The final date for pattern submissions is 3th March 2000. Sometime around this date we will send you the address of a web-page where you can view abstracts and download copies of all the submitted papers. You need to decide which paper(s) (there should be enough shepherds that everyone need only do one or two papers each) you would like to shepherd and let Martine know of your choice. She will let you know if that paper still needs a shepherd and so whether you need to make another choice.
Once you’ve selected the paper(s) you wish to shepherd, it is up to you to contact your ‘sheep’ and to decide how to proceed with the shepherding. We will send you a sample of an introduction letter of you like.
In order to enable your assigned member of the PC to support you most effectively you need to make sure that all your emails to you sheep are copied to them and that your sheep does the same. You then have until April 25th to work with your sheep and make your recommendation for acceptance.
You can recommend to either reject the paper or accept it to the conference (see below for more detailed selection guidelines). You need to send your recommendation to your assigned PC member and a final decision will be made on acceptance. After that you may, of course, continue to work with your sheep and they have unitl June 2nd to produce a final draft of their paper.
What will make you decide to accept a paper to the conference? We think there are five major aspects of a successful well-readable pattern: form, known applicability, technical quality, and your "warm fuzzy feeling" about the pattern and the pattern’s author.
In general, it should be clear what the forces are that lead to the pattern, as well as the resulting constraints on the design space. This includes both positive and negative consequences of applying the pattern. A good pattern presentation has intuitive running examples.
The writing style should be clear, unpretentious and preferably active. The paper should be readable for practising software developers, so please tell authors to avoid an overly passive and academic diction.
As a guideline, the paper should be no more than about 10 pages long in order for it to be effectively workshopped. If the paper you are shepherding is much longer than this, start the author thinking about what parts of their work they want to concentrate on for this year's EuroPLoP.
In addition, please ask the author to tie his pattern into the existing literature of patterns. They should show related patterns and known variations, and how they can be combined with the pattern.
When making your recommendation for acceptance you may want to indicate whether you think the paper is more suitable for a Writing or a Writer’s Workshop, although the program committee will make the final decision based on relative quality of papers, spread of subjects, etc.
Sometimes you’re shepherding a pattern that just doesn’t feel right;
perhaps there are few known uses, the forces are less than clear, or the
whole thing just feels unconvincing. But the author has worked hard on
the initial pattern and even harder on implementing the changes you’ve
suggested and you feel that they really should come to EuroPLoP even if
the pattern is not ready for a writer’s workshop. The author, and the pattern,
are certainly candidates for the writing workshop.