ECAI Workflow

Plan the ECAI year backward from the paper deadline, because ECAI is a single-round process with a two-deadline front (abstract, then paper) and no revision round to catch a gap later. First fix which regime the edition is in — it changes the calendar owner, the template, and whether PAIS is available:

• Standalone ECAI (e.g. 2024): EurAI + a host society; FAIA/ecai.cls; PAIS co-located.
• IJCAI-ECAI 2026: joint with IJCAI in Bremen (15-21 Aug 2026); IJCAI process/template/proceedings.

The IJCAI-ECAI 2026 calendar (verify on the live page)

Abstract deadline .............. 12 January 2026 (AoE)   <- title/abstract/authors/topics locked
Full paper deadline ............ 19 January 2026 (AoE)   <- anonymized PDF + supplement
Summary-reject notification .... 4 March 2026            <- early filter; below-bar/out-of-scope out
Author response (rebuttal) ..... 7-10 April 2026         <- one short window, factual corrections
Final notification ............. 29 April 2026           <- accept / reject (no revision round)
Camera-ready ................... (per author kit)         <- de-anonymize, open-access production
Conference ..................... 15-21 August 2026, Bremen

For a standalone ECAI the shape is the same (registration ~1 week before the PDF; double-blind review with a rebuttal; open-access FAIA proceedings) but the dates and organizer differ — read the current call.

Backward plan from the paper deadline

• Deadline − 12 weeks: decide ECAI vs IJCAI/AAAI and main track vs PAIS (ecai-topic-selection). Routing before writing is the highest-leverage move, because the 7-page budget and the venue's breadth shape the paper.
• − 10 weeks: lock the contribution and the evidence type (proof vs experiment) per claim shape (ecai-experiments); name threats/assumptions now — you cannot add them in a later round.
• − 8 weeks: draft the body to the first-page arc and the 7-page budget (ecai-writing-style); start the anonymized supplement (ecai-reproducibility).
• − 4 weeks: finish full proofs / complete experiments with seeds and spread; write delta-first related work (ecai-related-work).
• − 2 weeks: internal review; run the double-blind sweep and the body/supplement split (ecai-supplementary).
• Abstract deadline: register title/abstract/authors/topics with the real text.
• Paper deadline: run ecai-submission end to end on the final PDF, supplement, template, and per-author cap.

After submission

• Summary-reject phase: nothing to do but ensure you did not invite it — scope, formatting, anonymity, and page budget must have been correct at upload.
• Rebuttal window: ecai-author-response — one short, precise, double-blind reply; fix factual misreadings and supply asked-for numbers; promise only minor camera-ready edits.
• Notification:
  • Accept → ecai-camera-ready (de-anonymize, correct template/publisher regime, open-access forms, DOI/citation, register to present) and make the supplement a permanent open release (ecai-artifact-evaluation).
  • Reject → revise substantively and reroute (AAAI/IJCAI/specialist venue) or aim at the next ECAI; there is no appeal that reopens the decision (ecai-review-process).

Parallel tracks to run early

• Reproducibility is not a last-minute task. Seeds, cached outputs, and full proofs must be produced as you do the work; they cannot be retrofitted at the deadline (ecai-reproducibility).
• PAIS decision is a fork, not an afterthought. A deployed-application paper aimed at PAIS leads with real-world impact and has its own call — decide before the abstract deadline.
• Per-author submission cap (IJCAI-ECAI 2026: 8) — coordinate across your group early so you do not have to withdraw a paper at the deadline.

Milestone checklist

[ ] Regime fixed: standalone ECAI (FAIA/PAIS) or joint IJCAI-ECAI (IJCAI)
[ ] Track chosen: main track vs PAIS
[ ] Evidence type set per claim (proof vs experiment); threats/assumptions named
[ ] Body drafted to 7-page arc; supplement started and anonymized
[ ] Abstract registered by the earlier deadline
[ ] Double-blind sweep + body/supplement split done before paper upload
[ ] Rebuttal plan ready for the response window
[ ] Camera-ready path (template/publisher/forms/DOI/registration) mapped

Reverify each cycle

Regime (standalone vs joint), all dates and AoE cutoffs, the per-author cap, the ethics/AI policy, and the camera-ready production instructions — none are stable across editions.