PROCEEDINGS OF THE CIE (INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON ILLUMINATION)

The publication series Proceedings of the CIE (International Commission on Illumination) publishes only peer-reviewed papers that were received in response to a Call for Papers for a specific CIE Scientific Conference (every two years) and CIE Scientific Symposium (irregular intervals) and which were, following peer review results, accepted for presentation at the relevant CIE scientific event. 

CIE publishes Calls for Papers for its scientific events through its National Committees and members as well as by global dissemination in relevant scientific networks. All Calls for Papers are also published in the CIE Newsletter and communicated on the CIE website (see CIE Events). 

The publication language is English only.

CIE publishes original content only and all publications undergo peer-review (see further details below).

CIE accepts peer-reviewed contributions for presentation at its events with publication opt-out if authors prefer to submit to other outlets but still wish to present to the CIE conference community. All such proposals undergo the full double-blind peer-review process before acceptance. Accepted contributions with publication opt-outs are also listed (with title and abstract only) in the respective proceedings volume.

Acceptance rates vary across different scientific events but recent statistics (data basis: CIE 2025 global scientific conference, see table below) shows an overall acceptance rate of 82%, whereby 53% of total submissions were developed into full-length papers and only 13% of those full-length papers are accepted into the full oral presentation slots. 

CIE publishes original content only and all publications undergo peer-review.

For each Scientific Event of the CIE, an International Scientific Programme Committee (ISPC) is established overseeing (together with the Managing Editor and the Central Bureau) all processes in relation to submission, templates, author and reviewer guidelines, peer review, reviewer selection and training, the peer review and coordination of peer review results to result in final programming and publication selections. 

All paper submissions (based on short paper template) undergo a formal consistency and quality check (adherence to guidelines, conform use of templates, language, etc.) on behalf of the Managing Editor and, if successful, subsequently enter the double-blind peer review process. For details on reviewer principles and standards, see below. 

The review is performed based on so-called short papers (not only an abstract), maximum 6 pages and following a classical paper structure with mandatory sections such as abstracts, keywords, main body, references, etc. 

Authors receive anonymized reviewer comments and are required to submit a revised version of their contribution as part of the final submission and review phase. Authors may re-submit a revised short paper (max. 6 pages) or an extended full-length paper (up to 10 pages). A quality check is performed on the re-submission and only re-submitted, revised papers are included in the further programming and publication process. 

For some CIE scientific events authors can indicate during the submission process whether they are submitting for an oral or poster presentation slot. Importantly presentation types do not have any effect on the review process and standards and are based on the same set of templates, regulations, and criteria.

Due to slightly different types of CIE events (conferences, symposia, co-organized events) the final and complete submission and author guidelines as well as review procedures may slightly vary, however not compromising on the standards outlined here. All relevant documents for a specific volume/event are always published on the respective websites. 

Publisher/editor standards:

Global good practices provide the basis for CIE author and reviewer guidelines and publication ethics, in particular the procedures and principles as published by COPE – Committee on Publication Ethics. Furthermore, the following documents underpin CIE’s policies and author guidelines: CIE Code of Ethics, Singapore Statement on Research Integrity, ÖAWI Guidelines for Good Scientific Practice.

Ethical oversight rests within the editorial boards of each volume, thus composed by a so-called International Scientific Programming Committee, an expert committee working in conjunction with the Managing Editor and Editorial Staff, based on the overall policies and guidelines as published by the Managing Editor on behalf of the CIE. Extensive directions are given to all authors and reviewers (see relevant sections on this site and on referenced pages).

Editorial Board members comply with the CIE policies as published and collaborate to advance knowledge in the CIE’s field. They ensure this essential role by maintaining and improving the quality of papers published in the CIE proceedings, by safeguarding the integrity of the peer review process and supporting authors and reviewers, as well as collaborating increase the scientific reputation of the publication series Proceedings of the CIE (International Commission on Illumination).

Ethical issues, allegations of malpractice or research misconduct: All ethical issues and allegations of research misconduct in any stage of the submission and publication process shall be reported to the CIE Central Bureau, attention to the Managing Editor of the publication series. The Managing Editor together with the Editorial Staff will handle potentially unethical behaviours of authors or reviewers, with the support from members of the Scientific Committee/Editorial Board as necessary. Any concerns or issues brought to the publication series’ knowledge will be handled relying on the guidance of procedures as published by COPE. 

The Editorial Board can resolve disagreements over the reliability of research reported in articles that have been published. When appropriate, we will submit disagreements regarding authorship, data ownership, author misbehaviour, etc. to external bodies like an institutional ethics committee. Authors are urged to address any claims that have been made against them with evidence. 

Errors and corrections: Quality control and peer review practices are designed to detect and resolve errors or instances of authorial misconduct prior to publication. Occasionally it may be necessary to make corrections with hindsight. Notifications of possible errors should be directed to the attention of the Managing Editor (see contact section). 

