Research Manuscript Submissions

Submission Format | Timeline | Rules | Duplicate Submissions | Disclosure Process | Conflict of Interest | Frequently Asked Questions | Review and Selection | Copyright Information

The Design Automation Conference (DAC) is the premier event to showcase cutting-edge research achievements in the design and design automation of electronic circuits and systems. In addition to a broad range of topics within the domains -- Design, EDA, Embedded Systems & Software (ESS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Security as well as Autonomous Systems and IP -- the 2024 edition of DAC is expecting particular interest in the following: 

  • SoC, Heterogeneous & Reconfigurable Architectures
  • AI/ML Architecture Design
  • Near-Memory & In-Memory Computing
  • Quantum Computing,
  • Design Methodologies for System-on-Chip and 3D/2.5D System-in Package
  • Time-Critical and Low Power System, Embedded & Cross-Layer 
  • Design Verification and Validation

Acceptance rates for manuscript publication are uniform across all topic areas and they have been hovering between 20%-25% for the past several years.


Submission Format

Stage One: Abstract Submission

  • A title, abstract (approximately 100 words), and a list of all co-authors must be submitted by November 13, 2023 (5:00pm PT). You may also submit the manuscript at this time.
  • A submitter must enter the names, affiliations, cities, states, countries and email addresses of ALL the co-authors. The addition of new co-authors or re-ordering of authors will not be permitted after November 13.
  • Title may not be changed after the abstract submission deadline of November 13.
  • Authors will be asked to report Conflicts of Interest with TPC members.

Stage Two: Manuscript Submission

  • The paper itself (up to 6 pages) is due by November 20, 2023 (5:00pm PT). Each submitted manuscript must discuss original work that has not been previously published in other indexed research databases.
  • Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscript meets the submission guidelines outlined in the tabs at the top of this page. There will be no opportunity for re-submission to correct any issues.
  • Your manuscript will be reviewed as a finished manuscript. Preliminary submissions will be at a disadvantage.

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Submission Timeline

  • September 29, 2023: Submission Opens
  • November 13, 2023, 5pm PT: Abstract Deadline
  • November 20, 2023, 5pm PT: Manuscript Deadline
  • February 26, 2024: Accept/Reject Notifications Sent
  • March 13, 2024: Confirmation Forms Due
  • April 10, 2024: Proceedings Manuscript Deadline
  • April 10, 2024: Registration Deadline
  • April 27, 2024: Draft Slides Due for Subcommittee Chair Review
  • May 7, 2024: Slide Feedback Provided
  • May 21, 2024: Final Slides and Presentation Recording Due

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Submission Rules

  • A submitter must enter the names, affiliations, cities, states, countries and email addresses of ALL the co-authors. The addition of new co-authors or re-ordering of authors will not be permitted after November 13.
  • Title may not be changed after the abstract submission deadline of November 13.
  • DO NOT identify the author(s) by their name(s) or affiliation(s) anywhere on the manuscript or abstract, with all references to the author(s)' own previous work or affiliations in the bibliographic citations being in the third person. Avoid the use of “omitted for blind review” in the bibliography section. Make sure the PDF metadata does not contain the author information.
  • The abstract of approximately 100 words must clearly state the significant contribution, impact, and results of the manuscript.
  • The manuscript must be within 6 pages, double-columned, 9 or 10-pt font, in PDF format only, be a readable file and follow the ACM style template. The length and content of the submitted version and that of the final version (if accepted) should not be significantly different.
  • A submitter is required to check the conflicts of interests (COI) field and the duplicate submission field. See the "Conflict of Interest" section and the "Duplicate Submission" section for further information

An author of each accepted submission is required to:

  • Produce a paper for the official conference proceedings.
  • Sign and submit a copyright form.
  • All accepted presentations are expected to submit a video of their presentation in advance of the event. This does not replace participation in the event.

In addition:

  • One co-author on the paper is required to pay the full conference Speaker Registration Fee.
  • The speaker must present the paper at the conference. If anyone other than a co-author of the paper presents the paper at the conference, the paper will be removed from the proceedings. 

