AAAI 2026 Paper Formatting Template

Submission guidelines

AAAI is one of the longest-running and most influential general AI conferences. Acceptance is competitive: reviewers care about novelty, reproducibility, ethics, and coverage of related work. Formatting alone rarely causes rejection, but page overruns, a missing ethics statement, or wrong section structure can trigger desk rejection or a poor first impression. Before the deadline, build the full PDF with the official template once and verify anonymization (if double-blind), figure clarity, and AAAI-style citations.

Common substantive rejection reasons include unclear contributions, weak baselines, and missing discussion of ethics or societal impact. On the formatting side, watch for: strict 7-page main text (do not hide appendices inside it), figure widths in two columns, and a consistent reference section in AAAI style.

Formatting in detail

• Page and layout: US Letter; two columns; 7 pages maximum for the main text; references do not consume those 7 pages (they may continue without a fixed cap, per that year’s official notice).
• Margins: 1 inch top and bottom; 0.75 inch left and right (use the official template; avoid ad hoc geometry changes that conflict with the call for papers).
• Fonts: body Times New Roman 10pt; headings 14pt (as defined in the template).
• Required sections: Abstract, Introduction, Related Work, Ethics Statement, References. Do not drop or reorder the required section titles; a thin Related Work section invites questions about completeness.
• Authoritative sources: Use the AAAI 26 conference site, author guidelines, and LaTeX/Word templates as the source of truth.

Abstract guidelines

• Length: typically 150 words maximum (confirm the latest official limit).
• Content: one sentence on problem and motivation, core method or contribution, main empirical findings; avoid empty superlatives and over-claiming.
• Style: English abstracts are standard; avoid figure references and citation numbers in the abstract; expand acronyms on first use.
• Consistency: numbers, task names, and datasets in the abstract must match the paper.

Citations and references

• Style: AAAI style (the conference provides aaai or an official .bst / embedded bibliography style). With BibTeX, use the recommended style file; do not mix IEEE or APA.
• Practice: use correct entry types (inproceedings, article) and complete volume, issue, and page fields; clarify preprint vs. published versions; avoid duplicate near-duplicate entries for the same work.
• Common mistakes: .bst mismatched with document class; manually changing reference fonts; large blank areas in the last column of a two-column page instead of using supported column-balancing approaches.

Frequent formatting mistakes

• Main text exceeds 7 pages: putting proofs, appendices, or extra experiments in the main body; use officially allowed supplementary channels when offered.
• Missing Ethics Statement or wrong heading: not a standalone section or title does not match the template.
• Wrong paper or margins: A4 instead of US Letter, or margins that shift the text block.
• Weak Related Work: partly a content issue, but combined with required sections it reads as incomplete structure.
• Inconsistent reference style: in-text citations and the bibliography list are not AAAI style; compilation warnings ignored.

How to convert to AAAI format with AutoSCI

• Upload your paper — PDF or Word.
• Choose a template — select AAAI 2026 from the template list.
• Export — LaTeX, PDF, or Word.

AutoSCI applies page limits, margins, font sizes, and citation style so your output aligns with AAAI submission expectations.

Further reading: Pre-submission checklist

• PDF built from the official template, not a hand-rolled article class.
• Main text ≤7 pages, references separate, total pages per instructions.
• Includes Abstract, Introduction, Related Work, Ethics Statement, References.
• Abstract ≤150 words (or the year’s stated limit).
• US Letter, two columns, 1 in / 0.75 in margins (vertical / horizontal).
• AAAI-style citations with matching BibTeX and .bst.
• For anonymous submission: author lines, acknowledgments, and identifiable grant IDs handled per guidelines.

Practical tips for authors (time zones, language, figures)

• Deadlines: submission times are often Anywhere on Earth (AoE, UTC−12); finalize the PDF at least 24 hours early to avoid network or build failures.
• English: consider a native or domain colleague to polish the introduction and related work so contribution boundaries are not misunderstood.
• Figures: in two columns, labels can become tiny; use vector graphics and zoom the PDF to check readability.

