Configure Track Phases

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

Which Phase Pages Open To

Phase-based pages — Reviews & Decisions, Review Assignments (and auto-assign), Review Progress, and Compliance — open to your track's current phase by default: the furthest phase that currently holds papers. Once you move a batch of papers into a Camera Ready or Revision phase, those pages land on that phase automatically, so you don't have to remember to switch after each transition.

The Phase selector in each page's header is still there to override the default — pick any phase to work on it directly, and that choice sticks for that page. A track with no submissions yet simply opens to Phase 1.

The Phases Page

To manage phases, navigate to your track and click Settings → Phases. Each phase card keeps its configuration behind Phase Settings, with a one-line summary of the current values — so you can scan every phase at a glance and expand only the one you need. Each card's footer shows the phase's current state: how many submissions and review assignments it holds, and whether its decisions and reviews have been shared with authors yet (sharing happens via Publish on the Reviews & Decisions page).

Add a Phase

1. Click "Add Phase" at the top of the page
2. Enter a Phase Name, and a description if it helps your co-chairs
3. Click "Create Phase"

That is all the dialog asks for. Deadlines and author responses are set on the phase card, so you don't have to decide them now — a camera-ready deadline usually depends on when reviews finish. The new phase appears with Phase Settings already open, ready for those values whenever you have them.

Delete a Phase

The trash icon on a phase card deletes it — available only while the phase is untouched (no submissions, review assignments, or reviews; the initial Submission phase can never be deleted). Deleting a phase also removes the form fields you added for it, since they never collected an answer. Fields from earlier phases are unaffected, and later phases keep their fields.

Setting Phase Deadlines

Each phase supports three optional time-bound settings:

Author responses are covered in their own guide: Enable Author Responses →

Each deadline has its own Enforced switch below the date (disabled until a date is set):

• Review Deadline (enforced, the default): once the deadline passes, reviewers can no longer create or edit reviews for that phase.
• Revision Deadline (enforced, the default): once the deadline passes, authors can no longer edit their submissions in that phase.
• Not enforced: the deadline is informational — it's still shown to reviewers or authors as guidance, but nothing is blocked when it passes. The phase summary marks these with "(not enforced)".

Track chairs are exempt from the revision deadline and can always edit submissions regardless of deadlines.

How to Set a Deadline

1. Click "Phase Settings" on the phase card to expand it
2. Enter a date in Review Deadline or Revision Deadline
3. Pick a timezone (defaults to Anywhere on Earth)

Every field saves the moment you change it — there is no Save button, and no dialog to open.

To remove a deadline, click the × in its date field. An empty field means no deadline.

The same block is where you rename the phase or edit its description.

Where Deadlines Are Displayed

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

On the phase card, click "Configure Submission Form" or "Configure Review Form". Each opens the form builder scoped to that phase — and that is also where you preview the form, so you can check your changes without leaving the page.

• Customize Submission Forms →
• Customize Review Forms →

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 control when papers advance. Moves are forward-only: every phase keeps a permanent record of its reviews and decisions, so a paper never travels back through a phase. To rework a paper, act in its current phase — record a new decision, extend the revision deadline — or move it forward into a revision phase.

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 move forward only — correct course by acting in the current phase, not by moving back
• 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:

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.

Undoing a Move

Fat-fingered a bulk move? Open "Phase Transitions" while viewing the phase the papers landed in. If any of them are still untouched there — no reviewer assignments, reviews, decisions, or discussion — an Undo a recent move section appears; "Undo Move" sends them back to the phase they came from and restores their status. Once work starts in the new phase, the move is permanent.

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.
• A move can be undone while the new phase is untouched (see below). Once anyone acts in the new phase — an assignment, review, decision, or comment — the move is permanent.

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)
  → Keep papers needing further rework in Phase 2 — record a new
    decision and extend the revision deadline; decisions are per-phase

Phase 3: Camera Ready
  - Authors upload their final publication-ready version
  - Ready for proceedings

Tip: 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.