This document is a work in progress, and the Conference Coordinating Committee Chair should be consulted on any questions.

Conference venue, solicitation of bids

The ADHO Conference Coordinating Committee (CCC) will solicit bids for the conference venue according to the following procedure:

• Invitations to bid will be issued six months and three months before the conference that occurs two years before the target conference date for the bid cycle. (For instance, for the conference in 2006, the invitation to bid would be issued three months before the 2004 conference.). Preference will be given to bids which enable the CCC to rotate the conference geographically (so if the 2005 conference is to be held in Canada, the 2006 conference would preferably be held in Europe).
• The CCC will discuss bids with the bidders to enable them to present the most viable bids possible.
• Bids will be discussed by the ADHO steering committee at the conference two years prior to the target venue, and a decision will be made at that time.
• Guidelines for bidders are available on the ADHO website, with deadlines, advice on funding, and other details.

Program Committee

The International Program Commitee (IPC) shall consist of not more than 12 and not fewer than 8 members (not including the Program Chair or Local Organizer) designated by the executive councils of the constituent organizations. Each chapter may designate members up to a maximum specified in this annex; this maximum is determined by identifying an even divisor of a number falling within the number range above. Responsibility for identifying the appropriate number of members and updating this annex accordingly lies with the CCC, subject to the approval of the ADHO steering committee. As of 2004, with three constituent organizations participating, each constituent organization may designate up to four members to the IPC. In the event that any constituent organization elects to designate fewer than the maximum number of members to the IPC, unused slots will remain unfilled. Designating members of the IPC is a right of the constituent organizations, not a requirement.

It is strongly recommended that the IPC be appointed at the conference two years in advance of the target conference date (i.e. slightly before the 2004 conference for a committee working on the program for the 2006 conference) and that they have their first meeting at that conference. At that meeting, the program committee should elect a vice-chair. It is also strongly recommended that members of the IPC attend the conference the year prior to the one for which they are on the PC, as well as the year of the conference they have helped to plan. In selecting members of the IPC, constituent organizations should take care to verify that the members are willing and able to take on the time commitment required and are reasonably likely to be able to attend the intervening conferences. At least one member from each constituent organization needs to have served on a prior IPC. However, new perspectives are also valuable, and the IPC should implement rotation of committee members.

ADHO and in particular the CCC will try to explore new methods of communication for the IPC, such as video-conference, conference calls, and perhaps face-to-face meetings, to facilitate discussion.

Program Committee Chair and Local Organizer

It is expected that there will be discussion and cooperation between the constituent organization and the steering committee in coming to a decision about the appointment of the Program Chair. It is important that the Program Chair be experienced in running such a process, and it is highly desirable that a Program Chair should have served on prior program committees in this community.

The Program Chair and Local Organizer should have a face-to-face meeting, either at the conference the year prior to the one they are planning, or at some other time.

Choice of keynote speakers

The Program Committee must approve all keynote speakers in consultation with the local organiser. However, since the financial burden of the speaker costs rests with the LO, it is important that the IPC consult with the LO about feasibility of speaker choice. The LO should have veto power in this matter. Choice of keynote speakers has an important impact: it sets the tone for the conference and affects how the conference is promoted; keynote speakers should be chosen with these goals in mind. Keynote speakers should be selected well in advance, so as make it possible to announce keynote speakers at the conference a year in advance. Invitations to keynote speakers are issued by the LO.

Reviewing of papers

Authors of accepted papers from the past two years should be invited to serve as reviewers; reviewers should also be encouraged to recommend additional reviewers. A call for reviewers should be sent out every two years. ADHO will support a database to store information about member activities including conference reviewing, journal reviewing, mentoring, and other activities. It is the responsibility of the Conference Coordinating Committee to maintain an up to date list of reviews, using the support database provided by ADHO. Authors of accepted papers from the past two years may be invited to serve as reviewers; reviewers should also be encouraged to recommend additional reviewers. A call for reviewers should be sent out every two years.

Normally there will be at least three reviews for each proposal.

In addition to reviewers' comments, other relevant factors may affect the IPC's decision to accept or reject a paper, for instance the desirability of maintaining geographic and thematic breadth, or the strategic importance of a given paper or author to the associations.

ADHO is discontinuing the practice of anonymizing papers during the review process.

Conference Organization and Financing

Although neither ADHO nor the constituent organizations will subsidize the ordinary conference expenses, they may in special cases contribute funding towards some additional activity to be undertaken as part of the conference: for instance, new initiatives (such as provision for simultaneous interpretation), or special opportunities that arise in connection with a particular venue. These funding contributions would need to be negotiated between host and ADHO on a case-by-case basis, perhaps as part of bidding process.

