Policy and Procedures Manual

SECTION 1. MEMBERSHIP

1.1. Termination.

Members who become delinquent in the payment of dues and fees shall be treated in accordance with IEEE rules and procedures. In addition, members who breach the IEEE Code of Ethics shall be subject to sanctions as provided in the IEEE bylaws.

1.2. Resignation.

A member in good standing may resign by submitting a written resignation to the IEEE Secretary.

Subject to the rules and procedures of the IEEE, a resigned member may resume membership upon payment of the current dues, assessments, and fees, as appropriate. Continuity of membership may be obtained by payment of the dues and any assessments or fees pertaining to the lapsed period.

1.3. Dues and Fees. (amended 15 September 2011)

1. Annual dues for Members and Student Members shall be set each year as part of the budget cycle. Any change in dues will require approval by two-thirds of all voting members of the Board of Governors.
2. Annual dues for Affiliates shall be equal to those of Society Members, plus the Affiliate surcharge as set by the IEEE.
3. Annual dues for special categories of members shall be the fees established by the IEEE for all special memberships in groups and societies.
4. All other fees or assessments shall be set according to IEEE rules and procedures.

 

1.4. Member Discipline. (amended 15 September 2011)

A member of the Society is subject to the rules and procedures of the IEEE for any action that is determined to constitute a material violation of the Constitution, Bylaws, Policies, Operational Manual or Code of Ethics of the IEEE, or other conduct which is seriously prejudicial to the IEEE. Such discipline may take the form of expulsion, suspension, or censure for cause by the IEEE.

Persons under expulsion, or for the period of suspension by the IEEE, shall be denied the rights and privileges of membership in this Society.

SECTION 2. ORGANIZATION

2.1. Officer Position Descriptions. (approved 20 May 2006)

2.1.1. President. (amended 15 September 2011)

The duties of the President include the oversight of all activities of the Signal Processing Society, including but not limited to, awards, conferences, membership, publications, technical directions, strategic and long-range planning, etc.  The President is responsible for the TAB Five-Year Society Review and Publications Review with the assistance of the Vice Presidents. The President is responsible for enforcing the Society’s Constitution, Bylaws, and Policies, and ensuring that the Society is compliant with IEEE’s Constitution, Bylaws, and Policies.  The President is a member of the IEEE Technical Activities Board and represents the Society’s point of view.  The President is responsible for bringing IEEE and TAB issues that affect the Society’s operations to the Board of Governors’ attention.  The President acts as an ambassador for the Society at IEEE meetings or meetings of other organizations, representing the Society’s message as determined by its Board of Governors.

The President chairs the Society’s Board of Governors and Executive Committee. The President only votes on the Board if the vote is by secret ballot or unless the Chair’s vote can change the outcome of the vote . The President is an ex-officio, voting member on all Society Boards and Committees.

The President is responsible for making all nominations and appointments with the advice and consent of the cognizant Vice President or Technical Committee Chair for all liaison and joint Society, IEEE or non-IEEE activities.

2.1.2. President-Elect. (amended 20 October 2022)

The duties of the President-Elect include the oversight of strategic and long-range planning activities for the Society, by means of conference calls and in-person meetings of the Long-Range Planning and Implementation Committee; chairing the Board of Governors Long-Range Planning Retreat and chairing the annual Executive Committee Strategic Planning meeting; preparing agendas and documentation for the retreats and tracking action items; preparation and forecasting of Society budgets as well as monitoring of the Society's expenses, surpluses, and investments; assisting in the creation of the TAB Five-Year Society Review document; and representing the Society at IEEE meetings or meetings of other organizations on strategic and long-range planning activities or on other Society activities as requested by the President or by the Society’s Board of Governors. The President-Elect provides guidance to the Conferences Board, Membership Board and Publications Board on matters concerning finances, including the Society’s membership fee; technical meeting registration prices, publication fees, page budgets, etc.

The President-Elect chairs the TC Review Committee and acts as a liaison to the Board of Governors regarding all activities of this committee.

The President-Elect chairs the Long-Range Planning and Implementation Committee and acts as a liaison to the Board of Governors for all strategic and long-range planning activities; the President-Elect serves on, and is a voting member of, the Society's Board of Governors, Executive Committee, Conferences Board, Membership Board and Publications Board.

The President-Elect is also responsible for the minutes of the Board of Governors and Executive Committee.

2.1.3. Vice President-Membership. (amended 26 September 2019)

The duties of the Vice President-Membership include the oversight of the activities of the Membership Development, Student Services, Women in Signal Processing and Young Professionals Committees; tracking membership trends; drafting strategic and long-term plans regarding the Society’s membership activities for recommendation to the Board of Governors; overseeing the Society’s Chapter activities; assisting in the creation of the TAB Five-Year Society Review document; and representing the Society at IEEE meetings or meetings of other organizations on membership matters or as requested by the Society’s President or Board.

The Vice President-Membership chairs the Membership Board and acts as liaison to the Board of Governors for all membership activities; and serves on and is a voting member of the Society's Board of Governors and Executive Committee.

2.1.4. Vice President-Conferences.  (amended 20 October 2022)

The duties of the Vice President-Conferences include management responsibility for all Society conference and workshop teams; identification of locations to propose future ICASSP, ICIP, and any other SPS-sponsored major conference locations; recommend policy to the Board of Governors in the area of management of the Society’s technical meetings and apply such policy on behalf of the Board of Governors; enforce IEEE policy as it applies to the Society’s technical meetings; creation of strategic and long-term plans for the Society’s technical meeting activities; assist in the creation of the TAB Five-Year Society Review document; and represent the Society at IEEE meetings or meetings of other organizations on conference matters or as requested by the Society’s President or Board.

The Vice President-Conferences chairs the Conferences Board and acts as liaison to the Board of Governors for all technical meeting activity; the Vice President-Conferences also serves on, and is a voting member of, the Society's Board of Governors and Executive Committee. The Vice President-Conferences also represents the Society to IEEE or to other organizations, on behalf of the Society, on matters concerned with the Society’s technical meetings.

2.1.5. Vice President-Publications.  (amended 20 October 2022)

The duties of the Vice President-Publications include the oversight of Society publication activities; the identification and appointment (with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee) of Editors-in-Chief for the Society’s periodical journals, membership magazine, newsletter(s) or other magazines; management of the activities of the Editors-in-Chief; drafting strategic and long-term plans for the Society’s publications; oversight of financial matters pertaining to the Society’s publications such as page budgets; oversight of the Society's online manuscripts submission interface; management of online and electronic publication initiatives; responsible for the creation of the TAB Five-Year Publications Review document and assisting in the creation of the TAB Five-Year Society Review document; assist in preparing of new periodical and publications/products proposals; represents the Society on the IEEE Panel of Editors; and represent the Society at IEEE meetings or meetings of other organizations for publication matters or as requested by the Society’s President or Board.

The Vice President-Publications chairs the Publications Board and acts as liaison to the Board of Governors for all publication matters; the Vice President-Publications serves on, and is a voting member of, the Society's Board of Governors and Executive Committee.

2.1.6. Vice President-Technical Directions.  (amended 20 October 2022)

The duties of the Vice President-Technical Directions is to oversee the activities of the Society’s technical community, as embodied in its Technical Committees, in order to improve the Society’s technical profile within and outside IEEE; to assist the Society in identifying emerging technologies at the nexus of signal processing; assist in the creation of the TAB Five-Year Society Review document; and to proactively engage the Society’s members in strengthening the technical mission of the Society as defined in its Field of Interest.

The Vice President-Technical Directions is responsible for chairing the Technical Directions Board. The Vice President-Technical Directions is an ex-officio member of all the Society’s Technical Committees and serves on, and is a voting member of the Society's Board of Governors and Executive Committee.

2.1.7. Vice President-Education. (amended 20 October 2022)

The duties of the Vice President-Education include the oversight of the activities of the Education Board, the Resource Center and SigPort; tracking educational trends; leading the development of educational programs and professional development material; drafting strategic and long-term plans regarding the Society’s educational activities for recommendation to the Board of Governors; assisting in the creation of the TAB Five-Year Society Review document; and representing the Society at IEEE meetings or meetings of other organizations on education matters or as requested by the Society’s President or Board.

The Vice President-Education Chairs the Education Board and is an ex-officio, member of the Education Center Editorial Board and acts as liaison to the Board of Governors for all educational activities; and serves on and is a voting member of the Society's Board of Governors and ExCom.

2.2. Member-at-Large Position Description. (approved 20 May 2006)

Members-at-Large are directly elected by the Society's membership to represent the member viewpoint in Board of Governors decision-making.  Members-at-Large typically review, discuss, and act upon a wide range of items affecting the actions, activities and health of the Society.

2.3. Regional Directors-at-Large Position Description. (amended 26 September 2019)

The duties of Regional Directors-at-Large are to:

1. serve as non-voting members of Board of Governors;
2. provide liaison for the Society’s Chapters with the IEEE’s Regions and Sections, with the means of four Regional Committees: Regions 1-6 (US), 7/9 (Canada/Latin America), 8 (Europe/Middle East/Africa) and 10 (Asia/Pacific Rim);
3. support of the Chapters Committee Regional Representatives; assisting established Chapters via promotion, topics, media or technical speakers for chapter meetings;
4. foster nominations for Chapters for the “Chapter of the Year Awards”;
5. represent their regions to the core of SPS;
6. offer advices to improve membership relations, recruiting and service to their regions;
7. guide and work with their corresponding chapters to serve their members, as appropriate and;
8. assist Vice President-Membership in conducting chapter reviews.

2.4. Awards Board Chair. (approved 4 October 2012)

The duties of the Awards Board Chair include the oversight of Society award activities and Distinguished Lecturer nominations; presentation of Society awards at the Society’s annual Awards Ceremony usually held in conjunction with ICASSP; solicitation of nominations for IEEE Technical Field Awards, Best Paper Awards, Major Medals, or other awards given by IEEE or any of its organizational units in the areas of signal processing; solicitation of nominations for awards in the area of signal processing given by non-IEEE entities; solicitation of SPS Senior Members as candidates for nomination to IEEE Fellow grade; drafting strategic and long-term plans regarding the Society’s awards activities for recommendation to the Board of Governors; assisting in the creation of the TAB Five-Year Society Review document; and representing the Society at IEEE meetings or meetings of other organizations on award matters or as requested by the Society’s President or Board.

The Awards Board Chair acts as liaison to the Board of Governors for all award, fellow and distinguished lecturer activities.

2.5. Officer Incapacity and Vacancy

2.5.1. President.

An incapacity of the President that does not constitute a vacancy of office shall be determined by the Board of Governors, or by the Executive Committee, if the incapacity occurs at a time when it is not feasible to convene a meeting of the Board of Governors and there is a need for action. In addition, the President may declare a condition of incapacity and the duration thereof by written communication to the Board of Governors. During such incapacity, the President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President. If the President-Elect is unavailable or incapacitated, the Board of Governors shall designate an individual to assume the duties of the President. In the event of a vacancy of the President, the President-Elect will succeed to the President position. An election will be held to nominate a new President-Elect.

2.5.2. President-Elect. (amended 15 September 2011)

An incapacity of the President-Elect that does not constitute a vacancy of office shall be determined by the Board of Governors, or by the Executive Committee, if the incapacity occurs at a time when it is not feasible to convene a meeting of the Board of Governors and there is a need for action. In addition, the President-Elect may declare a condition of incapacity and the duration thereof by written communication to the President. During such incapacity, the Past President shall assume the duties of the President-Elect. If the Past President is unavailable or incapacitated, the Board of Governors shall designate an individual to assume the duties of the President-Elect. In the event of a vacancy of the President-Elect, the Board of Governors will hold an election to fill the vacancy.

2.5.3. Vice President-Membership. (amended 4 October 2012)

An incapacity of the Vice President-Membership that does not constitute a vacancy of office shall be determined by the Board of Governors, or by the Executive Committee, if the incapacity occurs at a time when it is not feasible to convene a meeting of the Board of Governors and there is a need for action. In addition, the Vice President-Membership may declare a condition of incapacity and the duration thereof by written communication to the President. During such incapacity, the immediate Past Vice President-Membership shall assume the duties of the Vice President-Membership. If the immediate Past Vice President-Membership is unavailable or incapacitated, the Board of Governors shall designate an individual to assume the duties of the Vice President-Membership. In the event of a vacancy of the Vice President-Membership, the Board of Governors will hold an election to fill the vacancy.

2.5.4. Vice President-Conferences.

An incapacity of the Vice President-Conferences that does not constitute a vacancy of office shall be determined by the Board of Governors, or by the Executive Committee, if the incapacity occurs at a time when it is not feasible to convene a meeting of the Board of Governors and there is a need for action. In addition, the Vice President-Conferences may declare a condition of incapacity and the duration thereof by written communication to the President. During such incapacity, the immediate Past Vice President-Conferences shall assume the duties of the Vice President-Conferences. If the immediate Past Vice President-Conferences is unavailable or incapacitated, the Board of Governors shall designate an individual to assume the duties of the Vice President-Conferences. In the event of a vacancy of the Vice President-Conferences, the Board of Governors will hold an election to fill the vacancy.

2.5.5. Vice President-Publications.

An incapacity of the Vice President-Publications that does not constitute a vacancy of office shall be determined by the Board of Governors, or by the Executive Committee, if the incapacity occurs at a time when it is not feasible to convene a meeting of the Board of Governors and there is a need for action. In addition, the Vice President-Publications may declare a condition of incapacity and the duration thereof by written communication to the President. During such incapacity, the immediate Past Vice President-Publications shall assume the duties of the Vice President-Publications. If the immediate Past Vice President-Publications is unavailable or incapacitated, the Board of Governors shall designate an individual to assume the duties of the Vice President-Publications. In the event of a vacancy of the Vice President-Publications, the Board of Governors will hold an election to fill the vacancy.

2.5.6. Vice President-Technical Directions. (amended 20 October 2022)

The Vice President-Technical Directions is encouraged to attend meetings of the Technical Committees, so the Vice President-Technical Directions is knowledgeable of the issues/activities each group is encountering. Any support for travel to the Technical Committee meetings shall be strictly limited to that specifically detailed in the Policy and Procedures Manual. Travel approval is needed in advance by the Society President.

An incapacity of the Vice President-Technical Directions that does not constitute a vacancy of office shall be determined by the Board of Governors, or by the Executive Committee, if the incapacity occurs at a time when it is not feasible to convene a meeting of the Board of Governors and there is a need for action. In addition, the Vice President-Technical Directions may declare a condition of incapacity and the duration thereof by written communication to the President. During such incapacity, the immediate Past Vice President-Technical Directions shall assume the duties of the Vice President-Technical Directions. If the immediate Past Vice President-Technical Directions is unavailable or incapacitated, the Board of Governors shall designate an individual to assume the duties of the Vice President-Technical Directions. In the event of a vacancy of the Vice President-Technical Directions, the Board of Governors will hold an election to fill the vacancy.

2.5.7. Vice President-Education. (approved 18 May 2019)

An incapacity of the Vice President-Education that does not constitute a vacancy of office shall be determined by the Board of Governors, or by the Executive Committee, if the incapacity occurs at a time when it is not feasible to convene a meeting of the Board of Governors and there is a need for action.  In addition, the Vice President-Education may declare a condition of incapacity and the duration thereof by written communication to the President.  During such incapacity, the immediate Past Vice President-Education shall assume the duties of the Vice President-Education. If the immediate Past Vice President- Education is unavailable or incapacitated, the Board of Governors shall designate an individual to assume the duties of the Vice President- Education.  In the event of a vacancy of the Vice President- Education, the Board of Governors will hold an election to fill the vacancy.

2.6. Past President.

An incapacity of the Past President that does not constitute a vacancy of office shall be determined by the Board of Governors, or by the Executive Committee, if the incapacity occurs at a time when it is not feasible to convene a meeting of the Board of Governors and there is a need for action. In addition, the Past President may declare a condition of incapacity and the duration thereof by written communication to the President. During such incapacity, the Senior Past President shall assume the duties of the Past President. If the Senior Past President is unavailable or incapacitated, the Board of Governors shall designate an individual to assume the duties of the Past President.

2.7. Officers-Elect. (amended 20 October 2022)

In order to provide for orderly and informed turnover of Society business from an Officer to the successor, the Society shall have Officers-Elect. To accomplish this, elections for Officer positions, which terms are due to expire at the end of the Calendar Year, shall occur at the beginning of each year, by e-mail ballot, in sufficient time to be confirmed at the Spring Board of Governors meeting. The newly elected individual(s) shall then hold the position of Officer(s)-Elect for the duration of the term of the incumbent. Officers-Elect shall be informed of and welcome to attend and participate, ex-officio, without vote, in meetings of their corresponding boards, the Board of Governors and the Executive Committee.

2.8. Order of Business. (amended 4 October 2012)

An appropriate order of business for the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors shall be:

• Roll Call
• Approval of Agenda
• Approval of Minutes or
• Approval of Consent Agenda (includes minutes)
• President’s Report
• Treasurer's Report
• Action Items
• Discussion Items
• Information Items
• Report of the Officers
• Other Reports
• Old Business
• New Business
• Selection of Next Meeting Date
• Adjournment.

Only those items considered to be non-controversial, and that are documented in the agenda materials distributed in advance of the meeting, may appear on the Consent Agenda. A single objection by a voting member of the Board of Governors shall be sufficient to move an item from the Consent Agenda to the Action Agenda.

2.9. Director-Membership Development Position Description. (amended 20 October 2022)

The Director-Membership Development shall be appointed by the Vice President-Membership with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee. The duty is to identify value/benefit/services to members and recommend policy/mechanism for recruiting members. The Director shall chair the Membership Development Committee, which consists of five members appointed by the Director with the advice and consent of the Membership Board.

2.10. Director-Student Services Position Description. ( (amended 20 October 2022)

The Director-Student Services shall be appointed by the Vice President-Membership with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee. The duty is to identify value/benefit/services to Student members and recommend policy/mechanism for recruiting Student members. The Director shall chair the Student Services Committee, which consists of five members appointed by the Director with the advice and consent of the Membership Board.

The Director-Student Services shall be responsible for the coordination of the Travel Grant Program for ICASSP and ICIP.

2.11. Editor-In-Chief Position Description. (amended 20 October 2022)

Editor-in-Chief duties include the identification of Associate Editors, Senior Area Editors, and Deputy Editors-in-Chief to serve across the topical scope of the periodical journal, including special issue topics and guest editors; management of the day-to-day operations in Scholar One with the assistance of the Signal Processing Society's publications staff; identifying areas that require strengthening the scope of the Society and working with the Society and its technical committees to achieve that goal.

The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for working with the Society's Vice President-Publications to create strategic and long-term plans for the publication they oversee. The Editor-in-Chief chairs the Editorial Board for the publication they oversee and serves on and is a voting member of the Society's Publications Board.

1. Past Editor-in-Chief Position Description.  The Past Editor-in-Chief supports the activities of the Editor-in-Chief.  The primary responsibilities of the Past Editor-in-Chief are as follows:
   1. Deals with author complaints for papers handled during the Past Editor-in-Chief's term;
   2. Deals with any other pending issues during the Past Editor-in-Chief's term;
   3. Advises EiC on long term planning and strategy.
2. Incoming Editor-in-Chief Position Description.  The Incoming Editor-in-Chief supports the activities of the Editor-in-Chief.  The primary responsibilities of the Incoming Editor-in-Chief are as follows:
   1. Recommends to EiC new Associate Editors, Senior Area Editors, and Deputy Editors-in-Chief;
   2. Recommends to EiC overview articles and special issues;
   3. Recommends to EiC EDICS updates;
   4. Advises EiC on Long term planning and strategy.

The current Editor-in-Chief has ultimate authority on all issues, but works closely with the Past or Incoming Ediotr-in-Chief.

2.12. Resource Center Chief Editor Position Description. (amended 26 September 2019)

Chief Editor duties include identification of Editors to serve on the editorial board of the Resource Center; management of the day-to-day operations of the Resource Center; identifying areas that require strengthening of the Resource Center; coordinate and management of the Resource Center submissions; monitor the quality of the Resource Center; editorial coordination; oversee the Resource Center Editorial Board; library management of the Resource Center website; and ensure the visibility of the Resource Center.

The Chief Editor is responsible for working with the Society's Vice President-Education to create strategic and long-term plans for the Resource Center. The Chief Editor chairs the Resource Center Editorial Board and serves on and is a voting member of the Society's Education Board.

2.13. SigPort Chief Editor Position Description. (amended 26 September 2019)

Management of the day-to-day operations of SigPort through periodic reports and user feedback; identifying areas that require strengthening of SigPort; oversight of SigPort submissions; monitor the quality of SigPort; and ensure the visibility of SigPort.

The Chief Editor is responsible for working with the Society's Vice President-Education to create strategic and long-term plans for SigPort. The Chief Editor is a voting member of the Society's Education Board and is a member of the Resource Center Editorial Board.

