A collection of thoughts and procedures underlying TPCs. Based on numerous discussions over the years with many, including PC chairs, and in particular Sophie Quinton.
I will be using present tense – while strictly speaking, this is from my tenure now in the past, using past tense seems to suggest that the described does not hold anymore at all.
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TPC purpose, basic operation
The goal of the technical program committee is the selection of papers based on their technical merit and suitability for the conference. The TPC enacts goals and criteria of the conference. The TPC guarantees the technical correctness of the results published at the conference. The TPC takes decisions jointly as a body. Define and communicate…
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TPC composition
TPC composition is one of the most important aspects impacting overall conference quality. The TPC should have expertise to assess the expected papers and represent the overall communityMy suggestions: Coverage technical expertise Coverage Community in addition to the technical coverage, the TPC should reflect the community by including members:
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What is a good paper depends on the type of contribution
Evaluation criteria are mostly of a one-fits-all type. I believe they should be different, based on the type of contribution, e.g., theory or practice; and they should be made public. Much of our understanding of what kind of papers are suitable for which conference is primarily based on historical knowledge, participation in TPCs, etc., and…
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TPC Chair: Preparation is everything, monitor processes, stay on top of things
A TPC, without a force applied by the TPC chair, will reject any paper.Task of the TPC chair is to get papers accepted against the trend of the TPC.(source unknown) The evaluation process of conferences can be tricky and complex, quickly overwhelming if things go wrong (and some will). My advice to TPC chairs is…
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Support junior TPC members
Being on a TPC for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. So many new things to process, while trying to be your best, trying to prove worthy of the recognition given by the invitation, senior persons watching etc. At ECRTS, we started some form of mentoring of first time or junior TPC members.…
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Community friendly timing
Conference timing can have impact on time with families, quality of life, etc. At ECRTS, Sophie Quinton brought in changes to our timing to suit our family and personal lives better.This included having the submission deadline on a Thursday. We “anytime on earth” semantic, even in the eastern parts of the world the deadline is…
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Effective Communication TPC Chair to TPC
Implementing new procedures or goals can be challenging with the inertia of TPCs, here some observations and hints. So you are TPC chair (congrats) with ideas on how to run the evaluation process differently (good). Now, how do you ensure your new ideas get implemented properly? Be aware that you as TPC chair will be…