Any profit or loss from the conference is absorbed by the local institution, not ADHO, and this fact must be clearly and explicitly understood by any institution making a bid to host the conference. Registration fees are decided by the Local Organizer based on the conference budget; however, discounted fees must be offered to all affiliate members of ADHO. In the case of constituent organizations, the discount should be at least the standard subscription rate for LLC; affiliated organizations receive a diminished discount, subject to approval by the CCC.

Conference Code of Conduct

Local Organizers are charged with making the long version of the Conference Code of Conduct available to attendees and easily findable. Where appropriate, the short version can be publicized with a direct link to the longer version: adho.org/administration/conference-coordinating-program-committee/adho-conference-code-conduct. Local Organizers are expected to discuss the code of conduct and local support for conference-goers with their staff and assistants, and to publicize clear and helpful information for attendees. They may therefore wish to seek advice and examples from past LOs or DH conference websites.

Appendices

Model Call for Papers

Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations
Digital Humanities 2006
Call for Papers

Abstract Deadline: November 30, 2005

Presentations can include:

Call for Papers Announcement

I. General

The international Programme Committee invites submissions of abstracts of between 750 and 1500 words on any aspect of humanities computing, broadly defined to encompass the common ground between information technology and problems in humanities research and teaching. As always, we welcome submissions in any area of the humanities, particularly interdisciplinary work. We especially encourage submissions on the current state of the art in humanities computing, and on recent new developments and expected future developments in the field.

Suitable subjects for proposals include, for example,
* text analysis, corpora, language processing, language learning
* IT in librarianship and documentation
* computer-based research in cultural and historical studies
* computing applications for the arts, architecture and music
* research issues such as: information design and modelling; the cultural impact of the new media
* the role of digital humanities in academic curricula

The range of topics covered by humanities computing can also be consulted in the journal of the associations: Literary and Linguistic Computing (LLC), Oxford University Press.

The deadline for submitting paper, session and poster proposals to the Programme Committee is November 30th, 2005. All submissions will be refereed. Presenters will be notified of acceptance February 24, 2006. The electronic submission form will be available at the conference site from October 1st, 2005. See below for full details on submitting proposals.

Proposals for (non-refereed, or vendor) demos and for pre-conference tutorials and workshops should be discussed directly with the local conference organizer as soon as possible.

For more information on the conference in general please visit the conference web site.

II. Types of Proposals

Proposals to the Programme Committee may be of three types: (1) papers, (2) poster presentations and/or software demonstrations, and (3) sessions (either three-paper or panel sessions). The type of submission must be specified in the proposal.

Papers and posters may be given in English, French, German, Italian or Spanish.

1) Papers

Proposals for papers (750-1500 words) should describe original work: either completed research which has given rise to substantial results, or the development of significant new methodologies, or rigorous theoretical, speculative or critical discussions. Individual papers will be allocated 20 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for questions.

Proposals that concentrate on the development of new computing methodologies should make clear how the methodologies are applied to research and/or teaching in the humanities, and should include some critical assessment of the application of those methodologies in the humanities. Those that concentrate on a particular application in the humanities should cite traditional as well as computer-based approaches to the problem and should include some critical assessment of the computing methodologies used. All proposals should include conclusions and references to important sources. Those describing the creation or use of digital resources should follow these guidelines as far as possible.

2) Poster Presentations and Software Demonstrations

Poster presentations may include computer technology and project demonstrations. Hence the term poster/demo to refer to the different possible combinations of printed and computer based presentations. There should be no difference in quality between poster/demo presentations and papers, and the format for proposals is the same for both. The same academic standards should apply in both cases, but posters/demos may be a more suitable way of presenting late-breaking results, or significant work in progress, including pedagogical applications. Both will be submitted to the same refereeing process. The choice between the two modes of presentation (poster/demo or paper) should depend on the most effective and informative way of communicating the scientific content of the proposal.

By definition, poster presentations are less formal and more interactive than a standard talk. Poster presenters have the opportunity to exchange ideas one-on-one with attendees and to discuss their work in detail with those most deeply interested in the same topic. Presenters will be provided with about two square meters of board space to display their work. They may also provide handouts with examples or more detailed information. Posters will remain on display throughout the conference, but there will also be a separate conference session dedicated to them, when presenters should be prepared to explain their work and answer questions. Additional times may also be assigned for software or project demonstrations.

The poster sessions will build on the recent trend of showcasing some of the most important and innovative work being done in humanities computing.

As an acknowledgement of the special contribution of the posters to the conference, the Programme Committee will award a prize for the best poster.

