Timetable for Authors
July 1, 2015 – September 10, 2015: Authors register on the AAAI web site
September 10, 2015: Electronic abstracts due
September 15, 2015: Electronic papers due
October 28-30, 2015: Author feedback about initial reviews
November 12, 2015: Notification of acceptance or rejection
December 1, 2015: Camera-ready copy due
The purpose of the AAAI conference series is to promote research in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and foster scientific exchange between researchers, practitioners, scientists, students, and engineers in AI and its affiliated disciplines. AAAI-16 is the Thirtieth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence. It will continue the tradition of previous AAAI conferences with technical paper presentations, invited speakers, workshops, tutorials, poster sessions, senior member presentations, competitions, and exhibit programs, all selected according to the highest standards. AAAI-16 will also include additional programs for students and young researchers.

Topics
AAAI-16 welcomes submissions reporting research that advances artificial intelligence, broadly conceived. The conference scope includes all subareas of AI, including (but not limited to) traditional topics such as search, machine learning, planning, knowledge representation, reasoning, natural language processing, robotics and perception, and multiagent systems. We expressly encourage work that cuts across technical areas, or develops AI techniques in the context of important application domains, such as health care, transportation, and commerce.

The full set of AAAI-16 keywords is available on the AAAI-16 keywords page. (available July 1, 2015)

Special Tracks
AAAI-16 will also include special paper tracks (listed below) on select topics. These tracks feature dedicated reviewing committees, with accepted papers treated exactly like those in the main technical track.

Cognitive Systems
Chairs: David Leake (Indiana University), James Lester (North Carolina State University)
Computational Sustainability
Chairs: J. Zico Kolter (Carnegie Mellon University), Claire Monteleoni (George Washington University)
Integrated Systems
Chairs: Patrick Doherty (Linköping University), Malik Ghallab (CNRS)
Author Registration
Authors must register at the AAAI-16 web-based technical track paper submission site before they submit their abstracts and papers. The software will assign a password, which will enable the author to log on to submit an abstract and paper. To avoid last-minute congestion, authors are encouraged to register well in advance of the September 10 abstract deadline.

Abstract submission will close at 11:59 PM UTC-10 (midnight Hawaii) on September 10, 2015. Final paper submission will close at 11:59 PM UTC-10 on September 15, 2015.

Abstract and Paper Submission
Papers must be formatted in AAAI two-column, camera-ready style; see the author instruction page for details. Papers must be in trouble-free, high-resolution PDF format, formatted for US Letter (8.5" x 11") paper, using Type 1 or TrueType fonts. AAAI submissions are anonymous, and must conform to the instructions (detailed below) for double-blind review. Submissions may have up to 7 pages with Page 7 containing nothing but references. For final papers, authors may purchase up to two additional pages in the proceedings (see below for details). The last page of final papers may contain text other than references, but all references in the submitted paper should appear in the final version, unless superseded. The AAAI copyright block is not required on submissions, but must be included on final versions.

Resubmissions of Substantially Improved IJCAI-15 Submissions: Authors of declined IJCAI-15 submissions may submit substantially improved versions to AAAI-16, optionally accompanied by a cover letter that explains how the revised submission addresses the comments of the IJCAI-15 reviewers. Such cover letters along with the IJCAI-15 reviews will be taken into consideration in the AAAI-16 review process.

Supplemental Material
The length of the main submission is strictly limited as indicated above. Authors may also choose to submit supplemental material as an attachment. Examples of supplemental material are proofs of theorems that are stated in the main paper, or video demonstrations. Submissions may reference the supplemental material, but should be self-contained. Reviewers are instructed to make their evaluations based on the main submission, and are not obligated to consult the supplemental material. If proofs or other supplement matter are an important part of the contribution, their essential elements should be included in the main paper. Please be very careful not to violate the blind review requirements in the supplemental material.

Electronic abstract and paper submission through the AAAI-16 paper submission site is required on or before the deadlines listed above. We cannot admit submissions by e-mail or fax. Authors will receive confirmation of receipt of their abstracts or papers, including an ID number, shortly after submission. AAAI will contact authors again only if problems are encountered with papers. Inquiries regarding paper receipt must be made no later than September 22, 2015.

Blind Review Instructions
Reviewing for the AAAI Conference is blind to the identities of the authors. The first page, on which the paper body begins, should include the title, abstract, content areas, and ID number (if available), but not names or affiliations of the authors. The references should include all published literature relevant to the paper, including previous works of the authors, but should not include unpublished works. Acknowledgments of funding or assistance should also be omitted. Submissions should not contain pointers to supplemental material on the web; any such material should be submitted as a separate file as described above at the time of submission. Finally, we request that authors refrain from posting AAAI-16 submissions to web or archive sites pending resolution of the review process.

When referring to one's own work, use the third person, rather than the first person. For example, say "Previously, Newell (1996) showed that...," rather than "In our previous work (Newell 1996) we showed that..." Try to avoid including any information that would identify the authors or their affiliations. Such information may be added to the final camera-ready version for publication.

Policy Concerning Submissions to Other Conferences or Journals
AAAI-16 will not consider any paper that, at the time of submission, is under review for or has already been published or accepted for publication in a journal or another conference. Once submitted to AAAI-16, authors may not submit the paper elsewhere during AAAI's review period. These restrictions apply only to refereed journals and conferences, not to unrefereed forums or workshops with a limited audience and without archival proceedings. Authors must confirm that their submissions conform to these requirements at the time of submission.

Review Process
Program committee (PC) members will be matched to submissions based on research expertise and interest. Authors will have a limited opportunity to respond to initial reviews. This author feedback will then be taken into account in the final recommendations and reviews may be changed accordingly. PC reviewers will make recommendations to the senior program committee, who in turn will make recommendations to the program co-chairs. The program co-chairs will make all final decisions following full consultation with members of the senior PC during this process.

Publication
Accepted papers will be allocated seven (7) pages in the conference proceedings; up to two (2) additional pages may be used at a cost to the authors of $275 per page. Final papers found to exceed page limits and or otherwise violating the instructions to authors will not be included in the proceedings. Authors will be required to transfer copyright of their paper to AAAI. Accepted papers will be available via the online schedule at the conference, and will be available to the AAAI Digital Library and in hard copy after the conference.

Demonstrations
During paper submission, authors will be able to express interest in demonstrating their systems (if applicable) during a demonstration/poster session and describe the features of their intended demonstration.

Journal Opportunities
A select set of top-rated papers will be nominated for fast track reviewing at participating journals, including the AI Journal (AIJ) and the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research (JAIR). Nominated authors will be invited to submit extended versions of their AAAI-16 papers for fast-track consideration.

Questions and Suggestions
Concerning author instructions and conference registration, write to aaai16@aaai.org. Concerning suggestions for the program and other inquiries, write to the AAAI-16 Program cochairs at aaai16chairs@aaai.org.

Program Cochairs
AAAI-16 Dale Schuurmans (University of Alberta, Canada)
Michael Wellman (University of Michigan, USA)