thedixitjain DAC Camera-Ready
Use this after an accept decision to produce the archival version. The DAC camera-ready is an ACM Digital Library deliverable: ACM is the 2026 copyright holder, and the final manuscript plus copyright form are due at the April proceedings deadline (DAC 2026: ~14 April 2026, after the ~9 March notification). The camera-ready is a controlled edit of the accepted paper, not a rewrite — scope, claims, and QoR numbers are fixed by what was reviewed.
De-anonymize systematically
The review version was double-blind; the camera-ready restores identity. Do it as a checklist so nothing is missed and nothing new leaks in:
- Author block — full author list, affiliations, and contact, in the order and form you want cited for years.
- Self-citations — convert third-person references to your own prior work back to first person where natural ("in our earlier work [7]"), now that identity is public.
- Acknowledgements and funding — restore the acknowledgements and grant numbers you stripped for review; funders often require exact wording.
- Tool/repository names — restore the real tool name and any public artifact/OpenROAD-flow link you anonymized.
ACM copyright and rights stamp
- Complete the ACM copyright/e-rights form when it arrives; it returns the rights text and DOI stamp that must appear on the first page.
- Insert the rights block exactly as ACM specifies using the current ACM template; a missing or wrong rights stamp is a common production bounce.
- Confirm the conference/proceedings string and volume ACM assigns for the 63rd DAC so the citation and DOI resolve correctly on ACM DL.
The page budget still binds
- The final version keeps the 6-page body + 1 references-only page budget; de-anonymization adds the author block and acknowledgements, which can push the body over — reclaim space editorially, do not shrink fonts or alter the template.
- The seventh page remains references only; acknowledgements belong in the body, not on the reference page.
- Re-check every figure is legible at final column width after any reflow.
ACM DL metadata and archival flow
- Title and author metadata must match the PDF exactly — mismatches break indexing and citation.
- Supply ACM CCS concepts and keywords if the template/portal requests them; they drive discoverability in the ACM DL.
- Verify references resolve (DOIs where available) — the archival version is what the field will cite.
- If your paper is a Best-Paper candidate or in a special session, confirm any additional presentation or final-version requirements the track adds.
Production checklist
[De-anon] authors/affiliations/acks/funding restored; tool + artifact links de-anonymized
[Rights] ACM copyright form submitted; rights text + DOI stamp on page 1
[Template] current ACM double-column; 6+1 budget still met after reflow
[Figures] legible at final size; grayscale/color-blind safe
[Metadata] title/authors match PDF; CCS + keywords supplied; references resolve
[Fonts] all fonts embedded; PDF passes the portal's readability check
[Deadline] final manuscript + copyright by the April proceedings cutoff
Reverify each cycle
- The exact proceedings/copyright deadline and which ACM template revision is required.
- Whether DAC 2026 also deposits to IEEE Xplore (待核实) in addition to ACM DL, which can add a second rights/metadata step.
- Any AI-authorship/disclosure statement required on the final version.
Output format
[Camera-ready status] ready / blocked
[De-anonymization] authors/acks/funding/tool links restored? yes/no
[Rights] ACM copyright form + first-page stamp done? yes/no
[Budget] 6-page body + references-only page still met? yes/no
[Metadata] ACM DL title/authors/CCS/keywords/DOIs correct? yes/no
[Fix queue] <ordered items before the April proceedings deadline>
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → DAC-Skills/skills/dac-camera-ready/SKILL.md