SIGPLAN Proceedings Format


This page summarizes the formatting guidelines for ACM SIGPLAN Proceedings. The goal is to ensure that proceedings have a consistent, high-quality appearance.

SIGPLAN strongly recommends using the LaTeX typesetting system and the SIGPLAN LaTeX Class File for the preparation of papers, which follow these formatting guidelines.

Authors should take note of any special instructions of the specific Call for Papers, such as required body-text size or submission page limits.

Page Size and Layout

Proceedings are printed on and should be prepared for US Letter paper (8.5 in × 11 in). All material of each page of the final (non-preprint) paper should fit within a rectangle of 7 in × 9 in, beginning 1 in from the top of the page and 0.75 in from the left of the page.

The text should be in two 3.333 in; columns separated by a 0.333 in space.

Right margins (excepting references) should be justified, not ragged.

The SIGPLAN LaTeX Class File uses a 42 pica × 54.5 pica text area with two 20 pica columns separated by a 2 pica space, where 1 (American/TeX) pica = 12 (Tex) point = 1/72.27 ft; these dimensions are slightly narrower but taller than those required above; this will be addressed in a future revision of the SIGPLAN LaTeX Class File.

Body Text

The (normal) body text should use Times Roman (recommended) or, if not available available, another proportional font with serifs (e.g., Computer Modern). Use sans serif or nonproportional fonts only for special purposes, such as source code text.

The body text should use either a 9 point or a 10 point font, as specified by the Call for Papers.

Title and Author Information

The paper’s title, (optional) subtitle, and author information should be centered across the full width of the page. The title and subtitle should be written using title case. The name, affiliation, and contact e-mail address of each author should be provided; authors from the same institution may share the affiliation and contact e-mail address lines.

If using a 9 point body-text font, then title should use an 18 point bold variant of the body-text font, the subtitle should use a 14 point variant of the body-text font, an author’s name should use an 11 point variant of the body-text font, an author’s affiliation should use the body-text font, and an author’s contact e-mail address should use either the body-text font, a sans serif (recommended) font at the same size, or a nonproportional font at the same size.

If using a 10 point body-text font, then title should use a 17 point bold variant of the body-text font, the subtitle should use a 14 point variant of the body-text font, an author’s name should use an 12 point variant of the body-text font, an author’s affiliation should use the body-text font, and an author’s contact e-mail address should use either the body-text font, a sans serif (recommended) font at the same size, or a nonproportional font at the same size.

Title and author notes may be indicated by footnotes using symbol (rather than Arabic-numeral) marks.

Copyright Space and Copyright Text

A 1 in copyright space should be reserved at the bottom of column 1 of page 1. The specific text text for this space will be provided by ACM based upon the chosen the level of rights management. The copyright text should use a 5 point variant of the body-text font (if using either a 9 point or 10 point body-text font).

Hierarchical Headings

  1. A level 1 heading (a.k.a., section) should use an 11 point bold variant of the body-text font (if using a 9 point body-text font) or a 12 point bold variant of the body-text font (if using a 10 point body-text font). A level 1 heading should be unindented, ragged right (if requiring multiple lines), and set above the subsequent text. A level 1 heading title should be written using title case. A level 1 heading should be labeled, using Arabic numerals in the body and using upper-case letters in an appendix. A level 1 heading label should appear as “1.” (note the trailing period).

  2. A level 2 heading (a.k.a., subsection) should use a bold variant of the body-text font. A level 2 heading should be unindented, ragged right (if requiring multiple lines), and set above the subsequent text. A level 2 heading title should be written using title case. A level 2 heading should be labeled, using the parent level 1 heading label followed by an Arabic numeral. A level 2 heading label should appear as “1.1” (note the absence of a trailing period).

  3. A level 3 heading (a.k.a., subsubsection) should use a bold variant of the body-text font. A level 3 heading should be unindented, ragged right (if requiring multiple lines), and set above the subsequent text. A level 3 heading title should be written using title case. A level 3 heading should be labeled, using the parent level 2 heading label followed by an Arabic numeral. A level 3 heading label should appear as “1.1.1” (note the absence of a trailing period).

  4. A level 4 heading (a.k.a., paragraph) should use a bold italic variant of the body-text font. A level 4 heading should be unindented, justified (if requiring multiple lines), and set inline with the subsequent text unless immediately followed by a level 5 heading. A level 4 heading title should be written using title case. A level 4 heading may be either unlabeled (recommended) or labeled, using the parent level 3 heading label followed by an Arabic numeral. A level 4 heading label should appear as “1.1.1.1” (note the absence of a trailing period).