Following ACM's policy on authorship, anyone listed as Author on a paper must meet all the following criteria:

  • They have made substantial intellectual contributions to some components of the original work described in the paper; and
  • They have participated in drafting and/or revision of the paper; and
  • They are aware that the paper has been submitted for publication; and
  • They agree to be held accountable for any issues relating to correctness or integrity of the work

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Duplicate Submissions

DAC adheres to strict rules regarding duplicate submissions. Submissions must be clearly novel and distinct with respect to other submissions to DAC 2024, concurrent submissions to other conferences and previously published work.

  • All closely related work should be properly referenced. If such related work is authored by one of the co-author(s) of the manuscript in submission, it should be referenced as if it were written by others.
  • Any extended version of the submitted manuscript should not be submitted or under review before the formal notification of the DAC ‘s review decision.
  • If any co-author has any paper that may be perceived as having overlapping contributions and that is simultaneously under review by another venue, such papers must be disclosed in the submission process.

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.

Submissions which fail to follow the above guidelines will be automatically rejected. In serious cases, the authors’ names will be reported to ACM and kept in records, as well as sent to the Technical Chair or the Editor of the venue where the duplicate manuscript was submitted; the authors may be banned from publishing at future DAC conferences.

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Disclosure Process for Unpublished Work

When submitting to DAC, authors face a dilemma. DAC has a blind review process in which the author’s identity remains anonymous. However, the submission rules compel the authors to cite relevant publications that have already been accepted or are under review by another conference (such as ICCAD, DATE, ASP-DAC, etc.). Disclosing these papers under the citation list reveals the authors’ identities. To circumvent this issue, DAC has implemented a disclosure process.

When submitting a paper, the authors are asked to list each relevant paper that has not yet been published and include the corresponding pdf of the paper. The TPC Chair will be able to check for self-plagiarism and relevance without revealing the 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, as discussed in the section.

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Conflict of Interest

To further strengthen the review process, each submitter is asked to identify any Technical Program Committee (TPC) members with whom s/he has conflict of interests (COI). The TPC list is available below.

An author has a conflict with a member of the Technical Program Committee if one or more of the situations below holds:

  • Advisor-advisee relation
  • Co-authors of a paper (published and/or under review) in the last 24 months
  • Author and TPC member are from the same institution
  • Co-PIs of a grant in the last 2 years
  • Close personal or family relationship

The submitter should indicate the COIs of all authors with members of the Technical Program Committee upon submission. Failure to do so may lead to automatic rejection of the submission. If the submitter marks members of the Technical Program Committee as COI where there is in fact no COI, that may also lead to automatic rejection.

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Categories

For a list with detailed descriptions, visit the Research Paper Submissions Categories page.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The artificial intelligence (AI) track will highlight advances in the field with algorithms for the development of machine learning model, AI inspired models of computation, approximate computing, and security for AI and ML.

  • AI1. ML Algorithms
  • AI2. AI/ML Application and Infrastructure
  • AI3. AI/ML Security/Privacy

Autonomous Systems

Modern autonomous systems are growing at an increasingly rapid pace. These complex systems are developed to make our experiences safer, more energy-efficient and enjoyable.

  • AS1. Autonomous Systems (Automotive, Robotics, Drones)

Design

A cross-domain interaction of researchers, designers and practitioners cover design for electronic systems and electronic design automation in both the Research Track and Engineering Tracks.

  • DES1. Design of Cyber-physical Systems and IoT
  • DES2. SoC, Heterogeneous, and Reconfigurable Architectures
  • DES3A. In-memory and Near-memory Computing Circuits
  • DES3B. In-memory and Near-memory Computing Architectures, Applications and Systems
  • DES4. AI/ML Architecture Design
  • DES5. AI/ML System and Platform Design
  • DES6. Emerging Models of Computation
  • DES7. AL/ML, Digital, and Analog Circuits
  • DES8. Emerging Device and Interconnect Technologies
  • DES9. Quantum Computing

Electronic Design Automation (EDA)

For more than five decades DAC has focused on EDA and today it is still important with the growing complexities and scaling of semiconductor devices in circuits and systems.

