Your paper has been accepted to a conference—congratulations! This is a major achievement. Now, you’ve received an email asking for the "camera-ready" version. This is the final and most crucial submission stage. The version you submit now is the one that will be published in the official proceedings, so it must be perfect.

The term "camera-ready" originates from the print era, meaning a document was literally ready to be photographed for the printing plates. Today, it means your digital manuscript must be flawlessly formatted and finalized for publication in platforms like IEEE Xplore, the ACM Digital Library, or SpringerLink.

To help you navigate this critical step, here is a detailed checklist of what to pay attention to before you click "submit."

Phase 1: Content and Text Finalization

Before you even think about formatting, ensure the content itself is finalized.

• Incorporate Reviewer Feedback: Methodically address every comment from the peer reviewers. Even if your paper was accepted with minor revisions, carefully implementing this feedback is expected and significantly improves the quality of your work.
• Final Proofread for Language: This is your last chance to fix typos, grammatical errors, and awkward phrasing. Read the paper aloud to catch unnatural sentences. Use grammar-checking software like Grammarly, but do not rely on it completely. Ask a colleague, especially a native English speaker, to read through it one last time.
• Check Author Information: Verify that all co-authors are listed in the correct order and that their names and affiliations are spelled correctly. Ensure email addresses and other contact details are accurate.
• Write Your Acknowledgments: Add the acknowledgments section to thank your funding agencies, lab members who provided support, and anyone else who contributed to the research.

Phase 2: Strict Formatting and Layout

This is where most authors run into trouble. Formatting for the camera-ready version must be exact.

• Use the Official Template: Download and use the official conference template (e.g., LaTeX or Word) provided by the publisher (IEEE, ACM, Springer, etc.). Do not try to create your own.
• Verify Margins, Columns, and Spacing: Do not adjust the template’s predefined margins, column widths, or line spacing. Even small changes can cause your paper to be rejected by the automated format-checking systems.
• Check Font Types and Sizes: Ensure all text, from the title to the figure captions, uses the correct font (e.g., Times New Roman) and size as specified in the template. Pay close attention to the formatting of headings and subheadings.
• Adhere to the Page Limit: You must be within the strict page limit. If you are over, you will need to edit your content down—do not try to cheat the limit by reducing spacing or margins. Some conferences allow you to purchase extra pages, but check the policy first.

Phase 3: Figures, Tables, and References

These elements are often overlooked but are critical for a professional look.

• Ensure High-Resolution Figures: All graphs, images, and diagrams must be high-resolution (at least 300 DPI) and legible. Blurry or pixelated figures are a common reason for rejection at this stage. Ensure all text within the figures is readable.
• Check Figure and Table Placement: Figures and tables should be placed at the top or bottom of a column/page where possible, and they must be referenced in the text before they appear.
• Verify All Citations and References:
• Style: Ensure your reference list is perfectly formatted in the required citation style (e.g., APA, IEEE).
• Completeness: Check that every reference in the list is cited in the text, and every in-text citation has a corresponding entry in the reference list.
• Accuracy: Double-check author names, publication years, and titles in your reference list.

Phase 4: The Final Submission Package

You're almost there. The final step is to package everything correctly.

• Generate a Compliant PDF: The conference will have a tool (like the IEEE PDF eXpress) to check if your PDF file is compliant with the publisher’s standards. You must use this tool to validate your file or to convert your source files into a compliant PDF.
• Complete the Copyright Form: You will be required to sign and submit an electronic copyright transfer form. This legally transfers the copyright of the paper to the publisher, allowing them to publish it.
• Check for Additional Requirements: Read the submission instructions one last time. Do you need to submit your source files (Word or LaTeX)? A short author bio?
• Final Upload and Verification: Upload all required files to the conference submission portal. After uploading, download the file from the portal to ensure it was not corrupted and that it is the correct version.

By meticulously working through this checklist, you can ensure your camera-ready submission is professional, polished, and accepted without any issues, securing your contribution to the scientific record.