How should I submit a research manuscript?

Authors are asked to submit their work in two stages. In stage one (Abstract Submission), a title, abstract, and a list of all co-authors must be submitted via the DAC web-submission site. In stage two (Manuscript Submission), the manuscript itself is submitted. Authors are responsible to ensure that their manuscript submission meets all guidelines, and that the PDF is readable. To ensure fairness for all submitters, there will be no grace periods to fix problematic submissions.

The manuscript should stand on its own, with references in the last page. The manuscript must be within 6 pages, with one additional reference page, double-columned, 9 or 10-pt font, in PDF format only, be a readable file and follow the IEEE style template. The length and content of the submitted version and that of the final version (if accepted) should not be significantly different; the draft manuscript must leave enough room to allow for the inclusion of author information, acknowledgements, and other identifying information in the final version. There will be no chance of resubmitting to correct any issues.

How should I submit the conflict of interest (COI) information?

Submitters should report COIs of all co-authors with respect to members of the Technical Program Committee upon submission. However, it is recommended that submitters work on marking COIs as soon as they submit their manuscript's abstract, since this task may require some time, which is often scarce in the final sprint towards the completion of a manuscript's submission. Modifications to marked COIs can be made any time prior to the manuscript deadline.

Authors are asked to mark all the TPC members who have COIs with at least one of the authors at the time of abstract registration. Do not mark any members of the Technical Program Committee as COI where there is no COI.

What if authors failed to identify TPC members with COI?

DAC assumes that authors have no additional COIs with TPC members, beside those that have been declared at the time of manuscript submission. If a manuscript is found to have failed in identifying a COI, during or after the paper selection process, the submitted manuscript will be automatically rejected. Same holds if members of the Technical Program Committee are marked as COI if no COI exists.

Which category should I select when I submit my manuscript?

The Call for Contributions lists several categories; please select the most appropriate primary topic when submitting your abstract. Authors of submissions that cover cross-cutting topics should select a category that is closest to the essential contribution of the submission. Submissions will be asked to select a broad category (e.g., “ EDA2. Design Verification and Validation”). A complete list of available categories and topic areas can be found in the CFP. Please note that there are separate categories for Artificial Intelligence, Design, Electronic Design Automation, Security, and Systems topics.

If my work is mainly about design, should I submit it to the regular research track or the Engineering Tracks?

The Research track at 63 DAC will include a DESIGN (DES) focus to feature high-quality content on design research, design practices, and design automation for cross-cutting topics.

If you think that your work makes a significant contribution to any of the design related topics, you should consider writing a complete 6-page research manuscript and submit it to the regular research track. On the other hand, if your work is more of a design practice using EDA tools or if you cannot meet the research manuscript deadline, you can consider submitting your work to the Engineering Tracks, which do not require a manuscript and entail no publication.

Six pages only, or is additional 4-page supplemental material allowed?

All submissions to the Research Track are subject to the six-page limit, with one additional page for references only. The manuscript plus one page of references should be formatted as a single PDF file. It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure the readability of the PDF file and submit it by the November 18, 2025 deadline.

The page limit of the submissions is 6+1, not 7. The last page is reserved for references only. Inclusion of any content other than references on the additional reference page will lead to the desk rejection of the submission.

To satisfy the criteria for a blind review process, the Call for Contributions states that any references to the author(s) own previous work or affiliations in the bibliographic citations must be in the third person. For the blind review process, DO NOT LIST THE NAMES OR AFFILIATIONS OF ANY OF THE AUTHORS ANYWHERE ON THE MANUSCRIPT, except in the references section (if citation to prior work is required).

Example: A. and B. presented a method for listing self-referential citations in [5]. 

[5] A. A and B. B, How to write a research DAC paper, 2026.

DO NOT use “omitted for blind review” to cite authors’ own papers. Describe all related papers published by you as if they were written by others.

Citation of authors’ unpublished papers is not allowed, including citation of potential double and/or simultaneous submissions. If this situation arises, submitters must follow the disclosure requirements to disclose their (or their co-authors) related work that is under review or accepted for publication.

I submitted a longer version of my manuscript to another conference/journal. Can I still submit it to DAC?

DAC adheres to strict rules regarding double and/or simultaneous submissions. No new technical content should be under review during any time overlapping with DAC's selection and publication of manuscripts. In general, an extended version of the conference paper should be submitted to a journal after the first day of the conference. Your submissions must be clearly distinct from any other submissions under review. Use your judgment. If in doubt, consult with a more senior colleague. Double submissions are unethical, and a serious issue within the ACM & IEEE communities.

Can a paper that has been uploaded to arXiv be submitted to DAC?

The DAC publication policy does allow for papers published on arXiv to be submitted to DAC. Note, however, that the authors are expected to follow all reasonable efforts to ensure that the DAC submission is compliant with the double-blind review process.

How do I disclose a paper under review or an accepted but not published paper?

When submitting a paper, the authors are asked to list all potentially relevant papers that have not yet been published and provide an electronic copy (in pdf format) of those papers. The TPC Chair will be able to check for self-plagiarism and relevance without revealing author identities to the reviewers. Failure to disclose such papers will be considered as omission of closely related work and subject to the same penalties outlined in the "Duplicate Submissions" section.

What makes a good DAC manuscript?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) research manuscripts feature advances in the field of AI / Machine Learning (ML) with a focus on design automation and designs at the cross section between AI/ML algorithms/applications and hardware. The scope includes but is not limited to novel AI/ML algorithms, applications, infrastructures, and how to address growing security/privacy concerns of AI/ML.
Electronic Design Automation (EDA) research manuscripts have at their core novel algorithms or novel algorithm implementations for important problems facing leading edge electronic design automation. These may address the problem at any level of abstraction (from high-level blocks down to the bare transistor). They can cover both design implementation (for example, physical layout or logic synthesis) and design analysis (for example, signal integrity analysis, rule checking, functional verification, and circuit simulation).
Design (DES) research manuscripts feature high-quality contributions on design research, design practices, and design automation for cross-cutting topics, ranging from systems and architectures, particularly specialized solutions to embedded systems, storage and memory structures.
Security (SEC) research manuscripts feature contributions on the urgent need to create, analyze, evaluate, and improve the hardware, embedded systems and software base of the contemporary security solutions. This applies across all domains, including financial, healthcare, transportation, and energy.
Systems (SYS) research manuscripts cover novel advances in areas such as embedded systems software and hardware, from the very highest levels of system specification (e.g., domain-specific languages and model-based design) to hardware/software implementations of embedded systems, their associated software design tools and architectural platforms, as well as validation, verification, and reliability. Systems topics will also cover modeling, optimization, and exploration of multiple embedded system constraints (e.g., reliability, power, security). Systems case studies, platforms and design methodologies are also an integral part of these topics.

Can I submit as a Work-in-Progress (WIP) presentation if my paper is not accepted as a research manuscript?

If the TPC subcommittee does not accept your manuscript as a research manuscript at DAC, they will also determine if your submission meets the requirements for a WIP presentation and invite WIP-eligible manuscripts to present during a specific poster session at DAC. Note that WIP presentations papers are not published in the DAC proceedings. Thus, in this situation, you do not need to re-submit your manuscript to the WIP submission site.

Research - Frequently Asked Questions