A "Call for Papers" (CfP) is a way to invite authors
to submit papers for review. Accepted papers are
published in journals or presented at conferences.
Journals: A call for papers for a journal is
looking for papers for publication only. You can
usually find them in the back pages of the journal
or receive them from mailing lists.
Conferences: A call for papers for a conference
is used to collect papers for review and authors of
the accepted papers gather at a conference venue to
give a presentation on the paper. There are many
forms of presentations such as speech and slide style
talks, poster sessions, workshops, and panel discussions.
Most presentations are live, but some are done online.
Some things to look for in a CfP:
- What is the goal or theme of the CfP?
- What are the main topics? There can be as many
as 30 different topics listed for a particular theme
with room for more (usually put in terms such as,
"the topics include, but are not limited to...")
- How do you submit a paper? There will usually be
a detailed section on author guidelines with
specific instructions on word length, file format,
etc. explaining how to prepare and submit your paper.
- What is the timeline? There will usually be
specified dates ("Important Dates") for the initial
submission, notification of acceptance, and final
camera-ready submission.
- (When/where does the conference take place?)
Other things to check:
- Author agreements. If your paper is accepted, what
will be expected of you as the author regarding copyright,
conference attendance, fees, etc.?
- Who are the sponsors?
