Icalp workflow

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-submission on 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 to lipics-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>