  5. A level 5 heading (a.k.a., subparagraph) should use an italic variant of the body-text font. A level 5 heading should be unindented, justified (if requiring multiple lines), and set inline with the subsequent text. A level 5 heading title should be written using title case. A level 5 heading may be either unlabeled (recommended) or labeled, using the parent level 4 heading label followed by an Arabic numeral. A level 5 heading label should appear as “1.1.1.1.1” (note the absence of a trailing period).

The first paragraph of a level should be unindented. Subsequent paragraphs of a level may be either indented with no inter-paragraph space (recommended, may reduce the total number of pages) or unindented with a small inter-paragraph space.

Special Sections

Abstract

The paper abstract should use an unlabeled level 1 heading with the title “Abstract”.

Classification

The paper classification should use an unlabeled level 4 heading with the title “CCS Concepts”, followed by a semicolon separated list of classifications. Each classification is composed of a general concept and a semicolon separated list of specific concepts, each with an implicit relevance/significance (high, medium, or low). The general concept should use a bold variant of the body-text font and be preceded by a bullet and followed by a right arrow; a high-significance specific concept should use a bold variant of the body-text font, a medium-significance specific concept should use an italic variant of the body-text font, and a low-significance specific concept should use the body-text font. General concepts with one or more high significance specific concepts should appear first, followed by general concepts with no high significance specific concepts but one or more medium significance specific concepts, followed by general concepts with only low significance specific concepts. High-relevance specific concepts should appear first, followed by medium-significance specific concepts, followed by low-significance specific concepts.

ACM Computing Classification System (1998 version)

The paper classification should use an unlabeled level 4 heading with the title “Categories and Subject Descriptors”, followed by a semicolon separated list of categories. Each category is composed of a category number (itself composed of a top-level category letter, a subcategory number, and an optional subsubcategory number), a subcategory name, an optional subsubcategory name, and an optional subject descriptor. The category number should use the body-text font, with components of the category number separated by periods but not terminated by a period; the subcategory name should use an italic variant of the body-text font and be enclosed in square brackets; if present, the subsubcategory name should use the body-text font and be preceded by a colon; if present, the subject descriptor should use the body-text font and be preceded by either a colon, if there is no subsubcategory name, or an em-dash, if there is a subsubcategory name.

Terms

Paper terms are not required. If provided, then the paper terms should use an unlabeled level 4 heading with the title “Terms”, followed by a comma-separated list of terms.

Keywords

Paper keywords should use an unlabeled level 4 heading with the title “Keywords”, followed by a comma-separated list of keywords.

Acknowledgments

If necessary, acknowledgments should use an unlabeled level 1 heading with the title “Acknowledgments”.

References

The paper references should use an unlabeled level 1 heading with the title “References”. References may use either an 8 point variant of the body-text font (recommended, if using a 9 point body-text font), a 9 point variant of the body-text font (recommended, if using a 10 point body-text font), or the body-text font.

Footnotes

Footnotes should use Arabic-numeral marks. Footnotes should use an 8 point variant of the body-text font (if using either a 9 point or 10 point body-text font).

Figures and Tables

Figures and tables should appear at the top of a column (recommended), at the top of a page extending across both columns (recommended), at the bottom of a column, at the bottom of a page extending across both columns, or in the middle of a column. Figures or tables less than a column width with “wrap-around” text are discouraged. Figures and tables should include captions; a horizontal rule should separate the figure or table content above from the caption below. Figures and tables should be labeled, using Arabic numerals; figures and tables may share the same label counter or may use distinct label counters. A caption should use a bold variant of the body-text font for the word “Figure” or “Table”, followed by the label, followed by a period and should use the body-text font for the caption text. The caption text should be written using sentence case or title case, as appropriate. The caption should be centered when it requires one line and the caption should be right justified when it requires multiple lines.

References and Citations

References and citations should use either author/year format (recommended) or numeric format. References should use a clear and consistent bibliographic style and should be ordered alphabetically by last name of first author. When using author/year format, references should not be numbered or labeled and citations should be a list of semicolon separated author/year entries in parentheses (“(“ and “)”). When using numeric format, references should be numbered and labeled by the reference number in square brackets (“[” and “]”) and citations should be a list of comma separated reference numbers in square brackets.

Color

Color may be used for text and figures, but the paper must be readable when printed in black-and-white in the proceedings.