  • EDA1. Design Methodologies for System-on-Chip and 3D/2.5D System-in Package
  • EDA2. Design Verification and Validation
  • EDA3. Timing and Power Analysis and Optimization
  • EDA4. RTL/Logic Level and High-level Synthesis
  • EDA5. Analog CAD, Simulation, Verification and Test
  • EDA6. Physical Design and Verification
  • EDA7. Design for Manufacturability and Reliability
  • EDA8. Test, Validation and Silicon Lifecycle Management

Embedded Systems & Software (ESS)

The Embedded Systems & Software (ESS) track provides a forum to discuss the challenges of embedded design. The sessions present an opportunity to exchange ideas/roadmaps for the future of this expanding area.

  • ESS1. Embedded Software
  • ESS2. Embedded System Design Tools and Methodologies
  • ESS3. Embedded Memory and Storage Systems
  • ESS4. Time-Critical and Fault Tolerant System Design

Security

The security of systems is essential in today’s electronics. Secure, trustworthy SW and HW components, platforms and supply chains are vital to all domains including financial, healthcare, transportation, and energy..

  • SEC1. Hardware Security: Primitives, Architecture, Design & Test
  • SEC2. Hardware Security: Attack and Defense
  • SEC3. Embedded and Cross-Layer Security

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Frequently Asked Questions

How should I submit a research manuscript?

Authors are asked to submit their work in two stages. In stage one (Abstraction 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 for ensuring 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 of the 6-pages manuscript. The manuscript must be within 6 pages, double-columned, 9 or 10-pt font, in PDF format only, be a readable file and follow the ACM style template. The length and content of the submitted version and that of the final version (if accepted) should not be significantly different. 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 the is in fact 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 hold if members of the Technical Program Committee are marked as COI where there is in fact no COI.

What is the DAC research manuscript timeline?

DAC will follow the timeline below in processing, selecting and publishing research manuscripts: 

  • September 29 to November 20, 2023: Research submission site is OPEN.
  • November 13, 2023: Research abstract submissions are DUE by 5:00pm PT 
  • November 20, 2023: Research final manuscript submissions are DUE by 5:00pm PT 
  • February 26, 2024: Accept/reject notices and confirmation forms will be emailed to authors.
  • March 13, 2024: Accepted papers must submit confirmation forms.
  • March 31, 2024: The technical program will be live on the DAC website.
  • April 10, 2024: Accepted papers must submit copyright forms.
  • April 10, 2024: Final manuscript is DUE to the proceedings publisher by 5:00pm PT.
  • April 10, 2024: Speaker registration deadline. One author from each manuscript is required to register at the speaker registration rate.
  • April 27, 2024: Speaker bio and draft slides due for review by subcommittee chairs.
  • May 7, 2024: Subcommittee chairs will provide feedback to speakers regarding their draft slides.
  • May 21, 2024: Final presentation slides and video presentations are due.
  • June 23, 2024: The Design Automation Conference begins! 

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 (ex. “EDA1. System-on-chip and HW/SW Codesign”). A complete list of available categories and topic areas can be found in the CFP.  Please note that there are separate categories for electronic design automation topics, embedded systems and software topics, autonomous electronic design, design and system security, and electronic design 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 DAC 2024 will include a DESIGN (DES) focus to feature high-quality contents 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. No additional supplemental material is allowed.

How do I avoid referencing my own work to ensure the integrity of the blind review process?

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, 2021.

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?

  • DAC 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).
  • DAC Embedded Systems and Software (ESS) research manuscripts cover novel advances in 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. ESS topics will also cover modeling, optimization, and exploration of multiple embedded system constraints (e.g., reliability, power, security). ESS case studies, platforms and design methodologies are also an integral part of these topics.
  • DAC 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.
  • DAC Artificial Intelligence (AI)  research manuscripts features 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 not limited to novel AI/ML algorithms, applications, infrastructures, and how to address growing security/privacy concerns of AI/ML.
  • DAC Security (SEC) research manuscripts span topics relating to embedded systems, cross-layer and hardware security, applied to all the layers of the hardware stack, from devices to architectures. The nature of the manuscripts range from attacks, to protection mechanisms and metrics.
  • Finally, DAC Autonomous electronic design (AS) research manuscripts discuss autonomous system design tools and methodologies.

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.

You may also submit other distinct works directly through the LBR submission site. Please see the Late Breaking Results section in the Call for Contributions for more details.

