Mentoring

For insight on how mentoring might be helpful, read this blog post from our current mentoring chair, Yasmine Elgaly, on her experiences in writing her early ASSETS papers.

Sign up for mentoring here

Mentoring is an important process that helps bring new researchers into the ASSETS community and to ensure that papers are accessible to everyone. Mentors can assist in paper writing and accessible submission information. This page provides information for Mentors and Mentees for ASSETS 2025 including expectations and applications.

Mentorship: Help from seasoned researchers is available through the ASSETS Mentoring Program. You may receive advice on a submission in any of the submission categories provided by ASSETS. If you would benefit from mentoring because you are new to presenting your research, new to the category you would like to submit to, or seek assistance in preparing an accessible paper, please consider applying for mentoring help.

Deadlines to request a mentor are:

  • Thursday, February 20, 2025 (Early Deadline)
  • Wednesday, March 12, 2025 (Late Deadline)

Applicants who submit by February 20 will be given priority in getting paired with a mentor. If you apply after the final deadline of Wednesday, March 12, 2025, we cannot guarantee that we will find a mentor for you. Additionally, mentors working with late applicants may have limited time to provide feedback due to the shorter timeline, which could result in only one quick revision or a single meeting to answer clarifying questions.

While this can still be helpful, we strongly encourage you to apply by the early deadline of February 20 to maximize the mentoring support available to you.

Quick Links

What is Mentoring?

Help from seasoned researchers is available through the ASSETS Mentoring Program. You may receive advice on a submission in any of the submission categories provided by ASSETS. If you think you would benefit from mentoring because you are new to presenting your research, new to the type of category you would like to submit to, or simply find preparing an English-language or accessible paper to be difficult, please consider applying for mentoring help.

Mentoring typically pertains to the process of composing the submission, with one to two communication sessions. After reviews are received, mentees are encouraged to contact their mentor again and seek advice on interpreting the reviewers' comments. Even if the submission is accepted, this final session may help the mentee produce an even better camera-ready version.

Mentors provide feedback to authors on a draft of their paper and particularly highlight how an ASSETS paper could differ from other conferences in expectations. Mentors are not co-authors on the paper, their role is to provide advice during the writing process. Mentoring is not a prerequisite for submitting a paper to ASSETS. It is meant to help bring in researchers to our community.

Mentoring for Accessible Submission

Mentors can also provide advice on creating more accessible papers for submission. It is important to the ASSETS community that the research we produce is accessible to everyone and at every stage of the publication process. However, producing accessible research articles, especially in PDF format, can be challenging. If you are new to this process, refer to the instructions on Creating Accessible PDFs. If you are new to producing accessible documents or are looking for advice on how to make your research more accessible, please join our mentoring program. This is not a service to make your paper accessible for you, but accessibility mentors will help all authors get the advice and resources they need for the process.

Apply to have an ASSETS 2025 Mentor

To apply, please use the mentoring request form to enter the following details so we can match you to a suitable mentor. You will need to submit a working title and an abstract summarizing your paper and its contribution.

The early deadline to request a mentor is Thursday, February 20, 2025, and applicants meeting this deadline will have priority in being paired with a mentor. The final deadline is Wednesday, March 12, 2025, but mentor availability cannot be guaranteed for late applicants, and the mentoring support may be more limited due to time constraints.

After we introduce you and your mentor via email, you will need to send your submission to that person and discuss it together, for example, by email or video call.

Volunteer to be an ASSETS 2025 Mentor

Mentoring is an important process that helps bring new researchers into the ASSETS community. Potential mentors should have had at least one accepted paper at past ASSETS and be willing to spend the time as indicated above. If you are interested in being a mentor, please email the mentoring chairs (mentoring-assets25@acm.org) by Thursday , February 20, 2025, to indicate your area of expertise.

Suggested Communication Process

Once we have put the mentor and mentee in touch, they are free to design their mentoring experience in the way that best suits their needs, including choosing their preferred communication method. The following suggested steps are merely an example to guide the process and can be adapted or adjusted as the mentor and mentee see fit:

  1. Initial connection (late February/early March). The mentor and mentee discuss their preferred schedule for the process, communication norms, and plan.
  2. Early Connection (By early March): The mentee sends the paper draft by email to the mentor to give her/him/them a chance to read it in advance, either via a ‘shared’ document platform (e.g. Google Docs, Overleaf) or as an attached file;
  3. Meeting 1 (By mid-March): The mentor and mentee set up an appointment for a video call by email. The pair discuss the document (e.g. Google Docs, Overleaf) focusing on the first part of the paper, such as the related work, methods, and findings. At the scheduled time, the mentor and mentee establish the video call, and open the shared file in a web browser. That way they can talk about the submission and simultaneously edit it, instantly seeing what the counterpart does – almost as good as meeting face-to-face!;
  4. Revision Period: The mentee revises their paper based on the mentor's feedback. The revised draft is submitted to the mentor within two weeks;
  5. Meeting 2 (By early April): The mentor and mentee schedule a second video call to discuss the updated draft. This meeting focuses on refining the paper's structure and addressing sections not covered during Meeting 1, such as the discussion and conclusion.
  6. Post-Review Support: After the paper is submitted, the mentee is encouraged to seek advice from their mentor on how to respond to reviewer comments or prepare a rebuttal.

Further Information on ASSETS Mentoring

Participating in the ASSETS Mentoring Program does not guarantee that ASSETS will accept your submission. However, most individuals who have used the mentoring service at ASSETS or at the CHI conference where it began have reported positive experiences and an improved understanding of what reviewers require in general.

Authors should also refer to the General Writing Guidelines for Technology and People with Disabilities when preparing submissions.

For further information or any questions regarding the mentor program, please contact the Mentoring Chair Yasmine Elglaly at mentoring-assets25@acm.org.