We are entering a golden age of software testing and validation. The amount of new and exciting research is growing quickly with new scientists joining the field, more research projects starting, and numerous recent workshops on various testing research topics. In addition to research into software testing, the increasing competitiveness of software, the growing dominance of web-based software, the ubiquitous nature of embedded software, and the growth in security vulnerabilities caused by software problems, is causing industry to spend dramatically more resources on testing.


The IEEE International Conference on Software Testing Verification and Validation (ICST) is the premier conference in all areas related to software quality and the success of the first edition in 2008 demonstrated the growth of the field: 214 submitted papers, 52 full length papers, and over 200 attendees.


The second edition will build on the success of ICST 2008 and leverage the many exciting advances in software testing to create dynamic exchanges of new ideas and industrial applications. The theme of ICST 2009 is comprehensive testing, which means that we view testing in a holistic way and encourage contributions on all facets of testing:

Topics

* Developer unit testing
* Integration testing
* End-to-end testing
* Validation and verification
* System testing
* Regression testing
* Model-based testing
* Usability testing
* Security testing
* Quality assurance
* Inspections

Techniques

* Test data generation
* Test oracles (new)
* Metrics
* Testing theory
* Empirical studies

Systems

* Embedded and real-time software
* Concurrent software
* Web applications

The ICST charter requires that the ICST process be fair and open, membership in the steering committee and the technical program committee rotate on a regular basis, and that the conference include industry as well as academic participation.

Visit the important dates and submission pages for more information.
Industry Papers

ICST welcomes papers and experience reports from software development and testing practitioners. We are looking for papers that crisply address practical software testing and quality improvement, presenting empirical results or reporting on open problems. All industrial papers should discuss broader implications and usage of the specific topic.

There are two paper formats: full length -- ten pages, and short -- four pages. Full length papers should present a significant experience report about industrial software testing, verification, or validation. Papers with metrics that quantify effects on time, cost, and quality are preferred. Short papers should present a clear description of a problem, and either a brief discussion of a solution, or an analysis of why existing approaches do not work. All contributions will receive a full program committee peer review. Accepted and presented contributions will be part of the published conference proceedings. The evaluation criteria for industry papers is based less on the originality of the technical contribution, and more on its relevance for practice, empirical results, and implications for research.

Submission deadlines for both full length and short industrial papers are the same as for other papers.

Research and Industry Papers

* Submission of Abstracts: Friday, 26 September, 2008
* Submission of Full Papers: Friday, 3 October, 2008
* Notification: Friday, 19 December, 2008
* Camera-Ready: Friday, 16 January, 2009
* Dates of Conference: April 1- April 4, 2009