Editorial Process Overview

The manuscript submission and peer review process is categorized into the following six basic steps:

1. The Author submits a manuscript for publication in the Conference Proceedings.
2. The appropriate Session Chair and Co-Chair assign reviewers.
3. The Assigned Reviewers review the manuscript, and submit their comments via cec-icmc.peerx-press.org.
4. The Sub-Section Technical Editor makes a decision based on the reviewers' comments.
5. Staff will use cec-icmc.peerx-press to send email to the Author with the decision.

Submission Process

The manuscript submission process proceeds through a series of six screens that gather detailed information about your manuscript and allow you to upload the complete manuscript file and, optionally, a cover letter file. Uploaded source files are automatically converted by system software into Portable Document Format (PDF) file versions. [Even an uploaded PDF file gets re-converted, to ensure printable output and to ensure in advance that eventual production processing will be trouble-free.] It is the system-converted PDF files that are made available to editors and reviewers (as well as yourself); such files can be viewed via a web browser and Adobe Acrobat Reader. It is the uploaded source manuscript file that is used to produce the article pages of the conference-proceedings book.

The sequence of submission screens is as follows:

0. An initial screen where important reminders regarding the submission process are presented.
1. A manuscript-submission form asking you to enter author name(s) and order. Some data has been preloaded for you, and may only need your verification. The names of the Contributing Author(s), if any, have not been preloaded.
2. A screen asking for the names (on your computer) of the files to be uploaded (do this via the Browse button, which brings up a "choose file" pop-up box). After completing this screen and using the Submit Manuscript Files button, your files will be uploaded to our server.
3. A file-upload confirmation screen that will provide you with a specific tracking number for your manuscript submission.
4. A screen that advises you that the Corresponding Author is being sent an email message to serve as a reminder that the submission process has been started and that they should assure/check on the progress of the file conversion, author approval, and final submission step. The screen gives you the option to immediately proceed to check on the file conversion, or to Log Out or return to the Home screen to address other business.
5. A file-conversion status & approval screen that (i) advises you of the progress of converting each source file to its PDF version, and, when conversion is successfully completed, (ii) requires you to verify that each of the files uploaded and converted to PDF correctly. If a conversion is incorrect, you can replace or delete a file as necessary at this stage. You may also add (upload) new files (one at a time). Once all converted files are viewed and approved as correct, you will need to click on "Confirm Approved Converted Files" to officially register and notify the editorial office of the submission.
   NOTE: Until you complete this step, your manuscript is not considered as submitted to the editorial office for peer-review handling.

If conversion of a file seems to be having difficulty, i.e., has not converted within several minutes after upload, please consult the Checklist for Conversion of Source Files. A link to this document also appears on the file-conversion status & approval screen while one or more files are undergoing conversion.

Upon confirming approval of the converted files, you are returned to your Home screen (Main page), with a message indicating that the submission has been registered, and with an opportunity to view summary data, converted files, and current status information about your manuscript. Check the "Live Manuscripts" folder.

Before submitting a NEW manuscript package, please gather the following information and items; those followed by "(*)" are required data:
[It is important to enter name and email data accurately; and please double check. The name entries are the basis for an Author Index. Correct email addresses are needed for successful correspondence.]

• For the Corresponding Author (*):
• First name (*), middle initial, and last name (*)
• Order in author list (*) (note: when an order is specified for one author, it must be specified for all)
• Title, e.g., Dr. Prof. (*)
• E-mail address (*)
• Institution affiliation and location (*)
• Primary (work) telephone number (*)
• Primary (work) fax number
• For the other Co-Authors (Contributing Authors) (if the last name is provided for an author, then the data indicated by * are required):
• First name (*), middle initial, and last name (*)
• Order in author list (*)
• Title, e.g., Dr. Prof.
• E-mail address (*)
• Institution affiliation (*)
• Cover letter file (which will be accessible to the editors AND the reviewers), or, instead, simple manuscript-submission comments that can be entered via the online Submission Form.
• Properly prepared manuscript file (final publication form, complete with figures) in Word, PDF, or PS format. Please do NOT provide pagination of the article text (the printer will do that). Refer to detailed instructions in the Manuscript-Preparation Instructions and Templates document, available via a link in the navigation bar at the top of the pages of this site.
• If you compose your manuscript in LaTeX, please use the AIP Conference Proceedings macros and style files and do the LaTeX processing on your own machine. Then upload the complete, single manuscript file in PS or PDF format.

Submission Modes

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically to the Conference Proceedings. They should be prepared in accordance with the length and format requirements for final publication. The appropriate file-preparation templates should be used. Please refer to the detailed instructions in the Manuscript-Preparation Instructions and Templates document, available via a link in the navigation bar at the top of the pages of this site.

