Configure Track-level Submission Forms
Guide for track chairs to customize submission forms using the form builder
As a track chair, you can customize your track's submission form to collect the specific information needed for your review process. The form builder allows you to add, edit, and organize fields across different submission phases.
Conference-level defaults
Your track's submission form inherits default fields set by the conference chair. You can add additional fields on top of these defaults. See Configure Conference Forms for details on how conference-level forms work.
If your conference has only one track, the conference-level forms may be sufficient — you only need to customize here if you want to add track-specific fields beyond the defaults.
Accessing the Form Builder
- Log in to your PaperFox account
- Go to your conference dashboard
- Navigate to your assigned track
- Under Track Settings, click "Track Forms"
- The Submission Form tab is selected by default
Form Builder
The form builder shows two sections:
- Inherited from Conference — Read-only fields defined at the conference level (Title, Authors, Abstract, etc.). Each field displays a colored type icon for quick identification.
- Track Submission Fields — Fields specific to this track. Use "Add Field" to create new fields, drag to reorder, or click the edit icon to modify.
Adding Fields
- Click "Add Field" button
- Select field type (text, textarea, select, file, etc.)
- Configure label, description, and validation rules
File Upload Fields
File fields have an Accepted File Types setting: choose which formats authors can upload — PDF (the default), Word, PowerPoint, or ZIP. At least one format must stay selected.
Authors see the allowed formats on the upload area (for example, "PDF or PowerPoint only"), and files in other formats are rejected before upload. This is useful for phase-specific fields — for example, a Presentation Slides field accepting PowerPoint in a later phase, or a camera-ready field accepting ZIP archives.
You can also change the accepted types on an existing file field later — click its edit icon and adjust the checkboxes.
Pre-selected Options
Single Choice and Multiple Choice fields can start with an option already chosen — useful for opt-out questions ("uncheck to opt out of AI feedback") or a Yes/No question where most submissions answer the same way. Check the box beside an option to pre-select it; Single Choice fields allow one, Multiple Choice allows any number.
Pre-selection applies to new submissions only, so you can turn it on at any time without changing answers authors have already given. See Pre-selecting Options for the full walkthrough.
Who Sees the Answers
Reviewers assigned to a submission read every field on this form — the conference-inherited ones and the fields you add here alike. The only exception is Authors, which is hidden on Double-Blind tracks.
The track's review type does not change this. It controls whether authors and reviewers see each other's identities, not which questions a reviewer may read. See Set the Review Type.
Keep chair-only questions off this form
Anything you add here goes to your reviewers. Don't use the submission form for information meant only for organizers — student status, suggested or excluded reviewers, funding sources. On a Double-Blind track a "suggested reviewers" field names real people to the very reviewers you are trying to blind. Collect that information outside the submission form.
Managing Fields
- Edit: Click the edit icon to modify field properties
- Delete: Remove non-core fields using the delete icon
- Reorder: Drag and drop fields to change their order
Core fields (Title, Authors, Abstract, Keywords) cannot be deleted, but you can edit them.
Previewing the Form
Click the "Preview" button next to the tab bar to see exactly how the submission form appears to authors. The preview renders the real form — you can interact with all fields, open dropdowns, and test options. No data will be saved.
The preview includes both conference-level inherited fields and your track-specific fields, showing the complete form authors will see.