SIGSOFT Guidelines for Obtaining Cooperation Status

SIGSOFT has two types of relationships with conferences and workshops:

• sponsorship and
• cooperation.

The primary difference between the two is that sponsorship implies financial risk and responsibility on the part of SIGSOFT, while cooperation implies none. The following description of the in-cooperation relationship details SIGSOFT's responsibilities, the meeting's responsibilities and directions for applying for in-cooperation status.

In-cooperation Status

The requirements for SIGSOFT in-cooperation status include the following:

• The meeting must have an open call for participation and a clearly documented evaluation and review process.
• The meeting cannot be sponsored by a for-profit organization, although corporate support is allowed.
• Registration costs should be reasonable and SIGSOFT members should get a lower registration rate.
• For a new meeting, topics should be differentiable from topics of existing meetings.
• The timing of the meeting should not be too close to other, already scheduled, SIGSOFT-sponsored meetings.
• In the case of regional meetings serving a local community of software engineering researchers and practitioners, the requirements for differentiation in topics and timing may be relaxed.

Under in-cooperation, SIGSOFT is not financially responsible for the meeting.

SIGSOFT encourages in-cooperation conferences and workshops to follow SIGSOFT policies and procedures, including the following:

• SIGSOFT Policy on Program Committees
• ACM Policy on Prior Publication and Simultaneous Submissions

In-cooperation provides a number of benefits:

• You can use the ACM SIGSOFT name on publicity about the meeting
• You can advertise your event at no cost in SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes (SEN). A single full-page advertisement that conforms to SEN publication guidelines should be sent to the editor of SEN at least six weeks before it is to appear
• Your event will appear in the SIGSOFT list of events
• Your event will be entered into the Call for Papers and Professional Calendar sections of Communications of the ACM (CACM) and the ACM conference calendar web site
• A special rate is available for purchase of an advertisement in Communications of the ACM (CACM). Discounts on ACM mailing lists are also available. Please contact the SIGSOFT Program Director for further information.
• Conference papers are eligible to appear in the ACM Digital Library.
• SEN will reserve space for a final report summarizing the meeting
• You can obtain professional help and guidance from SIGSOFT and ACM Headquarters in organizing the event, including negotiations with hotels. (For more information, start here.)
• You can obtain advice and guidance from the SIGSOFT Executive Committee, if solicited, in organizing and promoting your event

Conference organizers should contact Lauren Thompson at ACM Headquarters to have SIGSOFT membership materials sent directly to the conference location for display at the conference.

To apply for in-cooperation status please fill out and submit the ACM In-Cooperation TMRF form. The steps required to obtain in-cooperation status, along with application evaluation criteria, necessary forms and other relevant information are all found here. Additional guidelines on cooperation status can be found here.

A response to the request is usually given in 3 weeks.

Important email addresses:

• SIGSOFT Secretary/Treasurer
• ACM coordinator for SIGSOFT in-cooperation meetings