Corrigenda, errata, retractions: Errors of the authors may be corrected by a corrigendum and errors of the publisher/editorial board by an erratum. If there are errors or issues that significantly affect the conclusions or there if there is evidence of misconduct, this may require retraction or an expression of concern following the COPE Retraction Guidelines. CIE will try to preserve the integrity of the scholarly version of record and indicate post-publication corrections clearly. 

Author duties: 

Authors must strictly adhere to CIE policies and strictly follow submission, review and re-submission processes, using the templates, systems, procedures and criteria as communicated for each Scientific Event in an updated form in the CIE Author Guidelines and as also outlined on this page. In particular, the following principles prevail: 

• AUTHORSHIP AND AUTHOR AGREEMENTS: Authorship is limited to those who made significant contributions to the study. All co-authors must approve the final manuscript and to the submission to the CIE publication series for peer review.
• ORIGINALITY: Work must be original and not published before. Multiple submission of the same article to different publication outlets are in breach with the author guidelines.
• PLAGIARISM AND COPYRIGHT INFRIGEMENTS: Plagiarism, including using others' ideas or one's own previously published work (self-plagiarism), is not allowed. Authors must guarantee to hold all necessary rights and permissions to re-use material from another source.
• DATA INTEGRITY AND FABRICATION: Authors must not engage in data fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation. Raw data should be available for review if needed. Raw data should be available for review if needed.
• CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Authors must disclose conflicts that could influence their research.
• ETHICS APPROVALS: Studies reported but have received approval of the appropriate ethics committees, as required.
• FUNDING AND PRODUCT REFERENCES: Any references to specific (branded) products or even product advertisement is not allowed. Funding acknowledgements can be made and indeed should be disclosed.
• USE OF AI: Authors must disclose any use of Generative AI (see also below).

Deviations from these standards will result in withdrawal from the conference program and/or publications and may have further legal consequences.

Relevant templates and author guidelines are always published at the event/publication page of the specific volume concerned.

Reviewer requirements and professional conduct

The review process is strictly anonymous and transparent. Reviewers must work based on CIE publication ethics and research integrity principles, published author guidelines and in particular work according to the instructions as outlined in the reviewer guidelines and review criteria. Important principles are: 

• INTEGRITY: Reviewers must maintain the highest standards of personal and scientific integrity. They should conduct reviews with honesty, fairness, and impartiality, ensuring that their assessments are based solely on the content of the submission.
• COMPETENCE: Reviewers should only accept assignments for which they have the appropriate expertise.
• CONFIDENTIALITY: Reviewers are expected to treat all materials related to the review process as confidential. Reviewers should not use any information obtained during the review process for personal gain or to disadvantage others. To deposit papers into AI software is forbidden (see also below).
• OBJECTIVITY AND FAIRNESS. Reviews should be conducted objectively, with a focus on the content and adherence to CIE principles. Reviewers evaluate according to the defined set of criteria and rating scales (criteria include relevance to the conference/symposium, standard of English, objectivity of statement, description of what was done, suitability of methods in relation to aims, conclusions confirmed by objective results, scientific value and rigor, originality and clarity of work and overall contribution to the field).
• CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence their judgment. This includes personal, financial, intellectual, or professional relationships with the authors or their institutions. In cases of conflicts of interest, other reviewers will be assigned the paper.
• CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK. Feedback should be constructive and aimed at helping authors improve their work. Criticism should be specific, supported by evidence, and focused solely on the content of the Short Paper. Reviewers must avoid personal attacks or derogatory comments at all costs.
• ETHICAL CONCERNS. If ethical violations are suspected (plagiarism, data fabrication, etc.) concerns shall be reported immediately to the CIE. Reviewers should never investigate these concerns independently.

Generative AI use (information for authors and peer-reviewers)

Peer review is a confidential scientific process that requires the critical thinking and evaluation of scientific content which only human expertise and skills can ensure in full. For reasons of confidentiality and the protection of author contents, CIE reviewers may therefore not deploy any of the papers received for review into Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) systems. Reviewers will have to confirm practices in line with these policies during the review process and are required to indicate any use of GenAI in drafting their own reports, such as for improving language. 

CIE supports and works in accordance with the COPE Position Statement on Authorship and AI tools. For authors, the following principles prevail to ensure transparency and ethical use of AI. 

Authors must disclose any GenAI tools used in the preparation of their manuscript. Such tools may only be used in a supportive manner, such as for grammar correction, language polishing, or coding support. The use of AI for generating core scientific content (e.g., data interpretation, conclusions, scientific arguments) is not allowed.

In any case, authors remain fully responsible for the content of their submission.

The following must be discussed during the submission process: 

• which tools were used (e.g., ChatGPT, Grammarly, etc.);
• for what purpose (e.g., language editing, summarizing literature, data analysis);
• confirmation that the authors have critically reviewed and verified the AI-assisted content.

Editors have the right to request clarification or revisions, or to reject manuscripts, if excessive or undisclosed AI use is suspected.

