Author Instructions

If you’ve been selected to present at an ACM-sponsored event, you’ll need these instructions to prepare documentation of your work. Using ACM’s article template and TAPS, the ACM article production system, you’ll be ready for the next event.

Stages of Preparing Your Work

Stage 1

Preparation of simplified documentation

Stage 2

Submission of documentation

Stage 3

Work accepted for presentation

Stage 4

Completion of ACM rights form

Stage 5

Refine Documentation

  • Adding rights information
  • Finalizing citations and references
  • Making the document accessible

Stage 6

Delivery of documentation to TAPS

Stage 7

Revision of documentation (if required)

Stage 8

Distribution of finalized documentation through ACM Digital Library

Preparation Requirements

Templates

The ACM Article Template

To ensure all ACM publications have a consistent look and feel, ACM has developed a template, one for LaTeX and one for Microsoft Word, that is used in most applications. While there are some variations for specific publications and communities, this template is your starting point to prepare your documentation.

LaTeX Article Template Styles

The same article template files can be used to prepare many different kinds of documents, from two-page abstracts to full-length technical papers to journal articles. The only differences are the length of the documents and the template style that is used.

  • sigconf
    • Use this template style to prepare your documentation unless you are preparing a full-length Technical Paper for the SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia conferences.
  • acmtog
    • Use for SIGGRAPH or SIGGRAPH Asia conferences.
    • Download the fully-anonymized TOG article sample.
  • acmsmall
    • Use for PACMCGIT.

LaTeX Resources

Retrieve template files or install the “acmart” package and its dependencies in their local TeX installation (MikTeX, TeX Live, etc.). More information on using LaTeX is available here.

Download LaTeX template files.

Overleaf Resources

Overleaf is an online alternative to LaTeX.

Download Overleaf templates files and view samples.

Microsoft Word Resources

Start with the submission template to use Word to prepare your documentation. If your work is accepted for presentation and publication, your next step is to attach the master template file to your Word document and completing the remaining documentation. More information on using Word available here.

TAPS

ACM’s article production system, TAPS, accepts LaTeX and Word source from authors, generates PDF and HTML5 versions of the documentation as output, and stores the content as XML. The PDF and HTML5 versions of the documentation will be published in the ACM Digital Library.

If there are processing errors or formatting issues with the submitted documentation, you will receive e-mail from TAPS or from the production editor working on the proceedings with information on the issues to be resolved and their resolution. It is your responsibility to make changes to the LaTeX or Word files and resubmit to TAPS to resolve the issues in your documentation.

More information on TAPS can be found at this resource.

Citations and References

SIGGRAPH uses the “author year” citation and reference style. Please prepare your documentation using this style, and not the “numbered” citation and reference style.

If you are using LaTeX to prepare your documentation, include this command in the preamble of your document:

  • \citestyle{acmauthoryear}

use BibTeX to prepare your references, and include this command before the \bibliography{} command:

  • \bibliographystyle{ACM-Reference-Format}

If you are using Word to prepare your documentation, please select the “author year” style when finalizing the preparation of your documentation.

Read more on the preparation of citations and references with Word.

Rights Management

You must complete the ACM Rights Form for your work after it is accepted for presentation. This is a prerequisite for presentation and publication. The rights text that is added to your documentation is generated from the rights choices you make on this form – OA, copyright transfer, etc.

Download the ACM Rights Form

Third Party Material

If you are using in any material in your documentation or in your presentation that you or your co-authors did not create, you must identify that material:

  • On the rights form
  • In the documentation of your work

You must also provide documentation of your ability to use this material.

  • Obtain permission to use it from the owner
  • Provide documentation of the permission you’ve received or identify it as public-domain or appropriately CC-licensed.

Access more information on the proper handling of third-party material.

Examples

The following examples have been prepared with the ACM article template to help with your preparation. The TOG article uses the “acmtog” template style, and the others use the “sigconf” template style.

Course notes are not limited to any particular formatting 

Please note, these samples lack the now-required rights management text on the first page of the course notes document.

Need help? Have Questions?

Reach out to us for help preparing your documentation.