Introduction: TAPS, My Personal Advices

I used TAPS as one of the MobileHCI2020 Proceedings chairs. Here everything I wish I knew before ;D

This is personal, and may not be true/ true forever. You see something wrong, incorrect or unclear? Write me so I can update this page!

I organized this page in a chronological order, with a timeline overview at the end.

Here some ressources:

• https://www.acm.org/publications/gi-proceedings

• https://homes.cs.washington.edu/~spencer/taps/taps.html

• https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow

• https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/publications/word-to-pdf-instructions

• https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/whitelist-of-latex-packages

• https://sigchi.org/final-submission-author-instructions-for-sigchi-conferences/

Table of contents

The Timeline

As soon as possible

• Set up PCS:

  • Open all the tracks that may be lead to submission, and

  • Promote the proceedings chairs Chairs in PCS for all these Tracks

• Set up e-right:

  • Send an e-mail to the relevant person (Adrienne Griscti in my case)

    • Request an "CMS XML upload slot"

    • Indicate the event, naming the event and the start date.

  • Note the returned e-mail, that provides

    • the link to the CMS database for this event (one per track)

    • a proceedings ID (one per track)

• Set up TAPS :

  • Send an e-mail to the relevant person (Craig Rodkin in my case)

    • Indicate the tracks

    • Ask to use the proceedings chairs alias e-mail for the contact e-mail in TAPS

Once the acceptance notification has been sent to the authors

• e-Right forms

  • Generate the XML file from PCS with your Chairing rights

  • Modify your XML file:

    • Add the proceedings ID

    • Add the paper_types

  • Upload your XML file on the link received previously with the proceedings ID

  • Verify the entered publication once you got by e-mail the link to do it

  • Send the message to the authors from this new web page

• Send the instructions to the authors

After the camera-ready submission deadline

• Upload the files on TAPS

  • Verify the structure of the folder

  • Verify the name

  • Upload submission by submission (you can read 25% on the progress bar of this publication)

• Check the status:

  • Once the work in progress is over , you will have a warning or a successfull upload

  • If you have a warning, clic on the warning icon of the publication to download it and read it. Try to fix it, or send the error to the contact authors

  • If the upload was successful (you can read 75% on the progress bar of this publication), the next step will be the validation by the authors.

  • Contact the authors for validation
    

The set up: PCS

All the Proceedings Chairs should be Chairs of all the Tracks on PCS

With the current submission process, you need to generate an XML file (e-right forms settings) and to upload the source files (to load them in TAPS). This is doable in PCS if you have the Chairs right in PCS.

My advice would be to get these Chairs rights in PCS from the begining. You will be autonomous in these downloading process.

All the Conference Tracks should correspond to a Track on PCS

You may not know for sure if workshops, tutorials, poster, demos (and so on) will be included in the Digital Library of ACM (DL ACM). Howerver, my advice is to open the PCS Tracks for all the submissions types, so you will be flexible if you need to get the e-rights and the sources files later.

The set up: e-Rights Form

Ask to open the space to load the papers information

You need to set up the space you will load the accepted papers information. It should be done before the acceptance notification. Immedialty once the notification sent, you can upload this informations and the first authors will be contacted to sign this form.

You will need one space for each track. For instance, you will request two for papers and extended abstracts.

To do it, write an e-mail to the relevant person (Adrienne Griscti in my case) to request an "CMS XML upload slot", and indicate the event, naming the event and the start date. You can include your tracks. Use your proceedings chairs alias or have all your co-chair in cc of the e-mail.

Keep the returned e-mails

The returned e-mails will indicathe the links to the CMS database, i.e. where you will upload the data of the accepted papers (e.g. let's call it linkforeright.org) and a proceedings ID for the tracks. You will use the proceedings ID to enter these data (for instance 1234-5678A.12345).

Modify the XML file

Now, you will have to open this XML file and modify some parts:

• replace <proceedings/> by the ID sent previously with this format : <proceeding>1234-5678A.12345</proceeding>

• for all the papers in the XML file, replace <papertype/> by <paper_type>VALUE</paper_type>, where VALUE can be one of the following type:

  • Abstract

  • Course

  • Demo

  • Extended Abstract

  • Full Paper

  • Invited Talk Abstract

  • Invited Talk Paper

  • Panel

  • Poster

  • Poster Paper (poster article that is 5 or more pages)

  • Short Paper

  • Tutorial

Note: It will not work if you add spaces. In particular, you will be able to submit a XML file <paper_type>Extended Abstract</paper_type>, but *not* "<paper_type> Extended Abstract </paper_type>"

Upload the XML file

You should go on the link sent previously (I called it "linkforeright.org"):

• upload your XML file

• IMPORTANT: I always had a page with "WARNINGS" as a result of the submission. However, if you have no reason for these warnings related to your XML syntax, do *not* resubmit the XML file and write an e-mail to your contact to verify if it worked. Why? Because resubmittng an actually accepted XML file will duplicate the submission for the e-rights and TAPS. Example 1: I submit and get the error "_Extended Abstract_ type does not exist" (cf previous note): I modify " <paper_type> Extended Abstract </paper_type>" by "<paper_type>Extended Abstract</paper_type>" and I can resubmit. Example 2: I submit and get the error "WARNINGS: author number 1: author ACM_client_no blank": I try to open the link at the bottom of the WARNINGS page (https://cms.acm......) to see if the publications are added. If I cannot open the link, I write to my contact to verify if the publications were included. I do not submit the XML file until I am sure the publication are not included yet.

