Refereed papers describe new techniques, tools, theory, or inventions, or present case histories that extend our understanding of system and network administration. They present new ideas, backed by repeatable methodology, in the context of previous related work.
System administration is a broad topic, and good papers take a variety of approaches. A few examples:
Description/analysis of a new technique, tool, technology, or theory
Applying an existing technique, tool, etc., in a novel or maybe controversial way
Critical analysis of the alternatives for solving a common problem, including new recommendations
New lessons learned from a detailed and honest evaluation of a case history
The crucial component of all of these is something new or timely, maybe controversial, and something that was not previously available, discussed, considered, or recognized.
Cash prizes will be awarded at the conference for the best refereed paper and the best refereed paper with a student as lead author.
Writing a refereed paper for LISA is a rewarding challenge. A properly crafted paper can make a difference in the thinking or practice of thousands of your peers and colleagues. An ideal paper is understandable by an intermediate-level system administrator while containing ideas that are new and timely for expert administrators and fits your own work into the context of past work and practice. There is help for those of you who have never written a paper or just need help crafting your paper for submission.
Single blind reviewing of all papers will be done by the program committee, assisted by outside referees when necessary. Accepted papers will be shepherded through an editorial review process by a member of the program committee.
Authors should browse proceedings of previous LISA conferences for references and can use the online proceedings (going back to 1993).
The program committee is particularly interested in contributions from full-time students. USENIX has several student programs specifically to encourage student participation, including a cash award for best student paper and a grants program to help full-time students defray the cost of attendance.
NEW! We are offering an authors' review and response period, June 7–13, 2012, to allow authors to provide clarifications on their submissions. This is your chance to answer questions asked by the program committee during their initial reviews.
Submission Details
Authors must submit one of the following:
(Draft) full papers of 8–18 pages in length, including diagrams, figures, references, and appendices
Extended abstracts of 4–8 pages in length
A brief outline of the final paper should be attached to extended abstract submissions.
Abstracts are acceptable but a full paper increases authors' chances of acceptance. If you need help writing a paper, please see our author guidelines and assistance page. We are looking for good ideas, not just well-written papers.
General submission rules:
All submissions must be electronic, in PDF only, via the Web form. The Web form will ask for contact information for the paper and allows for the submission of your full paper file. Please do not email submissions.
The first page of each submission must include the name, affiliation, and email address of the author(s). (LISA reviewing is single blind.)
Authors should make sure that their submission prints properly on U.S.-style 8.5"x11" paper.
Submissions should include a list of appropriate topic keywords or tags above the body text of the draft paper, e.g. "Tags: security, research, IPv6." Suggested tags include DevOps, networking, infrastructure, security, research, case study, backups, configuration management, database, Web, printing, filesystem, authentication, and VMs. Authors may include additional tags as well.
Submissions must include full references or they will not be considered. The author must also describe the differences between prior work and their own. Full references are strongly advised for draft papers.
Submissions whose main purpose is to promote a commercial product or service will not be accepted.
Submissions may be submitted only by an author of the paper. No third-party submissions will be accepted.
All accepted papers must be presented at the LISA conference by at least one author. The author(s) will give a 20-minute presentation immediately followed by a 10-minute Q&A session.
Authors should ensure that they have enough time to acquire the necessary approvals through their organizations' Institutional Review Board (IRB) or similar process in time for the final paper submission deadline (see below for deadline).
One author per paper will receive a registration discount of $200. USENIX will offer a complimentary registration for the technical program upon request.
The author(s) of an accepted paper must provide a final paper for publication in the conference proceedings. Final papers should be 8–18 pages long, including diagrams, figures, references, and appendices. Complete instructions will be sent to the authors of accepted papers. To aid authors in creating a paper suitable for the LISA audience, authors of accepted proposals will be assigned one or more shepherds to help with the process of completing the paper. The shepherds will read one or more intermediate drafts and provide advice and assistance, as needed, before the authors complete the final draft. Accepted authors will be expected to make a dress rehearsal presentation with their shepherd prior to the conference.
All accepted papers will be available online to registered attendees before the conference. If your paper should not be published prior to the event, please notify production@usenix.org. The papers will be available online to everyone beginning on December 12, 2012.
Papers may not be simultaneously submitted to other venues. Writing must be original, not previously published online or otherwise. A major mission of the USENIX Association is to provide for the creation and dissemination of new knowledge. In order to facilitate this process, USENIX allows authors to retain ownership of the copyright to their works, requesting only that USENIX be granted an exclusive right to publish for 12 months following USENIX's notification to you of its acceptance of the paper. See the USENIX Conference Submissions Policy for details. Questions? Contact your program chair, lisa12chair@usenix.org, or the USENIX office, submissionspolicy@usenix.org.
Papers accompanied by nondisclosure agreement forms will not be considered. Accepted submissions will be treated as confidential prior to publication on the LISA '12 Web site; rejected submissions will be permanently treated as confidential.
Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. PDT on May 17, 2012.
Authors will be notified by June 21, 2012, whether their papers have been accepted. The final papers are due September 19, 2012.
If your paper is accepted and you need an invitation letter to apply for a visa to attend the conference, please contact conference@usenix.org as soon as possible. (Visa applications can take at least 30 working days to process.) Please identify yourself as a presenter and include your mailing address in your email.
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