 I still have some questions. Who do I contact?

For additional information, please contact:

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Review and Selection Process

The DAC Technical Program Committee (TPC) determines the selection of research manuscripts to be included in the DAC program, as well as how they are integrated into technical sessions within the conference schedule. The Technical Program Committee is organized into several subcommittees, which focus on the various topic areas that are relevant to the conference. These are reasonably close, but not necessarily identical to the categories in the call for contributions. Manuscripts which are assigned by authors to unfitting categories may be reassigned by the program committee chair and subcommittee chairs to a subcommittee best able to review them.

DAC strives to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest (COI) between authors and reviewers so to provide a review process that is fair to all the authors. Submitters should report conflict of interests for all co-authors with members of the Technical Program Committee by the manuscript submission deadline, as discussed in the “Conflict of Interests” tab. The Technical Program Committee Chair may reassign manuscripts to different subcommittees to resolve conflicts of interest with Technical Program Committee members.

DAC will also compare each submission against a vast database to identify manuscripts which have significant similarity to previously published works. Submissions identified as plagiarized during this process will be rejected. Furthermore, the names of all the authors of the submission will be reported to IEEE and ACM, as well as the TPC Chair or the Editor-in-Chief of the venue where the duplicate was submitted. Further information on duplicate submissions is provided under the "Duplicate Submissions" tab at the top of this page.

Then DAC manuscripts undergo a double-blind review process; i.e., the identity of authors and reviewers is only known to the Technical Program Committee (TPC) Chair. Each subcommittee will select the best manuscripts submitted. The selectivity is influenced by the overall numbers of submissions, the capacity of the DAC schedule, and the number of manuscripts in each area.

The Technical Program Committee and its subcommittees will take into account the following aspects in selecting manuscripts:

  • Quality of the technical contribution (design, solution, methodology) described in the manuscript.
  • Originality of the concepts used and described. Advances over previous approaches should be reflected in the discussion of significant improvements in the results section. Comparisons with other approaches are also important to justify the advancement claimed in the submitted manuscript.
  • Significance of the results obtained, described by measurable quantitative criteria (runtime for tools, optimality of results, time for design process steps, simplification or automation of manual effort, etc.).
  • Degree of experimental evidence to support the claims of the manuscript. Results supported by evidence in industry-strength designs or widely accepted benchmarks with measurable criteria are highly desirable, if not essential.
  • A good discussion of limitations of the approach and concepts, and possible areas for future improvement.
  • The quality of manuscript writing, use of English, organization and clarity of presentation.
  • Once a manuscript has been accepted, the subcommittee organizes it into an appropriate technical session; sessions are then scheduled throughout the duration of the conference.

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Copyright Information

Authors of accepted papers must complete the ACM Copyright Form, which will be emailed to the contact author in March. One copyright form is required for each accepted paper.

  • Any issues/questions authors have regarding the copyright form or ACM Policy may be addressed to ACM.

Copyright Information

One author of each accepted paper that is submitted to DAC for publication in the official conference proceedings is required by ACM to sign a copyright form. 

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Policy on the AI/ChatGPT

We follow ACM/IEEE policy ond the AI/ChatGPT. In brief, the use of AI software tools (such as ChatGPT, Jasper, AI Write, Lex, for example) is permitted, subject to the following requirements.

  • That these systems do not plagiarize, misrepresent, or falsify contents in submissions.
  • That if any of generative AI software tools are used to generate new content such as text, images, tables, code, etc., it must be disclosed in either the acknowledgements section of the work or elsewhere in the work prominently, including but not limited to the specific tools and versions, the text of the prompts provided as input, and any post-generation editing (such as rephrasing the generated text). 
  • That if authors are using generate AI software tools to edit and improve the quality of your existing text in much the same way you would use a typing assistant like Grammarly to improve spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement or to use a basic word processing system to correct spelling or grammar, it is not necessary to disclose such usage of these tools in the work. 
  • That the authors accept full responsibility for the veracity and correctness of all material in their work, including any computer-generated materials. 
  • ACM’s Publishing Policy can be found here and the Author Rights page can be found here.
  • Any issues/questions authors have regarding the copyright form or ACM Policy addressed to ACM.

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