Configure Track Phases
Understanding and managing phases, deadlines, and forms in your track
What is a Phase?
A phase represents a distinct stage in your track's submission workflow. Each phase can have its own forms, review process, and deadlines. Each paper tracks its current phase independently.
Key Principles:
- Every track starts with an Initial Submission phase (Phase 1) where new papers are submitted
- Papers can be in different phases at the same time
- Chairs have full control over moving papers between phases
- Phase transitions are explicit and manual, not automatic
Common phases include:
- Initial Submission (Phase 1) - Authors submit their first draft
- Revision - Authors submit revised version based on reviews
- Camera Ready - Authors submit final publication-ready version
The Phases Page
To manage phases, navigate to your track and click Settings → Phases. Each phase card shows its deadlines, forms, and usage stats.
Setting Phase Deadlines
Each phase supports two optional deadlines:
| Deadline | For | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Review Deadline | Reviewers — when reviews should be completed | Blue |
| Revision Deadline | Authors — when revisions should be submitted | Amber |
Both deadlines are enforced by the system:
- Review Deadline: Once the deadline passes, reviewers can no longer create or edit reviews for that phase.
- Revision Deadline: Once the deadline passes, authors can no longer edit their submissions in that phase.
Track chairs are exempt from the revision deadline and can always edit submissions regardless of deadlines.
How to Set a Deadline
- Click the edit (pencil) icon on the phase card
- Toggle on Review Deadline or Revision Deadline
- Enter the date and select a timezone (defaults to Anywhere on Earth)
- Click "Update Phase"
To remove a deadline, toggle it off and save.
Where Deadlines Are Displayed
| Deadline | Visible To | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Review Deadline | Track chairs | Phase card on the Phases page |
| Revision Deadline | Track chairs | Phase card on the Phases page |
| Revision Deadline | Authors | Submission detail page sidebar |
Authors see the revision deadline for their submission's current phase, helping them understand when their revision is expected.
Customizing Forms for Each Phase
Each phase can have different submission and review forms to collect appropriate information at each stage.
Why Different Forms?
Initial Submission: Collect core paper details
- Title, abstract, authors, keywords
Revision Phase: Add revision-specific fields
- Response to reviewers
- Summary of changes
- Updated manuscript
Camera Ready: Include publication requirements
- Copyright form
- Final formatting checklist
- Presentation preferences
How to Customize Forms
Forms can be customized for each phase through the Track Settings:
Note: Fields from earlier phases are automatically included in later phases. You only need to add new fields specific to the current phase.
How Papers Move Between Phases
Track chairs have complete control over phase transitions. Papers can be moved to any phase — forward or backward — at any time based on the chair's judgment.
Key Concepts
- Each paper exists in exactly one phase at a time
- Decisions (Accept, Reject, Revision Required) are recorded but do not automatically move papers — the chair moves them manually
- Papers can be moved forward OR backward to any phase as needed
- After a paper is moved, authors can immediately submit in the new phase (they see the new revision deadline, if set, on their submission page)
Step 1 — Open the Phase Transitions Tool
Navigate to your track, then scroll to the Review Management section and click "Reviews & Decisions".
On the Reviews & Decisions page, click "Phase Transitions" in the toolbar. You'll typically do this after making a round of decisions and being ready to advance papers to the next stage.
Step 2 — Configure the Move
The Move Papers to Next Phase dialog appears with three controls:
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Current Phase | Read-only — the phase the papers are coming from |
| Move Papers To | Dropdown — select any phase in the track as the destination |
| Filter by Decision | Narrows the move to papers with a specific decision; shows a count of matching papers |
Use the Filter by Decision field to target a specific group — for example, set it to "Revision Required" to move only those papers to your Revision phase, while accepted and rejected papers stay in Phase 1.
Step 3 — Review and Confirm
Click "Continue" to see the list of papers that will be moved, then confirm. The move takes effect immediately.
What Happens After Papers Are Moved
- Authors can submit in the new phase right away. If a revision deadline is set on the destination phase, it appears in the sidebar of their submission page.
- Reviewers can be assigned fresh reviews for papers in the new phase.
- Papers can be moved again at any time — forward or backward. There is no lock-in.
Example Workflow
Phase 1: Initial Submission
- Authors submit papers
- Reviews are collected
- Chair makes decisions (Accept / Revision Required / Reject)
Chair opens Phase Transitions and:
→ Moves "Revision Required" papers to Phase 2 (Revision)
→ Moves "Accept" papers to Phase 3 (Camera Ready)
→ Rejected papers remain in Phase 1; no further action needed
Phase 2: Revision
- Authors revise and resubmit (revision deadline visible on their page)
- Chair assigns new reviews or re-reviews the revised version
- Chair makes final decisions
Chair can then:
→ Move accepted papers to Phase 3 (Camera Ready)
→ Move papers back to Phase 1 if major rework is needed
Phase 3: Camera Ready
- Authors upload their final publication-ready version
- Ready for proceedingsTip: You can run Phase Transitions multiple times. Move one decision group first (e.g. "Revision Required"), then open it again to move another group (e.g. "Accept"). Each run is independent.