Overseas authors should make sure that their submission prints properly on US-style 8.5
x 11 inch paper. Please make sure that you leave enough room for top and bottom margins.
Do not send files meant for word-processing packages (Word, WordPerfect, MacWrite,
etc.).
If you can't generate Postscript or PDF, contact the chairs in advance
to discuss alternatives, such as providing Microsoft Word or LaTeX input. NOTE: No
extensions will be granted in cases of non-standard formats; if you need us to do
something special, we absolutely need everything from you by the May 17 deadline.
If you are using Microsoft Word, Troff, LaTeX, or Framemaker, please make use of these
templates and sample first pages (two-column format), if possible:
- MS Word 6.0
- Troff
- LaTeX and style
file
- Framemaker
More Information is Available
Lots of papers and books have been written about how to write a good paper. We strongly
suggest that you read a paper called
An Evaluation of the
Ninth SOSP Submissions; or, How (and How Not) to Write a Good Systems Paper.
This was written by Roy Levin and David D. Redell, the program committee co-chairs for
SOSP-9, and first appeared in ACM SIGOPS Operating Systems Review, Vol. 17, No. 3
(July, 1983), pages 35-40.
Another helpful paper is:
The Science of Scientific Writing, George D. Gopen and Judith A. Swan, In American
Scientist, Vol. 78, No. 6 (Nov-Dec, 1990), pp. 550-558.
This article describes not how to write an entire paper, but how to write sentences and
paragraphs that readers can understand. Unfortunately, due to copyright restrictions we
cannot make this available online or send you photocopies, but almost any library should
have copies of this magazine.
For matters of English usage, style, and taste we strongly recommend that you purchase
and consult this gem of a little book:
The Elements of Style. William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. Macmillan Publishing
Co., New York, 1979.
Finally, if you have any other questions, feel free to send mail to the Program Chairs
at osdi02chairs@usenix.org.
Good Luck!
The Program Committee