These instructions are for presenters at the 30th USENIX Security Symposium. If you wish to submit a paper or deliver a talk at another upcoming USENIX event, please review the open Calls for Papers and Calls for Participation for our upcoming USENIX conferences.
Contact
If you have questions, please contact the USENIX Security '21 Program Co-Chairs, Michael Bailey and Rachel Greenstadt, or the USENIX Production Department.
Important Dates
Final papers deadlines:
- Summer cycle: Tuesday, October 13, 2020
- Fall cycle: Monday, February 22, 2021
- Winter cycle: Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Consent form signature deadlines:
- Summer cycle: Tuesday, October 13, 2020
- Fall cycle: Monday, February 22, 2021
- Winter cycle: Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Presentation video and slides deadlines:
- Summer cycle: Tuesday, April 20, 2021
- Fall cycle: Thursday, May 20, 2021
- Winter cycle: Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Instructions for Authors of Refereed Papers
- Final papers deadlines. A printable PDF of your paper is due on or before the final paper deadlines listed below. These are hard deadlines. No extensions will be granted.
- Summer deadline: Upload your final paper to the submissions system by Tuesday, October 13, 2020.
- Fall deadline: Upload your final paper to the submissions system by Monday, February 22, 2021.
- Winter deadline: Upload your final paper to the submissions system by Wednesday, June 2, 2021.
- Maximum page length. Final papers should be no longer than 18 pages including bibliography and any appendices.
- Paper format. Papers should be typeset in two-column format using 10-point type on 12-point (single-spaced) leading, in a text block 7" wide x 9" deep, with 0.33" inter-column space, formatted for 8.5" x 11" paper.
- Embed all fonts in your final paper PDF.
- Make searchable your final paper PDF.
- Page numbers must be suppressed on your final paper PDF.
- Looking for templates? Templates and sample first pages (two-column format) for Microsoft Word and LaTeX are available on the USENIX templates page.
- Certify your final paper's title, author, and abstract in HotCRP. The final PDF's title and author information, including author order and affiliation, and the abstract, must exactly match the information entered into the HotCRP submission system. Please update the information in HotCRP as necessary, then check the certification checkbox. Please note: if you make any changes after you check the certification checkbox, you will need to check the box again.
- Sign the consent to publish form. Each author must sign a consent to publish form, which allows USENIX to publish the paper as well as any slides, audio, and/or video of your presentation. USENIX makes these freely available as part of our commitment to open access. Please review and e-sign the form. If you are the lead author, please be sure all of your co-authors sign a form.
- Use of images, audio, and video in your materials. It is very important that you secure permission to use copyright-protected materials in your slide deck, paper, or other materials used at a conference or submitted for publication. Even when an item has a Creative Commons license, you must read and comply with the terms of the license.
USENIX receives copyright infringement notices from time to time, resulting from authors or speakers using copyright-protected materials without proper licensing or attribution. When this happens, we have to depublish the work in question until/unless the issue is resolved. Licensing fees may be incurred, even when the work is unpublished, and USENIX will bill the author or speaker for any costs incurred. When possible, USENIX will refer the complainant directly to the author or speaker, who will be solely responsible for resolving the complaint. - Embargo requests. All papers will be available online to registered attendees before the conference. Authors may request an embargo for their papers by the deadline dates listed below.
- Summer Deadline: Wednesday, November 3, 2020
- Fall Deadline: Monday, March 29, 2021
- Winter Deadline: Thursday, July 1, 2021
- Prepare and submit your presentation videos and slides. For our virtual events, authors are required to record videos of their presentations and prepare their slide decks prior to the conference. Submit your videos and slide decks by the deadline for your review cycle via the corresponding Box upload link listed below:
- Summer cycle Box upload link: deadline Tuesday, April 20, 2021
- Fall cycle Box upload link: deadline Thursday, May 20, 2021
- Winter cycle Box upload link: deadline Wednesday, July 7, 2021
Slides Specifications
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Leave sufficient space in the top-right corner for the speaker inset showing you presenting your paper
- Introduction slide that clearly lists the title of your paper and your name
- Closing slide to thank your audience and/or collaborators and to display your contact information should you wish to receive follow-up questions from attendees
- File format: PDF
- File name: sec21_slides_[yourlastname].pdf (e.g. sec21_slides_smith.pdf)
Video Specifications
- Length: 10–12 minutes
- File format: H.264 MP4
- Resolution: 1080p
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- Max file size: 500MB
- Clearly audible audio (headphones and headsets are permitted)
- File name: sec21_video_[yourlastname].mp4 (e.g. sec21_video_smith.mp4)
- Fullscreen slides with a speaker inset, as shown here:
Please ensure that your speaker inset does not cover any pertinent information on your slides. - Need help preparing your video? See our document, "USENIX Virtual Conferencing Video Instructions for Presenters," for step-by-step instructions, additional tips, and best practices.
- Need a background to hide your messy office? Download one of USENIX's video conference backgrounds.