Blessing process

Official CDF blessing procedure
Update: Updates can be given at any point during the analysis to show plans, seek advice, show results, etc.
CDF note: A note can be posted at any time during the analysis, but an up-to-date version must be posted no later than the Monday before a preblessing
Preblessing: A preblessing is a presentation of a complete analysis. All plots intended for blessing should be labelled CDF Run II Preliminary
Blessing: A blessing can take place no sooner than 2 weeks following the preblessing. An analysis should be ready for publication at the time of the blessing. An exception can be made for blessing an analysis for presentation at a conference, where the result is complete in some sense, though more work may be intended before publication. A blessing of more preliminary results for presentation at a conference will most likely be a PR blessing (see below).
PR Blessing: A public relations blessing of results for presentation at a conference can be made before an analysis is ready for publication. A CDF Note, Update, and or Preblessing prior to the PR blessing may or may not be required at the discretion of the conveners.
- "It is sometimes desirable to approve individual plots for display at a conference outside of the context of a full analysis ("PR plots"). In this case a full pre-blessing and blessing process is not necessary. Such PR plot blessings must occur in the regularly scheduled Physics Group meetings, the CDF meeting or the Joint Physics meeting. The blessing must be announced by the conveners and the plots posted on the web at least 48 hours before the blessing."
Note on blessing of MC results: Pure generator-level MC results do not need to be blessed. MC which goes through the CDF detector simulation must be go through the blessing procedure.

Publication process

Official CDF publication procedure
When an analysis is ready for publication (usually around the time of the preblessing), the authors should ask the conveners to request godparents.
In some cases, "reviewers" may be requested to review an analysis while the analysis is still in progress. Reviewers will most likely become godparents.
Official CDF godparent guidelines

Conference talks

Official CDF speakers guidelines
Speakers Committee web page
Send mail to the conveners and Speakers Committee to request a talk
more detail on selection of speakers and what info to give when requesting a talk

See the Spokespersons web page for more rules and regulations!

Subject: talks
Date: Wed, 02 Nov 2005 07:34:51 -0600
From: giorgio 
Organization: CDF Forums
To: cdf_postdocs@fnal.gov

Dear All,
it might be that you do not read generic CDFnews...I hope this can be of interest to you.
Giorgio Chiarelli
CDF Speakers Committee Chair
=========
Dear Colleagues,
as in a few months we will be presenting our results in talks at the
Winter Conferences, I thought it was useful to remind everybody of what
the CDF rules and Guidelines about talks are and how the Speakers
Committee acts to select people.
The full list of guidelines can be found at the following
link:http://www-cdf.fnal.gov/internal/talks/guidelines.html
Below you find an excerpt which you should read carefully.
As for the way the SC works, here are a few details which might be
helfpul to you.
===========================================
All talks within the boundaries of our jurisdiction (see
guidelines.html) are posted on our web page
(http://www-cdf.fnal.gov/internal/talks/speakers.html) and then we
select the speaker (sometime right after the deadline expired, sometimes
it takes a little longer).

We try to post every single talk for at least 15 days. This is not a
rule, but a self-imposed (by the SC itself) guideline that we try to
follow as much as possible. From time to time external circumstances
(usually late arrival of request for talks from Conference Organizers)
prevent us from doing so.
Interested people should come forward to us directly or have somebody
(her/his mentor for example) let us know of the interest in giving the
specific talk (sometime we receive email like "I would like to give a
talk at a Summer Conference". We try to help but if it is too vague we
cannot do much).

We try to select based on the best of our knowledge, but this has
limits. When you require a talk please add (together with the usual
background info) as much information as possible. Examples can be: "the
only chance as I do not have to teach" or "I can go only if the
selection process take place within two weeks as I have to know well in
advance to find a baby sitter for my children when I am away" or "I
applied for a position at that Lab and giving a talk might help me" or
"the only chance I have because I have to surrend my passport for the
following 6 months" etc etc.
We (SC) are there to help you, or at least we try, but things which we
do not know cannot enter (by definition) in the decision making process.

Check your VISA/passport status in advance. Recently this has been the
most important source of cancellations/swaps of talks.

After decision is taken the following things happen (in order):
a) assigned speakers are notified
b) web page is updated
Sometime going through a) is a long process (expecially when you
simultaneously assign 20-30 talks like we do for winter and summer
conferences). b) follows as soon as possible. It is not feasible to tell
everybody who applied that he/she has not been selected but we will try
to post a CDF news announcing the decision together with a).

We believe the seletion process, in CDF, is unbiased and fair. A few
months ago, spurred by some poll among FNAL users, we did a survey with
respect to the gender issue and the "racial issue". We analyzed talks
assigned between Jan 1, 2004 and June 16, 2005. Below you find the
letter that Rob and Young Kee where able to send to the Directorate on
6/16/05. As you will see data support our statement, but we try to
improve and suggestions are welcome.
thanks for your attention
Giorgio Chiarelli
for the Speakers Committee

================================================================
Letter from Young-Kee Kim and Rob Roser of 6/16 about gender and racial
issue at CDF (to the Directorate).

Hi everyone,

We did not divide into students, postdocs and seniors, since most of
talks have been given by young people (postdocs and studnets).

The fraction of women in CDF is about 17% (this number will be bigger if
we count only postdocs and students), and women got about 21% of talks
between Jan. 2004 and now.

The fraction of non-whites is about 20%, and they got about 19% of talks
between Jan. 2004 and now.

Please note that these numbers have non negligible uncertainties.

We will pay more attention to what we do in the future, but we think we
haven't been doing too badly.

Regards,
Rob and Young-Kee