Writing related work

Related work should show themes and contrasts, not a bibliography dump: organize by problem line or method family and state clearly how your work differs. AAAI reviewers expect both classic and recent coverage; missing strong concurrent work from top venues invites negative comments.

Ethics Statement essentials

Address data, populations, misuse risk, environmental impact, and similar topics honestly. If there are no special concerns, follow the official examples for a brief statement (e.g., no additional ethical concerns)—do not omit or delete the section.

Version notice

Conference rules can change year to year; layout and page counts are governed by the AAAI 2026 author guide and template. This page summarizes common expectations and is not an official guarantee.

Figures, algorithms, and two-column layout

The AAAI template is two-column. Full-width figures (figure*) and wide tables (table*) can consume a full page height and inflate page count unexpectedly. Prefer readable subfigures within a single column when possible; if you must span columns, preview page breaks in Word/LaTeX—especially near page 7—so a late figure* does not break the layout. If you use third-party algorithm packages, confirm compatibility with the official class to avoid float numbering errors or overflow.

Export diagrams as PDF, EPS, or SVG; avoid blurry raster upscaling. Ensure line styles and markers remain distinguishable in grayscale for print and offline review.

LaTeX vs. Word

Pin your TeX distribution version for the team; document latexmk or the main build command in README or supplementary material to avoid “builds on my machine but over page limit on yours.”

Anonymous submission and self-citation

Under double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, and identifiable project links. Self-citations in text can be neutral (“prior work”); keep BibTeX complete but avoid leaking institutions in PDF metadata. Public GitHub repos with institutional names may need anonymized handling per that year’s policy.

Reproducibility and experiments

Reviewers often check splits, random seeds, and training details against claims in the abstract. Use a table for key hyperparameters and hardware; if space is tight, put full configs in allowed supplementary material and give the minimal reproducibility bundle in the main paper.

Managing the reference pages

References are outside the 7-page main limit but should stay consistent: uniform venue abbreviations, journal volume/issue formatting. Fix issues in .bib and recompile—avoid hand-editing .bbl. Update arXiv-only entries to published venues when possible before submission.

48 hours before the deadline

Expectations around the review cycle

AAAI reviews can be long and pointed. In rebuttal, separate must-fix scientific issues from optional polish; page references and color highlights (if allowed) speed reviewer reading. If reviewers cite template violations, compare your PDF line-by-line with the official sample.

Additional FAQ

A: No—deviating from the template is non-compliant. Cut prose, merge figures, or use supplementary material.

A: If risk is low, a short statement can suffice; for human data, biometrics, or generative misuse, expand proportionally to severity.

A: The required structure includes a standalone Related Work section unless the official guide says otherwise.

English flow and transitions (with formatting in mind)

Bridge introduction to related work with a clear pivot: after the landscape, state the gap your paper fills in one or two sentences, then move to methods. Use a topic sentence per paragraph; avoid nested clauses that obscure contributions. Define acronyms (e.g., RL, NLP) once in abstract and body, then stay consistent.

Math and notation

If notation is heavy, add a notation table in the appendix or early in the paper if space allows; otherwise define symbols clearly on first use. Do not overload symbols; use standard LaTeX (\sum, \mathbb{E}). If equation numbering conflicts with the template, check for conflicting amsmath options.

Submission system and file naming

For anonymous PDFs, avoid author-identifying filenames; supplementary archives should not expose identifiable paths. If the system warns about non-embedded fonts, use pdflatex and check pdffonts or the official font guidance.

Workflow with AutoSCI

Freeze content in Word/LaTeX before template-level styling to avoid oscillating between big edits and fine layout—reducing the risk of missing sections or page overruns. When migrating from another venue’s template, verify Related Work and Ethics Statement exist and the main text is within 7 pages.

Final check (print preview)

Open print preview in a PDF reader: US Letter, actual size, and confirm margins are not distorted by “fit to page.” Check widows/orphans and lone figures on the last two-column page. Assign one format owner for a final pixel-level pass against the official sample (headers, author block, copyright line) when multiple authors edit the same file.