Call for Papers & Presentations

2023 Conference theme: The Spreadsheet Crisis: Regaining Control

The EuSpRIG annual conference in 2019 marked twenty years since the formation of EuSpRIG as a learned society concerned with spreadsheet risk management. During that time EuSpRIG has published over 190 peer-reviewed scientific papers on different aspects of the spreadsheet error, risk and control issues. We have publicised the significant spreadsheet related failures of key organisations. We have changed the attitude of the main financial regulators to this significant corporate risk. We have influenced the audit behaviour of the large accounting firms and the perception and management of spreadsheet risk within most of the largest corporates. We have provided free-to-view evidence-based guidance on all aspects of our work on www.arxiv.org. In 2023 our theme is to focus on the key remaining unsolved problems, the many opportunities for continued research and innovation, and the fascinating new directions that spreadsheet research can take over the next 20 years.

Call for Papers

The European Spreadsheet Risk Interest Group EuSpRIG (www.eusprig.org) is a world leading authority on spreadsheet research. We have published 193 double blind peer reviewed papers with over 2000 citations since the year 2000. Our publishing model is open access with no author publishing fees. The EuSpRIG community is made up of industrial and academic partners, all focussed addressing spreadsheet risk. We hold an annual in person conference in July of each year where academics and industry practitioners present their latest work, share ideas and plans for research and forge new partnerships. We invite you to join us, to share your spreadsheet focussed research and meet like minded academics and practitioners.

2023 Conference theme: The Spreadsheet Crisis: Regaining Control

Thursday, July 6th 2023 – The Foundling Museum, London.

EuSpRIG invites submissions from researchers, experienced Excel professionals, and business risk managers on all aspects of the management, development and use of spreadsheets including (but not limited to):

Technological:

  • case studies of development, testing and quality assurance of key & critical spreadsheet assets successful or otherwise
  • AI, data science and big data themes in spreadsheets
  • effective methods and tools for validation and testing
  • understanding, documenting & remediating existing spreadsheets
  • enhancing comprehension, reducing complexity, and improving performance through efficient use of native features such as Dynamic Arrays and Lambda.
  • extension technologies for connectivity and data management: PowerQuery, VBA, Excel Services, PowerBI, Office Scripts, and Web-enabling
  • securing spreadsheets including cryptographic aspects
  • migration & replacement strategies
  • re-integration of scattered spreadsheet data
  • reverse engineering of spreadsheet logic, data flow, links, and patterns of use
  • adapting software engineering for spreadsheets

Organisational Risk Management:

  • spreadsheet risk management in the private, public and non-profit sectors
  • governance, best practice, risk management & regulatory compliance relating to the widespread use of spreadsheets in regulated large corporations and public utilities
  • productivity in frequently-performed spreadsheet processes
  • continuing education, skills training and certification to a level appropriate to the use of, and dependency on, spreadsheets
  • audit, management, version control, and configuration tools
  • accounting for spreadsheet risk
  • the dynamics of managing large systems of spreadsheets: discovery, dependencies, usage monitoring, version lineage, process mining
  • ongoing maintenance and user support for continued safe use
  • technologies to support process improvement
  • organisational experiences with enterprise policies, risk & responsibility and best practices
  • process management including the management of spreadsheet control projects

Human and Psychological Factors

  • change management, assumptions, abstraction, interpretation, denial, overconfidence, reification, culture, behaviour, attitudes, fraud, criminal behaviour, privacy, data leakage and security risks
  • lab studies of human error in spreadsheet creation, human computer interaction issues in spreadsheets and audit experiments.

We are seeking the following types of submission:

  • Presentations lasting up to 30 minutes on professional Excel practice which will published on the EuSpRIG website. Case studies in particular are sought.
  • Lightning talks / rants / soapbox
  • Practitioner and management summaries (1500 to 3000 words)
  • Academic and technical papers (5000 words), which will be published in due course on http://arxiv.org/find/all/1/all:+eusprig/0/1/0/all/0/1

Academic papers will be double-blind refereed by established referees co-ordinated through the programme committee chair. Presentations will be reviewed by the EuSpRIG committee. EuSpRIG Peer Review Details

Submissions to the EuSpRIG conference may not have already been published in a journal or conference proceedings, nor presented at another conference. Moreover, they may not be currently under consideration for publication or presentation elsewhere. Only papers and presentations that are accepted and presented in person will be published.

To submit a paper, please read the author guidelines and Patrick O’Beirne’s insightful article “How to write a successful EuSpRIG paper” www.eusprig.org/How to_write_a_successful_EuSpRIG_paper.pdf

Please have your paper proof read by friends and colleagues.
Access the EuSPRIG 2023 Easy Chair site here: EuSpRIG 2023 CFP (Published Version) (easychair.org)

Most of the full papers previously accepted and presented at EuSpRIG are available on the EuSpRIG website https://eusprig.org/conferences/conference-papers-and-abstracts which potential authors are invited to consult for guidance and references.

Important Dates

  • Submission deadline for papers and presentations: 31st March 2023
  • Acceptance notice: 20th May 2023
  • Final camera-ready copy: 4th June 2023

If you would like to sponsor or co-sponsor the conference, please contact EuSpRIG chair Patrick O’Beirne <Patrick at Eusprig dot org>