2.14. Removal of an Editor-in-Chief, Director or Technical Committee Chair. (amended 20 October 2022)

An Editor-in-Chief or Director (Membership Development or Student Services) of the Society may be removed, with or without cause, by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting members of the Executive Committee. An Editor-in-Chief or Director so removed shall be considered to be removed from all Society duties including, but not limited to, the Publications Board or Membership Board and the editorial board or committee the individual chairs.

A Technical Committee Chair of the Society may be removed as a member of that technical committee, with or without cause, by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting members of the Executive Committee. A Technical Committee Chair so removed shall be considered to be removed from all Society duties including, but not limited to, the Technical Directions Board, and the technical committee the individual chairs.

2.15. Removal of a Committee Member.

A member of a Society major board or committee may be removed as a member of that board or committee, with or without cause, by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting members of the appointing body.

2.16. Removal of Representatives. A Signal Processing Society representative appointed to another IEEE organization or to an organization outside IEEE may be removed, with or without cause, by the Society President.

2.17. Chapter of the Year Award. (amended 20 October 2022). The IEEE Signal Processing Society Chapter of the Year Award shall be presented annually to a Chapter that has provided its membership with the highest quality of programs, activities and services. All IEEE Signal Processing Society local chapters established more than one year are eligible. The award shall be presented annually in conjunction with the International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing to the Chapter's representative. The award shall consist of a plaque and a check in the amount of $1,000 to support local chapter activities. In the event that multiple chapters are selected, each winner shall still receive $1,000. The winning Chapter shall be invited to publish an article in the IEEE Inside Signal Processing eNewsletter.

Nominations shall be solicited from the local Signal Processing Society Chapter Chairs through a call for nominations in the IEEE Inside Signal Processing eNewsletter. Self nominations are welcome from the local Society Chapter Chairs. The Regional Director-at-Large from each region should also help foster nominations.

The nominated Chapters shall be evaluated based on the following chapter activities, programs and services during the past year:

1. Technical activities (e.g. technical meetings, workshops and conferences, tours with industry)
2. Educational programs (e.g. courses, seminars, student workshops, tutorials, student activities)
3. Membership development (e.g. programs to encourage students and engineers to join the society, growth in chapter’s membership, member advancement programs)
4. Annual IEEE Chapter report submitted by the Chapter.

Selection shall be based on the nominator’s submission of the Chapter of the Year Award nomination form, the SPS Chapter Certification Form, which is valid for four years (optional) and the annual IEEE chapter report. If the Chapter indicates on the Chapter Certification Form that they would like to be considered for the Chapter of the Year Award, the Chapter Certification Form is sufficient to move the nomination forward.

2.18. Signal Processing Society Awards. (amended 1 June 2022)

The hierarchy of Signal Processing Society Awards is as follows:

Society Major Awards

1. Norbert Wiener Society Award
2. Claude Shannon-Harry Nyquist Technical Achievement Award
3. Carl Friedrich Gauss Education Award
4. Leo L. Beranek Meritorious Service Award
5. Amar G. Bose Industrial Leader Award
6. Industrial Innovation Award
7. Pierre-Simon Laplace Early Career Technical Achievement Award
8. Industry Young Professional Leadership Award

Society Achievement Awards

1. Best PhD Dissertation Award
2. Meritorious Regional/Chapter Service Award
3. Regional Distinguished Teacher Award

Society Paper Awards

1. Best Paper Award
2. Donald G. Fink Overview Paper Award
3. Signal Processing Letters Best Paper Award
4. Signal Processing Magazine Best Column Award
5. Signal Processing Magazine Best Paper Award
6. Sustained Impact Paper Award
7. Young Author Best Paper Award

Society Conference Paper Award

1. Conference Best Paper Award for Industry

The awards shall be:

1. Norbert Wiener Society Award. (amended 18 November 2022-TAB) The IEEE SPS Norbert Wiener Society Award honors outstanding technical contributions in a field within the scope of the Signal Processing Society and outstanding leadership within that field and who is an IEEE Signal Processing Society member for at least 10 consecutive years at the time of nomination. One Norbert Wiener Society Award may be presented annually.  Each Norbert Wiener Society Award recipient is expected to present a Norbert Wiener Lecture at the upcoming IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing. This Lecture is one of the plenary lectures given on the day of the banquet of ICASSP, but it is not a banquet speech. The prize shall be $2500, a plaque and a certificate, and shall be presented at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring following selection of the winner.  A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors and/or Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible.  Previous recipients of the SP Norbert Wiener Society Award are ineligible.  Nominees shall be judged on the basis of outstanding technical contributions, as well as leadership in a field within the scope of the Society as evidenced by publications, patents, books, lectures, significant SPS service, etc. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered.  Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations.  Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society.  Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board.  Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award.  The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.
    
2. Claude Shannon-Harry Nyquist Technical Achievement Award. (amended 18 November 2022-TAB)  The IEEE SPS Claude Shannon-Harry Nyquist Technical Achievement Award honors a person who is an IEEE Signal Processing Society member for at least five consecutive years at the time of nomination and, over a period of years, has made outstanding technical contributions to theory and/or practice in technical areas within the scope of the Society, as demonstrated by publications, patents, or recognized impact on the field.  Up to two Claude Shannon-Harry Nyquist Technical Achievement Awards may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria.  The prize shall be $1500, a plaque and a certificate, and shall be presented at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring following selection of the winner.  A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award.  However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors and/or Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible.  Previous recipients of the SP Claude Shannon-Harry Nyquist Technical Achievement Award and the SPS Norbert Wiener Society Award are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered.  Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations.  Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations.  The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members.  Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society.  Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board.  Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award.  The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.
    
3. Leo L. Beranek Meritorious Service Award. (amended 18 November 2022-TAB) The IEEE SPS Leo L. Beranek Meritorious Service Award honors contributions to the Signal Processing Society. Up to two Leo L. Beranek Meritorious Service Awards may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria.  It shall consist of $1500, a plaque and a certificate. Previous recipients of the Signal Processing Society Leo L. Beranek Meritorious Service Award and the Norbert Wiener Society Award are ineligible. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors and/or Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current members of the Awards Board and the Board of Governors are ineligible.  Judging shall be based on recognizing outstanding efforts and contributions aimed at promoting the technical and educational activities of the entire Signal Processing Society, i.e. that benefit the membership of the SPS at large. Nominees shall be an IEEE Signal Processing Society member for at least 10 consecutive years at the time of nomination. Presentation shall be made at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring following selection of the winner.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered.  Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations.The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations.  There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members.  Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society.  Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board.  Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award.  The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.
    
4. Best Paper Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Best Paper Award honors the author(s) of a paper of exceptional merit dealing with a subject related to the Society’s technical scope, and appearing in one of the Society’s solely owned transactions, the Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing, the Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing, the Transactions on Computational Imaging, or the Transactions on Signal and Information Processing over Networks, irrespective of the author’s age. The prize shall be $500 per author (up to a maximum of $1500 per award) and a certificate. In the event that there are more than three authors, the maximum prize shall be divided equally among all authors and each shall receive a certificate. Eligibility is based on a six-year window: for example, for the 2022 Award, the paper must have appeared in one of the Society’s Transactions between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2021. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current members of the Signal Processing Society Awards Board are ineligible. Judging shall be based on general quality, originality, subject matter, and timeliness. Up to eight Best Paper Awards may be presented annually with a maximum of two awards per journal, either at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the Fall following selection of the winner(s). Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board are not permitted to submit nominations. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those Awards Board voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the appropriate Technical Committee for initial vetting and the Technical Committee will forward their approved nominations to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the final nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.
    
5. Young Author Best Paper Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Young Author Best Paper Award honors the author(s) of an especially meritorious paper dealing with a subject related to the Society’s technical scope and appearing in one of the Society’s solely owned transactions, the Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing, the Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing, the Transactions on Computational Imaging, or the Transactions on Signal and Information Processing over Networks and who, upon the date of submission of the paper, is less than 30 years of age.  The prize shall consist of $500 per young author (up to a maximum of $1500 per award) and a certificate. In the event that there are more than three young authors, the maximum prize shall be divided equally among all young authors and each shall receive a certificate.  The prize is only presented to the author(s) who are under 30 years of age, not all the authors of the paper.  Eligibility is based on a four-year window; for example, for the 2022 Award, the paper must have appeared in one of the Society’s Transactions between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2021. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award.  This includes nominating an author of a paper where a member of a nominating board or committee is also an author on the paper, even though this member is not the “young author” being considered for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Current members of the Signal Processing Society Awards Board are ineligible.  Judging shall be on the basis of general quality, originality, subject matter, and timeliness.  Up to eight Young Author Best Paper Awards may be presented annually with a maximum of two awards per journal, either at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the Fall following selection of the winner(s).  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board are not permitted to submit nominations. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those Awards Board voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society.  Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board.  Nominations shall be submitted directly to the appropriate Technical Committee for initial vetting and the Technical Committee will forward their approved nominations to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the final nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.
    
6. Signal Processing Magazine Best Paper Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Signal Processing Magazine Best Paper Award shall honor the author(s) of a paper of exceptional merit and broad interest on a subject related to the Society’s technical scope and appearing in the Society’s magazine. One Signal Processing Magazine Best Paper Award may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall consist of $500 per author (up to a maximum of $1500 per award) and a certificate. In the event that there are more than three authors, the maximum prize shall be divided equally among all authors and each shall receive a certificate. To be eligible for consideration, a paper must have appeared in IEEE Signal Processing Magazine in any issue predating the Spring Awards Board meeting of the current year (typically held in conjunction with ICASSP) for example, for the 2022 Award, the paper must have appeared in an issue of the Signal Processing Magazine before March 2022. Presentation shall be made either at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the Fall following selection of the winner. Judging shall be on the basis of quality and effectiveness in presenting subjects of broad interest to the Society’s members. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current members of the Signal Processing Society’s Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board are not permitted to submit nominations. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those Awards Board voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the appropriate Technical Committee for initial vetting and the Technical Committee will forward their approved nominations to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.
    
7. Signal Processing Magazine Best Column Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Signal Processing Magazine Best Column Award shall honor the author(s) of a column of exceptional merit and broad interest on a subject related to the Society's technical scope and appearing in the Society's magazine. One Signal Processing Magazine Best Column Award may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall consist of $500 per author (up to a maximum of $1500 per award) and a certificate. In the event that there are more than three authors, the maximum prize shall be divided equally among all authors and each shall receive a certificate. To be eligible for consideration, an article must have appeared in the Columns and Forums Section of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine in any issue predating the Spring Awards Board meeting of the current year (typically held in conjunction with ICASSP) for example, for the 2022 Award, the paper must have appeared in any issue of the Signal Processing Magazine before March 2022. Presentation shall be made either at the Society's Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the Fall following selection of the winner. Judging shall be on the basis of quality and effectiveness in presenting subjects of broad interest to the Society's members. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current members of the Signal Processing Society's Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board are not permitted to submit nominations. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those Awards Board voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the appropriate Technical Committee for initial vetting and the Technical Committee will forward their approved nominations to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.
    
8. Carl Friedrich Gauss Education Award. (amended 18 November 2022-TAB) The IEEE SPS Carl Friedrich Gauss Education Award honors educators who have made pioneering and significant contributions to signal processing education. Nominees shall be an IEEE Signal Processing Society member for at least 5 consecutive years at the time of nomination and shall be judged by a career of meritorious achievement in signal processing education as exemplified by writing of scholarly books and texts, course materials, and papers on education; inspirational and innovative teaching; creativity in the development of new curricula and methodology. One Carl Friedrich Gauss Education Award may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall be $1500, a plaque and a certificate, and shall be presented at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring following selection of the winner. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible. Previous recipients of the Carl Friedrich Gauss Education Award and the SPS Norbert Wiener Society Award are ineligible. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors and/or Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.
    
9. Signal Processing Letters Best Paper Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Signal Processing Letters Best Paper Award shall honor the author(s) of a letter article of exceptional merit and broad interest on a subject related to the Society's technical scope and appearing in the IEEE Signal Processing Letters. One Signal Processing Letters Best Paper Award may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall consist of $500 per author (up to a maximum of $1500 per award) and a certificate. In the event that there are more than three authors, the maximum prize shall be divided equally among all authors and each shall receive a certificate. To be eligible for consideration, an article must have appeared in the IEEE Signal Processing Letters. Eligibility is based on a five-year window: for example, for the 2022 Award, the paper must have appeared in the Signal Processing Letters between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2021. Presentation shall be made either at the Society's Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the Fall following selection of the winner. Judging shall be on the basis of the technical novelty, the research significance of the work, quality and effectiveness in presenting subjects in an area of high impact to the Society's members. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current members of the Signal Processing Society's Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board are not permitted to submit nominations. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those Awards Board voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards, and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations should be submitted directly to the appropriate Technical Committee for initial vetting and the Technical Committee will forward their approved nominations to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.
    
10. Donald G. Fink Overview Paper Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Donald G. Fink Overview Paper Award shall honor the author(s) of a journal article of broad interest that has had substantial impact over several years on a subject related to the Society's technical scope. A paper considered for the award should present an overview of a method or theory with technical depth and application perspective. It should have a multi-year record of impact and also be relevant to current researchers and/or practitioners. One Donald G. Fink Overview Paper Award may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall consist of $500 per author (up to a maximum of $1500 per award) and a certificate. In the event that there are more than three authors, the maximum prize shall be divided equally among all authors and each shall receive a certificate. To be eligible for consideration, an article must have appeared in one of the IEEE Signal Processing Society Transactions, the Transactions on Audio, Speech, and Language Processing, the Journal of Selected Topics in Signal Processing, the Transactions on Computational Imaging, the Transactions on Signal and Information Processing over Networks or the IEEE Proceedings, in an issue that is three years old or more from the current award year: for example, for the 2022 Award, the paper must have appeared in an issue in 2019 or earlier. Presentation of the award shall be made at either the Society's Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the Fall following selection of the winner. Judging shall be on the basis of effectiveness in presenting subjects of high impact and broad interest to the Society's members. The nominated paper should be an overview paper with technical depth, not a tutorial or literature review. The paper should have a record of broad and/or long-term impact and be of current importance, e.g. it is still frequently cited and/or is incorporated in widely-used commercial technology. Work that was particularly important, e.g. 20 years ago, but has since been superseded by other methods, would not be appropriate unless the new methods clearly leverage the original work in some way. The paper should have a sustained citation record. Ideally, the paper will have had commercial impact. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those Awards Board voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members, as well as specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards, and the major boards of the Society will be solicited. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board, but a board or committee cannot nominate one of its own members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current members of the Signal Processing Society's Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board are not permitted to submit nominations. Papers that have already been recognized with another SPS Paper Award are not eligible. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the appropriate Technical Committee for initial vetting and the Technical Committee will forward their approved nominations to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.
     
11. Sustained Impact Paper Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Sustained Impact Paper Award shall honor the author(s) of a journal article of broad interest that has had sustained impact over many years on a subject related to the Society's technical scope. A paper considered for the award should be relevant to current researchers and/or practitioners and represent at least one of the following: the paper resulted in a paradigm shift in how a particular problem is solved; the work forms the theoretical basis for much of the contemporary work in a particular field and the work introduced methods that are now broadly adopted in industry. One Sustained Impact Paper Award may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall consist of $500 per author (up to a maximum of $1500 per award) and a certificate. In the event that there are more than three authors, the maximum prize shall be divided equally among all authors and each shall receive a certificate. To be eligible for consideration, an article must have appeared in any of the Society financial sponsored periodicals, in an issue that is 10 years old or more from the current award year: for example, for the 2022 Award, the paper must have appeared in any of the Society’s financial sponsored periodicals in an issue in 2012 or earlier. Presentation of the award shall be made at either the Society's Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the Fall following selection of the winner. Judging shall be on the basis of novelty and effectiveness in presenting subjects of high impact and long-term interest to the Society's members. The nominated paper should have a record of sustained impact and be of current importance, e.g. it is still frequently cited and/or is incorporated in widely-used commercial technology. Work that was particularly important 20 years ago, but has since been superseded by other methods, would not be appropriate unless the new methods clearly leverage the original work in some way. The paper should also be an original contribution rather than an overview or tutorial. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those Awards Board voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members, as well as specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards, and the major boards of the Society will be solicited. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board, but a board or committee cannot nominate one of its own members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Current members of the Signal Processing Society's Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board are not permitted to submit nominations. This award is exempt from the rule that papers that have already been recognized with another SPS Paper Award are not eligible. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the appropriate Technical Committee for initial vetting and the Technical Committee will forward their approved nominations to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and subsequent balloting by the Awards Board.
     
12. Amar G. Bose Industrial Leader Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Amar G. Bose Industrial Leader Award shall recognize an industry business or technical leader whose leadership has resulted in major and outstanding advances or new directions using signal processing technologies within the scope of the Society. This award is for executive leadership resulting in major advances and new directions using signal processing in a business area. Evaluation is based on such factors as global acceptance of the products and services, financial success and growth of the business, ubiquity of the products and services, emulation of the contributions by competition, and degree of global recognition of the candidate. Other factors include time of service, impact, specific innovations, etc. An industry leader who played a major leadership role in research or development and introduction of systems, devices, applications or services that have significantly impacted society on a global basis or has substantially advanced the use of signal processing technologies in industry, commerce, or society. The candidate is not required to be an IEEE member. One Amar G. Bose Industrial Leader Award may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall be $1500, a plaque and certificate. Presentation of the award shall be made at either the Society's Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the Fall following selection of the winner. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members, as well as, specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards, and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board, but a board or committee cannot nominate one of its own members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors and/or Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. Previous recipients of the Industrial Leader Award are ineligible. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.
     
13. Industrial Innovation Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Industrial Innovation Award shall recognize an individual or team up to five people at any level who were industry employees whose technical contributions have resulted in significant advances using signal processing technologies within the scope of the Society. For a nominated team, the nominator shall describe the specific contribution(s) of each nominee. Selection will be based on major industrial accomplishments, standards, deployment of important processes or products, etc., that are of substantial benefit to the public, which use signal processing technologies and are visible beyond the company or institution where the contribution was made. The award shall be open to individuals at any level who were industry employees who played a significant role in the technical contribution at the time of the accomplishments being recognized. One Industrial Innovation Award may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall be $1500 per awardee (up to a maximum of $4500 per award) and a plaque and certificate. In the event that there are more than three awardees, the maximum prize shall be divided equally among all awardees and each shall receive a plaque and certificate. Candidate(s) need not be an IEEE SPS member. It is preferred that recipients of the IEEE SPS Industrial Innovation Award be members of IEEE. However, the SPS Board of Governors may approve the presentation to a non-member upon the recommendation of the IEEE SPS Awards Board. Presentation of the award shall be made at either the Society's Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the Fall following selection of the winner. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members, as well as, specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards, and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board, but a board or committee cannot nominate one of its own members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors and/or Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. Previous recipients of the Industrial Innovation Award are ineligible. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society's Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.
     
14. Conference Best Paper Award for Industry. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Conference Best Paper Award for Industry shall recognize the author(s) of an ICIP and ICASSP paper of exceptional industrial merit and industrial impact dealing with a subject related to the Society’s technical scope. To be eligible for consideration, the paper must have been submitted to ICIP or ICASSP. Judging shall be based on general quality, novelty, maturity of the technology and industrial impact of the described work. Prototype, demo or video of prototype/demo presented at these conferences can also be considered for the award. The candidate(s) are not required to be IEEE members. Candidates are not required to be working in industry at the time of nomination or when the paper was written. Current members of the Conference Award Evaluation Committee are ineligible. Self-nominations are accepted. One Conference Best Paper Award for Industry may be presented annually at each conference, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall consist of $500 per author (up to a maximum of $1500 per award) and a certificate. In the event that there are more than three authors, the maximum prize shall be divided equally among all authors and each shall receive a certificate. One award may be presented annually at ICIP’s Opening Ceremony and one award may be presented annually at ICASSP’s Opening Ceremony. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. The Award will be announced via the conference websites. Nominations can be submitted through two methods: 1) The authors will be given the option to nominate their paper for the award at the paper submission step; or 2) The reviewers will be asked to indicate whether a paper is award quality, as is the case for the regular conference paper awards. The nominated papers will be evaluated by a committee, consisting of members of the Technical Program Committee of the conference (including Area Chairs or Technical Program Committee Chairs). The Committee will consist of five members.
     
15. IEEE SPS Meritorious Regional/Chapter Service Award. (amended 18 November 2022-TAB) The IEEE SPS Meritorious Regional/Chapter Service Award honors the outstanding contributions of any member of the Society to regional activities of the Signal Processing Society. Up to two Meritorious Regional/Chapter Service Awards may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The prize shall consist of $1500, a plaque and a certificate. Nominees shall be an IEEE Signal Processing Society member for at least 10 consecutive years at the time of nomination. Previous recipients of the Signal Processing Society Meritorious Regional/Chapter Service Award are ineligible. A board or committee member cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or a member of a committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors and/or Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current members of the Awards Board and the Board of Governors are ineligible. Judging shall be based on dedication, effort, and contributions made to activities aimed at promoting the technical and educational activities of the Signal Processing Society in one specific region/ chapter, as well as its local membership participation. Presentation shall be made at the Society’s Awards Ceremony, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring following the selection of the winner. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.
     
