imc-workflow

name	imc-workflow
description	Use when planning an ACM IMC campaign end to end, covering the choice between the two annual deadlines, backward planning from the target cutoff, the registration step, the One-Shot-Revision path across deadlines, availability shepherding, the camera-ready and dataset release, and the Replicability Track calendar.

IMC Workflow

Use this to plan an IMC campaign against the calendar. IMC runs two submission deadlines a year with a shared review pipeline and a One-Shot-Revision path that resubmits to the next deadline. Planning backward from the right deadline — and reserving time for ethics approvals and dataset release that cannot be rushed — is the difference between a smooth cycle and a missed one.

Choose the deadline first

IMC 2026 offered two cycles: cycle 1 submission ~20 Nov 2025, cycle 2 submission ~29 Apr 2026 (confirm current dates on the Important Dates page). Choose by data-collection readiness, not optimism:

• If measurement and ethics approvals will be solid by the earlier cutoff, target cycle 1 — and a One-Shot-Revision still lands you in cycle 2.
• If data collection or IRB is unfinished, target cycle 2 rather than submitting thin work that earns a reject instead of a revision.

Backward plan from the target cutoff

[T-0]     Submission deadline (AoE). PDF + BBL uploaded; availability declaration set.
[T-1wk]   Registration cutoff (title/abstract/authors/conflicts) — precedes submission by ~a week.
[T-2wk]   Final anonymity sweep (incl. vantage points); Ethics section finalized; artifact anonymized.
[T-4wk]   Freeze the measurement narrative; draft complete; limitations argued per-result.
[T-8wk]   Finish the decision-critical measurements; validate ground-truth subsamples.
[T-earlier] Obtain IRB determination; run active measurements safely; pin provenance as you collect.

Ethics approvals and longitudinal windows are the long poles — they cannot be compressed in the final weeks.

The review-to-decision arc

[Submit] -> multi-round double-blind review
[Early reject] consensus-reject papers notified early -> reroute promptly (imc-topic-selection)
[Decision] Accept / One-Shot-Revision / Reject
   Accept            -> shepherding + camera-ready
   One-Shot-Revision -> execute the bounded action points; resubmit NEXT deadline, same reviewers
   Reject            -> reroute to SIGCOMM/NSDI/CoNEXT/PAM or a journal

The One-Shot-Revision leg

If you receive a One-Shot-Revision (imc-review-process, imc-author-response):

• You have until the next deadline to execute a bounded action list (up to a few concrete additions/changes) for the same reviewers.
• Plan the additional measurements immediately — a new vantage point or a longitudinal extension takes real calendar time.
• Do exactly the named action points; resist scope creep that could cost the champion's support.

After acceptance

[Shepherding]   deliver the artifact you declared; the shepherd checks availability
[Camera-ready]  de-anonymize; finalize Ethics + availability statements; permanentize dataset/code
                links to a DOI archive (cycle 1 camera-ready ~mid-April; cycle 2 ~1 Sep — confirm)
[Award]         for the Community Contribution Award, the dataset/tool must be public + usable by
                the camera-ready deadline
[Present]       at least one author presents at IMC (Karlsruhe, Oct 12-16, 2026)

The Replicability Track calendar (if applicable)

If the contribution is replicating a prior measurement study, the path differs: submit an Expression of Interest by its (earlier) deadline (IMC 2026 EoI ~29 Jan 2026), a small committee screens it, and strong abstracts are invited to a full submission judged like the main track. Plan the EoI well before you complete the replication.

Calibration

• Every date is a per-edition snapshot — confirm both cycles' deadlines, the registration gap, and the camera-ready dates on the current Important Dates page before committing.
• Do not assume the One-Shot-Revision mechanics, the number of action points, or the Replicability Track dates carry over between editions.

Output format

[Target] cycle 1 / cycle 2, with the reason (data + ethics readiness)
[Backward plan] <dates from data collection -> registration -> submission>
[Long poles] <IRB / longitudinal window / dataset release>
[Post-decision path] accept / one-shot-revision (next deadline) / reroute
[Release plan] shepherding + DOI archive by camera-ready; award eligibility