to social and organization issues. In previous years, papers have clustered around subjects such as:

- Software development: design, architecture, management and processes
- Human computer interaction (user-interface aspects and novel modes of interaction)
- Pedagogy and education (both professional training and classroom teaching)
- Business and organizational questions

Submission Categories
Submissions should fall into one of the following categories:

Pattern papers
Short papers (5 to 10 pages) containing one or more patterns. Longer pattern languages or sequences and work-in-progress papers will also be considered for inclusion. All accepted papers will receive in-depth shepherding by an experienced pattern author before the conference. Papers may receive further shepherding at the conference itself.

Papers on applying patterns
Papers on the application of patterns in practice. The focus of these papers should be on applications of patterns in industrial projects, as well as on systematizing the application of patterns. They should stimulate a general discussion on how to disseminate the patterns literature more widely in higher education and training. This track hopes to provide visibility to research attempts for integrating patterns in software engineering industrial practices.

Focus group proposals
Focus groups are free-format discussion groups or workshops lasting approximately three hours. They are designed to bring together people who are interested in a challenging topic related to patterns or proven practices. Non-conventional ideas such as goldfish bowls are welcome. Focus Group proposals are invited in advance of the conference. Those submissions considered relevant and of sufficient quality will be provisionally accepted to the conference. As in the previous years, participants attending the conference will be invited to propose additional focus groups for the final day of the conference.

Conference Structure
The core of EuroPLoP is a series of writers' workshops where authors work together to improve their papers. Before patterns or other papers are accepted for a writers' workshop, they are shepherded (non-anonymously). This means that an experienced author will discuss your submission with you, so that you can refine your paper prior to the conference. All submissions will be peer-reviewed.

Post-shepherding papers may be accepted directly into a conference workshop, or into a writing group. Writing Group papers will receive additional face-to-face shepherding at the conference itself. Writing Group papers reaching the required standard will be considered for workshop review on the final day of the conference.

Shepherding
The shepherding process is essentially a reviewing process. Shepherds are individuals, with experience in pattern writing, assigned to an author's paper with the expressed interest in helping the author improve the pattern. Most Shepherds also have experience with the shepherding procedure, either having been a shepherd before or a sheep(an author).
Shepherding is about improving the pattern itself, while the Shepherd maintains that the author is the one doing the pattern writing. The shepherding process is done before the paper is to be presented at a conference. The Shepherd guides the sheep into a more mature understanding of his or her pattern.

Submission Procedure

There is a three stage submission process:

- Initial submissions should be made by February 15, 2011. Papers will be assessed for suitability. Accepted papers are then assigned a shepherd who will help the author improve the paper for several weeks.
- Half way through the shepherding process, on April 19, authors are expected to submit a second draft. The paper will be assessed for quality and the author's willingness to accept feedback considered. This review will determine whether a paper is accepted to the conference or not.
- Authors and shepherds are expected to continue working on the paper until June 15. Final drafts for the conference should be submitted on this date.
- Authors of accepted papers are expected to register for the conference before the close of early-bird registration on May 23. Failure to do so may result in acceptance being withdrawn. In the case of papers with multiple authors at least one author is expected to register to attend by the close of early bird registrations.

To submit your paper in the first instance, please visit the submission page on the EuroPLoP website (http://hillside.net/europlop). This page will be available in January.

Conference Organization
Program Chair: Paris Avgeriou, University of Groningen, Netherlands, paris@cs.rug.nl
Conference Chair: Andreas Fiesser, Germany, patterns@fiesser.de

For more information, please visit http://hillside.net/europlop.