About TOPLAS

ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (TOPLAS) is the premier journal for reporting recent research advances in the areas of programming languages and systems to assist the task of programming. It is published on a quarterly basis.

TOPLAS now supports the journal-first publication model. TOPLAS papers can be submitted for presentation at partner conferences, including POPL, PLDI, OOPSLA, and ECOOP. Every effort will be made to make a decision by the conference notification date. Work that has been previously presented at one or more conferences will not be considered for presentation, and papers must be submitted at least three months before the official conference submission deadline.

Papers can be either theoretical or experimental in style, but in either case, they must contain innovative and novel content that advances the state of the art of programming languages and systems. We also invite strictly experimental papers that compare existing approaches, as well as tutorial and survey papers.

The scope of TOPLAS includes, but is not limited to, the following subjects:

language design for sequential and parallel programming
programming language implementation
programming language semantics
compilers and interpreters
runtime systems for program execution
storage allocation and garbage collection
languages and methods for writing program specifications
languages and methods for secure and reliable programs
testing and verification of programs

For further information and to submit your manuscript, see https://dl.acm.org/journal/toplas/author-guidelines.

Special Issue on Multiparty Languages
Submission Date: 2026-05-15

Guest Editors:

Cinzia di Giusto, Université Côte D’Azur, CNRS (FR), cinzia.di-giusto@univ-cotedazur.fr
Saverio Giallorenzo, Università di Bologna (IT) and INRIA (FR), saverio.giallorenzo@unibo.it
Hannah Gommerstadt, Vassar College (USA), hgommerstadt@vassar.edu
Marco Peressotti, University of Southern Denmark (DK), peressotti@imada.sdu.dk

Multiparty languages are designed to support the development and verification of distributed systems through precise, structured communication protocols among multiple participants. Notable strands include session types, choreographic programming, and multi-tier programming.

Despite these advances, important challenges remain. There is a lack of theoretical models that can fully capture real-world concerns, such as resource constraints, energy usage, and fallible communication media. At the same time, there is rare and preliminary work on transferring foundational insights into practical programming tools and methodologies that integrate with mainstream development. In addition, the connections between different strands of multiparty languages are largely underdeveloped, leaving opportunities for unifying perspectives.

The proposed special issue aims to address these gaps by showcasing contributions that bring theory closer to practice and foster cross-pollination between approaches. We welcome new formal models with demonstrable implementation relevance, practical tools grounded in robust semantics, and empirical studies that generate fresh theoretical insights. Submissions may be in the spectrum between the purely theoretical to the purely practical, provided they offer substantial advances in the understanding of multiparty languages.

Topics

The issue emphasizes integration between theory and practice, with contributions falling broadly into:

Theoretical foundations with practical implications: new frameworks, correctness guarantees, and verification methods with potential for deployment.
Implementation-driven insights: case studies, tools, and implementations that challenge or validate formal models.
Pragmatic tools grounded in theory: prototype languages, compilers, runtime systems, and verification frameworks.
Expected contributions include, but are not limited to:
Session types and type-theoretic approaches, balancing rigour with implementability.
Choreographic programming, from global specifications to reliable local implementations.
Multi-tier programming, addressing correctness and clarity in cross-tier communication.

Important Dates

The deadline dates are set based on Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time.
Submissions deadline: May 15, 2026
First-round review decisions: September 15, 2026
Deadline for revision submissions: November 15, 2026
Notification of final decisions: January 30, 2027
Tentative publication: March 15, 2027