Color Figure Charges

Authors wishing to print color figures in the Conference Proceedings will be charged. When ordering reprints with color, authors will be charged additional.

The corresponding author of a manuscript submission that includes color figures is required to state in the Color Charge Agreement section of the Submission Form their intent to publish color in print and to honor the above charges. Such acknowledgment is needed for the submission to be entered into online peer review. Otherwise the color figures will appear only in the online version of the published manuscript; the print version will be produced in black-and-white (authors should consider whether the content of the color figure can suffer the loss of detail that generally incurs when printing it as black-and-white).

Copyright Transfer Agreement

Under U.S. copyright law, a transfer of copyright from the author(s) must be explicitly stated in writing to enable the publisher to disseminate the work to the fullest extent. AIP requires its form (available via a link in the navigation bar at the bottom of the pages of this site, or at the CEC/ICMC website) executed and returned prior by July 1, 2009.

Download the copyright form (use link provided at the bottom of the page, or found at the CEC/ICMC website), print it, complete it in full (include manuscript code number and Conference Proceedings name), sign it, and return it to the Managing Editor no later than July 1, 2009.

Quality Check of Submission by Editorial Office

Upon receiving system notification of a submission, the editorial-office Staff double checks that the manuscript data are complete and that the files are properly prepared and suitable for making available to the editors and reviewers. If all is in order, the manuscript submission passes to the Conference Editor, and the Author receives a "confirmation of receipt" email message. If the Staff has requests of the Author regarding the submission, the Author receives a "quality check" email message with a description of what is needed and instructions for amending the submission and/or supplying additional information.

Resubmission Process

The manuscript resubmission process proceeds through the same series of screens as before (see the sequence of screens described above). But there is one difference.
NOW, the second screen is:

1. A manuscript-submission form presenting previously submitted data for author(s), title, manuscript and submission information; the data can be edited.

Before submitting a REVISED manuscript package, please gather the following information and items:

• Revised author list, order, and author data:
  • First name, middle initial, and last name
  • E-mail address
  • Institution affiliation and location
  • Primary (work) telephone number
  • Primary (work) fax number
• Revised Title (can be copy and pasted from your revised manuscript)
• Cover letter file (accessible ONLY to the editors, for revised manuscripts), or, instead, simple manuscript-submission comments that can be entered via the online Submission Form
• Response letter file, with response to reviewer comments (this WILL be accessible to the reviewers)
• The most current manuscript file (final publication form, complete with figures), whether or not it has revisions compared to the previous submission

Regarding the last item, NOTE that the latest complete manuscript file needs to be uploaded again, whether the file presents revisions or not. Please double check that the file that is uploaded represents its most current version.

Navigation and Getting Help

The upper right-hand corner of every page carries links that allow you to:

• Return to your Home screen (Main page)
• Call up a Suggestions feedback form
• Display a Help contact list
• Log out of the Conference Proceedings's Peer X-Press service

Throughout the system, red arrows reflect pending action items that you should address by clicking on the associated link.

If you need additional help, you can click on the help signs located throughout the system. A help dialog box will pop up with context-sensitive help comments.

Checking a Manuscript's Status; Viewing Manuscript Files

After you have approved the file upload and conversion for your manuscript submission, you may obtain the status of your manuscript, or view the manuscript files, at any time by:

1. Logging into the system with your user name and password. The site's URL is http://cec-icmc.peerx-press.org/ . (If needed, use the "Unknown/Forgotten Password" link at the Welcome/Login screen to be emailed your login name and a new, temporary password.)
2. Clicking on the "Live Manuscripts" or "Post Decision Manuscripts" folder, under Author Tasks on your Home screen (Main page).
3. Clicking on the appropriate "Check Status" link, which is presented as a manuscript number and abbreviated title.
4. Clicking on the "Manuscript #" link at the top of the Detailed Status Information screen. (This returns the so-called Manuscript Items/Tasks page, from which you can view your manuscript files.)

Sending Manuscript Correspondence

To send email to the Conference Proceedings regarding a particular manuscript, please use the "Send Manuscript Correspondence" link found on the manuscript's Manuscript Items/Tasks page (see the above section for how to bring up such page). This facility allows for email attachments and for cc: (e.g., to yourself). The email is automatically recorded and stored within the system and accessible to Conference Proceedings staff. An author might use this facility to send in a corrected file for a recently submitted manuscript (provided the editorial process had not yet progressed too far).

Starting the Process

The manuscript submission process starts by clicking the "Submit Manuscript" link on your Home screen (Main page). Please make sure you have gathered all the required manuscript information listed above before starting the submission process.

Please press Return to Main Page to continue.