• If your have an error you cannot fix, write to your contact for the e-rights form.

Once it is done, you will get a link to see the list of the papers and the status of the e-Rights forms (I got it from the contact for e-Rights).

Send the e-Right form e-mail to the first authors and follow the status

You got a new link at the previous step, you can verify the information is correct (all the papers are listed) and use the button to send a message to the contact authors. This message is only related to the e-Rights form, you will not recieve a copy of the e-mail except if you are a first author and you will not be able to see or modify the content.

You can send an e-mail to the contact authors to inform them the e-mail may has been received by the first authors.

You can come back regularly, see the authors that signed the e-Rights form so far, and send new message to ask the remaining authors to sign it.

Add new publications in the e-Right form

You should create a new XML with the additional publications only (do not include the publications already entered) and upload it following the same process that previously.

Instructions to the authors

The errors in TAPS submissions you can avoid at the camera ready submission step

When uploading a submission (a zip file) in TAPS, some errors occur. Here the one you can avoid at the camera-ready submission level:

• The zip file does not have the right structure. The zip file submited by the authors should follow exaclty this structure, with the exact names:

• pdf

  • (put here the pdf for the AC)

• source

  • (put here your source files, word or all the LaTeX including tex files, images and .bib files)

• supplements

  • (put here your supplement materials and the author pdf if you want it to be public on DL ACM, including the authors' pdf and the video)

• The name of the zip file is not accepted. Each of the submission should follow the format "confYY-#", for instance "mobilehci20-1". You can at least ask the authors to submit the zip file with the conference name ("mobilehci20-"), and you can send them their publication number in TAPS so they direclty name their zip file correctly

• The source files use \section{Acknowledgement}. They should use instead \begin{acks} ... \end{acks}

• The source files use packages that are not in the white list published at https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/whitelist-of-latex-packages.

• The source files use LaTeX "ac" instructions for accronyms, it is not accepted in TAPS.

This information can be included in a FAQ or in the camera ready instructions.

Setting the Camera Ready Submission From on PCS

We kept only one folder to upload (as the sources, the pdf and the supplement materials should be included in the same zip folder), the thumbnail picture. So far, I do not know how are handled the thumbnails.

Formatting issues after TAPS processing

I have noticed two mains issues when formating the proceedings in TAPS:

• The formating of some tables are not working in double colums

• The title is too long to be at the top of the page. Here how to define a short and a long title with \title: \title[short title]{long title}

Proposition of e-mail instructions

**** When ****

Camera ready version of your accepted paper are due on [date].

**** Where ****

Your camera-ready paper is to upload on Precision Conference (PCS).

Your rights form was sent electronically to the first author. Note: check your spam folder in your e-mail box or accept e-mail from rightsreview@acm.org.

**** What ****

For your paper, you should submit the source files (word format or complete LaTeX sources on a zip file) of your camera-ready version. This means: correct ACM template (one-column format this year: https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow), the correct length (see at the end of the previously cited link), no page number on the document, the copyright text is added to your submission, and all the reviewers comments are integrated to camera-ready version. You can, if you want, submit the pdf of your camera-ready paper in the supplement materials.

For your rights form, you should submit the electronic rights form after verifying and correcting the details (title, authors and affiliations).

**** How ****

In order to finalize the camera-ready version of your paper, you will need to complete the following steps:

Rights form and rights text to add to your camera-ready paper

• The first author has received an ACM e-Rights form to submit (check your spam folder in your e-mail box or accept e-mail from rightsreview@acm.org)</p>

• The first author should verify the information is correct, including the title, the names of the authors and their affiliations.

• Complete and submit the eRights form Please make sure that you and your authors set email SPAM settings to allow emails from "rightsreview@acm.org".

• The first author will receive another email with the text to add in the bottom left corner of the first page of your submission (including permissions statement, ISBN, DOI, etc.).

• This text MUST be added to the camera-ready version of your paper.

Submission of the camera-ready paper

• The submission is to upload on Precision Conference (PCS).

• You will need a follow a precise structure for your submission, as you will submit a single zip folder for your sources, your supplement materials and your pdf (for the AC validation). Please follow exactly this structure, as the management of the content is automated:

  • • zip folder

      • pdf

        • (put here the pdf for the AC)

      • source

        • (put here your source files, word or all the LaTeX including tex files, images and .bib files)

      • supplements

        • (put here your supplement materials and the author pdf if you want it to be public on DL ACM)

We highly encourage all authors to submit a video along with their final paper. Their video should be included in supplements folder.