16. IEEE Pierre-Simon Laplace Early Career Technical Achievement Award. (amended 1 June 2022) The IEEE SPS Pierre-Simon Laplace Early Career Technical Achievement Award honors an individual who, over a period of years in the individuals' early career, has made significant technical contributions to theory and/or practice in technical areas within the scope of the Society, as demonstrated by publications, patents, or recognized impact on the field, including but not limited to, a standard, a product, or a technology trend.  Nominees should be less than 40 years of age or 10 years from highest degree at the time of nomination. This is an early career award and is not intended for individuals who are IEEE Fellows. The candidate is required to be an IEEE Signal Processing Society member.  Nominees shall be judged on the basis of their significant technical contributions to theory and/or practice in technical areas within the scope of the Society, as demonstrated by publications, patents, or recognized impact on the field, including but not limited to, a standard, a product, or a technology trend. Up to two Early Career Technical Achievement Awards may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified.  The prize shall be $1500, a plaque and a certificate, and shall be presented at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the fall following selection of the winner.  A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors and/or Signal Processing Society Awards Board members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible. Previous recipients of the IEEE SPS Early Career Technical Achievement Award are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations.  There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and ensuring that there are no more than three nominations per award. The Awards Board will manage the balloting by the Board of Governors.
     
17. IEEE SPS Regional Distinguished Teacher Award. (amended 20 October 2022)  The IEEE SPS Regional Distinguished Teacher Award recognizes individuals who have excelled in the teaching of Signal Processing.  The candidate need not be an IEEE SPS member. It is preferred that recipients of the IEEE SPS Regional Distinguished Teacher Award be members of IEEE.  However, the IEEE SPS Board of Governors may approve the presentation to a non-member upon the recommendation of the IEEE SPS Awards Board.  Preference should be given to nominees whose educational material covers areas of heightened and timely interest. The award is not intended for educators who qualify for the Society’s Education Award.  Supporting material submitted with the nomination can include the awardees developed teaching material, which should be of high educational value in the signal processing discipline, related to basics and fundamentals, applications or emerging topics of heightened interest.  The emphasis is on both the delivery and quality of the educational material. Contributions of online or video material for educational purposes are welcome, in order to promote new modes of delivery.  Copies or links to the material, if available, should be submitted for evaluation. The educational or teaching material developed by the nominee and submitted for evaluation does not need to be in English. The Society acknowledges the diversity of its members and wishes to recognize their efforts irrespective of the language of instruction. If desired by the winner, and if approved by the winner’s institution and barring any copyright issues, the educational material generated by the winner can be considered for posting on the Society’s Resource Center and can be promoted in the Society’s SP Magazine and at the Society’s Award ceremony. Supporting letters from undergraduate students is also encouraged.  The Society’s Awards Board will determine the award recipient(s).  Up to three Regional Distinguished Teacher Awards may be presented annually, provided nominations meet the specific criteria  and each recipient receives the full prize amount as noted above. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified.  The prize shall consist of $1500, a plaque, a certificate, and for non-member recipients a complimentary one-year Society membership. The Society may also support the participation of the awardee in a Society sponsored Seasonal School as an instructor for a short course on the winning material. This course would be recorded and posted on the Society’s e-learning/Resource Center. The award shall be presented at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the fall following selection of the winner.  There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the Education Committee, technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. A board or committee member cannot nominate one of its members for the award. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Signal Processing Society Awards Board members or Regional Directors-at-Large sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that those voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process.  Previous recipients of the Signal Processing Society Regional Distinguished Teacher Award are ineligible. Current members of the Awards Board and the Regional Directors-at-Large are ineligible and are not permitted to submit nominations. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. The Society’s Awards Board will be responsible for managing the award nomination and selection process.  However, an initial review of the nominations will be conducted by the Society’s four Regional Directors-at-Large, who will work as a committee to select up to six nominations among all the submissions, which will be sent to the SPS Awards Board. The Awards Board may select no more than half of the submissions received from the Regional Directors-at-Large (up to three if the Regional Directors-at-Large submit six) as the final awardees.  Standard conflict-of-interest (CoI) rules apply throughout the selection process: if there's a conflict, the individual must remove themself from the discussion and voting for all candidates, not only the one with which there is a conflict.
     
18. Best PhD Dissertation Award.(amended 20 October 2022) The IEEE SPS Best PhD Dissertation Award shall recognize PhD relevant work in signal processing while stimulating further research in the field.  The nominee must be a member of the IEEE Signal Processing Society at the time of nomination and must have carried out a PhD thesis on a signal processing subject.  The PhD dissertation must have been accepted in final form within the eligibility window.  Nominees shall be judged on 1) scientific impact (50%): impact on the scientific discipline and practice as evidenced by citations, downloads, journal papers published from the dissertation, conference paper published from the dissertation, other awards received, patents, or adoption into practice and 2) overall quality of dissertation (50%): creativity, quality of writing, relevance, significance and timeliness of the research questions addressed, level of novelty compared to the state of the art, quality and rigor of scientific method, quality of critical thinking in discussion and conclusions, quality and scope of the bibliography.  Eligibility is based on having earned the PhD in electrical engineering or a related field at an accredited institution of higher learning within the past three-years: for example, for the 2020 Award, the window is between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019.  Nominations must be submitted by SPS members, either the applicant’s advisor (preferred), or other SPS member with detailed knowledge of the applicant and the dissertation.  All nomination materials must be written in English. The following items must be included with the nomination to be considered for review: 1) contact information of the nominee and the advisor/nominator of the PhD, including their IEEE membership numbers; 2) copy of the PhD Dissertation in pdf format; the dissertation should be publicly available, e.g., through the nominee’s University repository; 3) a complete curriculum vitae or resume of the applicant that includes a list of published and submitted journal and conference papers; 4) a nomination letter from the PhD advisor, explaining why the dissertation is worthy of the IEEE SPS Best PhD Dissertation Award; and 5) two reference letters from domain experts familiar with the dissertation work, and not serving in the same institution as the nominee or nominator, as independent corroborating evidence of the quality of the dissertation.  The IEEE Signal Processing Society Awards Board will be responsible for administering the award.  Up to three (3) awards may be presented annually and each recipient will receive the full prize amount. The prize shall consist of $1500 and a certificate. The award will not be conferred in any given year for which there are no suitable candidates identified. The award shall be presented at the Society’s Awards Ceremonies, normally held during ICASSP in the Spring or at ICIP in the fall following selection of the winner.  There shall be an open call for nominations reaching all Society members, as well as to specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board.  Previous recipients of the Signal Processing Society Best PhD Dissertation Award are ineligible. Current members of the Awards Board and Regional Directors-at-Large are ineligible and are not permitted to submit nominations.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered.  The Society’s Awards Board will be responsible for managing the award nomination and selection process.  However, an initial review of the nominations will be conducted by the Society’s four Regional Directors-at-Large, who will work as a committee to select up to six nominations among all the submissions, which will be sent to the SPS Awards Board. The Awards Board may select no more than half of the submissions received from the Regional Directors-at-Large (up to three if the Regional Directors-at-Large submit six) as the final awardees. Expanded conflict-of-interest (CoI) rules apply throughout the selection process: if there's a conflict with the nominee, the nominee’s PhD supervisor(s) or the nominator, the individual must remove themself from the discussion and voting for all candidates, not only the one with which there is a conflict. Here conflict includes serving as a member of the nominee’s PhD examination committee, co-authoring papers, participating in joint research projects, or serving on the same board with the nominee, the nominee’s PhD supervisor(s) or the nominator. 
     

2.19. Awards Nomination Process. (amended 20 October 2022)

1. The awards nomination process shall be managed by the Awards Board, in accordance with the policies and procedures in the following paragraphs, with the exception that the Conference Best Paper Award for Industry will be managed by the ICIP or ICASSP Conference Award Evaluation Committee in accordance with policies and procedures provided in the award’s description.
    
2. The nomination cycle shall open 1 May and close 1 September, annually. The award nomination forms can be found on the Awards website.
    
3. The Awards Board shall be responsible for making an open call for nominations reaching all Society members. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which are the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society.
    
4. Nominations may arise from any individual, board or committee. The term "individual nomination" includes co-nominations by multiple individuals who support the nomination. The Society policies specifically state what Boards/Committees/Individuals are not eligible to submit nominations for a particular award.
    
5. All paper award nominations and their endorsements must be submitted through a Technical Committee for review, except for cases where there is a noted conflict of interest within the Technical Committee. In cases where there is a conflict of interest noted by the Technical Committee or indicated by the nominator(s), the Technical Committee shall directly forward the paper award nominations to the Awards Board without any TC endorsement.
    
6. Boards/committees may not nominate one of their own current members for an award as this is considered a conflict of interest. However, a committee/board may nominate members of a different board/committee. Current elected members of a committee/board may participate as individual nominators for other members of the same board/committee.
    
7. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered for any award.
    
8. Individual nominations may have multiple co-nominators listed on the nomination form. In addition, individual nominations may include up to two endorsements by other individual members to strengthen the nomination.  Nominations supported by committees/boards cannot be accompanied by endorsements.  All endorsements are to be submitted via the online awards system.  If more than two endorsements are submitted, only the first two received endorsements shall be forwarded to the IEEE Signal Processing Society Awards Board for consideration.

   A nominator may not serve as an endorser for a nomination the nominator is submitting. If the Society policies state that a particular Board/Committee/Individual is not eligible to nominate for a particular award, then that same group of individuals is not eligible to be an endorser.  Members of a committee/board may participate as individual endorsers for other members of the same board/committee. All such endorsements should be written by single individuals and use the endorsement form that can be found on the Awards webpage. To be an endorser, there is no requirement for IEEE Signal Processing Society membership. Endorsement forms can be submitted by any individual for an IEEE Signal Processing Society award nomination.  IEEE staff cannot serve as an endorser.  Endorsements must be submitted on or before the nomination deadline of 1 September.  
    

9. Boards/committees are not permitted to submit endorsements, since their nominations carry the endorsement of the entire board/committee submitting the nomination. However, boards/committees are permitted to summarize in no more than 300 words supplementary material generated by the board/committee during the nomination process.
    
10. Individuals, committees, and boards are allowed to submit more than one nomination per award.
     
11. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Awards Board, who is responsible for vetting all the nominations and subsequent balloting.
     
12. Full nomination restrictions are detailed in each award description.
     
13. Each award should have at least two valid nominations brought to the Board of Governors, per award in any given year.  If there are not sufficient nominations, the award will not be given.

    If, for three consecutive years, fewer than two nominees are received for a particular award, the Board of Governors must assess whether that award should be discontinued.
     

14. The above noted Awards Nomination Process will also be applied to all Distinguished Lecturer and Distinguished Industry Speaker nominations.
15. Conflict of Interest concerns shall be disclosed and addressed in accordance with IEEE Policies 9.9 A, B. and C and IEEE Policy 4.4.H. - Eligibility and Process Limitations. Awards Board and Board of Governors members involved at any stage of the recipient selection or approval process for an award shall be ineligible to receive, or act as a nominator or reference for that award. Any real and perceived conflict of interest shall be avoided.

    Conflict of interest shall be defined as any relationships, professional or otherwise, that can affect impartiality and objectivity. Such relationship includes, but are not limited to:

1. supervisor/student,
2. supervisor/post-doc,
3. manager/employee,
4. shared institutional affiliations,
5. recent (less than five years) research collaborations or joint authorship,
6. any Awards Board/Board of Governors member that reviews award nominations must disqualify themself from participating in any part of the awards nomination process in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including, but not limited to, instances where the individual has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a candidate. 
7. In the case of a conflict of interest, the Awards Board or Board of Governors member should neither listen to nor speak in the discussion and should not vote on the nominee.

2.20. (approved 28 May 2011). Details of volunteer involvement in the activities of IEEE staff assigned to the Society is guided by the IEEE Employee Handbook, specifically:

1. Section 4.5: Job Descriptions;
2. Section 4.07: Recruitment and Selection of Employees; and
3. Section 10.3: Staff Performance Appraisal Process and Incentive Goal Setting.

2.21. Student Services Committee Subcommittee. (amended 26 September 2019)

2.22. Seasonal Schools Subcommittee. (amended 26 september 2019)

1. Seasonal Schools in Signal Processing. Seasonal Schools in Signal Processing are short term courses designed for graduate students, early stage researchers, and practitioners interested in selected topics in signal processing.
    
2. Duties. The Seasonal Schools Subcommittee shall run the Seasonal Schools in Signal Processing Program and shall report to the Student Services Committee. The Seasonal Schools Subcommittee shall identify value/benefit/services to members and recommend policy/mechanism for recruiting Seasonal Schools; develop programs and material to facilitate recruiting and services for Seasonal Schools; maintain and develop contacts with leadership and membership constituents; and provide proper communication channels and feedback.
    
3. Composition. The Seasonal Schools Subcommittee shall have six members: the Chair, Seasonal Schools Subcommittee, who shall be appointed by the Director-Student Services with the advice and consent of the Membership Board to serve three years, non-renewable, and five members appointed by the Chair with the advice and consent of the Student Services Committee. The term of committee members shall be three years, renewable once. The Director-Student Services shall serve ex-officio, without vote.

2.23. Open Meetings. (approved 8 June 2020)

Participation in any IEEE Signal Processing Society technical meeting or technical discussion is available to anyone who elects to participate. Society membership and/or registration fees may be required for participation.

SECTION 3. NOMINATIONS/ELECTIONS/APPOINTMENTS

3.1. Officer Nomination Criteria. (approved 20 May 2006)

All candidates for Officer positions in the Signal Processing Society must possess records of significant technical achievement and must hold the IEEE grade of Senior Member or higher.  They must be at the time of nomination, and must remain throughout the term of service, members in good standing of IEEE and of the IEEE Signal Processing Society.  Candidates’ biographies must reflect some recent management experience.

Specific criteria, by position, appears below.

3.1.1. President-Elect. (amended 24 December 2018)

The President-Elect must have previously served as a Vice President of the Society.   The President-Elect shall be an IEEE Fellow.  The President-Elect position automatically succeeds to President.

3.1.2. Vice President-Membership. (amended 4 October 2012)

The Vice President-Membership should have a high level of management experience and should have previously served the Society in some capacity, such as: Director, Regional Director-at-Large, Section/Chapter Chair or Section Chair etc.

3.1.3. Vice President-Conferences. (amended 10 May 2014)

The Vice President-Conferences preferably should have served as a General Chair, Technical Program Chair or Finance Chair for an IEEE symposium or major conference. Preferred candidates are those who have served as past General Chair or Finance Chair for ICASSP, ICIP, or GlobalSIP.

3.1.4. Vice President-Publications. (approved 13 November 2020)

The Vice President-Publications must have served as an IEEE SPS Editor-in-Chief, or in an equivalent management capacity, for an archival journal of similar quality as the Society’s periodicals.

3.1.5. Vice President-Technical Directions. (amended 10 May 2014)

The Vice President-Technical Directions may have previously served as an elected Technical Committee Chair, and may have served in one or more of the following positions: General Chair or Technical Chair of ICASSP, ICIP or GlobalSIP; Editor-in-Chief of a Signal Processing Society sponsored publication.

3.1.6. Vice President-Education. (approved 18 May 2019)

The Vice President-Education should have a high level of management experience; previously served the Society in some capacity; and should have experience in developing curricula and/or professional development materials.  

3.2. Member-at-Large Criteria. (amended 20 October 2022)

Members-at-Large candidates must demonstrate that they are active in one or more signal processing disciplines and shall have been a member of the Society for five years or more.

3.3. Regional Director-at-Large Criteria. (amended 20 October 2022)

The Regional Director-at-Large candidates must demonstrate that they are active in their local Section or Chapter, such as a Section or Chapter Officer or active in Society activities as evidenced by participating in conference/workshop organization, serving on one of the Society’s Boards, Standing Committees, Technical Committees or its journal’s Editorial Boards.

At the time of nomination, the Regional Directors-at-Large candidates shall have been members of the Society for five years or more. Moreover, the Regional Directors-at-Large candidates must be willing to travel to Chapters for outreach.

3.4. Editor-in-Chief Nomination Criteria. (approved 20 October 2022)

An Editor-in-Chief candidate must have served as an Associate Editor, Senior Area Editor, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Special Issue Editor, or in a management capacity for an archival journal published by IEEE. Preference shall be given to candidates who have served as Associate Editors of one or more Signal Processing Society archival publication.

3.5. Fellow Evaluation Committee Criteria. (approved 26 September 2019)

All Fellow Evaluation Committee members must be an active IEEE Fellow, an active member of the Society in good standing and cannot be a member of the IEEE Fellow Committee or the IEEE Board of Directors.

3.6. Awards Board Chair Criteria. (amended 6 December 2021)

The Awards Board Chair must be an IEEE Fellow, must have received one or more major Society awards, which excludes the paper awards, and must remain throughout the term of service, a member in good standing of IEEE and of the IEEE Signal Processing Society. The profile of the Awards Board Chair should bring positive attention to the awards program.

3.7. Awards Board Members-at-Large Criteria. (approved 6 December 2021)

The Awards Board Members-at-Large must be an IEEE Fellow or a Fellow of some other scientific organization and must remain throughout the term of service, a member in good standing of IEEE and of the IEEE Signal Processing Society.  Preferred candidates should have received an award recognition, regardless of the IEEE society or type (major award, paper award, etc). Non-IEEE award may also be considered.

3.8. Nominations and Appointments Committee Member Criteria. (approved 6 December 2021)

Nominations and Appointments Committee members must be active in Society activities as evidenced by participating in conference/workshop organization, serving on one of the Society’s Boards, Standing Committees, Technical Committees, its journal’s Editorial Boards, Chapters, etc. and must remain throughout the term of service, members in good standing of IEEE and of the IEEE Signal Processing Society.  IEEE Member grade and higher will be considered for this position.

3.19. Resource Center Chief Editor Nomination Criteria. (approved 6 December 2013)

Nominations for the Chief Editor shall be restricted to members in good standing in the IEEE and the Society. Preference should be given, where possible, to individuals who have experience with society publications, such as former associate editors of IEEE publications and/or past members of the Publications Board.

3.10. SigPort Chief Editor Nomination Criteria. (approved 6 December 2013)

Nominations for the Chief Editor shall be restricted to members in good standing in the IEEE and the Society. Preference should be given, to individuals who have experience with both web-based platforms and have IEEE publications experience.

3.11. Nominations and Appointments Selection Procedures.  (amended 20 October 2022) All candidate slate selections under its purview of the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall use the following procedures:

1. The entire candidate selection process shall be confidential and conducted in Executive Session.
2. The Nominations and Appointments Committee must ensure that all candidates meet all requirements and prerequisites of the position and have submitted the required documentation. They shall also ensure each candidate’s willingness to serve if elected.
    
   The Nominations and Appointments Committee shall vet all the nominations submitted for each election under its purview, including write-in candidates, petition candidates submitted by individuals and the Board of Governors, and candidates approved by majority vote of the Board of Governors. Any Committee member with a conflict of interest (see IEEE Bylaw 300.2) should disclose that information to the Committee during the meeting and not participate in determining the slate for that noted position.
    
   Vetting means that the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall ensure a formal review of each candidate is preformed to determine if each candidate is properly nominated, each candidate's credentials meet all Society requirements and prerequisites of the position or is disqualified, and each candidate is evaluated and discussed prior to voting on and recommending candidates, which includes comparing each candidate against the other, to determine which candidates should move forward to the slate presented to the Board of Governors.
    
   The objective of the vetting process is to ensure that, in addition to meeting all eligibility requirements, the potential election or selection of such candidates, petitioners, and petition candidates would not be harmful to the interests or reputation of IEEE or the Society. Furthermore, these procedures shall guarantee a thorough and fair review of evidence in context, with opportunities for individuals under review to address and comment on claims that may lead to disqualification.
3. After the vetting process, the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall conduct a vote or rank the slate of candidates for each position. An affirmative vote of a majority of all the voting members of the Nominations and Appointments Committee is required for the slate for each position. The Nominations and Appointments Committee must ensure diversity of each positions slate in terms of regional, technical, industry/academia, experience, gender, etc.
4. The Nomination and Appointments Committee shall determine the final slate for Member-at-Large, Regional Director-at Large, Awards Board, and Nominations and Appointments Committee positions. A minimum of two or a maximum of three candidates for each position’s vacancy can appear on the ballot.
5. For the President-Elect and Vice President slates, the Nominations and Appointment Committee shall provide the Board of Governors, via email, the slate of nominated candidates for each President-Elect and Vice President position no later than 8 weeks before the ICASSP meeting date. A slate of three candidates is required for the forthcoming President-Elect vacancy, but submission of two nominees may be accepted if only two nominations are received. A minimum of two or a maximum of three candidates is required for each Vice President vacancy.
    
