The TAP conference is devoted to the synergy of proofs and tests, to the application of techniques 
from both sides and their combination for the advancement of software quality.
Testing and proving seem to be contradictory techniques: once you have proved your program to be 
correct then additional testing seems pointless; on the other hand, when such a proof in not 
feasible, then testing the program seems to be the only option. This view has dominated the 
research community since the dawn of computer science, and has resulted in distinct communities 
pursuing the seemingly orthogonal research areas.

However, the development of both approaches has lead to the discovery of common issues and to the 
realization of potential synergy. Perhaps, use of model checking in testing was one of the first 
signs that a counterexample to a proof may be interpreted as a test case. Recent breakthroughs in
deductive techniques such as satisfiability modulo theories, abstract interpretation, and 
interactive theorem proving, have paved the way for new and practically effective methods of 
powering testing techniques. Moreover, since formal, proof-based verification is costly, testing 
invariants and background theories can be helpful to detect errors early and to improve cost 
effectiveness. Summing up, in the past few years an increasing number of research efforts have 
encountered the need for combining proofs and tests, dropping earlier dogmatic views of 
incompatibility and taking instead the best of what each of these software engineering domains 
has to offer.

The TAP conference aims to bring together researchers and practitioners working in the converging 
fields of testing and proving, and will offer a generous allocation of papers, panels and informal 
discussions.

Topics of interest cover theory definitions, tool constructions and experimentations, and include 
(other topics related to TAP are welcome):
- Bridging the gap between concrete and symbolic techniques, e.g. using
   proof search in satisfiability modulo theories solvers to enhance
   various testing techniques
- Transfer of concepts from testing to proving (e.g., coverage criteria)
   and from proving to testing
- Program proving with the aid of testing techniques
- New problematics in automated reasoning emerging from specificities of
   test generation
- Verification and testing techniques combining proofs and tests
- Generation of test data, oracles, or preambles by deductive techniques
   such as: theorem proving, model checking, symbolic execution,
   constraint logic programming
- Model-based testing and verification
- Generation of specifications by deduction
- Automatic bug finding
- Debugging of programs combining static and dynamic analysis
- Formal frameworks
- Tool descriptions and experience reports
- Case studies combining tests and proofs
- Domain specific applications of testing and proving to new application
   domains such as validating security protocols, vulnerability detection
   of programs, security

Important Dates:
================
Abstract submission:   January 25, 2013
Paper submission:      February 1, 2013
Notification:          March 3, 2013
Camera ready version:  April 5, 2013
TAP conference:        June 17-21, 2013

Program Chairs:
===============
Margus Veanes (Microsoft Research, USA)
Luca Vigano` (University of Verona, Italy)

Program Committee:
==================
TBA


Submission:
===========
Please submit your papers via easychair
https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=tap2013
(submission page to be opened in due time)

TAP 2013 will
accept two types of papers:

- Research papers: full papers with at most 16 pages in LNCS format
   (pdf), which have to be original, unpublished and not submitted
   elsewhere.

- Short contributions: work in progress, (industrial) experience
   reports or tool demonstrations, position statements; an extended
   abstract with at most 6 pages in LNCS format (pdf) is expected.

Subject to final approval by Springer, accepted papers will be published in the Springer LNCS 
series and will be available at the conference.

The contents of previous TAP proceedings is available at:
http://www.informatik.uni-trier.de/~ley/db/conf/tap/