Camera-ready version of your paper:

• If not done, add the rights text on your submission.

• Modify your paper to address all the comments of the reviewers.

• Make sure that the right template is used, as describe on the MobileHCI webpage: https://mobilehci.acm.org/2020/call-for-papers/. All submissions must be formatted according to the one column format ACM, which can be found here for word and LaTex: https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow .</p>

• Make sure the length is right (see the Guide for Estimating the Formatted Page Count at the bottom of the following webpage: https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow ).

• Verify you applied the ACM computing classification categories and terms (Computing Classification Scheme at: https://dl.acm.org/ccs/ccs.cfm). The formating may have change from your previous submissions, so include a new generated version.

• If you want to submit the pdf:

  • In order to include an "author pdf" in the DL library, please include it in the supplement materials. Generate your pdf with all fonts be embedded within the PDF file. To check it is case and to generate a pdf with embedded fonts: https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/publications/word-to-pdf-instructions-.txt .

  • In order to submit a pdf version for the AC to verify your final submission (e.g. with a double columns formating), include it in the pdf folder.

• If you use LaTeX: restrict the use of packages to the white list of approved LaTeX packages published at https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/whitelist-of-latex-packages. If you use another package, your submission will not be accepted in TAPS and you will have to remove the package.

• Revert anonymization process.

• Associate the alternative text for all your figures (see the dedicated sections for word and LaTeX in https://www.acm.org/publications/taps/word-template-workflow)

Contact Author

ACM moved to a new publication workflow, using the TAPS system. This system, in the current version, is sending mails to the first author only. If the contact author for MobileHCI is *not* the first author, please get in touch with the first authors about emails they may have received from the e-Rights and TAPS submission system.

If you have any questions regarding the camera-ready instructions, please contact the proceedings chairs [...].

FAQ

Why should we submit in one column format?

The paper will be published on multiple platforms, including pdf and web. In the new ACM publication workflow, the submission is in single column format, so all the versions can be generated. The compatibility is better from single column format to the others, in particular regarding the pictures (the pictures of single column works on the website and can be kept like in the single column version in two column format).

To summarize, the one column format submission allows us, in the new publication workflow, to get the content (pictures, text, format, accessibility features) and to adapt it to all the publication formats. This explains the approximation for the final page count based on the number of words.

Why should I submit the sources, while the pdf is not mandatory?

The paper will be published on multiple platforms, including pdf and web. In the new ACM publication workflow. We use the sources to generate all the versions.

Then, why can the authors submit the pdf version?

It can be used when the authors were asked to shorten the paper (in two column format), so they can provide a proof (in the zip files, \pdf folder). Moreover, some authors prefer to submit a pdf as well that will be published in DL ACM as supplement material, for instance, their preprint (in the zip files, \supplements folder).

What template should I use?

You can find the one-column template and download the sources here, on overleaf: https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/acm-conference-proceedings-master-template/pnrfvrrdbfwt

The important thing for us is to have a submission in the ACM template, with your text and the copyrights.

How to write alt text in LaTeX

LaTeX users can use the command \Description[<short description>]{<long description>} inside every figure, teaserfigure, marginfigure, or table environment to provide a description of the image(s) used in the figure. Unlike \caption, which is used alongside the image, \Description is intended to be used instead of the image, for example,

\begin{figure}

\centering

\includegraphics{voltage}

\Description[A bell-like histogram]{A bell-like histogram centered at $0.5$~V with most measurements between $0.2$~V and $0.8$~V}

\caption{Histogram of the measurements of voltage}

\label{fig:voltage}

\end{figure}

Not providing a Description will generate a warning at compilation.

TAPS

Upload your camera ready submissions

You received the creditial for your TAPS submissions when you setted up TAPS. Goes to the website. Note: I could not access to http://camps.aptaracorp.com/ACMConference/ from Mozilla.

Once you downloaded the zip folder submitted by the authors, verify the structure and the name are the one accepted by TAPS:

• <confYY-#>

  • pdf

  • source

  • supplements

Then, upload the submission on TAPS (submission progress bar is at 25%) and wait for the processing.

Check the status of the submissions:

Once the work in progress is over , you will have a successfull upload if the process is managed

• • If you have a warning, clic on the warning icon of the publication to download it and read it. Try to fix it, or send the error to the contact authors so they can fix the bug and generate new source files.

  • If the upload was successful (you can read 75% on the progress bar of this publication), the next step will be the validation by the authors.

  • Contact the authors for validation.

Notes about the process

The authors receiving TAPS e-mails are not the contact authors, but the first authors. You can contact the authors to inform them about this situation.

In general, the Proceedings Chairs are responsible to upload the sources on TAPS, not the authors. Be aware: the authors may receive e-mail from TAPS to ask them to upload their sources. ou can contact the authors to inform them about this situation.