   The Nominations and Appointments Committee must provide its confidential rationale to the Board of Governors for the President-Elect and each Vice President slate. The feedback should be provided on the slate as a whole, rather than on individual candidates. Any concerns raised for a disqualification or removal of a candidate by the Nominations and Appointments Committee must be shared with the Board of Governors when the slate is presented to the Board. These procedures shall guarantee a thorough and fair review of evidence in context.
6. In the end, the final candidate slate for the President-Elect and Vice President elections is determined by the Board of Governors.
7. The Nominations and Appointments Committee must submit to the electorate no later than the first working day following 14 August for the Annual General Election the slate for all positions on the Annual elections.

3.12. Board of Governors Selection Procedures for the Society President-Elect and Vice President Slates.  (amended 20 October 2022) SPS President-Elect and Vice President candidate slates are selected by the Board of Governors using the following procedures:

1. The entire selection process shall be confidential and conducted in Executive Session during meetings.
2. The Board of Governors reviews, via email, the slate of President-Elect and Vice President candidates received by the Nominations and Appointments Committee during a two-week open discussion period. Candidate biography and position statements provided to the Board shall be those considered by the Nominations and Appointments Committee. Any Board member with a conflict of interest (see IEEE Bylaw 300.2), including Board members on the slate, should not participate in the selection and voting process for that position. For these elections, a conflict of interest is defined as any situation where the Board of Governors member or the member's employer is personally benefiting.
    
   During the slate review, the Board of Governors shall review the Nominations and Appointments Committee rationale for each slate, as well as any concerns raised for a disqualification or removal of a President-Elect or Vice President candidate.
    
   During this discussion period, a special candidate slate approval meeting of the Board of Governors may be called by the President or by any five voting members of the Board of Governors. (Move to step 4)
3. If the Board of Governors is satisfied with the slate and no additional names are submitted by the end of the open discussion period, the discussion period will close, and a ballot (step 6) will be sent to the Board of Governors to approve the President-Elect and Vice President slates for their presentations in conjunction with the ICASSP Administrative Meetings.
4. If the Board of Governors is not satisfied with the slate of candidates for President-Elect and Vice President presented by the Nominations and Appointments Committee during the open discussion period, the Board of Governors shall employ the following process to determine any other individuals to be considered as candidates.
    
   For each elective office of the Society, individual Board of Governor voting members eligible to vote at the Board of Governors meeting may nominate candidates either by:
   1. A petition, signed by at least twenty percent (20%) of the voting members of the Board of Governors, may add a name to the President-Elect and Vice President slate. The petition shall be accepted in paper or electronic format. The name of each member submitting the petition shall be clearly noted. For identification purposes of signatures, membership number or addresses listed in the official IEEE membership records shall be included. Electronic submissions shall be sent to the SPS Election Staff (or designee) who shall confirm e-mail addresses. Prior to submission of a nomination petition, the petitioner shall have determined that the nominee named in the petition is willing to serve, if elected; evidence of such willingness to serve shall be submitted with the petition along with the individual’s biography, position statement, and photo to the SPS Election Staff.
       
      The petition nomination of an additional candidate supported by 20% of the Board of Governor members, excluding the candidate, if applicable, must be received no later than the close of the open discussion period; or
   2. by majority vote at a candidate slate approval meeting of the Board of Governors, which is only held during the discussion period mentioned in Step 2, provided such nominations are made at least 28 days before the date of the election. Prior to submission of a nomination, the nominator shall have determined that the nominee named is willing to serve, if elected; evidence of such willingness to serve shall be submitted to the Board of Governors along with the individual’s biography, position statement, and photo to the SPS Election Staff.
   3. During this step, the Board of Governors may re-consider and re-nominate by the above two noted steps candidates that were previously removed by the Nominations and Appointments Committee or new candidates.
5. All Board of Governors petition and majority vote candidates shall be reviewed by the Nominations and Appointments Committee to ensure that they meet all Society requirements and prerequisites of the position. The Nominations and Appointments Committee is not voting to approve the candidates during this step, but rather just ensuring the Board of Governors nominations meet all Society documented requirements and prerequisites of the position. The Nominations and Appointments Committee shall report its finding back to the Board of Governors within two weeks. The revised slate of President-Elect and Vice President candidates are due to the Board of Governors no later than four weeks before the ICASSP meeting. If the Board of Governors candidates meet all Society requirements and prerequisites of the position, the slate of candidates presented to the Board of Governors may have more than 3 candidates.
6. After the revised slate of President-Elect and Vice President candidates is sent to the Board of Governors, the Board of Governors shall conduct its first ballot to determine the slate of President-Elect and Vice President candidates that will be presented to the Board of Governors during its ICASSP meeting. An affirmative vote of a majority of all the voting members of the Board of Governors is required for each candidate slate.
    
   If no majority vote is achieved during the initial balloting stage, the Board of Governors will hold a discussion to determine next steps for the next round of balloting. This process will continue until a majority vote is achieved.
7. The presentation of the President-Elect candidates shall be held in conjunction with the ICASSP Administrative Meetings. The Vice President candidates are not required to do a presentation.
   In random order, the President-Elect candidates shall address the Board of Governors followed by a questions and answers session. If a nominee is unable to attend the Board of Governors meeting, either in person or via electronic/telephonic means, the nominee may designate a member of the Board of Directors to read a prepared statement on their behalf, but no questions and answers shall follow for that candidate.
8. At the ICASSP Board of Governors meeting, the Board shall deliberate on the qualifications of those individuals on the slate. No new nominations shall be permitted from any member of the Board of Governors.
9. After the discussion, a secret ballot is conducted to determine the final two President-Elect candidates that will move forward to the Annual General Election ballot, as well as the candidate(s) elected as Vice President. An affirmative vote of a majority of all the voting members of the Board of Governors is required for each candidate or candidate slate. The results shall be announced to the Board of Governors at the meeting.
10. For the President-Elect slate voting process, each voting member of the Board of Governors would vote for two candidates. The two candidates receiving a majority vote of the Board of Governors would move to the Annual General Election ballot. If not, all positions receive a majority vote, another voting round will take place for the remaining positions. The second round of voting will only include the top two voting options who received the highest number of votes in the first round of voting. In the second round of voting, the Board of Governors should achieve a majority vote for the remaining open positions. If there was a tie in the top voting options in the first round of voting, then more than two voting options may appear in the second round of voting. If this type of ballot is required, a third round of voting may be necessary to reduce the voting options pool.
11. For the Vice Presidents election voting process, each voting member of the Board of Governors would vote for a single candidate for each Vice President race. The candidate who receives a majority vote of the Board of Governors would be considered elected. If not, all positions receive a majority vote, another voting round will take place for the remaining positions. The second round of voting will only include the top two voting options who received the highest number of votes in the first round of voting. In the second round of voting, the Board of Governors should achieve a majority vote for the remaining open positions. If there was a tie in the top voting options in the first round of voting, then more than two voting options may appear in the second round of voting. If this type of ballot is required, a third round of voting may be necessary to reduce the voting options pool.
12. The Chair of the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall be informed of the outcome of the Board of Governors vote by SPS staff on behalf of the Nominations & Appointments Committee Chair.
13. All the candidates shall be notified of the outcome of the vote by SPS staff on behalf of the Nominations & Appointments Committee Chair. See process details in Policy 3.16. Notification of Officer and General Election Results.

3.13. Board of Governors Election - Email Voting Procedures.  (amended 20 October 2022) SPS Awards Board, Nominations and Appointments Committee and other miscellaneous elections are elected by the Board of Governors using the following procedures:

1. The entire election process shall be confidential.
2. The Board of Governors receives the election slate for the Awards Board, Nominations and Appointments Committee and other miscellaneous elections for ballot, via email. Candidate biography and position statements provided to the Board shall be those considered by the Nominations and Appointments Committee. Any Board member with a conflict of interest (see IEEE Bylaw 300.2), including Board members on the slate, should not participate in the selection and voting process for that position. For these elections, a conflict of interest is defined as any situation where the Board of Governors member or member's employer is personally benefiting.
3. In the first round, the Board of Governors members vote for as many candidates as open positions OR for the "Abstain" option. If there are candidates with majority voting, they are considered elected to that particular board/committee.
4. If not, all positions received a majority vote, another voting round will take place for the remaining positions. The second round of voting will only include the top two voting options who received the highest number of votes in the first round of voting; one of which may be the "Abstain” option. In the second round of voting, the Board of Governors should achieve a majority vote for the remaining open positions. If there was a tie in the top voting options in the first round of voting, then more than two voting options may appear in the second round of voting. If this type of ballot is required, a third round of voting may be necessary to reduce the voting options pool down.
5. If a majority vote is still not achieved in the final round of voting, then the Society President will select the final candidate(s) for the open position(s) from the final candidate pool.

3.14. Board of Governors Election – Physical or Virtual Meetings Voting Procedures.  (amended 20 October 2022) SPS Officer positions and other miscellaneous elections are elected by the Board of Governors at a physical or virtual meeting using the following procedures:

1. The entire election process shall be confidential.
2. The Board of Governors receives the election slate for the Officers and other miscellaneous elections for ballot via the meeting agenda. Candidate biography and position statements provided to the Board shall be those considered by the Nominations and Appointments Committee. Any Board member with a conflict of interest (see IEEE Bylaw 300.2), including Board members on the slate, should not participate in the selection and voting process for that position. For these elections, a conflict of interest is defined as any situation where the Board of Governors member or member's employer is personally benefiting.
3. In the first round, the Board of Governors members vote for their preferred candidate or for the "Abstain" option. If there are candidates with majority voting, they are considered elected to those particular positions.
4. If not, all positions received a majority vote, another voting round will take place for the remaining positions. The second round of voting will only include the top two voting options who received the highest number of votes in the first round of voting with no abstain option. This could be the same two candidates as the original slate if only two candidates were on the slate. In the second round of voting, the Board of Governors should achieve a majority vote for the remaining open positions. If there was a tie in the top voting options in the first round of voting, then more than two voting options may appear in the second round of voting. If this type of ballot is required, a third round of voting may be necessary to reduce the voting options pool down.
5. If a majority vote is still not achieved in the final round of voting, then the Society President will select the final candidate(s) for the open position(s) from the final candidate pool.

3.15. President-Elect Election. (amended 22 August 2022)

a. Candidate Presentation. The nominated President-Elect candidates shall be required to be present at the Board of Governors meeting during the ICASSP meeting series. Presentation of the candidates may happen the day of the Board meeting or the evening before. The candidates will be required to submit a biography, which includes their Society, IEEE and other professional activities, as well as a photo and candidate statement of interest up to 500 words stating the nominee’s vision for the position. Each candidate shall be allocated approximately 20 minutes at the Board meeting to present their background/ qualifications, as well as respond to any questions from the Board. After the candidates have been presented to the Board, there will be a discussion period followed by a secret ballot to determine the final President-Elect slate of the two candidates to bring forward to the annual election.  Petition candidates will be vetted by the Nominations and Appointments Committee to meet the specified requirements of the position.  If the requirements are met, the petition candidate will be added to the President-Elect ballot.

The Society will cover the President-Elect candidates’ expenses for the hotel charges from the night before the Board of Governors meeting through the night of the Board of Governors meeting; all other nights must be paid by the candidate. All reimbursement requests must be made on the IEEE reimbursement form and original receipts must accompany the request to the Society's Executive Office.

b. Election Campaigning. The Society President-Elect candidates must adhere to the following procedures regarding election campaigning:

1. Personal Website URL (optional): Candidates for SPS President-Elect are allowed to create a personal website for their campaign, which must fit within the following parameters:

• IEEE SPS will not host or support personal candidate websites.
• Personal websites need to include the following disclaimer prominently displayed on the web pages: "The opinions expressed on this website are the opinions of the author and not necessarily the opinions of the IEEE."
• There is no limit to the amount of material or information posted on personal candidate websites.

2. SPS Newsletter: SPS will include the President-Elect candidates and their position statements up to 500 words in the August and September issues of the SPS Newsletter. The newsletter articles can also include a link to the candidates' personal websites for additional information.
    
3. Society-allowed Campaigning/Electioneering: The Society will send one message on behalf of each candidate, at the time of their choosing, to all eligible SPS voting Members regarding their campaign for President-Elect. This message must be provided to SPS election staff at least 2 weeks prior to the desired sending date, and must be less than 500 words.
    
4. Personal Campaigning/Electioneering: Each candidate can campaign on their own in addition to the message sent by SPS. However, the candidates, or their supporters, cannot not use any IEEE or SPS mailing lists or IEEE group aliases for election campaign purposes.  In all campaign-related communication with potential voters, candidates and their supporters must:

• Obey General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), including provisions for opting out from future communications; 
• Include reminders about the need of recipients to adhere to IEEE policies, especially IEEE Policy on Mailing Lists and Rosters (IEEE Policies, Section 14), in the event the recipients plan to forward messages themselves; 
• Seek consent from the organizers for the distribution of election-related printed material in gatherings and events. All candidates for the same position must be given the opportunity to distribute materials; 
• Avoid practices that would be interpreted by a reasonably prudent person as obtrusive or falling under the category of "spam"; 
• Include the following disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are the opinions of the author and not necessarily the opinions of IEEE. 

3.16. Notification of Officer and General Election Results. (amended 22 August 2022)

Procedures for announcing Officer and General Election results to candidates and SPS Membership:

1. SPS Election Staff receive the election results and provide a confidential copy to the Society Executive Director.
2. Staff report the confidential results of the election to the Nominations & Appointments Committee Chair for acknowledgement.
3. Once acknowledged by the Nominations and Appointments Committee Chair, the Society President is informed of the confidential results by the SPS Election Staff.
4. Staff contact the elected candidates on behalf of the Nominations & Appointments Committee Chair and inform them that they have been elected.
5. After all elected candidates confirm candidacy, staff reports the election results to the candidates who were not elected on behalf of the Nominations & Appointments Committee Chair.
6. After all candidates have been notified, staff shall notify the SPS Board of Governors and the Nominations and Appointments Committee of the results of the election on behalf of the Nominations & Appointments Committee Chair. At this point the election results are no longer considered confidential.
7. Staff shall ensure that the election results are posted on the Society website.
8. Staff shall ensure that an election results article is featured in the upcoming issue of the Inside Signal Processing Newsletter and IEEE Signal Processing Magazine.

3.16.1. Notification of Candidates. (amended 20 October 2022)

SPS Election Staff on behalf of the Chair of the Nominations and Appointments Committee shall notify candidates of their success in the Annual General Election. Upon request from any member of the Society, the member may receive the Officer, Member-at-Large and Regional Director-at-Large election results.

3.16.2. Vote Counts.

The results (vote counts) of the Society's elections shall not be published.

3.17. Distinguished Lecturers. (amended 24 March 2005)

Each year, up to ten (10) technically diverse and geographically dispersed individuals shall serve as Signal Processing Society Distinguished Lecturers (DLs). The formal term of appointment shall be two calendar years with five (5) individuals appointed each year.

3.17.1. Nomination. (amended 30 Septemer 2016)

The Awards Board shall make an open solicitation for all distinguished lecturer nominations reaching all Society members no later than 1 June of each year.  Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which include the technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society.  Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board.  Distinguished Lecture nominations may include endorsements. Nominations by individuals can be accompanied by up to two endorsements by other individual members. Nominations supported by committees/boards cannot be accompanied by endorsements.  Please review the endorsement form for full details and restrictions.

A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for Distinguished Lecturer. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee.  Please note: boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that Board of Governors voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible.  Self-nominations are not accepted or considered.  Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations.  Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations.

All nominations will be considered by the Awards Board and a list of nominees and alternates, along with a list of their lecture topics, will be provided to the Board of Governors at least three weeks prior to its Fall meeting.  The Board will consider this list at its Fall meeting and provide its advice and consent for the final selections, which shall be announced by the Awards Board Chair.

The list of nominees and alternates shall comprise individuals of distinction who are members of the IEEE and of the IEEE Signal Processing Society, who are recognized experts in their fields of endeavor, and who are capable of delivering a message of importance to the technical community as well as to the Society’s members organized in chapters around the world.

Following identification of the top five (5) candidates and alternates by the Board, the Society staff, on behalf of the Awards Board Chair, will reconfirm in writing the candidates’ willingness to serve as an SPS Distinguished Lecturer.

3.17.2. Criteria. (amended 20 October 2022)

Distinguished Lecturer candidates must be a recognized expert in a signal processing area of interest; must hold the IEEE grade of Senior Member or higher and be a member of the Signal Processing Society; and must be an engaging presenter. An engaging presenter is one who is a good presenter who can clearly convey the essence of their work to a wider audience, beyond the experts on the specific field, in a way that grasps the attention of the audience and motivates the participants. This can be supported by related evidence from previous lectures of the nominee.

3.17.3. Publicity. (amended 24 March 2005)

The Executive Director shall contact each lecturer and request, by fax or e-mail, a copy of each lecturer's brief biography and a listing and brief description of the lectures/short courses each DL is prepared to present. Each DL will be requested to provide such information within ten (10) working days of contact by the Executive Director.

The Executive Director shall also provide, at the time of this contact, a current listing of Society Chapter Chairs and their contact information, as well as information on working with the Chapters regarding their engagement, negotiation and expensing of travel, and any other pertinent details.

Upon receipt of the requested biography and lecture information, the Executive Director shall prepare and transmit a message by e-mail/fax to the Society's Chapters, announcing the names of the new class of DLs, providing biographical information, contact information, and the list and description of lectures/short courses for the coming calendar year. Such correspondence by the Executive Director to the Chapters also shall contain any changes to the DL program for the coming year, as well as describe the selection, engagement, negotiation, and expensing of DLs for presentations to the Chapters.

The Executive Director shall also be responsible for causing information regarding the new class of DLs to be posted to the Society's Web page, publishing the names and lecture titles in the next issue of the Society's Directory of Volunteer Leaders and Staff, and providing in a timely way full information about the Society's program for the coming term to the IEEE for publication in the IEEE Distinguished Lecturer website.

3.18. Distinguished Industry Speaker Program. (approved 10 March 2017)

Each year, up to ten (10) technically diverse and geographically dispersed individuals shall serve as Signal Processing Society Distinguished Industry Speaker (DIS). The formal term of appointment shall be two calendar years with up to five (5) individuals appointed each year.

3.18.1. Nomination.

The Awards Board shall make an open solicitation for all Distinguished Industry Speakers nominations reaching all Society members no later than 1 June of each year. Nominations will also be solicited from specific boards/committees of the Society, which include the Chapters, technical committees, editorial boards and the major boards of the Society. Nominations may arise from any individual or committee/board. Nominations shall be submitted directly to the Society’s Awards Board. Distinguished Industry Speaker nominations may include endorsements. Nominations by individuals can be accompanied by up to two endorsements by other individual members. Nominations supported by committees/boards cannot be accompanied by endorsements. Please review the endorsement form for full details and restrictions. A board or committee cannot nominate one of its members for Distinguished Industry Speaker. However, a member of a board or committee can be nominated by another board or committee. Please note: boards or committees who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors members sitting on their boards or committees must ensure that Board of Governors voting members do not participate in the board/committee award nomination or selection process. Current officers and members of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors and Awards Board are ineligible. Self-nominations are not accepted or considered. Members of the Awards Board and voting members of the Board of Governors are not permitted to submit nominations. Non-voting Board of Governors members are permitted to submit nominations. All nominations will be considered by the Awards Board and a list of nominees and alternates, along with a list of their lecture topics, will be provided to the Board of Governors at least three weeks prior to its Fall meeting. The Board will consider this list at its Fall meeting and provide its advice and consent for the final selections, which shall be announced by the Awards Board Chair. The list of nominees and alternates shall comprise individuals of distinction who are members of the IEEE and of the IEEE Signal Processing Society, who are recognized experts with a background in industrial applications in the signal processing area and are well versed in the ongoing issues/activities in industry, and who are capable of delivering a message of importance to the technical community as well as to the Society’s members organized in chapters around the world. Following identification of the top five (5) candidates and alternates by the Board, the Society staff, on behalf of the Awards Board Chair, will reconfirm in writing the candidates’ willingness to serve as an SPS Distinguished Industry Speaker.

3.18.2. Criteria. (amended 20 October 2022)

Distinguished Industry Speaker candidates must be a recognized expert in a signal processing area of interest with a background in industrial applications and be well versed in the ongoing issues and activities in industry; must hold the IEEE grade of Senior Member or higher and be a member of the Signal Processing Society; and must work in industry and be an engaging presenter. An engaging presenter is one who is a good presenter who can clearly convey the essence of their work to a wider audience, beyond the experts on the specific field, in a way that grasps the attention of the audience and motivates the participants. This can be supported by related evidence from previous lectures of the nominee.