All authors – upon submission of their papers – must actively confirm their agreement to the CIE copyright and licensing arrangements. Under current practice, CIE uses common practice among publishers and acquires the exclusive rights to publish, sell, license, distribute and otherwise use the submitted work, wholly or in parts, globally with no restrictions in time, language, media of expression and print/electronic/other formats (special accommodations are made for those submitting under Crown copyright, US/other government officials, etc). Subject to proper notification to the CIE, proper accreditation of the copyright terms and proper credit to the final edited publication in the Proceedings of the CIE (International Commission on Illumination), authors retain the right to (1) deposit the final peer-reviewed manuscript (submitted final version) in an institutional repository or open archive without charge (12 months embargo) or (2) in any collection consisting solely of the author's own works without charge. Other uses may be granted but CIE must be contacted for prior approval, using the CIE copyright request form. For full details, authors should always consult the publishing agreements for the specific volume in the publication series.

Copyright and licencing agreements are published alongside all other information for a specific conference or symposia. Slight variations may occur for different volumes as CIE partially also engages with partners for joint events (symposia or conferences) and may issue joint publications with specific terms agreed. 

CIE never charges any publication or processing fee for the submission, review, or publication of proposals and papers in the Proceedings of the CIE (International Commission on Illumination). 

Open-access publishing options are regularly available for volumes since 2019. An open access fee applies in this case. Open-access papers are published under CC licenses  (usually CC-BY-NC). Relevant conditions and fees for prospective conference/symposia proceedings volumes are always published alongside all information of the specific conference/symposium. 

The International Commission on Illumination, established in 1913, is and has always been the sole owner and publisher of the Proceedings of the CIE (International Commission on Illumination). CIE is responsible its members (National Committees) who form the General Assembly and pay member fees. CIE is registered as a non-profit association in Vienna where its Central Burau (Headquarters) is established. The Central Bureau is headed by the Secretary General of the CIE who – according to the Statutes of the CIE – serves as the Managing Editor of all CIE Publications on behalf of the Commission and its members, including the publication series Proceedings of the CIE (International Commission on Illumination). 

Series edited by / Contact to the publication office

     International Commission on Illumination (CIE)
     Managing Editor: Diana Wernisch, Secretary General of the CIE
     Publication Office: CIE Central Bureau | Contact Information

Governing body for the publication series

The governing body responsible for the publication series is the CIE Technical Management Board (TMB) who oversees the coordination of all scientific and technical work conducted in the CIE and as leading to CIE publications. Next to the Vice-President Technical, the Vice-President Standards all CIE Divisions are represented in the TMB, joined by the Secretary General (non-voting) as well as having a permanent observer the CIE Technical and Scientific Manager (non-voting). With the exception of non-voting staff members, all members of the TMB are renowned volunteer experts in management roles for the CIE, elected according to the CIE governance system, usually for a minimum period of the 4-year CIE term. 

Editorial board for volumes in the publication series

The governing body has designated the following principles for the appointment of the Editorial Boards of each CIE scientific conference and CIE scientific symposium.

• CIE Vice-President Technical: Editor-in-Chief
• Nominated experts by all relevant CIE Divisions (communicated by Division Directors, based on consultations with the respective Division Management Teams): Associate Editors
• Secretary General: Managing Editor
• Technical and Scientific Manager: Editorial Staff

The Editorial Board thus overlaps with the body that the CIE also refers to as the International Scientific Programme Committee (ISPC), which, according to the Code of Procedure, has to be established for each CIE scientific conference/symposium. 

The responsible editorial board is published alongside all other conference information (and must be defined before the issuance of the Call for Papers) and is identified in each volume. 

Extended editorial teams 

All appointed experts (excluding CIE staff members) on the Editorial Board / ISPC regularly serve in the pool of reviewers for the specific scientific conference/symposia. To ensure adequate reviewer to paper ratios, the pool of reviewers is usually enlarged by further nominated experts from each relevant Division. The complete reviewer pool is part of the extended editorial team for a volume.

The Proceedings of the CIE (International Commission on Illumination) have been registered as an international series with the ISSN no. 3061-015X (print) and ISSN 3061-0168 (online).

Volumes in the publication series are published with a designation “x” in the publication number “CIE x000:YYYY”, whereby x000 is a running number for each volume of the series and YYYY the year of publication, for example CIE x051:2025. CIE publication numbers uniquely identify (different types of) CIE publications and considered as the first part of the title. 

Published also electronically since 1991. Each volume is assigned an ISBN and and a DOI (with the CIE designation “10.25039/” followed by a reference to the publication number, for example: 10.25039/x051.2025). Paper-level DOIs for all full-length papers have been assigned since 2019. 

Sales and distribution: Available from the CIE’s webshop (print and online; substantial reductions for CIE members are available) and from authorized distributors. Distribution of CIE publications is handled through the CIE Scientific-Services GmbH (FN 329027p), a company registered in Austria and fully owned by the Commission. Open-access articles are also available through each volume’s website.