Author Guidelines and Policies

SIGPLAN explores programming language concepts and tools, focusing on design, implementation, practice, and theory. Its members are programming language developers, educators, implementers, researchers, theoreticians, and users. Blog posts should be related to programming languages, or address issues relevant to the community, and this connection should be clear.

General

• Blog posts should be short (300-1300 words) and to the point on a specific topic.
• An informal writing style is encouraged, though some technical material is welcome, as appropriate.
• Posts should be written with interested outsiders in mind, who can be assumed to have some PL background and undergraduate-level training in computing.

When writing a post

• Avoid relying on technical terms, when possible; provide definitions and link to details (e.g., on wikipedia) when needed.
• The title should be concise and descriptive of the post.
• Posts are meant to cover the topic generally, so please refrain from many self-citations.
• Embed links to papers if you cite something, not as citations/bibliography as in papers.
• Use (sub) headings to make the content easy to read.
• Include figures and videos, when possible.
• Include links to externally published items.
• Obtain permission for any content that does not belong to the author.
• Use a jpeg/SVG format for pre-formatted text (e.g., code) or equations, and embed it in the post so that it scales correctly in the email blast and across devices.
• If you would like particular wordpress packages to help with formatting your content, let the editor know.

Policies

1. The editor determines which proposed posts are published. Contributors can appeal the editor’s decision to the SIGPLAN Chair.
2. The editor may consult with the SIGPLAN Executive Committee when evaluating if a proposed post should be published.
3. Authors retain copyright to their content.
4. Comments may be removed or disabled at the discretion of the editor at any time.
5. Posts with inappropriate or offensive content as deemed by the editor will not be accepted.

Logistics and blog post process

1. The blog editors will create an account for you on the wordpress website so that you may directly enter your post in the website and perform the formatting as you see fit.
2. Notify the editors (via email) that the article is ready for “review”.
3. The editors review the article, suggest any modifications and possibly perform light editing.
4. Select an image to use from shutterstock.com or the editors can choose an image. Send the editors the link, and they will add the image to the post as the featured image. The editors have a subscription and will download the licensed version of the image for use in the blog.
5. Provide a short one or two sentence bio for inclusion at the end of the post.

Questions or comments? Contact blog_sigplan@acm.org