3.18.2. Publicity.

The Executive Director shall contact each speaker and request, by fax or e-mail, a copy of each speaker's brief biography and a listing and brief description of the lectures/short courses each DIS is prepared to present. Each DIS will be requested to provide such information within ten (10) working days of contact by the Executive Director. The Executive Director shall also provide, at the time of this contact, a current listing of Society Chapter Chairs and their contact information, as well as information on working with the Chapters regarding their engagement, negotiation and expensing of travel, and any other pertinent details. Upon receipt of the requested biography and lecture information, the Executive Director shall prepare and transmit a message by e-mail/fax to the Society's Chapters, announcing the names of the new class of DIS, providing biographical information, contact information, and the list and description of lectures/short courses for the coming calendar year. Such correspondence by the Executive Director to the Chapters also shall contain any changes to the DIS program for the coming year, as well as describe the selection, engagement, negotiation, and expensing of DIS for presentations to the Chapters. The Executive Director shall also be responsible for causing information regarding the new class of DIS to be posted to the Society's Web page, publishing the names and lecture titles in the next issue of the Society's Directory of Volunteer Leaders and Staff, and providing in a timely way full information about the Society's program for the coming term to the IEEE for publication in the IEEE Distinguished Lecturer website.

3.19. Resource Center Chief Editor Nomination Procedures. (amended 26 September 2019)

1. Nomination. The Vice President-Education shall make an open solicitation for the Resource Center Chief Editor nomination, which shall stay open for a period of three months. Such solicitation shall occur no later than one year prior to the conclusion of the current Chief Editor’s term.

   Nominations for the Chief Editor shall be restricted to individuals who have experience with society publications, such as former associate editors of IEEE publications and/or past members of the Publications Board and who are members in good standing of the IEEE and of the Society. It is strongly recommended that a slate of at least two names be brought forward.

2. Willingness to Serve. The Vice President-Education shall obtain, in writing, from each individual who has received a nomination, a written assurance of willingness and ability to serve if elected.

   Individuals who agree to be nominated shall be required to provide a brief biography and a statement of candidacy. These shall be circulated to the Executive Committee by the Vice President-Education, via e-mail, at least two weeks before the meeting at which the slate of names will be discussed.

   The Executive Committee will review the candidates’ biographies and statements of candidacy and shall provide to the Vice President-Education, at the meeting, their endorsement of the preferred candidate, along with any additional comments. Should the Executive Committee not endorse any of the nominees, the Vice President-Education shall provide at least two new nominations within one month of the meeting. An e-mail ballot of the Executive Committee shall then be conducted and the results reported within 15 days.

   Upon endorsement of a nominee by the Executive Committee, the Chief Editor will then be appointed by the Vice President-Education. The Vice President-Education will notify all candidates of the final decision. Once the candidates have been notified, the Vice President-Education will notify the Education Board and the SPS Executive Office on the outcome of the appointment process.

3.20. Resource Center Editors. (amended 20 October 2022)

Resource Center Editors shall be appointed by the Resource Center Chief Editor and must be a current member of the IEEE and the Signal Processing Society in good standing. The Society encourages outgoing and incoming Chief Editors to work in coordination to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities. The selection of editorial board members, whose terms start on or after the term of the incoming Chief Editor, is the responsibility of the incoming Chief Editor. Prior to the start of their term, the new Chief Editor may submit recommendations for new members to the Vice President-Education.

A Resource Center Editor should have contributed a personally authored Resource Center before their editorial role commences. The role of the Editor is to solicit and coordinate submitted Resource Center reviews; recommend acceptance of Resource Center tutorials; ensure appropriate materials for Resource Center release; provide support for Resource Center contributors and solicitation of new Resource Center tutorials.

Editors shall have an initial term of no more than three years. After their initial term, Editors may be extended up to one additional year for exemplary service. Editors may serve more than one term on the Resource Center Editorial Board; however, such terms shall not be consecutive and shall have a minimum break of two years between service.

The Chief Editor shall have the right to terminate the terms of Editors. Appeals of such action by the Chief Editor shall be to the Signal Processing Society Vice President-Education, who shall have final authority in the matter.

3.21. SigPort Chief Editor Nomination Procedures. (amended 26 September 2019)

1. Nomination. The Vice President-Education shall make an open solicitation for the SigPort Chief Editor nomination, which shall stay open for a period of three months. Such solicitation shall occur no later than one year prior to the conclusion of the current Chief Editor’s term.

   Nominations for the Chief Editor shall be restricted to individuals who have experience with society publications, such as former associate editors of IEEE publications and/or past members of the Publications Board and who are members in good standing of the IEEE and of the Society. It is strongly recommended that a slate of at least two names be brought forward.

2. Willingness to Serve. (amended 20 October 2022) The Vice President-Education shall obtain, in writing, from each individual who has received a nomination, a written assurance of willingness and ability to serve if elected.

   Individuals who agree to be nominated shall be required to provide a brief biography and a statement of candidacy. These shall be circulated to the Executive Committee by the Vice President-Education, via e-mail, at least two weeks before the meeting at which the slate of names will be discussed.

   The Executive Committee will review the candidates’ biographies and statements of candidacy and shall provide to the Vice President-Education, at the meeting, its endorsement of the preferred candidate, along with any additional comments. Should the Executive Committee not endorse any of the nominees, the Vice President-Education shall provide at least two new nominations within one month of the meeting. An e-mail ballot of the Executive Committee shall than be conducted and the results reported within 15 days.

   Upon endorsement of a nominee by the Executive Committee, the Chief Editor will then be appointed by the Vice President-Education. The Vice President-Education will notify all candidates of the final decision. Once the candidates have been notified, the Vice President-Education will notify the Education Board and the SPS Executive Office on the outcome of the appointment process.

SECTION 4. GEOGRAPHICAL ACTIVITIES

4.1. Establish a Chapter. (amended 15 September 2011) A petition to establish a Chapter must contain the following:

1. name of the Section;
2. name of the sponsoring Society(ies);
3. name of the organizer (who becomes interim chair, pending election of a regular chair at a later organization meeting);
4. signatures of at least twelve (12) IEEE members, other than Students, who are members of the Society and Section involved;
5. information on Section members who indicate they will join the Chapter, if established.

The petition for a Chapter shall be submitted to the Section Executive Committee for written approval and forwarded with the written approval to the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board. The Chapter will be considered established after the IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board has ascertained that the Regional Director and the Society President have no objection to its formation. The IEEE Member and Geographic Activities Board shall so notify the IEEE Executive Committee, the Society President, and the Section Chair.

4.2. Establish a Student Branch Chapter. A petition to establish a Student Branch Chapter, on the required form supplied by the IEEE, must contain at least:

The petition for the Student Branch Chapter shall be submitted to the Manager of Student Services at IEEE Headquarters. The Student Branch Chapter shall be considered established following approval of the petition by the Regional Student Activities Committee Chair, the Regional Director, and the Society President.

1. name of Student Branch, signatures of its Student Branch officers, and signature of the counselor;
2. name of the sponsoring Society;
3. signatures of at least twelve (12) students who are members of the Student Branch and of the Society involved; the signature of the Faculty Advisor of the Student Branch Chapter selected by the petitioning students, who shall be a Member of the Society; the name of one student petitioner who will serve as interim chair until establishment of the Student Branch Chapter is authorized.

4.3. Chapter Support. (amended 4 October 2012)

The Society shall provide financial assistance to its chapters in the form of support for travel, publicity, and coffee breaks or other small social gathering expenses for invited speakers. The maximum amount of such support available to each Chapter annually shall be determined by the Executive Committee.

Reimbursement to the Chapter for invited speaker travel expense, upon submission of a completed IEEE expense form and appropriate, original receipts, shall be on the basis of approval by both the Chapters Coordinator and the President-Elect.

The Society shall not, as a rule, provide other financial support to its Chapters. However, in the event of a specific request, the Chapter Coordinator shall make a recommendation to the President-Elect for relief. 

4.4. Assistance to Needy Colleagues. (approved 25 April 1997)

The Society is aware of geographical and financial issues that may severely limit access by its members and colleagues to information about signal processing technology. For these reasons, the Society will, upon action by the Executive Committee, participate in library and other donation programs that provide service to its members and the community of peers.

SECTION 5. TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES

The authority to create, merge, or dissolve, as well as change the name or scope of a Technical Committee lies with the Board of Governors, which acts upon the recommendation of the Technical Directions Board or TC Review Committee. The TC Review Committee’s and Technical Directions Board’s recommendation should be based on the technical needs of the Society’s membership and on the existing or expected levels of activity of the Technical Committee in question. (approved 28 May 2011)

5.1. Technical Directions Board. (approved 8 December 2009)

The Technical Directions Board has oversight of the Technical Committees and sets up policies and procedures for all of them. While Technical Committees may have additional Bylaws and Policies and Procedures, the Society’s Policies and Procedures will take precedence in case of conflict.

5.1.1. Creation and Termination of Megatrend Initiatives. (amended 20 October 2022) A megatrend is a large trending technical area that is relevant to many Technical Committees and Prospective Technical Committees within the Society.  Identifying megatrends and creating initiatives in the technical area shall allow the Society to have more impact in that particular area, broaden the Society’s exposure outside of its traditional community, and provide access to a broader base of participants from outside the Society’s membership base.

Megatrend Initiatives shall have a finite life-span not exceeding six years in general, and an initial life-span of up to three years. When the term end of the Megatrend Initiative approaches, the Initiative will be subject to a review by the TC Review Committee to determine if the Initiative should continue or be terminated.  The TC Review Committee Chair will bring forward the Committee’s recommendation to the Board of Governors for review and action. Upon its termination, the Megatrend Initiative’s scope should be integrated into the scopes of the Technical Committees, its successful activities should be carried on by Technical Committees and its participants from outside the society’s membership should be associated with the Technical Committees.

The Vice President-Technical Directions has the authority to identify megatrends and create and receive proposals for Megatrend Initiatives.  The proposal shall contain as much information as possible in support of the proposal and shall include a suggested scope, membership roster, as well as a rationale as to why the Megatrend Initiative is needed at that particular time.  The proposal will be reviewed by the Vice President-Technical Directions, who will then seek feedback from the Technical Directions Board.  After feedback has been received, the Vice President-Technical Directions will bring forward a recommendation to the Executive Committee for review and action.  The Executive Committee shall then consider the proposal and the Vice President’s recommendation, and may act to approve the creation of the new Megatrend Initiative. In the interest of coherence of the Society, the Vice President-Technical Directions and the Executive Committee may consider to limit the number of Megatrend Initiatives at any point in time.

After approval of the Megatrend Initiative, the Vice President-Technical Directions shall appoint the inaugural Chair of the Megatrend Initiative, who will become an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Technical Directions Board.

Megatrend Initiatives that are approved after the first quarter of the year will have an effective date of 1 January of the following year for determining their initial review year.  This leeway will provide the Megatrend Initiative ample time to initiate its activities before their initial review meeting, which will determine its future.

5.1.1.1. Scope. (amended 8 June 2020) A Megatrend Initiative shall initiate and promote activities within the scope of the Society.  It shall cover a particular area within the Society, act as a single point of contact, and be the voice of the Society within that area. The Megatrend Initiative shall represent the interests of all Technical Committees and Prospective Technical Committees, attract protagonists of the field from outside SPS, focus on both the theoretical foundations and its applications, and should aim at procurement and diligent use of Society’s initiative funds.

Megatrend Initiatives should attract critical mass, promote collaboration and cross-fertilization within SPS and beyond, as follows:

1. initiate, organize, and operate innovative society-sponsored/co-sponsored symposia, seminars, and workshops, or sessions at technical meetings of the Society or of the IEEE, at a society-wide level,
2. promote publications in IEEE-owned, sponsored, and co-sponsored media
3. reach out to and collaborate with other professional organizations, including other IEEE societies and non-IEEE societies
4. complement the activities of the Technical Committees and Prospective Technical Committees and provide expertise and assistance to the Technical Committees and Prospective Technical Committees in their activities according to Bylaw 501, as follows:
   1. assist in the review of papers submitted to Society technical meetings;
   2. organize and operate society-sponsored/co-sponsored symposia, seminars, and workshops, or sessions at technical meetings of the Society or of the IEEE, at all levels, and at meetings of other organizations having Board-approved cooperative relationships with the Society, in accordance with IEEE rules and procedures and the rules for such meetings;
   3. make nominations in the Society awards process and vet nominations for technical excellence as requested by the Awards Board;
   4. assist Editors-in-Chief in identifying appropriate Associate Editor candidates.

5.1.1.2. Management. Megatrend Initiatives shall be governed by a Steering Committee with a Chair conducting the day-to-day business and at least four other members, one of which shall be the Vice Chair.  The Steering Committee members are appointed by the Vice President-Technical Directions for a term of two calendar years, renewable.  The Chair and Vice Chair shall be elected by the members of the Steering Committee.

The Steering Committee is responsible for supporting and setting the directions for the initiative, supporting the Chair and Vice Chair’s activities, initiating, organizing and setting the direction of the Working Groups.  They are also responsible for nominating associate members and engaging all members in the initiative’s activities.

5.1.1.3. Chair.

1. The term of office of the Chair shall be two calendar years, renewable once.
2. The Chair is a voting member of the Steering Committee.  However, the Chair shall have no vote on the Steering Committee except if the vote is by secret ballot or unless the Chair’s vote can change the outcome of the vote. 
3. The Chair is a non-voting member of the Technical Directions Board.
4. The Chair shall be responsible for maintaining a roster of the membership.
5. The Chair is responsible for organizing the activities of the Megatrend Initiative and maintaining communication with the Vice President-Technical Directions.
6. The Chair submits bi-yearly written reports to the Vice President-Technical Directions and to the Executive Office on the Megatrend Initiative’s activities for the Board of Governor meetings.
7. The Chair reports to the Vice President-Technical Directions.

8. The Chair is responsible for appointing members and delegating work to the Initiative’s Working Groups.
9. The Chair is responsible for preparing the Initiative Review Report and attending the Initiative Review meeting run by the TC Review Committee.

5.1.1.4. Vice Chair.

1. The Vice Chair acts as a back for the Chair in the day- to-day-business activities.
2. The Vice Chair term does not automatically succeed to the Chair position; however, the individual may be considered for the Chair position.
3. The Vice Chair will assist the Chair in preparing the Initiative Review Report and attending the Initiative Review meeting, if requested.

5.1.1.5. Membership. Megatrend Initiatives will have two types of positions: Members and Associate Members.

1. Members are Society members that are nominated representatives from the Technical Committees or Prospective Technical Committees.  The nominated representatives do not need to be current or prior Technical Committees or Prospective Technical Committees members.
2. Associate Members are IEEE members or non-members related to the field of the Megatrend Initiative that are nominated by the Steering Committee members and approved by the Vice President-Technical Directions.
3. Both positions will have a two-year term, renewable.  

5.1.1.6. Working Groups. Megatrend Initiatives should form working groups dedicated to the main activities of the initiative, such as:

1. Working Group on Conferences works towards innovative events beyond the existing SPS events, but also for SPS visibility in non-SPS and non-IEEE events, in coordination with the SPS Conferences Board.
2. Working Group on Publications works towards additional publications, such Special Issues in SPS-owned or co-sponsored publications, but also for SPS visibility in non-SPS and non-IEEE publications, in coordination with the SPS Publications Board.
3. Working Group on Membership works towards increasing SPS membership, by offering e.g., continued education support, organizing seasonal schools, in coordination with the SPS Membership Board.
4. Working Group on Outreach works towards collaboration, with non-SPS and non-IEEE publications, in agreement with the SPS VP Technical Directions.

5.1.1.7. Termination of a Megatrend Initiative. (amended 20 October 2022)

Upon recommendation from the TC Review Committee and approval by the Board of Governors to terminate a Megatrend Initiative, a report will be written by the Megatrend Initiative’s Steering Committee to provide its feedback on how and which Megatrend Initiative activities should be absorbed by the Technical Committees.  The written report shall be submitted to the TC Review Committee and the Vice President-Technical Directions for review and a final decision.  

5.1.2. Creation and Termination of New Prospective Technical Committees. (amended 26 September 2019)

From time to time, consonant with advances to the fields of signal processing, and in order to service the many activities of the Society (publications, conferences, awards, etc.) requiring easy access to a cadre of experts in a specific technical area, it may be appropriate to create a new Prospective Technical Committee (PTC).

The PTC shall have a finite life span up to five years with an initial review by the Vice President-Technical Directions during year two. The goal of the initial review during year two is to provide early feedback.  In year three, the PTC will undergo a formal review by the TC Review Committee at ICASSP. The PTC can transition to a TC upon recommendation by the TC Review Committee and further approval by the Board of Governors. If the transition to a TC is not recommended, then the PTC shall undergo another review by the TC Review Committee in years 4 and 5.  If the PTC does not receive a successful review by the TC Review Committee by the end of year five, the PTC shall be disbanded.

5.1.2.1. Recommendation for a New Prospective Technical Committee. (amended 20 October 2022)

A proposal for a new Prospective Technical Committee (PTC) shall be brought to the attention of the Technical Directions Board (TDB). The initial proposal shall specify the below noted details:

1. proposer contact information;
2. identification of a scope, core technical area as defined in the EDICS or new technical area, as well as the current overlaps with the existing Technical Committees;
3. identification of topics that are relevant and not currently represented within the Society, i.e., emerging area that the Prospective Technical Committee might be covering;
4. a clear statement of why this is a key area that requires special attention, and how by forming the entity something greater than what is currently represented under one or multiple Technical Committees will be achieved. If topics not represented within SPS are included, a statement of why they belong to SPS and why bringing in relevant activity to the society in these topics is meaningful;
5. a clear name that reflects the focus of the Prospective Technical Committee;
6. addressing of any synergies that might exist with the current IEEE Future Directions Committee.

The TDB will review, investigate, and discuss the proposal and then shall vote to recommend action by the Board of Governors.  The Board shall then, at its next regular meeting, consider the proposal and the TDB's recommendation, and may act to approve, in concept, the creation of the new PTC.

Following the Board's approval, the proposer shall be appointed as the PTC Chair. The PTC Chair will be an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Technical Directions Board. The following steps shall be followed to create the PTC:

1. The PTC Chair shall form the membership with at least two members nominated by the TC Chairs from each TC identified as having overlap with the PTC’s topics of interest. These members can be selected from past members of the TCs, as well as from their Advisory member pool.
2. The PTC Chair can appoint additional members not to exceed 10 members. All PTC members must be current IEEE and SPS members of good standing.
3. The PTC should have the same membership structure as TCs, including number of members, membership structure, term dates and member election process.
4. Membership on the PTC may be terminated by the PTC Chair due to the member’s inactivity in the sense of little or no participation in the Technical Working Group’s responsibilities.
5. The PTC shall present its ICASSP EDICS selection for approval to the ExCom for review and approval. The PTC shall also identify other SPS sponsored conferences that might be relevant for them to participate, as well as any conferences under the IEEE Future Directions Initiatives.

5.1.2.2. Duties of a New Prospective Technical Committee.  (amended 20 October 2022)

The main duties of the New Prospective Technical Committee are noted below. The top seven items are expected to be fulfilled by the PTC and the remaining items are highly desirable.

1. Organize special sessions, special issues, challenges, summer schools, webinars, tutorials at ICASSP, and other relevant conferences such as ICME, ISBI, and workshops of other TCs.
2. Coordinate with the existing TCs that are relevant to the area—especially leveraging the liaison members serving on the PTC—to see which areas can be claimed and better represented by the PTC.
3. Show activity in nominations for awards, regular and industry distinguished lecturers as well as other ongoing and new SPS activities.
4. Form subcommittees for award nominations, for coordinating member election process, student involvement among others.
5. Achieve a balanced membership that reflects diversity in terms of gender, geographical representation, young and more senior membership, academia and industry.
6. Increase number of submissions at ICASSP—and if applicable, at other relevant conferences they participate over the years.
7. Organization of a workshop by the PTC or major partnership in a conference/workshop such as those organized through FDC or SPS Initiatives.
8. Any additional initiatives such as those that are educational, introduction of educational material to the webpages, summer schools, contributions to SPS Resource Center shall be greatly welcome.
9. Make SPS a center of attraction in the technical area of the PTC. Attract researchers from other technical communities (other IEEE societies as well as other professional organizations) for membership in the PTC as well as for participation in its activities (including workshops, special sessions, special issues).
10. Promote the technical area of the PTC and introduce it to the general public with several goals including attracting young researchers, especially women, for careers in this area.
11. Coordinate activities with IEEE Future Directions Committee (FDC), seek participation in its activities and possible partnership in its conferences and workshops, as well as other efforts such as standardization, data collection and challenges among others. At evaluation time, PTCs shall be asked to report on their interactions and involvements with the FDC.

5.1.3. Change of Technical Committee Name/Scope.

In response to changes within the technical community, it may be advisable to change the name of a technical committee.  Name changes may be recommended in order to keep current with the changing vocabulary of technology or to reflect a change in scope of an existing TC.

