Forum 2024 Publication Information

The Forum 2024 proceedings will be published by e-Pubs at Purdue University at https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iguide.

Each full paper will be assigned a DOI when published.

Publications will be open access at no cost to the authors.

Publications will be indexed in Google Scholar.

e-Pubs provides automatic monthly readership reports for authors who provide their email addresses.

Content published on Purdue e-Pubs will remain in perpetuity and is subject to the Purdue e-Pubs withdrawal policy.  

Instructions to Authors

Authors need to prepare the final version of their paper (camera-ready) and upload it to the e-Pubs website by October 10, 2024.

The Forum24 proceedings page will be ready for upload no later than October 1, 2024.

Please follow the specific instructions as follows.

1. Prepare the final version of your paper. Please use the attached Word document template.
2. To upload your paper, first sign up for an account at https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/ir_submit.cgi?context=iguide (using the same email address as in the paper is encouraged).  Check your email and complete the email verification.
3. Now you can sign in at  https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/ir_submit.cgi?context=iguide.
4. You will see the submission form. Fill in the fields on the form (NOTE: ignore the “event website”), and upload the final version of your paper (Word) from your computer.
5. Click on “Submit”.

Additional notes:

1. We encourage everyone to use the Word template.  If you must use Latex, please use the “IEEE Conference Paper” template. You may download the template here. When submitting to e-Pubs, please upload the PDF file of your final paper.
2. Please review the Accessibility Guidelines for Authors document. Following these guidelines will help speed up the accessibility review process by the e-Pubs staff.
3. If you do not wish to publish your full paper in the Forum 2024 proceedings, you do not need to submit your final paper to e-Pubs. Abstract submissions will not be accepted.

Purdue e-Pubs License Agreement

I hereby grant to Purdue University a non-exclusive perpetual royalty free license to use, duplicate and distribute the work (“Work”) in whole or in part. The Work is to be deposited in the Purdue University institutional repository. I further grant to Purdue University the right to transfer the Work to any format or medium now known or later developed for preservation and access in accordance with this agreement. This agreement does not represent a transfer of copyright to Purdue University.

I represent and warrant to Purdue University that the Work is my original work and does not, to the best of my knowledge, infringe or violate any rights of others nor does the deposit violate any applicable laws. I further represent and warrant that I have the authority and/or have obtained all necessary rights to permit Purdue University to use, duplicate and distribute the Work and that any third-party owned content is clearly identified and acknowledged within the Work.

By granting this non-exclusive license, I acknowledge that I have read and agreed to (a) the terms of this agreement and (b) Purdue University's policy on intellectual property.

Accessibility Guidelines for Authors

Introduction

All newly submitted content to Purdue e-Pubs is required to be accessible, and in support of Purdue University’s Electronic Information, Communication and Technology Accessibility policy, we strongly encourage submitting authors to make your content accessible.

Creating accessible documents ensures that scholarly research can be consumed by all audiences, including individuals with disabilities. Accessible manuscripts enable a wider dissemination of knowledge and support diversity and inclusion in scholarly communication. Additionally, various legal requirements mandate accessible content for public and academic institutions.

Rationale for Accessible Documents

Accessible documents are essential for:

1. Inclusivity: Making content available to individuals using assistive technologies like screen readers.
2. Compliance: Adhering to legal mandates, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in the U.S., as well as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) internationally.
3. Research Impact: Increasing the reach and citation of your work by making it accessible to a larger, more diverse audience.

How to Make a Manuscript Accessible

1. Use Proper Headings
   • Use built-in heading styles (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2) to organize your document hierarchically. This enables users with screen readers to navigate the content easily.
   • Avoid creating headings manually by enlarging or bolding text.
2. Provide Alternative Text for Figures
   • Every image, figure, or graph should ideally have descriptive alternative text (alt text) that explains the content and context of the image, especially if the image provides further information that is not discussed in the text body. This ensures that users relying on screen readers can understand the visuals.
   • Figures must have a descriptive caption.
   • For complex figures, provide a longer description within the body text or figure caption to explain critical data points.
3. Ensure Sufficient Color Contrast
   • Make sure there is a high contrast between text and background (e.g., dark text on a light background). WCAG recommends a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text.
   • Do not use color alone to convey meaning (e.g., using only red text to indicate an error). Supplement it with labels, patterns, or symbols.
4. Use Lists Correctly
   • Use the list functions in your word processor (bullets or numbers) instead of manually inserting characters like asterisks (*) or hyphens (-). This ensures that assistive technologies can properly interpret the list structure.
   • Clearly differentiate between ordered (numbered) and unordered (bulleted) lists based on context.
5. Create Accessible Tables
   • Use the built-in table functionality of your word processor to create tables rather than pasting screenshots or images of tables or using tabs or spaces to simulate columns and rows.
   • Include table headers (e.g., <th> tags in HTML or marked rows in word processors) to help users understand the structure of the table.
   • Wherever possible, keep tables simple and avoid merging cells, as this can confuse screen readers.
   • Do not use vertical text. Text in both header and data cells should be horizontal and read from left to right.
6. Use Descriptive Hyperlinks
   • Instead of using generic phrases like “click here” for hyperlinks, use descriptive link text that indicates where the link will take the reader (e.g., “For more information, see the accessibility guidelines on WCAG 2.1”).
   • Descriptive links improve the experience for users of assistive technology.
7. Use Plain Language Where Possible
   • Although technical content is necessary in academic work, providing plain language summaries helps make the content more accessible to a general audience, including those with cognitive disabilities.
8. Include Captions for Multimedia Content
   • If your submission includes videos or audio, ensure that captions are provided for all spoken content. Audio must be professionally captioned.
   • For audio content, transcripts are required that include both speech and important audio descriptions.
9. Deliver Documents in Original File Formats Whenever Possible
   • Send documents to Purdue e-Pubs in the original file formats.
   • This allows our team to make adjustments as necessary and minimizes the amount of manual accessibility remediation needed.
10. If Sending PDFs, Ensure Accessible Document Export
    • When exporting to PDF, ensure that it is a tagged PDF, which helps structure the document for assistive technologies.
    • Export as a Tagged PDF:
      • After ensuring the document is accessible, go to the File menu and select Save As.
      • In the dialog box, under Save as type, select PDF.
      • Click the Options button in the Save As dialog box.
      • In the Options window, check the box for Document structure tags for accessibility. This ensures that the document’s structure, including headings, lists, and tables, is preserved in the exported PDF.
      • Click OK and then save your PDF file.
    • Avoid scanned images of text unless Optical Character Recognition (OCR) has been applied to make the text selectable and searchable.
11. Test Document Accessibility
    • Most word processors, including Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat, have built-in accessibility checkers. Use these tools to evaluate your document before submission and correct any flagged issues.

Conclusion

By following these guidelines, you ensure that your manuscript is accessible to a broader audience, including those with disabilities. Accessibility not only complies with legal standards but also increases the reach and impact of your research. Accessibility should be considered throughout the document creation process, from drafting to final submission.

Resources

The National Center on Disability and Access to Education Cheatsheets provide further information on creating accessible files in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Adobe.