ACL Policy on Workshop Support and Sponsorship

These guidelines refer to both kinds of official ACL sponsorship of a workshop, with and without financial support, and the term "support" below is thus to be interpreted as combining formal sponsorship and financial assistance. Clause 6 deals with co-support with other bodies, and Clause 7 with possible cases where formal sponsorship, without financial support, is appropriate.

The ACL policy on workshops held by ACL Special Interest Groups (SIGs) is in ACL-policy-SIG-workshop.

1. LEVEL OF SUPPORT. The ACL considers the interest income on reserves as the source of funds for supporting workshops or other special projects, when those funds are not required for operating expenses. The ACL contribution would not normally exceed US$2,000. Should the workshop provide a surplus to the ACL, the surplus will be an additional source for supporting other workshops.

2. FINANCING. Proposals must include a budget of the workshop expenses and expected sources of income. Attendees are expected to pay at least some of their expenses, with very few exceptions, e.g., keynote speaker, program organizer, local arrangements person, etc. Proposals that appear self-supporting, merely requiring a loan from the ACL, are desirable.

3. ATTENDANCE. Any supported workshop should advertise for attendees to the complete ACL membership either through ACL publications or through direct mail to the ACL membership list. Attendance should furthermore be open to all ACL applicants unless there is clear evidence that over enrollment would compromise the purposes of the workshop. If admission is limited in any way, selection criteria for attendees should be clearly specified.

4. PUBLICATION. For supported workshops a proceedings in a form suited both to participants and non-attendees is required. The ACL has developed style and format guidelines and printing arrangements that can be made available to workshop organizers. For supported workshops copyright on the collection of papers, though not the individual ones, resides with ACL, and ACL reserves the right to sell copies of the proceedings to non-participants after the workshop. If publication of the proceedings in book form (whether after revision or not) is considered, ACL must be must be given the opportunity to consider the volume for any ACL-sponsored book series that may exist at the time.

5. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION. The ACL strives for a balanced distribution among major centers, such as the USA, Europe, and Asia. The ACL assumes the site will be selected so that the majority of expected attendees can keep transportation costs down. The ACL Executive will discuss the location and timing of the workshop with the appropriate regional ACL Chapter, as well as the about the desirability of support.

6. CO-SUPPORT. The ACL encourages co-support with government, private, commercial, and other societal sources, and prefers proposals where such co-support is highly likely. However, if the topic(s) cross areas, and a possible co-sponsor is substantially able to handle all necessary funds, the ACL would prefer not to be included as a token sponsor.

7. FORMAL SPONSORSHIP WITHOUT FUNDING. Since formal ACL sponsorship may occasionally be sought, and granted, for workshops without ACL or other official financial support, the ACL will nevertheless normally recommend the production of some form of printed proceedings following ACL format guidelines, normally expect to be able to sell copies to non-participants on the basis of a suitable agreement with the workshop organizers, and normally expect to be given the opportunity to have the proceedings considered for publication in any ACL book series then existing.

8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Acknowledgement to ACL must be made in all publications reproducing original or revised versions of papers originally presented at ACL supported or sponsored workshops.

Authors: ACL Exec, 1994.
Revised: ACL Exec, February 2001.