Showpieces can help accomplish many goals, such as:

• Helping graduate student presenters to meet faculty from other universities
• Demonstrating to industry sponsors that a specific line of research has practical applications
• Building community interest in a novel way of approaching a research topic
• Showcasing products or services available for sale
• Starting conversations that could lead to new collaborations

Submitting a showpiece

Each submission will consist solely of a 2-page PDF file, following standard IEEE Conference Proceedings format. In addition to the title and author list, a submission must contain the following parts:

1. Abstract
2. Content and claims – A description of the content of a showpiece, such as a research result, an effort to integrate research with education, an existing product, etc. This part should including any claims or conclusions that can be drawn based on this work.
3. Relevance – An explanation of why this content will be of interest to the VL/HCC community, including a statement about any aspects that are novel.
4. Presentation – A short summary of how the showpiece will present its content, for example, in a video, poster, app, or device.
5. References are not required but may be included if doing so helps to communicate the topical content, claims, novelty, or relevance.

The showpiece itself does not need to be submitted, nor does it need to exist when the 2-page PDF is submitted. For example, if the showpiece will be a video, then the video does not need to be submitted with the PDF. If the showpiece does not yet exist, Part 4 of the PDF should simply explain what showpiece will be created to present the relevant content.

Submissions are due by Friday 24th July 2015, and should be emailed as an attachment to vlhcc.showpieces@gmail.com. The email should specify one of the following three options for how the submission should be reviewed and published:

• “Please consider this as a publishable poster submission to be published in the VL/HCC proceedings.”
• “Please consider this as a publishable poster submission, but do not publish it in the VL/HCC proceedings”
• “Please consider this as a non-publishable poster or other showpiece submission, which will not be published in the VL/HCC proceedings”

The selection from this list will affect how the 2-page PDF is reviewed and published (as explained below). If a submission email does not specify one of the three options above, then the submission will by default be considered as a publishable poster submission to be included in the proceedings.

Reviewing — publishable vs. non-publishable

Non-publishable showpiece submissions will be peer-reviewed based on three criteria: (a) relevance to the VL/HCC community, (b) intelligibility of the submission, and (c) expected likelihood of generating discussion with other VL/HCC attendees. Submissions accepted as non-publishable submissions will not be included in the proceedings.

While the Showpieces category is now broader, the category still maintains a venue for the submission of peer-reviewed, archival quality posters. Specifically, publishable poster submissions will be peer-reviewed based on the three criteria above as well as the following: (d) apparent novelty, (e) significance, and (f) apparent validity of any claims or conclusions stated in the submission. In other words, publishable submissions should be “good enough” that they could be included in the conference proceedings as archival 2-page papers. (Note that submitters may opt to have publishable poster submissions omitted from the proceedings, in case they wish to avoid any possibility of a “prior-publication” issue with a future archival publication.) Note that only posters can be included as publishable submissions. Other kinds of showpieces should be submitted as a non-publishable submission.

If a submission fails to meet the six criteria, but it could be accepted as a non-publishable submission, then a conference organizer will contact the author by email to suggest switching the submission to a non-publishable submission. For example, if a submission presents work that already will be appearing elsewhere in the main conference, then such a submission would be a reasonable non-publishable submission, but it might not meet the novelty criterion required for a publishable submission.

Publication and presentation

Publishable poster submissions that are accepted to be included in the VL/HCC proceedings will appear on the IEEE Xplore Digital Library website, provided that at least one author registers for the conference and that the camera-ready copy is submitted by 4th Sep 2015.

The VL/HCC program will include one showpiece session. During this session, showpieces will be presented in a large room simultaneously by many different presenters, with each presenter allocated a specific assigned space for presenting a showpiece. Internet connectivity, chairs, and table space will be available, as well as wall or easel space for hanging a poster. Showpiece presenters are expected to bring all other materials and equipment required, including any computer hardware required for presenting the showpiece.

For further information

Contact the Showpieces Chairs at vlhcc.showpieces@gmail.com (please mention “VL/HCC Showpieces Question” in the subject line).