Digital Forensics Research Workshop (DFRWS) Paper Format
The Digital Forensics Research Workshop (DFRWS) is an annual event that aims to bring digital forensic researchers together to discuss ongoing research efforts, exchange ideas, and outline new challenges. As part of the workshop, authors are encouraged to submit research papers that are reviewed and potentially published in the conference proceedings. The DFRWS has established clear guidelines for the formatting and structure of these research papers to ensure consistency and professionalism across all submissions. Following the DFRWS paper format is important for any forensic researcher hoping to get their work considered for presentation at the annual event or publication in the proceedings.
General Paper Guidelines
All DFRWS research papers must adhere to a standard page layout and formatting. The paper size should be US letter (8.5 x 11 inches). The document should use 1-inch margins on all sides. The font style should be Times New Roman and the font size should be 12 point. All text, including headers, footnotes, captions, etc. must use these font specifications. Papers should be left-justified and single spaced. Paragraph indentations of 0.25 inches should be used to clearly delineate new paragraphs. Page numbers should be placed in the footer of each page, right justified. Authors’ names or other identifying information should not appear anywhere in the body of the paper itself to allow for blind peer review.
Paper Structure
In terms of overall structure, all DFRWS papers must utilize the following section headings in sequential order:
Title: The title should be concise yet accurately descriptive of the topic and focus of the research.
Abstract: A 250 word maximum abstract providing an overview of the research problem or hypothesis, methodology, and major findings or conclusions.
Introduction: Background information on the problem being addressed and justification for the research. It should clearly state the goals and hypotheses to be tested.
Related Work: A literature review of previous research related to the problem or methodology being explored.
Methodology: A thorough explanation of the overall methodology, tools, and experiments used to execute the research. Sufficient technical details should allow replication.
Results: Objective presentation of outcomes and data from experiments or testing without outside interpretation.
Analysis: Discussion of what the results mean, how they relate to the problem/goals, and how they compare to previous work.
Conclusion: Brief summary of findings, limitations acknowledged, areas for future research.
Works Cited: References used in APA citation format.
Appendices: Any supplemental data, code samples, screenshots, etc.
Each paper section heading except the first should be centered and bold. The body text immediately follows each section heading without empty lines in between. Section headings are not numbered.
Formatting Specific Elements
There are also specific formats to follow for certain common paper elements:
Figures and Tables: All figures, charts, diagrams and tables are numbered sequentially (i.e. Figure 1, Table 2). Captions appear below figures/tables and are center-aligned.
File Listings: Code snippets or log excerpts are inserted as images or using a monospaced font like Courier. Long excerpts appear in an appendix versus the body.
Equations: Equations are centered and numbered sequentially (i.e. (1)) unless a single equation.
Citations: In-text citations appear in (Author, Year) format and reference lists follow APA 6th Edition guidelines.
Footnotes: Footnotes appear as 10 pt font, appear at the bottom of the same page as their corresponding citation number.
Headers/Footers: As described, page numbers appear in footer only, headers are blank.
Figures and tables are not wrapped in text and appear on the page they are referenced.
Page Limit and Blind Review Process
DFRWS research papers have strict 8-10 page limits excluding references, appendices, etc. to encourage concise writing. Papers not meeting formatting guidelines risk rejection. Authors’ names are not included to support a double-blind peer review by the program committee prior to acceptance decisions. Overall the clear structure and formatting standards outlined by DFRWS aim to produce scholarly yet consistently structured research papers for the community. Following these guidelines helps establish credibility for authors’ contributions.