3) Sessions

Sessions (90 minutes) take the form of either:

Three papers. The session organizer should submit a 500-word statement describing the session topic, include abstracts of 750-1500 words for each paper, and indicate that each author is willing to participate in the session;

or
A panel of four to six speakers. The panel organizer should submit an abstract of 750-1500 words describing the panel topic, how it will be organized, the names of all the speakers, and an indication that each speaker is willing to participate in the session.

The deadline for session proposals is the same as for proposals for papers, i.e. November 30th, 2005.

III. Format of the Proposals

All proposals must be submitted electronically using the on-line submission form, which will be available at the conference web site from October 1st, 2005.

Timeline for Conference Organization

About three years in advance, the ADHO Conference Coordinating Committee (CCC) should solicit bids for hosting, in a public RFP, and the CCC should consult with bidders to make sure they understand the terms and requirements of conference hosting.

At the conference two years ahead, prospective conference hosts should present proposals to the ADHO Steering Committee. So, for example, in 2006 one would propose hosting the conference in 2008. Normally the future host will be selected at this time, by the ADHO Steering Committee.

At this same time, International Program Committee (IPC) members for the conference two years out need to be named by the constituent organizations, and a Program Chair selected by the ADHO Steering Committee.

A little more than a year ahead of the conference being planned, the IPC should begin working up a call for papers and the Program Chair should organize a face-to-face meeting at the conference one year ahead.

At that same conference, the local organizer of the conference being planned should distribute information about that event, including planned dates, estimated costs, social program, housing options, etc. Future local organizers should also at this point have space reserved for meetings and events in the conference being planned.

Program Chairs should issue the first call for papers at the conference a year ahead, with a submission deadline at least nine months in advance of the conference, and a deadline for acceptances at least four months in advance of the conference. The online paper-reviewing mechanisms should be in place when the call for papers is issued, and the database of potential reviewers should be updated by the CCC Chair.

The Chair of the ADHO Conference Coordinating Committee and the Program Chair should visit the future conference site and meet with the local organizer approximately six months in advance of the conference, to review local arrangements, meetings space, lodging, etc. At this point, the conference web site should be operational, registration costs should be set, online registration mechanisms should be ready to go, and conference bags should be on order.

Three months in advance of the conference--at the same time that paper and poster acceptances are sent out--online registration should open. At this point, travel and lodging information should be available on the conference web site, and excursions should be set and priced. Work now begins on producing the online academic program and the book of abstracts, with the online program finalized and published as soon as possible--not less than two months in advance of the conference.

One month in advance of the conference, the book of abstracts should be printed and materials for the conference packets should be collected. Student helpers should be identified and scheduled, and nametags should be produced. Registrations should be confirmed, and incomplete or unclear registrations should be reviewed. Late registration fees should take effect at this point.

Conference Schedule:

• Day 1: Board meetings all day for constituent organizations.
• Day 2: Morning board meetings for ADHO steering committee (including selection of future conference host); afternoon excursion; evening opening plenary and reception
• Day 3: First full day of academic program (and lunchtime association members' meeting)
• Day 4: Second full day of academic program (posters in the early afternoon); evening banquet (and lunchtime association members' meeting)
• Day 5: Morning half-day of academic program (and possibly closing plenary mid-day); afternoon excursion

Conference organizer, program chair, and the editor of Literary and Linguistic Computing should begin work at the conference to select papers that will be invited as contributions to the conference issue of LLC. This issue should appear in the year following the conference.

Notes on papers and sessions

Plenaries and keynotes

It is important that the Program Committee communicate in advance with keynote speakers concerning the disciplinary focus and level of sophistication of the ADHO audience, particularly if the keynote speaker comes from outside the ADHO community. Information about the conference focus and theme should be made available to the keynote speaker well in advance of the conference. There may also be plenary sessions other than those involving a single keynote speaker (for example, a plenary panel).

Poster sessions

Both in the call for papers, the review process, and in developing the program, the PC should do its best to ensure the equal standing and distinctive function of poster sessions and paper submissions. The IPC should emphasize this if recommending that poster proposal be accepted as a paper and vice versa. Such a recommendation should make it clear that it is the nature of the proposal and not its quality that motivates the change.

Some possibilities for ensuring the distinctiveness and vibrancy of poster sessions include:

• have the poster session as a plenary event rather than simply a space, and ensure that it is very close to the main conference area;
• have two poster events, one of which is staged as an open microphone session or a series of short presentations (10 minutes, no questions), referring listeners to the subsequent poster session for further details and a chance to speak with the authors;
• schedule the poster session in tandem with refreshments, perhaps sponsored by a vendor or affiliated organization.

Paper sessions

In organizing papers into sessions, the Program Committee should give some thought to the chemistry between papers as well as their topical similarity.

Approved as a working docuument June 2005 by the ACH and ALLC executive committees. Updated with Conference Code of Conduct in January of 2014.