As technology advances, activities surrounding certain disciplines may evolve, making both a change of name and of scope of a Technical Committee appropriate.  In the event that such change is believed by a particular TC to be warranted, the Chair of that TC shall bring the suggested name change and change of scope to the Technical Directions Board for deliberation, discussion, and recommendation to the Board of Governors.  The Board of Governors will take final action on the recommendation of the TDB.

5.1.4. Merge or Dissolve a Technical Committee. (approved 28 May 2011) The TC Review Committee will use the TC Review process to identify Technical Committees that are inactive or only minimally active. The TC Review Committee will suggest to the Technical Committee appropriate and attainable goals. If the efforts of the TC Review Committee to revitalize an inactive Technical Committee are not successful after a defined period of time, the TC Review Committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Governors to merge the Technical Committee with an existing Technical Committee, dissolve or change the Technical Committee.

At the recommendation of the Vice President-Technical Directions or the TC Review Committee, the Board of Governors can approve, with a two thirds vote present at the meeting, to dissolve, merge or change a Technical Committee if it deems it is no longer serving the needs of the Society.

5.2. Technical Committee Reviews. (amended 20 October 2022)

No later than 31 January of each year, the TC Review Committee shall provide to each Technical Committee Chair being reviewed the TC Review template. The template provides a snapshot of the TC’s membership and activities, including, but not limited to, sponsored/co-sponsored workshops; paper review for sponsored/co-sponsored major conferences; session organization for major sponsored/co-sponsored conferences; awards nominations; associate editor nominations by EDICS and journal; distinguished lecturer nominations; TC elections; TC bylaws; number of TC meetings, attendance and quorum; diversity of membership; web page address and date of last update. The TC Review Committee will individually meet with each TC Chair at ICASSP to discuss the review report. The TC Review Committee will study the reports and make formal remarks and recommendations via the review report. The TC Review Committee will submit the final report, which includes its recommendations, for every Technical Committee reviewed to the Board of Governors for formal acceptance.

5.3. Technical Committee Membership.

5.3.1. Members. (amended 8 June 2020)

1. All Technical Committee members must be current IEEE and SPS members of good standing. They must be willing to review papers within the area of the TC submitted to the Society’s conferences, review papers for workshops owned or co-owned by the Technical Committee, serve in the subcommittees established by the TC, and perform other duties of membership.
2. Members will serve a term of three-years, starting 1 January. All terms run on a calendar year.
3. Membership on the Technical Committee may be terminated by the Technical Committee Chair, with the consent of the Vice President-Technical Directions, provided that the Chair and Vice Chair concur that the member has been inactive in the sense of little or no participation in Technical Committee responsibilities.
4. Technical Committees shall have at least 20 elected members so that they have critical mass, and may have up to 40 elected members. A TC Chair can request a larger number of elected members to the Vice President-Technical Directions who, in consultation with the TC Review committee, may approve an increase in the number of members for Technical Committees provided there is good justification.
5. The Vice President-Technical Directions shall be an ex-officio member, without vote, of all Technical Committees.

5.3.2. Advisory Members.  (amended 20 October 2022)

1. Advisory Member is not a required membership category.
2. The TC Chair can also appoint a small number of Advisory Members not to exceed one-third the size of the TC’s regular membership. They are non-voting members of the Technical Committee.
3. At the beginning of each TC Chair’s term, the TC Chair can appoint a slate of Advisory Members. The TC Chair may appoint additional Advisory members during their term. These can be individuals who are current and/or previous Advisory Members, as well as new individuals. The term of Advisory Members coincides with the term-end date of the TC Chair. When inviting Advisory Members, the TC Chair will note that their term will coincide with the TC Cahir's terms.
4. Advisory Members should include past TC Chairs, past or current Editors-in-Chief, liaisons with other communities and IEEE Societies, and other past members of the TC who were particularly active. Special effort should be made to coordinate with Advisory Members for nomination of new members, nomination of best paper awards, EDICS alignment between the periodicals and the Society’s conferences.
5. The TC Chair may appoint Advisory Members as reviewers for one of the Society’s conferences, and may also appoint them to subcommittees.
6. The Society will not maintain a historical list of Advisory Members, but the names of Advisory members will be expected to be up-to-date on the TC’s webpages at the beginning of each calendar year or as they are appointed.
7. Advisory Members are recommended to be members of the SPS, but this is not a requirement.
8. Advisory Members shall receive calls for member and Vice Chair nominations, as well as any Newsletters the TC may have.

5.3.3. Affiliates. (amended 28 July 2020)

1. IEEE student members and all grades of IEEE SPS members interested in the scope of a given TC may freely join that TC as Affiliates by signing up in the Society’s website.
2. Members of some professional organizations in interdisciplinary fields within the Society’s TCs scope, such as language processing or biological sciences, are not IEEE members. TCs may allow individuals from such professional organizations to join their TC as Affiliates.
3. Affiliates are non-elected, unlimited in number, and non-voting members of the Technical Committee.
4. The Chair may appoint Affiliates as reviewers for one of the Society’s conferences, and may also appoint them to subcommittees.
5. Affiliate shall receive calls for member and Vice Chair nominations, as well as any Newsletters the TC may have.

5.3.4. Associate Members. (amended 20 October 2022)

1. Associate Members are non-voting members appointed by the TC Chair based on the individual’s level of activity within the TC from the TC Affiliates category, e.g. their involvement and dedication for the review process, involvement in other TC-related activities, such as: data competitions, workshop organization, or other activities.
2. The number of Associate Members is expected not to exceed half the size of TC’s regular membership.
3. At the beginning of the TC Chair’s term, the TC Chair will decide whether to continue appointments of Associate Members with their consent. The TC Chair may appoint additional Associate members during their term
4. Associate Members’ terms will coincide with the term-end date of the TC Chair. When inviting Associate Members, the TC Chair will note that their term will coincide with the TC Chair's term.
5. The incoming TC Chair has the option to continue the appointments of current Associate Members.
6. Associate members running for election as a regular TC member will be noted on the ballot. It is preferred to have the nomination statement summarize the individual’s activities within the TC.
7. The Society will not maintain a historical list of Associate Members, but the names of Associate members will be expected to be up-to-date on the TC’s webpages at the beginning of each calendar year or as they are appointed.
8. Associate Members are required to be members of the SPS.

5.4. Technical Committee Management. (amended 15 September 2011)

5.4.1. Vice Chair.

1. The Vice Chair position automatically succeeds to the position of Chair then Past Chair. The term for the Vice Chair shall be one calendar year. The Vice President-Technical Directions has the authority to grant exceptions to the one year term policy to allow a two year term based on the technical committee’s needs.
2. The Vice Chair is a voting member of the Technical Committee.
3. The Vice Chair is responsible for recording of minutes of all committee meetings, and assisting the Chair in paper review and session assignment process for ICASSP, maintenance of a roster of the membership, EDICS and a list of reviewers for the Society’s conferences.
4. The Vice Chair will assist the Chair in preparing the TC Review Report and attending the TC Review meeting, if requested.

5.4.2. Chair.

1. The term of office of the Chair shall be two calendar years. A second term as Chair is permitted but may not be consecutive. The Chair automatically succeeds to the position of Past Chair.
2. The Chair is a voting member of the Technical Committee.
3. The Chair is a voting member of the Technical Directions Board and must attend meetings and participate in the board’s processes.
4. The Chair is responsible for organizing the activities of the Technical Committee and maintaining communication with the Vice President-Technical Directions, the Officers of the Society and other similar organizations.
5. The Chair is responsible for appointing members to the TC’s subcommittees.
6. The Chair is responsible for maintaining a roster of the membership.
7. The Chair shall maintain the EDICS and a list of reviewers for the Society’s conferences. The Chair also oversees the paper review and session assignment process for ICASSP.
8. The Chair is responsible for preparing the TC Review Report and attending the TC Review meeting.
9. The Chair is responsible for preparing bi-yearly activity reports.

5.4.3. Past Chair.

1. The term for Past Chair shall normally be one calendar year, unless the TC specifically approves a two year term.
2. The Past Chair is a voting member of the Technical Committee.
3. The Past Chair is responsible for providing guidance and continuity to the Technical Committee Officers and members of the Technical Committee.
4. The Past Chair will assist the Chair in preparing the TC Review Report and attending the TC Review meeting, if requested.

5.5. Technical Committee Organization.

5.5.1. Subcommittees.

1. Technical Committees shall normally have subcommittees to accomplish the duties of the TC.
2. The TC Chair shall appoint TC members to the subcommittees.
3. The TC Chair may also appoint Associate and Affiliate Members to subcommittees, unless specified otherwise. Such Associate and Affiliate members must confirm in writing their willingness to serve and perform the duties of the subcommittee, and can be removed from the subcommittee if the TC Chair and Vice Chair concur they have been inactive.
4. The Chairs of each subcommittee must be elected members of the Technical Committee, unless specified otherwise.

The subcommittees may address the following activities:

1. Awards Subcommittee. Members of this subcommittee preferably should include IEEE Fellows or individuals that have received an award as to bring experience to the Awards nominations process. This committee collects nominations from Technical Committee members and the community as a whole (nomination process is open) and narrows down the list, with the final names being voted on by the Technical Committee, which then passes its recommendations to the Awards Board. This procedure applies for all the SPS awards and Distinguished Lecturers. This subcommittee will also identify Senior Members that are considered qualified for elevation to Fellow and help find an individual that can nominate the candidate (neither the subcommittee nor the TC will nominate or endorse Fellow candidates). The Chair of this subcommittee would act as a liaison to the Society’s Awards Board.
    
2. Nominations and Elections Subcommittee. Membership in the nominations subcommittee is restricted to elected Technical Committee members. The role of this subcommittee is to collect nominations for Technical Committee members and Vice Chair positions, and conduct the election process. The Nominations Subcommittee shall ensure that the candidate pool for new TC members represents the diversity of SPS members in the Technical Committee area, which includes: gender, geographic, academic/industry, junior/senior, etc. This subcommittee will also help nominate Associate Editor candidates to relevant Editors-in-Chief in the Society.
    
3. Workshops Subcommittee. This involves soliciting proposals for workshops, helping volunteers with access to historical data regarding workshops and best practices, as well as putting in place a process to ensure there are enough proposals in time for voting and TC decision making.
    
4. Industry/Government Subcommittee. This involves supporting the Membership Board in industry and government activities. Responsibilities include forwarding information to relevant members from industry and the government, who are interested in activities of the Technical Committee and keeping them involved, as appropriate. 
    
5. Webmaster Subcommittee. This subcommittee maintains the Technical Committee web site together with SPS staff.
    
6. Newsletter Subcommittee. The newsletter shall include open calls for new Technical Committee members and TC Vice Chair-elect, plus information on SPS elections, the Society’s e-newsletter, as well as other information such as relevant Calls for Papers. The Speech and Language Processing TC newsletter is a good example.
    
7. Area Chairs. A Technical Committee may have several Area Chairs within their Technical Committee. Such Area Chairs shall normally be elected Technical Committee members and shall drive the review of papers for that area submitted to the Society’s conferences and workshops. Each Area Chair will have a number of reviewers, which shall normally include elected, Associate and Affiliate Technical Committee Members. Other responsibilities may include proposal of special sessions and special issues in that area.
    
8. Student Subcommittee. This subcommittee will be formed by students, either elected members or Affiliate TC members. The Chair of the Student Subcommittee will be a Student. This subcommittee may provide tutorials for students, courses, networking events, access to job postings, student grants, and other activities of interest to students.
    
9. Education Subcommittee. Responsibilities of the subcommittee include liaison with the Education Committee, and creation of content of interest to SPS members involved in the Technical Committee that is not appropriate for publication in the Society’s conferences and periodicals (such as tutorial style articles on Wikipedia or Connexions, etc).
    
10. Four Regional Representatives (Regions 1-6, Regions 7/9, Region 8, and Region 10). The four regional representatives shall support the Society’s Regional Directors-at-Large in the area of expertise of the Technical Committee. The representatives shall promote and foster local activities of that Technical Committee (such as conferences and meetings) and encourage new chapter development; publicize the activities of the Technical Committee in that region and help attract members from that region to the Technical Committee.
     
11. Other. The TC is free to create other subcommittees to cover areas that have not been specifically addressed in the above list.

5.5.2. Conduct of Business.

1. The Technical Committee will hold at least one meeting per year, normally at one of the Society’s sponsored conferences.
    
2. TCs are encouraged to hold meetings at their workshops too, and consider making them open to Associate and/or Affiliate Members if there is a large enough room available and an appropriate time slot in the workshop schedule.
    
3. Quorum. A quorum of the TC shall be a majority of those members having voting rights.
    
4. Face-to-Face Voting. The vote of a majority of the votes of the members present and entitled to vote, at the time of vote, provided a quorum is present, shall be the act of the Technical Committee.
    
5. Telecommunication Voting. The TC may meet and act upon the vote of its members by any means of telecommunication. The normal Face-to-Face voting requirements shall apply when action is taken by means of telecommunications equipment allowing all persons participating in the meeting to hear each other at the same time.
    
6. E-Mail Voting. The Technical Committee may take action without a meeting if applicable (e.g., e-mail voting). An affirmative vote of a majority of ALL the voting members of the Technical Committee shall be required to approve the action. The results of the vote shall be confirmed promptly in writing or by electronic transmission. The writings and/or electronic transmission shall be filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the Technical Committee. “Electronic transmission” means any form of electronic communication, such as e-mail, not directly involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved and reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient.
    
7. The order of business for TC meetings shall be organized by the Chair and made available to the members prior to the meeting.
    
8. Only elected-Members of the TC, including the Chair, Vice Chair and Past Chair, are allowed to vote in matters that come before the TC. Associate and Affiliate Members of the TC do not have a vote. Individuals holding more than one position on the TC shall be limited to one vote on each matter being considered by the TC. Proxy voting is not allowed.

5.6. Technical Committee Election Procedures.

5.6.1. Vice Chair.

1. The Vice Chair election shall be organized by the Nominations Subcommittee. The Nominations Subcommittee shall bring forward one or more candidates for the position of Vice Chair. The Nominations Subcommittee is responsible for making an open call for nominations, and conducting the balloting.
    
2. Nominations for Vice Chair shall be restricted to individuals who are currently serving or have previously served as elected members of the Technical Committee. Vice Chair candidates that are part of the Nominations Subcommittee shall withdraw from such subcommittee. Vice Chair nominees are not eligible to vote in Vice Chair elections.
    
3. Vice Chair elections will take place every two years and results shall be finalized by 15 November, so election results will be known before the end of the year and the results can be reported to the Society’s Executive Office. All terms are on a calendar year basis (1 January-31 December).
    
4. Each nominee must confirm in writing their willingness to serve and perform the duties described in the Society’s Bylaws and Policies and Procedures if elected. Each nominee must also submit a one-page position statement and/or vitae to be distributed before the election.
    
5. The Vice Chair candidate shall be both approved by a majority of the Technical Committee elected-members, and most preferred by the Technical Committee members responding to the ballot, provided a quorum of the Technical Committee members responded to the ballot. In the event of a tie, the Technical Committee Chair will break the tie.
    
6. The election shall be conducted by an e-mail ballot, unless another means is proposed and approved by the Technical Committee.

5.6.2. Members.

1. The new member election shall be organized by the Nominations Subcommittee. New member elections shall be held once each year, so one-third of the TC’s membership turns over each year.
    
2. The Nominations Subcommittee is responsible for making an open call for nominations in the Society’s e-Newsletters and the website. The Nominations Subcommittee shall come up with a slate of candidates representative of the diversity of SPS members in the Technical Committee area, which includes: gender, geographic, academic/industry, junior/senior, etc. The slate shall include at least as many candidates that have never served in the TC as open slots. The Nominations Subcommittee will also conduct the balloting.
    
3. Candidates can be self-nominated or nominated by Technical Committee members. Each nominee must confirm in writing their willingness to serve and perform the duties described in the Society Bylaws and Policies and Procedures. Each nominee must also submit a one-page position statement and/or vitae, as determined by the TC, to be distributed before the election.
    
4. (amended 6 December 2013) Current TC members who are in their first term may be nominated for a second consecutive term, but are not eligible to vote in that new member election and shall not be part of the Nominations Subcommittee for that election. After the second term on a TC, members may run for additional terms, but there must be an absence of at least 3 years between terms.
    
5. Technical Committee members shall be elected by the members of the Technical Committee itself based on the needs of the Technical Committee. Each year the new member election results shall be finalized by 15 November, so election results will be known before the end of the year and the results can be reported to the Society’s Executive Office. All terms are on a calendar year basis (1 January-31 December).
    
6. The new members shall be both approved by a majority of the Technical Committee elected-members, and most preferred by the Technical Committee members responding to the ballot, provided a quorum of the Technical Committee members responded to the ballot. In the event of a tie, the Technical Committee Chair will break the tie.
    
7. The election will be conducted by e-mail, unless another means is proposed and approved by the TC.

5.6.3. Elections Process. (amended 20 October 2022)

Please refer to Policy 5.6.1. for Vice Chair and Policy 5.6.2. for Member election procedure details.

Votes for “Vice Chair” and “Member” Technical Committee elections shall be tallied using a two-tier process. First, nominees are voted as "approved" (Yes) or "not approved" (No). Next, preference is given to "approved" votes using a ranking process. The implementation of the voting procedure is left to the discretion of the individual Technical Committees. An implementation sample is: N is equal to the number of open slots and each voting TC member casts up to N votes for his or her preferred candidates (preference votes). Each voting TC member should vote on approval for each candidate (approval votes) to indicate if the voting TC member approves of that candidate for the TC, assuming that candidate is one of the top N vote receivers. Successful candidates (max of N) are those with both (a) the most number of preference votes, which is not necessarily greater than half TC members, and (b) approval votes from at least half of the members with voting rights. The number of approval votes will be considered in breaking ties. Any remaining ties will be broken by the Technical Committee Chair.

Technical Committee elections shall be finalized by 15 November, so election results will be known before the end of the year and the results can be reported to the Society’s Executive Office. All terms are on a calendar year basis (1 January-31 December).

5.7. Technical Committee and Prospective Technical Committee Award Nomination Procedures. (amended 20 October 2022)

1. This policy describes the procedure that each Technical Committee (TC) and Prospective Technical Committee (PTC) shall use to select the TC/PTC Awards Nominations that will be forwarded to the SPS Awards Board by 1 September for final vetting and selection.
    
2. Conflict of interest for Technical Committee members shall be defined as any relationships, professional or otherwise, that can affect impartiality and objectivity. Such relationship includes, but are not limited to:
   1. supervisor/student,
   2. supervisor/post-doc,
   3. manager/employee,
   4. shared institutional affiliations,
   5. recent (less than 5 years) research collaborations or joint authorship,
   6. any Board/Committee member that reviews award nominations must disqualify themself from participating in any part of the awards nomination process in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including, but not limited to, instances where the individual has a personal bias or prejudice concerning a candidate. 
3. If a Technical Committee member has a conflict of interest as defined in item B above, the Technical Committee member shall abstain from providing any feedback or voting on the award nomination.
    
4. TC/PTCs may not nominate a current elected member of their own TC/PTC for an award as this is considered a conflict of interest. However, current elected members of a TC/PTC may participate as individual nominators for other members of the same TC/PTC.
    
5. For awards under the purview of the Board of Governors, TC/PTCs who submit nominations, but have voting Board of Governors members sitting on their Technical Committee must ensure that Board of Governors voting members do not participate in the Technical Committee award nomination or selection process.
    
6. TC/PTCs who submit nominations, but have voting Awards Board members sitting on their Technical Committee must ensure that the Awards Board members do not participate in the Technical Committee award nomination or selection process.
    
7. Each TC/PTC should select a TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee to supervise the TC/PTC’s awards nomination process. Per Policy 5.5.1., the TC Awards Subcommittee members should preferably include IEEE Fellows or individuals that have received an award so as to bring experience to the Awards nominations process. The Chair of the TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee also acts as a liaison to the Society’s Awards Board.
    
8. The TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee shall vet all received preliminary nominations using a well-defined process approved by the TC/PTC in order to form a final list of preliminary nominations.
    
9. The final list of preliminary nominations shall be voted on by the full TC/PTC using a well-defined process approved by the TC/PTC in order to form the final set of nominations to be forwarded to the SPS Awards Board by 1 September. Each nomination may be forwarded along with a summary of supporting material not to exceed 300 words.

Suggested Technical Committee and Special Interest Group Award Nomination Procedure. The following section lists a suggested step-by-step procedure for paper awards nomination that can be used by TC/PTCs.

Step 1. TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee formation: see Item c above.

Step 2. List of preliminary nominations: Between 1 May and 15 July, the TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee compiles a set of preliminary nominations for awards. Each TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee is responsible for proactively soliciting preliminary nominations from within or outside the TC. Any individual member of the society or broader technical community is eligible to make one or more preliminary award nominations including members of the TC/PTC and the TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee. Sources for nominations may include engineers/scientists who have made significant advances or major new directions in the field, authors of highly cited journal papers in the technical area of the TC/PTC, top downloaded papers from IEEE Xplore, journal versions of conference papers that obtained best paper awards, and preliminary nominations from the previous year that were not selected and are still eligible.

