Research Highlights Template

The Research Highlights template is available to authors who have been invited by the Research Highlights Board to revise their research papers for the Communications magazine and online audiences. Space limitations require that these revisions not exceed six-to-eight two-column magazine pages. The template is offered as a measuring tool to help authors in that regard. Revisions may not exceed the page limits of the template. The template and supporting files are available in the Author Materials.zip file. Individual files are described below.

Authors are advised that submitting a paper in the template does not reflect a camera-ready version of the paper. Like all editorial material approved for publication in the montly Communications magazine, these papers will be edited and copyedited. Authors will receive page proofs to review for any last-minute changes or corrections.

Unlike some other journals that offer authors several days to review proofs and make substantial revisions, Communications' tight production schedule does not allow this flexibility. Authors will have two-to-three days to return corrected pages. Moreover, authors are discouraged from submitting a manuscript if there is a strong likelihood that significant changes will need to be made or revisions will continue in page proofs.

The following files are included in the Author Materials.zip file.

• research-highlights-sample.tex — This is the Research Highlights template. It is a LaTeX source (.tex) file and is the 'sample file' that authors should follow in order to morph their conference proceedings article into one more suitable for Communications' Research Highlights. An author who has previously published an article for a SIG Conference Proceedings should find that 'morphing' their source LaTeX .tex file into the Research Highlights style is an uncomplicated process.
• research-highlights-sample.pdf — The result of compiling the above source LaTeX .tex file.
• research4cacm.cls — The LaTeX format/style file which a LaTeX compiler will use in order to 'compile', and appropriately format, a source .tex file. The 'output' provided by this file is similar to the SIGs' LaTeX style with the following exceptions:
  • the 'number of authors in the byline' limitation has been removed;
  • the 'Additional Authors' section has been removed;
  • the classification scheme, general terms, keywords, etc., have been removed.
• bibs4cacm.bib — The bibliography (database) file, which is 'called upon' by the LaTeX .tex sample file'. This is also the file that the BiBTeX program uses in order to identify/gather the various citations for subsequent formatting according to the Research Highlights particular bibliography style file, which is 'abbrv.bst'.
• LaTeX-instructions.pdf — This 24-page document of author instructions is similar to the one used by SIG Conference Proceedings authors, but is more applicable to Research Highlights.
• fly.eps — Sample artwork file used by the LaTeX .tex sample file.
• flies.eps — Sample artwork file used by the LaTeX .tex sample file.
• rosette.ps — Sample artwork file used by the LaTeX .tex sample file.