Appealing ACM Publications Policy Violation Decisions

Updated July 10, 2026

All claimants and the accused have the right to appeal official decisions.

Appeals for violations in SIG-submitted Works must be made to the SIG General Chair(s) as described below. All other appeals must be in writing to the ACM Appeals Committee no more than 30 days from the date of notification.

All appeals must be in writing. An appeal must contain new material that was not already evaluated by the ACM Ethics and Plagiarism Committee or substantive information that might lead the ACM Appeals Committee to issue a different decision than the one initially made.

If no appeal has been requested, the decision shall stand and the appropriate penalties shall be implemented.

In the event an appeal has been requested, the ACM Appeals Committee's decision shall be final and the Committee will communicate their decision on the appeal in writing to the CEO, Chair of the Ethics and Plagiarism Committee, the Respondent, and, if the appeal results in a change in determination or sanction, they will additionally report the outcome of the decision along with justification for the change to the Complainant, ACM Publications Board, and members of the Ethics and Plagiarism Committee involved in the investigation.

Appeals for SIG-submitted Works

For all submitted but not yet published SIG Conference, Workshop, Symposium, and related PACM Works, the associated SIG General Chair(s) shall be responsible for the appeal and shall adhere to the procedures above.

If the violation decision included a rejection of the Work and the appeal is upheld, the SIG General Chair(s) and the Program Committee Chair(s) should remedy the situation if possible and as appropriate. This may involve reinstating an acceptance decision or offering an opportunity for re-submission. If the decision to reject the Work due to a violation was made before the Work was accepted, the Program Committee Chair(s) may choose to accept the Work if appropriate.

If an appeal is requested for a Level III violation related to a SIG-submitted Work, the ACM Publications Board Ethics & Plagiarism Committee shall begin its review of the case when the appeal has been resolved by the SIG General Chair(s), regardless of the resolution. The ACM Publications Board Ethics & Plagiarism Committee may issue a new finding if appropriate. This decision may be appealed to the ACM Appeals Committee as described above in this Policy.