Step 3. Final list of preliminary nominations: see item d. The TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee may pare down the number of preliminary nominations based on a careful review. For example, the Awards Subcommittee may choose to select the 3 most worthy preliminary nominations in each category based on careful review. In addition, if a preliminary nomination is viewed as being without technical merit, it may be removed from consideration by a majority vote of the TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee. Moreover, all invalid preliminary nominations should be removed in this step.

Step 4. Anonymous review of paper award nominations: Each paper award nomination in the final list of preliminary nominations is anonymously reviewed by at least two experts. The Awards Subcommittee Chair makes the award review assignments and the Awards Subcommittee members act as auditors for the review and voting process. These reviews should comment on the strengths and weaknesses of the paper, its potential impact, and conclude with the reviewers’ opinion of whether or not the paper should be considered as the TC's nominee.

Step 5. Review by TC/PTC Members: (amended 20 October 2022) By approximately July 30, all nominations along with associated reviews for paper nominations should be circulated to all TC/PTC members for consideration. During this period, TC/PTC members can make comments to the TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee. At its discretion, the TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee then has the option of circulating to the TC/PTC membership a balanced selection and/or summary of comments along with possibly expert rebuttal if this is deemed to be of value.

Step 6. TC/PTC Vote. See item e. Below is a suggested procedure for use in voting.

The suggested voting procedure occurs in two rounds. In the first round of voting, each voting TC/PTC member may vote for up to 3n preliminary nominations in each award category, where n is the number of awards that can be given in that category. The TC/PTC Awards Subcommittee then selects the 3n preliminary nominations with the largest number of votes. In the case of a tie, more than 3n nominations may be included.

In the second round of voting, each voting TC/PTC member votes for up to n nominations for each award category, where n is the number of awards that can be given in that category. A preliminary nomination wins the vote if it receives a majority of the responding Technical Committee members votes provided that a quorum of the Technical Committee members respond to the ballot. In the event of a tie, the committee has the two options of a) voting additional times among the tying nominations until a majority vote is achieved; or b) selecting the full set of multiple tying nominations as winners.

Step 7. Submission to Awards Board. Final nominations selected by the TC/PTC along with up to 300 word summaries of supplementary material are forwarded to the SPS Awards Board by 1 September.

SECTION 6: PUBLICATION ACTIVITIES

6.1. Authorship Responsibility and Misconduct. (approved 2 June 2013)

6.1.1. Author Rights and Responsibilities.(amended 20 October 2022)

Authorship and co-authorship of any publication submitted to the IEEE Signal Processing Society in any form should be based on substantial contributions as defined in the IEEE Publications Operations manual, section 8.2.1.A, which include a significant intellectual input, contributions to drafting the article, and approval of the final version accepted for publications. All co-authors have responsibility for work submitted under their names. Co-authors have the right to withdraw their names before acceptance of the article, but no co-author shall be removed without their permission.

Submission of a paper to an IEEE Signal Processing Society journal is taken to mean that all listed authors have agreed to the authorship list and all the contents and confirm that the work is original and that figures, tables and other reported results accurately reflect the experimental work. The use of a co-author’s name in a submission without their consent is unacceptable and will result in corrective actions. Fabrication, falsification or intentional misrepresentation of any aspect is considered misconduct and subject to IEEE sanctions for all authors.

Authors may only submit original work that has not appeared elsewhere in a journal publication, nor is under review for another journal publication. Limited overlap with prior journal publications with a common author is allowed only if it is necessary for the readability of the paper and the paper is cited. It is acceptable for conference papers to be used as the basis for a more fully developed journal submission. Still, authors are required to cite related prior work; the papers cannot be identical; and the journal publication must include novel aspects. The question of whether there is sufficient novelty should be determined by the review process and not by a simple measurement of overlap determined by word count. Overlap with an unreviewed technical report or student thesis with the same authors is allowed if the original work is cited.

All manuscripts submitted for publication will be treated as confidential by Editors, Associate Editors and Reviewers.

6.1.2. Author Misconduct. (amended 20 October 2022)

The IEEE Signal Processing Society recognizes that there are different forms of author misconduct including:

• Research misconduct: Falsification, fabrication and/or misrepresentation of results, committed intentionally or recklessly; intentional misuse of a co-author’s name in a submission without their consent. Research misconduct does not include honest errors.
   
• Plagiarism of the work of others: Plagiarism includes copying someone else’s work without appropriate credit, using someone else’s work without clear delineation of citation, and the uncited reuse of an author’s previously published work that also involves other authors. The IEEE PSPB Operations manual section 8.2.4.D provides guidelines on adjudicating five different levels of severity of plagiarism, including uncredited verbatim copying and uncredited improper paraphrasing of different amounts of text, as well as credited verbatim copying of a major portion of an article without clear delineation. These are intended as guidelines; the impact of the plagiarized material on the originality of the paper should be a primary consideration.
   
• Self-plagiarism: Self-plagiarism involves the reuse of an author’s own prior work without appropriate citation, including substantial overlap in technical content as well as verbatim copying. Uncredited reuse of material from a previously published journal paper that constitutes more than 35% of the submitted SPS manuscript (not necessarily verbatim) is unacceptable and shall be subject to sanctions. Uncredited reuse of a substantial amount of material from a previously published conference paper is also unacceptable.
   
• Multiple submissions: When papers by the same author(s) are being considered for review concurrently and have substantial overlap, as described above for self-plagiarism, they are considered to be multiple submissions. While some societies allow multiple submissions with editorial notice, the IEEE Signal Processing Society does not. If the authors alert the editor that a submitted paper is under review elsewhere (with either an IEEE or non-IEEE publication), they will be asked to withdraw other versions from consideration or withdraw the SPS paper. When the editor is not alerted, a duplicate submission will be considered self-plagiarism.

Uncredited verbatim copying of large amounts of material from another journal paper, whether by other authors or by the same authors, is classified as level 1 or level 2 plagiarism and is reviewed at both the society and the IEEE level.

Plagiarism and self-plagiarism applies to all previously published work, irrespective of whether the other publication is inside or outside of IEEE. All forms of author misconduct are unacceptable and may be subject to corrective actions by the IEEE.

Authors who have questions about whether their paper would violate any of the plagiarism principles should contact the Editor-in-Chief of the journal to which they plan to submit the paper.

6.1.3. Procedures for Investigation of Author Misconduct. (amended 20 October 2022)

The IEEE process for handling allegations of author misconduct involve an investigation by the organizational unit (Signal Processing Society) and subsequent PSPB review for any cases that are not dismissed at the organization level, as documented in the PSPB Operations Manual, section 8.2.4. The process may be initiated by a formal complaint from a reader, reviewer, author, or editorial staff, referenced here as the complainant. Alternatively, it may be initiated by the automatic plagiarism detection software used by IEEE, in which case there is no formal complainant. The investigation process within the Signal Processing Society is described below. All inquiries shall be handled promptly and fairly. All parties relevant to the allegation shall be given the opportunity to respond.

• If the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) learns that an author may have acted improperly, which may include the suspicion of plagiarism, self-plagiarism or research misconduct, then the EIC shall investigate the alleged misconduct. If the EIC has a conflict of interest, they shall report this to the SPS Vice President-Publications who will handle the case. The person handling the case will be referred to as the “investigating officer” in the steps below.
   
• The investigating officer should request material from the complainant to document the case, as described in PSPB Operations Manual Section 8.2.4.A If the investigating officer determines that is clearly not a case of misconduct, a letter of dismissal will be sent to the complainant. Otherwise, the SPS Staff will inform the PSPB chair of the investigation, the investigating officer will appoint one or two experts to confidentially investigate the allegation, and the investigating officer will inform the accused authors of the allegation and request a reply within 2 weeks.

1. The Ad Hoc Committee will review the material from the complainant, seek external help if needed, determine the type of misconduct and level of severity, and recommend corrective actions. The report should typically be prepared within 3 weeks, but extensions of up to a month may be approved for difficult cases. The institutions that funded the work, where the work was performed, or that employ the author(s) are not to be contacted, unless there is explicit information that any such institution has already investigated the issue.
    
2. Based on the Ad Hoc Committee report and the author response, the investigating officer shall make a decision within 2 weeks as to whether misconduct has been found and if so at what level. For all decisions, the investigating officer shall notify the SPS Vice President-Publications and the SPS Office.
   
   1. If no misconduct is found, the investigating officer will notify the authors and the complainant. The SPS Office or the investigating officer will notify the IPR office and the PSPB chair.
       
   2. If it is determined that there was misconduct, the investigating officer shall communicate the decision to the authors and the complainant and provide the authors with instructions for appeal, if they so choose. The authors may appeal the decision to the SPS Vice President-Publications. If the investigating officer is the SPS Vice President-Publications, they may appeal the decision to the PSPB chair.
       

      In either case, the investigating officer shall notify the authors of the decision no sooner than 30 days and no later than 90 days after they were first notified of the review.

3. If there is an appeal to the Vice President-Publications, they will consider all previous reports and the author appeal, and they shall communicate the decision within 2 weeks to the authors, complainant, and SPS Office.
    
4. If there is no appeal or if the Vice President-Publications concurs that there has been misconduct, the implementation of corrective actions will depend on the severity of the misconduct.
   
   1. For research misconduct or plagiarism level 1 or 2, the SPS Office will inform the PSPB Chair with recommendations of corrective actions, and the PSPB will review the case and determine the corrective actions.
   2. For lower-level plagiarism or self-plagiarism cases, the SPS Office shall then implement the decision.

6.1.4. Corrective Actions for Author Misconduct.

The IEEE Signal Processing Society will consider the following sanctions for manuscripts identified before publication.

1. Research misconduct and plagiarism level 1 or 2 shall be subject to IEEE PSPB recommendations for corrective actions, which may include:
   
   1. The manuscript at issue shall be immediately REJECTED.
   2. All authors (that is, any single, paired, or group of authors) of the manuscript shall be prevented from submitting new manuscripts to any IEEE publication for the period of 3-5 years from the date of sanction;
   3. Immediate rejection of all articles currently in review by any of the author(s), regardless of the stage of peer review; and
   4. The author(s) shall be required to write a letter of apology to the plagiarized author(s) and the publication editor.
       
2. Other cases of plagiarism involving significant technical content:
   
   1. The manuscript at issue shall be immediately REJECTED.
   2. All authors (that is, any single, paired, or group of authors) of the manuscript shall be prevented from submitting new manuscripts to any IEEE publication for the period of 1-3 years from the date of sanction;
   3. Immediate rejection or automatic withdrawal of all articles currently in review by any of the author(s), regardless of the stage of peer review; and
   4. The author(s) shall be required to write a letter of apology to the plagiarized author(s) and the publication editor.
       
3. Plagiarism of brief sections of background material that does not impact the technical contribution:
   
   1. For the first offence, the manuscript at issue shall be immediately REJECTED and the author(s) given a warning notice.
   2. For subsequent offences, the case should be handled as for other instances of plagiarism above.
       
4. Multiple submissions and self-plagiarism of a journal paper:
   
   1. The manuscript at issue shall be immediately REJECTED.
   2. All authors (that is, any single, paired, or group of authors) of the manuscript shall be prevented from submitting new manuscripts to any IEEE publication for the period of 1 year from the date of sanction; and,
   3. Automatic withdrawal of all articles currently in review by any of the author(s), regardless of the stage of peer review, except for manuscripts involving innocent co-authors.
       
5. Self-plagiarism of a conference paper:
   
   1. For the first offence, the manuscript at issue shall be immediately REJECTED and the author(s) given a warning notice.
   2. For the second offence, the manuscript at issue shall be immediately REJECTED and the author(s) prohibited from resubmission for 6 months.
   3. For subsequent offences, the case should be handled as for other instances of self-plagiarism above.
       
6. Combinations of plagiarism and self-plagiarism shall be considered more severe than either alone.

Papers that have a substantial overlap with another paper by the same authors, where the overlapping paper is appropriately cited, may be rejected without review by the Editor-in-Chief for lack of novelty, but they are not considered self-plagiarism and not subject to sanctions.

For manuscripts identified after publication, the IEEE Signal Processing Society will consider publication of a notice of violation of Publication Principles in the article’s bibliographic record, as specified in the PSPB Operations Manual section 8.2.4.E.

6.2. Protection of Intellectual Property. (amended 2 June 2013)

6.2.1. Copyright.

As provided by IEEE Policy, all technical, educational and professional publications, including Society newsletters, are required to be copyrighted by the IEEE. Copyright is held by the Institute itself and not by the Society.

In further keeping with IEEE policy, the Society shall ensure that, prior to publication, all authors or their employers shall transfer to the IEEE in writing any copyright they hold for their individual papers. Such transfer shall be necessary for publication, except for material in the public domain or reprinted from a copyrighted publication. In return, the IEEE shall grant authors and their employers permission in writing to make copies and otherwise reuse the material under terms approved by the IEEE Publication Services and Products Board, which shall be specified in the PSPB Operations Manual. This includes electronic posting of accepted article preprints, as described in Section 8.1.9.

For jointly sponsored conferences, which might require special copyright arrangements, those arrangements shall be made in accordance with the procedures which shall be specified in the PSPB Operations Manual.

Inquiries regarding IEEE copyright shall be referred to the IEEE Intellectual Property Rights Office.

6.2.2. Property Rights.

No member or other individual may assign to any other organization or individual, ownership, whether in whole or in part, of any Society products, services, or other property, without the express, written consent of the Executive Committee.

6.2.3. Plagiarized Work Published by the Society. (approved 18 October 2008).

When authors plagiarize work published by the Society, whether in its periodicals or conference publications, the Society volunteer leader who is the nominal “publisher” of the periodical or conference publication will contact the publisher of the offending paper to request an investigation of the offense in a specified period. If the publisher of the offending paper does not undertake an investigation, or does not respond timely to the request, then the relevant society leader will undertake an investigation on behalf of the Society and will recommend a sanction to the Society’s Publications Board, if appropriate. In any event, the Society may take action, and also report the outcome of the Society’s decision to IEEE for the sanctioned author list.

6.3. Editor-in-Chief Nomination Procedures.

1. Nomination. The Vice President-Publications shall make an open solicitation for Editor-in-Chief nominations, which shall stay open for a period of three months. Such solicitation shall occur no later than one year prior to the conclusion of the current Editor-in-Chief’s term.
    

   Nominations for the Editor-in-Chief shall be restricted to individuals who have previously served as associate editor on an IEEE publication, and who are members in good standing of the IEEE and of the Society. It is strongly recommended that a slate of at least two names be brought forward for each position coming vacant.

2. Willingness to Serve. (amended 20 October 2022) The Vice President-Publications shall obtain, in writing, from each individual who has received a nomination, a written assurance of willingness and ability to serve if elected.
    

   Individuals who agree to be nominated shall be required to provide a brief biography and a statement of candidacy. These shall be circulated to the Executive Committee by the Vice President-Publications, via e-mail, at least two weeks before the meeting at which the slate of names will be discussed.

   The Executive Committee will review the candidates’ biographies and statements of candidacy and shall provide to the Vice President-Publications, at the meeting, its endorsement of the preferred candidate, along with any additional comments. Should the Executive Committee not endorse any of the nominees, the Vice President-Publications shall provide at least two new nominations within one month of the meeting. An e-mail ballot of the Executive Committee shall than be conducted by the Executive Director and the results reported within 15 days.

   Upon endorsement of a nominee by the Executive Committee, the Editor-in-Chief will then be appointed by the Vice President-Publications. The Vice President-Publications will notify all candidates of the final decision. Once the candidates have been notified, the Vice President-Publications will notify the Publications Board and the SPS Publications Office on the outcome of the appointment process.

6.4. Associate Editors, Senior Area Editors, Deputy Editors-in-Chief. (amended 20 October 2022).

Associate Editors, Senior Area Editors, and Deputy Editors-in-Chief for a publication shall be nominated by the Editors-in-Chief and must be a current member of the IEEE and the Signal Processing Society in good standing. To nominate an Associate Editor, Senior Area Editor, or Deputy Editor-in-Chief, the Editor-in-Chief must submit a nomination form and the nominee’s short bio to the Publications Board. Any member of the Publications Board may raise an objection to or a concern about a nomination, in which case the nomination is held pending further discussion within the Publications Board. If there are no objections within seven days, the nominee is confirmed. However, in special situations where there is an exceptional Associate Editor candidate that is not an IEEE and/or Society member, but whose expertise would be a benefit to the journal that cannot be obtained from other sources, the Society's Vice President-Publications has the authority to grant exceptions for the membership requirement. The Editor-in-Chief would provide their rationale for the candidate to the Society's Vice President-Publications. The membership exception is expected to be rare and would be granted only once per candidate for up to a three year term with no option for the one year term extension described below. A list of exceptions will be maintained by the SPS Executive Office.

The role of the Associate Editor is to manage manuscripts through the peer review process, as specifically stated in the Society’s Guide for Associate Editors, and to contribute, as a member of the Editorial Board, to maintaining the health and quality of the publication. Associate Editors shall have an initial term of no more than three years. After their initial term, Associate Editors may be extended up to two additional years. Associate Editor candidates should have obtained their Ph.D. degree at least five years before the date of nomination, or have a record of equivalent experience in the peer review process.

The role of the Senior Area Editor is to manage manuscripts through the immediate reject process, advise the Editor-in-Chief in selecting Associate Editors, assist with managing the peer review process for difficult cases, as specifically stated in the Society’s Guide for Senior Area Editors, and to contribute, as a member of the Editorial Board, to maintaining the health and quality of the publication. Senior Area Editors shall have an initial term of no more than three years. After their initial term, Senior Area Editors may be extended up to two additional years. Senior Area Editor candidates should have completed a term as Associate Editor, possibly in a different journal, or have a record of equivalent experience.

The role of the Deputy Editor-in-Chief is to assist the Editor-in-Chief with the day-to-day operations as well as strategic planning for the publication. The delegation of tasks from the Editor-in-Chief to the Deputy Editors-in-Chief is at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief carries the ultimate responsibility for all the tasks delegated to the Deputy Editors-in-Chief.

Deputy Editor-in-Chief positions may be established at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. The number of Deputy Editor-in-Chief positions for a publication should be appropriate for the volume of manuscripts submitted to the publication, and is subject to approval by the Society’s Vice President-Publications.

Deputy Editors-in-Chief shall have an initial term of no more than three years. After their initial term, Deputy Editors-in-Chief may be extended up to two additional years. Deputy Editor-in-Chief candidates should have completed a term as Senior Area Editor, possibly in a different journal, or have a record of equivalent experience.

During their formal terms, Associate Editors, Senior Area Editors, and Deputy Editors-in-Chief shall be voting members of the Editorial Board for the publication to which they were appointed. It shall be understood that, regardless of the formal term of service, Associate Editors, Senior Area Editors, and Deputy Editors-in-Chief shall serve until their workload has been completed; however, voting membership on the Editorial Board shall be for the formal term only. Associate Editors, Senior Area Editors, and Deputy Editors-in-Chief may serve more than one term for the same journal; however, such terms shall not be consecutive and shall have a minimum break of two years between service. No time break is required if an Associate Editor is moving to a position of Senior Area Editor, or if a Senior Area Editor is moving to a position of Deputy Editor-in-Chief, or if an Associate Editor, Senior Area Editor, or Deputy Editor-in-Chief is moving to an Editor position for a different journal.

The Editor-in-Chief shall have the right to terminate the terms of Associate Editors, Senior Area Editors, and Deputy Editors-in-Chief. Appeals of such action by the Editor-in-Chief shall be to the Society's Vice President-Publications, who shall have final authority in the matter.

The Society encourages outgoing and incoming Editors-in-Chief to work in coordination to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities for their journals. The selection of editorial board members, whose terms start on or after the term of the incoming Editor-in-Chief, is the responsibility of the incoming Editor-in-Chief. Prior to the start of their term, new Editors-in-Chief may submit their recommendations for new members to the Society's Vice President-Publications, who would then seek the consent of the Publications Board on their behalf.

6.5. Overview Papers. (approved 31 March 2012)

Overview articles may be published in the regular SPS Transactions are intended to be of solid technical depth and lasting value and should provide advanced readers with a thorough overview of various fields of interest.

1. Authors interested in submitting overview articles are required to consult first with the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of their Transactions of choice before submitting a white paper proposal. White papers are limited to 2-pages and should motivate the topic, justify the proposal, and include a list of relevant bibliography including any available tutorial or overview articles related to the subject matter. The authors should also attach IEEE-style bios. White paper proposals should be submitted directly to the EiC.
    
2. The EiC solicits input from the Editorial Board on whether to encourage submission of a full paper. The EiC may also consult the leadership of one or more of the Society’s Technical Committees related to the topic of the proposed overview paper. Based on the feedback received from the Editorial Board, the EiC either discourages the author(s) from submitting a full-fledged manuscript or forwards it to the Publication Board for approval. If approved, the EiC encourages submission of a full manuscript within a three-month window through Manuscript Central. As a result of the feedback from the Editorial Board, the EiC may determine that the Overview Article is more suitable to some other Transactions and may contact the EiC of that Transactions.
    
