Call for Papers

The 25th anniversary edition of the Belgium-Netherlands Software Evolution Workshop (BENEVOL) will be held 26-27 November 2026 in the center of Madrid in the vicinity of the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. The goal of BENEVOL is to bring together researchers who are working in the field of software evolution and maintenance. BENEVOL offers an informal forum to meet and discuss new ideas, relevant problems, and fresh research results. It provides a welcoming space for early-stage researchers to receive feedback on their work and connect with experts in the field.

Submission Categories

BENEVOL accepts submissions on topics related to software evolution and maintenance under the following categories:

• Full Papers (up to 12 single-column pages, including references) should present original research that has been empirically or formally validated.
• Short Papers (up to 6 single-column pages including references) can present datasets, tools, new and visionary ideas, or early research achievements relevant for the software evolution and maintenance community.
  • Datasets and tool papers should clearly describe the methodology or approach used to create the dataset or validate the tool, and have a link to a permanent with a link to a permanent repository containing the artifact(s) (e.g., dataset, tool) with a DOI. Dataset papers should also illustrate scenarios of how the data at hand can serve empirical analysis. Tool papers should provide an initial evaluation of the tool.
  • New and visionary idea papers should present emerging ideas, new perspectives and potentially controversial opinions on software maintenance and evolution research and practice. Such papers may not have a full evaluation, though illustrative examples and cases are encouraged.
  • Early research achievements should present promising early-stage research results that indicate the feasibility, relevance or potential impact of a new approach, method or theory (e.g., through a pilot study, preliminary experiment). Such papers should discuss limitations, planned future work and the implications for software maintenance and evolution research and practice.
• Presentation Abstracts (up to 2 single-column pages including references) cover research that has already been published or is ready to be submitted to a conference or a journal. A (public or private) link to the paper has to be provided. Presentation abstracts will not be included in the workshop postproceedings.

Accepted full papers will be invited for inclusion in the workshop postproceedings; accepted short papers will be invited solely on a case-by-case basis. Presentation abstracts will only be reviewed for relevance and will be made available on the workshop's website. The PC reserves the right to accept full or short paper submissions for presentation only, when the paper does not meet acceptance standards but the idea demonstrates clear value.

Reviewing

BENEVOL follows a single-blind reviewing model. The quality of all submissions will be evaluated on the following criteria, where applicable. Authors are thus encouraged to carefully consider them to shape their contributions before submission:

• Novelty: The extent to which the contribution presents original perspectives that go beyond existing literature. Incremental extensions or applications of existing methods must clearly articulate their novel contribution.
• Soundness: The correctness, clarity, and rigour of the methodology. Reviewers will assess whether methodological decisions and assumptions are properly justified and stated, and whether the results and conclusions of the study are supported by sufficient evidence.
• Relevance: The significance or potential impact of the research on the software evolution and maintenance community.
• Verifiability: The clarity and completeness with which the research process is described, enabling independent verification and replication of the results. Submissions relying on datasets or tools should share a link to the sources for further assessment.
• Presentation: The clarity of the arguments, structure, and grammar of the paper.

At least three program committee members will review each submission. They will assess the adherence to the workshop's scope (software evolution and maintenance) and the aforementioned quality criteria.

Important Dates

• Submission Deadline: Fri 11 September 2026
• Author Notification: Fri 16 October 2026
• Author Registration Deadline: Mon 2 November 2026