---
name: hpca-author-response
description: Use when drafting an HPCA rebuttal and revision in the single combined window: triaging objections by what the window can fix, running a small number of new experiments, writing for the program-committee room and its champion, and revising the paper diff-minimally so response and revision agree.
---

# HPCA Author Response

Use this during HPCA's **single combined rebuttal/revision window** — the one period
in which you respond to reviews and revise the paper together. The goal is not to win
an argument; it is to arm a champion at the program-committee meeting and to make the
revised paper reflect what you promise.

## Triage objections by what the window can fix

Sort every review comment before writing a word:

- **Deciding objection** — the methodology or novelty concern the champion must
  overcome. Spend most of the window here.
- **Fixable-and-worth-it** — a missing baseline, a sensitivity study, an unclear
  mechanism detail the window has time to address.
- **Clarification** — a misreading you can correct in a sentence and reflect in the
  revision.
- **Out of scope** — a request no short window can satisfy; acknowledge honestly and
  scope what you *can* show.

| Objection type | Response move | Revision move |
|---|---|---|
| Deciding (methodology/novelty) | Direct evidence or a tight argument | Change the paper to match |
| Missing baseline / sweep | A small new experiment | Add the result, mark it |
| Mechanism unclear | One-paragraph clarification | Tighten the description |
| Misreading | Point to the text | Rephrase the ambiguous line |
| Out of scope | Acknowledge; state what is feasible | Note the limitation |

## Run few, decisive new experiments

The window is short. Run **a small number** of new experiments that each answer a
specific objection, not a scattershot of everything a reviewer mentioned. One
well-chosen sweep that closes the deciding objection is worth more than five that
answer minor points. Pull from the staging shelf you prepared before the window
opened (see `hpca-supplementary`).

## Write for the room and its champion

The rebuttal is read at the PC meeting, where a champion argues for the paper against
the strongest objection. Write so the champion can quote you:

- Lead each response with the answer, then the evidence — not a wind-up.
- Make the deciding objection's answer unmissable and self-contained.
- Be concrete: "we added the tuned baseline; it changes the gap from X to Y" beats
  "we believe our baseline is fair."
- Stay civil and specific; a defensive or vague rebuttal loses the champion.

## Revise diff-minimally so response and revision agree

Because reviewers see both your response and the revised paper, keep the revision a
**minimal, faithful diff**: change exactly what you promised, and no more. A response
that claims a fix the revision does not contain — or a revision that quietly rewrites
beyond the promises — undercuts trust. Track each promise to a specific edit.

## Window pass

```text
1. Triage every comment (deciding / fixable / clarification / out-of-scope)
2. Pick the few decisive experiments; pull from the staging shelf
3. Draft answer-first responses; make the deciding one unmissable
4. Apply a minimal revision that matches every promise
5. Cross-check: does the revised paper contain each claimed fix?
```

## Output format

```text
[Deciding objection] <one>
[New experiments] <the few, each tied to an objection>
[Response map] <objection -> answer-first reply>
[Revision diff] <promise -> exact edit>
[Champion test] can a champion win the room with this? (Y/N)
```

Reopen the current CFP for the exact window dates and any length limit on the
response — both are per-edition.