Call for Papers: Special Issue of Information & Computation on Structural Operational Semantics Aim: Structural operational semantics (SOS) provides a framework for giving operational semantics to programming and specification languages. A growing number of programming languages from commercial and academic spheres have been given usable semantic descriptions by means of structural operational semantics. Because of its intuitive appeal and flexibility, structural operational semantics has found considerable application in the study of the semantics of concurrent processes. Moreover, it is becoming a viable alternative to denotational semantics in the static analysis of programs, and in proving compiler correctness. Recently, structural operational semantics has been successfully applied as a formal tool to establish results that hold for classes of process description languages. This has allowed for the generalisation of well-known results in the field of process algebra, and for the development of a meta-theory for process calculi based on the realization that many of the results in this field only depend upon general semantic properties of language constructs. This special issue aims at documenting state-of-the-art research, new developments and directions for future investigation in the field of structural operational semantics. Specific topics of interest include (but are not limited to): * programming languages * process algebras * higher-order formalisms * rule formats for operational specifications * meaning of operational specifications * comparisons between denotational, axiomatic and operational semantics * compositionality of modal logics with respect to operational specifications * congruence with respect to behavioural equivalences * conservative extensions * derivation of proof rules from operational specifications * software tools that automate, or are based on, SOS. Papers reporting on applications of SOS to software engineering and other areas of computer science are welcome. This special issue is an outgrowth of the series of SOS workshops, which started in 2004, and serves in part as a opportunity to publish the full versions of the best papers presented at SOS 2006. However, papers that were not presented at SOS 2006 are equally welcome, and all submissions will be refereed and subjected to the same quality criteria, meeting the standards of Information and Computation. Papers submitted to the special issue must contain original material that has not previously been published, and parallel submission for publication elsewhere is not allowed. However, an extended abstract or short version of the paper may be submitted for presentation at the SOS 2007 workshop, which will take place before the publication of the special issue. PAPER SUBMISSION: We solicit unpublished papers reporting on original research on the general theme of SOS. Papers should take the form of a dvi, postscript or pdf file. We recommend following Elsevier's instructions at http://authors.elsevier.com/JournalDetail.html?PubID=622844 and using LaTeX2e with documentclass elsart. IMPORTANT DATES: * Submission of tentative title and abstract: 15 December 2006 * Submission of full paper: 15 February 2006 CONTACT and submission address: sos2006@cs.stanford.edu EDITORS of this special issue: Rob van Glabbeek National ICT Australia Locked Bag 6016 University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW 1466 Australia Peter D. Mosses Department of Computer Science Swansea University Singleton Park Swansea SA2 8PP United Kingdom