thedixitjain ICALP Workflow
Run the ICALP year backward from the single annual February deadline. ICALP posts one research-paper deadline per year across its two tracks, so unlike a multi-deadline venue there is no "next cycle in a few months" — a missed February means a full year lost. The calendar below is the ICALP 2026 (53rd, Royal Holloway) cycle, verified 2026-07-09; reopen the live Important Dates page and the correct track's HotCRP deadline before trusting any date.
The one-cycle calendar (ICALP 2026 anchor)
[early February] Abstract registration (2026: 3 Feb, AoE) — title/abstract/authors/conflicts
[~3 days later] Full submission (2026: 6 Feb, AoE) — anonymized 15-page PDF + appendix
[late March] Track B rebuttal (2026: 21-24 Mar) — Track B only; Track A no general rebuttal
[late April] Notification (2026: 20 Apr)
[spring] Camera-ready in LIPIcs (lipics-v2021); exact date 待核实 per cycle
[July] Conference (2026: 7-10 Jul, workshops 6 Jul), Royal Holloway
Backward plan from the February deadline
- T-12 to T-8 weeks: prove the theorems. ICALP results are proofs, and a proof is not "almost done" until it is written in full — budget for the gap between "I believe it" and "it is on paper."
- T-6 weeks: decide the track (
icalp-topic-selection) and settle the model and theorem statements; these anchor the whole paper. - T-4 weeks: draft the 15-page body and the full proofs in the appendix / full version in
parallel; the body sketches, the appendix proves (
icalp-supplementary). - T-2 weeks: anonymize for lightweight double-blind, rewrite self-citations in third person, and prepare (but do not necessarily post) the arXiv/ECCC full version.
- T-1 week: register the abstract; run
icalp-submissionon the near-final PDF. - Deadline day: submit to the correct track's HotCRP server well before the AoE cutoff; flag student-only authorship if eligible.
The Track B rebuttal (know if it applies to you)
The tracks diverge after submission:
- Track A: no general rebuttal. Authors are contacted only if reviewers find a correctness issue to resolve. Plan as if there is no author interaction.
- Track B: a rebuttal window (2026: 21-24 March) where authors view initial reviews and
respond. Reserve those days; see
icalp-author-response.
Do not assume both tracks behave alike, and do not count on a rebuttal for a Track A paper.
Coordinating the full version
- A full version on arXiv/ECCC/HAL is standard and encouraged — it is how the community checks proofs the 15-page body only sketches. But during review, keep it from breaking anonymity (do not cite "our arXiv paper"); a separately hosted full version that a determined reviewer could find is acceptable under the lightweight regime, but do not advertise it.
- Post or update the public full version around notification/camera-ready, and make the LIPIcs version and the arXiv version consistent.
After notification
- Accept: move to
icalp-camera-ready— reformat tolipics-v2021, restore author names and acknowledgements (de-anonymize), and hit the LIPIcs production deadline. Arrange for at least one author to present. - Reject: no appeal. Use
icalp-topic-selection's routing table — a strong result may fit STOC/FOCS/SODA/LICS or a journal on a nearer calendar; incorporate the reviews before resubmitting.
Milestone checklist
[ ] Track chosen and correct HotCRP server identified
[ ] Theorems fully proved (not just believed)
[ ] Abstract registered before the earlier February cutoff
[ ] 15-page body + complete appendix/full-version proofs
[ ] Lightweight double-blind sweep passed
[ ] Track B: rebuttal window reserved (Track A: none expected)
[ ] On accept: LIPIcs camera-ready + presenter arranged
Output format
[Cycle target] ICALP <year>, Track A / Track B
[Countdown] weeks to the February deadline; abstract-registration date
[Current stage] proving / drafting / anonymizing / submitted / rebuttal (B) / notified / camera-ready
[Track-specific] Track B rebuffer window reserved? / Track A correctness-contact readiness
[Next actions] <ordered, with dates tied to the single annual deadline>
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → ICALP-Skills/skills/icalp-workflow/SKILL.md