3. If approved for submission, the overview article is subject to the same rigorous review process as all other regular submissions. The official submission date of the manuscript is counted from the time the full manuscript is submitted to the Transactions. It is expected that the time from submission to publication of accepted Overview Articles will not to exceed one year. Overview articles may be up to twice as long as a regular paper. In order to limit interference with the publication of regular manuscripts in the Transactions, the publication of overview articles is limited to at most one article per issue and averaging four per year in each Transactions.

6.6. Special Issues. (amended 23 May 2004)

The Signal Processing Society encourages the development and publication of special issues of periodicals when: (a) a broad cross-section of the technical community can be served; (b) to call attention to cutting-edge technology; (c) to establish a publication with the community it was designed to serve. The Guidelines for Special Issues are posted on the Society's website.

6.6.1. Approval of Special Issues. (amended 23 May 2004)

Approval of proposals for publication of special issues shall be the responsibility of the Society's Publications Board provided that: (a) the proposal is endorsed by one or more of the Society's Technical Committees; (b) the proposal indicates the name(s) and contact information of the special issue editor(s); (c) page budgets will not be exceeded; (d) expense budgets will not be exceeded; and, (e) publication of the normal queue of submitted papers will not be significantly delayed. The proposal shall follow the Guidelines for Special Issues.

6.6.2. Cooperative Special Issues. (amended 25 July 2012)

When the opportunity for publication of a special issue cooperatively with one or more IEEE Society or other organizations shall arise, and such publication shall provide a significant service to the Society's membership, the following procedures shall obtain:

6.6.2.1.

The steps in the process of creating cooperative special issues are: Step 0) The Editor-in-Chief of the SPS publication involved should alert the Vice President-Publications that the joint proposal is under development and identify the collaborative organization. 1) A proposal and Call for Papers be created by the potential cooperative special issue editors; 2) The proposal and the Call for Papers be approved by the Society's Publications Board; 3) Approval shall be sought by the Publications Board from the Society's Executive Committee to assure that a budget for the activity is established and also reflected in the Society's budget; 4) Call for Papers be issued and publicized by the IEEE Signal Processing Society and other cooperative organization(s); and 5) Usual editorial processes follow as the responsibilities of the cooperative special issue editors and as specified in the Call for Papers.

6.6.2.2.

The Call for Papers shall be disseminated to all Society members whose technical interests would permit their participation in the cooperative special issue. Additionally, appropriate participation by the Society's community of editors and reviewers shall be encouraged.

6.6.2.3.

At the time of dissemination of the Call for Papers, the IEEE Transactions/Journals Department will be notified, so that appropriate planning with that department and vendors can be planned.

6.6.2.4.

For three issues prior to publication, the Society's transactions and magazine shall publicize the special issue and the date of its availability, to call it to the attention of the regular subscribers and others who may choose to purchase the single issue.

6.7. Requirements Imposed by IEEE and/or TAB. (approved 10 June 2000)

6.7.1. Time from Submission to Publication. (amended 15 September 2011)

Manuscripts published in all IEEE transactions/journals shall provide, on the first page, the date that the manuscript was initially received and the date on which the manuscript was received in finalized form from the author for publication. These two dates will serve to define the start and end of the review process.

6.8. Publication Activities, Appeal of Editorial Decision. (approved 10 June 2000)

The editorial policy of the journals sponsored by the IEEE Signal Processing Society are determined by the Society, within the framework and policies established by the IEEE Publication Activities Board and the IEEE Board of Directors. Implementation of these policies shall be the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief of the publication.

The major criteria for publication of manuscripts in the publications sponsored by the IEEE Signal Processing Society shall be novelty and quality, based on the recommendation of the independent reviewers, and determined by the Associate Editor assigned to the manuscript. Authors wishing to appeal the decision of an Associate Editor shall make a request, in writing, to the Editor-in-Chief. If the Editor-in-Chief believes that additional, independent review is warranted, they may select independent reviewers, in consultation with the Editorial Board. The results shall be communicated to the author by the Editor-in-Chief. Thus, the Editor-in-Chief shall be, in general, the final authority on matters of content and appropriateness of material in the publication.

In the event the author(s) wishes to pursue the matter further, a decision would be made by the Vice President-Publications, with the advice and consent of the Signal Processing Society Publications Board. This decision shall be communicated to the author by the SPS Vice President-Publications.

In the event of a challenge to review or publishing actions which cannot be resolved at the Society level, the IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities shall be the IEEE officer with cognizance of the appeals process. An appeal of an editorial decision must be submitted within 60 days of final notification of the decision to the IEEE Staff Executive, Publications, who will acknowledge receipt of appeal and inform the IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities within 30 days. The IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities shall, within 30 days of receipt of a written appeal, determine whether the dispute merits a formal arbitration process. For arbitration, the Vice President of Publication Activities shall appoint an individual who shall, in consultation with all the parties to the dispute and with the assistance of knowledgeable members of the professional community, assess the merits of the dispute and recommend a resolution. The recommendation shall be presented to the IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities for review within 120 days of the receipt of the complaint. The decision, which shall be binding on the IEEE entity which is party to the dispute, shall be made within 15 days of the receipt of the recommendation by the IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities, and shall be reported to the IEEE Publication Activities Board.

6.9. Overlength Page Charges. (amended 20 October 2022)

The IEEE Signal Processing Society encourages authors to publish papers within the approved page limit. Papers of excessive length take space that could be used to publish a greater number of manuscripts. Publication values for the Society’s periodicals are high and the expense is significant, so extra pages add extra cost of publication and mailing. To encourage authors to remain, as much as possible, within the approved manuscript length limit, the Society has instituted Overlength Page Charges. Such charges encourage tightly written exposition of ideas and help to defray publication expenses when the manuscript length limit must be exceeded.

As published in the Information for Authors, payment of overlength page charges is the responsibility of the author(s) although, in some cases, the author(s) employer may defray this charge. The overlength page charge fee is set by the Society and approved by IEEE, and may not be suspended.

The author(s), upon submission of a manuscript, affirms by signature on one copy of the manuscript, and by mere submission of the manuscript to the Signal Processing Society, that the author(s) does/do agree to pay any overlength page charges accruing to that manuscript. Any and all authors who refuse, for whatever reason, to meet the obligation of payment of overlength page charges for any paper will be constrained from future publication of any and all manuscripts that are in excess of the approved page limit.

6.10. Advertising in Signal Processing Society Publications. (amended 10 May 2014)

IEEE Signal Processing Magazine shall be the primary venue for advertising Society events, products, and services. Ads shall be arranged, through the IEEE Magazine Advertising Department, at an advantageous Society-only rate.

The Society’s conferences and technical meetings shall be required to run an ad of at least ½ page in size, in an issue of IEEE Signal Processing Magazine to advertise the event. Further, such an ad shall be a prerequisite for free advertising, on a space available basis, in the most appropriate Society transactions or letters.

The Society’s major conferences shall be required to run their Call for Papers in the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine. One Call for Papers advertisement shall be allotted to the major conferences (ICASSP and ICIP) at no charge.

6.11. Scopes of Society Sponsored Journals. (approved 11 September 2003)

6.11.1. IEEE Signal Processing Magazine.

IEEE Signal Processing Magazine publishes tutorial-style articles on signal processing research and applications, as well as columns and forums of interest. Its coverage ranges from fundamental principles to practical implementation, reflecting the multidimensional facets of interests and concerns of the community. Its mission is to bring up-to-date, emerging and active technical developments, issues, and events to the research, educational, and professional communities. It is also the main Society communication platform addressing important issues concerning all members.

6.11.2. IEEE Signal Processing Transactions and Letters.

The scopes of the IEEE Signal Processing Society’s transactions and letters shall be as described in the EDICS for each of those publications.

6.11.3. Amendments to Scope.

6.11.3.1. IEEE Signal Processing Society Magazine.

Any recommendation for change to the scope of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine shall be forwarded to the Society’s Publications Board for review, deliberation, approval, and recommendation to the Society’s Board of Governors for adoption.

6.11.3.2. IEEE Signal Processing Society Transactions and Letters.

Any recommendation for change to the scope of any of the transactions or the letters published by the IEEE Signal Processing Society shall be made via a recommendation for change of EDICS. Such recommendation(s) may arise from one or more of the Society’s committees or boards, or may be recommended by the Editor-in-Chief of the cognizant transactions or letters. Changes to EDICS shall be reviewed, deliberated, and adopted by the Society’s Publications Board.

6.11.4. Publication of Periodical Scopes.

The scope of the IEEE Signal Processing Magazine shall be published in a prominent location in each issue of the Magazine.

The scope of any transactions or letters, as contained in the EDICS, shall be published in each issue of that publication.

The scopes of all IEEE Signal Processing Society-sponsored periodicals shall be published on the Society’s web site and may also be published on the IEEE web site.

6.12. Publication of Obituaries in IEEE Signal Processing Society Transactions and Journals. (amended 8 June 2020)

An obituary, with photo included, of no more than one page, will be published in IEEE Signal Processing Magazine only for individuals who are a member of IEEE and of the IEEE Signal Processing Society who are recognizable in the signal processing technical community for the discovery or development of a seminal engineering principle. Decisions regarding obituaries and individual’s credentials will be approved by the Executive Committee.

The IEEE Signal Processing Magazine may also publish a Special Remembrance section for Signal Processing Society members who did not meet the above noted criteria for an obituary.

No other Society periodical publication or technical meeting publication (proceedings or program) will publish any obituaries or memorial material.

6.13. Complimentary Membership for Special Guest Editors. (amended 20 October 2022)

In accordance with Society policy, individuals having fiduciary responsibility for Society activities are required to be Members of the Society they serve. This means that all Guest Editors of Special Issues must be a Signal Processing Society Member.

The Signal Processing Society will provide the Guest Editor(s) of a Special Issue of one of the Society’s solely owned journals, a complimentary Affiliate Society membership for the term as Guest Editor. This offer is only available to Guest Editors who are not current Members of the Society.

6.14. Handling of Manuscripts Authored by Publication Volunteers. (amended 20 October 2022)

All IEEE Signal Processing Society volunteers that are involved in the publications process should avoid every perception of conflict of interest. IEEE Signal Processing Society publications have established procedures to ensure that no one can acquire unauthorized access to privileged information. The procedures ensure that the identities of reviewers for papers authored by editors or other publication volunteers are not divulged to the authors and cannot be accessed by them. In particular, manuscripts submitted by publication volunteers are handled by another member of the editorial board; reports and recommendations for volunteer-authored papers, when submitted to the author, omit the names and other identifying information for reviewers; and access restrictions to ensure reviewer privacy from authors are also enforced in the electronic publication management systems used for IEEE Signal Processing Society publications.

When an Editor-in-Chief submits a paper to their journal, the Vice President-Publications of the Society should be notified promptly by the journal staff and by the Editor-in-Chief. The Vice President-Publications or another Editor-in-Chief (if the Vice President-Publications has a conflict) will then oversee the review process of the paper. The person overseeing the paper can delegate the handling of the review process to an associate editor, and the Editor-in-Chief is removed completely from the editorial handling of the manuscript.

Editors-in-Chief and the Vice President-Publications should not put forward special issue proposals during their terms. If an Editor-in-Chief has a conflict with a Guest Editor of a special issue, they should recuse themselves from the discussion and decision of the special issue approval during the Publications Board deliberations.

6.15. Publication Queues. (approved 11 November 2009)

The Society shall have a publication zero queue policy for all solely owned Society journals. The Editors-in-Chief are responsible for managing the page budget for their journal so no queues build-up during any calendar year. If a publication queue forms, the Editor-in-Chief should request a queue release from the Vice President-Publications with rationale. Upon approval by the Vice President-Publications, the Vice President-Publications requests the queue release from the Executive Committee. In the event, a queue release is approved by the Executive Committee, the Editor-in-Chief is responsible for managing the queue release for the approved pages, as well as bringing the publication page budget under control for the calendar year for which the queue release has been approved.

6.16. Handling of Rejected Papers. (amended 20 October 2022)

Authors of a manuscript that has been rejected, from any journal, except for reasons of scope, are allowed to resubmit their manuscript only once. At the time of submission, authors will be asked whether they consider their manuscript to be a new submission or a resubmission of an earlier rejected manuscript. If the authors indicate that their manuscript is a new submission, then the review process will follow the regular procedure.

If authors indicate instead that their manuscript is a resubmission of a manuscript, previously rejected, from any journal, except for reasons of scope, then they are required to upload a supporting document detailing how the new resubmission has addressed the concerns raised during the previous review. If the manuscript is resubmitted to the same journal, authors may also request that the resubmission be handled by the same Associate Editor, if the Associate Editor has not retired from the board. The Editor-in-Chief will do their best effort to accommodate the author’s request while taking into consideration the balancing of the workload among the Associate Editors of the editorial board of the journal. A new Associate Editor may also be assigned to the manuscript by the Editor-in-Chief.

Even when the manuscript is flagged by the authors to be a resubmission of an earlier rejected paper, the manuscript will be treated as a new submission with a new submission date; it is not treated as an RQ version.

The assigned Associate Editor can use the previous reviewers or a new set of reviewers, or a mix of old and new reviewers. It is preferable that the Associate Editors use some of the previous reviewers to help ascertain that the revision has addressed the concerns of the earlier review cycle. The selection of the reviewers is left to the discretion of the Associate Editor.

If the authors indicated during the submission process that their manuscript is a new submission and it is found during the review process that the manuscript is very similar to an earlier rejected paper, then the manuscript may be immediately rejected.

6.17. Sanction of Publications. (approved 11 October 2018)

Publications (transactions, journals, magazines, letters, etc.) shall require the following approvals in order to be published under the auspices of and/or with the support of the Society:

6.17.1. (a) New Publications

1. Financial:

New Publications in which the Society is a financial sponsor shall require the following clearances:

1. Review and approval by the Publications Board, including approval of the scope and budget
2. Approval by the Executive Committee
3. Approval by the Board of Governors
4. Approval by the IEEE.

2. Technical Co-Sponsor:

New Publications in which the Society is a technical co-sponsor shall require the following clearances:

1. Review and approval by the Publications Board, including approval of the scope and budget
2. Approval by the Executive Committee.

6.17.2 (b) Change in Financial Sponsorship Status

Publications in which the Society is changing the financial sponsorship status, such as a merger with additional sponsors, separation of sponsor(s), etc. shall require the following clearances:

1. Review and approval by the Publications Board, including approval of the scope and budget
2.  Approval by the Executive Committee
3. Approval by the Board of Governors
4. Approval by the IEEE.

6.17.3 (c) Change in Publications Method

Publications in which the Society is changing its mode of publication style, such as a hybrid model to open access model shall require the following clearances:

1. Review and approval by the Publications Board, including approval of the scope and budget
2. Approval by the Executive Committee
3. Approval by the Board of Governors
4. Approval by the IEEE.

6.18. Termination of Publications. (approved 11 October 2018)

Publications (transactions, journals, magazines, letters, etc.) shall require the following approvals in order to be considered for termination by the Society.

Publications in which the Society is a financial sponsor shall require the approval of the Board of Governors. For final termination procedures of a Publication within IEEE, refer to PSPB Operations Manual 8.4.2.

SECTION 7: CONFERENCE, WORKSHOP AND TECHNICAL MEETING ACTIVITIES (amended 13 November 2020)

7.1. About the Starting and Terminating of Conferences

7.1.1. Criteria for Technical Co-Sponsorship by the Signal Processing Society. (amended 13 November 2020)

The criteria for technical co-sponsorship falls into six broad categories: 1) personnel, 2) publicity and history, 3) topical, 4) logistics, 5) outreach, and 6) proceedings.

7.1.1.1. Personnel.

1. Familiarity with key conference organizers (including but not limited to the chair and technical program chair), including their research visibility, their volunteer record in SPS, and their past experience in conference organization. Organizers should submit IEEE-style biographies with the proposal for co-sponsorship.
2. Participation of a few Technical Committees (TC) members in the conference Technical Program Committee (PTC). This is a suggestion rather than a requirement; a TPC with many individuals who meet the criteria in the previous bullet but are not current TC members would be viewed favorably.

7.1.1.2. Publicity and History.

1. Quality and completeness of Call for Papers and web page.
2. Existence of the web page and conference program on the web, for a period of at least five years, so that a record of past conferences is publicly maintained. This is especially critical for workshops.
3. Organizers should submit the conference history of co-sponsorships, attendance, and prior programs.

7.1.1.3. Topical.

1. The conference topic must be a good match to the SPS TC’s interests and will be gauged by the interest shown by TC members during the discussion.
2. The theme and focus of the conference will be considered, as to whether it fills a topical niche with respect to other events.  For workshops, well focused events on emerging topics are preferable to small conferences about a broad variety of topics.

7.1.1.4. Logistics.

1. The conference should not have time conflicts with other SPS conferences nor with relevant non-SPS conferences.
2. An argument for the reasonableness of general as well as student registration fees should be made, with special emphasis on student registrations; a small discount for students is unlikely to encourage student participation.

7.1.1.5. Outreach.

1. The TC will consider what opportunities are provided by the conference to forge links with other societies, both within and outside of the IEEE.
2. The opportunities to go to under-served areas and to reach hard-to-reach audiences will be considered positively.

7.1.1.6. Proceedings.

IEEE will not include proceedings of a conference in the IEEE Xplore digital library until after it has been sponsored three times by IEEE. After the conference has been sponsored by IEEE for the third time, the proceedings can included in IEEE Xplore for the fourth conference as well as all previous years that were sponsored by IEEE.

7.1.2. Sanction of Conferences. (amended 13 November 2020)

Conferences shall require the following approvals in order to be held under the auspices of and/or with the support of the SPS:

7.1.2.1. New Society Level Conferences (Conferences, Symposia, etc.) (amended 17 November 2022)

1. New Society Level Conferences in which the SPS is the sponsor or co-sponsor shall require the following clearances:
   
   1. Review by the Technical Directions Board
   2. Approval by the Conferences Board
   3. Approval by the Executive Committee
   4. Approval by the Board of Governors
   5. Approval by the IEEE.  

   Subsequent notification shall be made to the cognizant Society Chapter Chair and IEEE Regional Section Chair.

2. New Technical Committee Conferences (Workshops, etc.)
   New Technical Committee Conferences or other new technical meetings sponsored or co-sponsored by one or more of the SPS’s Technical Committees or Chapters, or with other organizations shall require the following clearances:
   1. Approval by the cognizant Technical Committee(s)
   2. Approval by the Conferences Board, including approval of the proposed budget
   3. Approval by the SPS Executive Committee
   4. Approval by the Board of Governors.  

   Subsequent notification shall be made to the cognizant Society Chapter Chair and IEEE Regional Section Chair.

3. Technical Co-Sponsorship.
   Conferences for which SPS provides no direct financial sponsorship, but is involved in the technical program, shall require the approval of the Conferences Board Executive Subcommittee (CBES) who subsequently shall notify the Executive Director.
    
4. In-Kind Sponsorship.
   Conferences for which SPS provides no direct financial sponsorship, in which goods or services are exchanged to bring shared value, shall require the approval of the Conferences Board Executive Subcommittee (CBES) who subsequently shall notify the Executive Director.

7.1.2.2. Ongoing or Repeating Technical Meetings. (ameneded 1 June 2022)

a. SPS Flagship Conferences (ICASSP and ICIP)

SPS Flagship Conferences shall follow the below process, and obtain approvals outline below:

A Call for Proposals shall be issued and promoted to all active SPS Members and posted on the SPS website.

1. Review of the Proposal Pre-screening Form and selection of finalists by the Conferences Board Executive Subcommittee (CBES).
2. Review of the full proposals by the Conferences Board Executive Subcommittee (CBES) to provide feedback to the proposing teams.
3. Ideally, a site visit of the final locations by the VP-Conferences or a Conferences Board Member and the Sr. Manager of Conferences or similar staff member to prepare a joint report for the Conferences Board. Site visit is not required if the location is familiar and the report can be prepared by representatives of the Conferences Board, or if travel is not possible.
4. Presentation of final proposals to the Conferences Board and review of the site visit report.
5. Conferences Board vote to select the proposal, contingent on budget approval by the SPS President-Elect.
6. Approval of the Selected Proposal by the Board of Governors, contingent on budget approval by the SPS President-Elect.
7. Approval by the IEEE.

b.Technical Committee Conferences (Workshops, etc.)

Ongoing or repeating conferences of any description in which SPS has previously participated require approval by the Conferences Board Executive Subcommittee, as well as approval of the proposed budget by the President-Elect. For ongoing or repeating conferences having “technical cooperation” or “in cooperation” status, approval of the Conferences Board Executive Subcommittee shall be required for each instance of SPS participation.

Upon rejection of a conference by the Conferences Board Executive Subcommittee, the rules noted in Policy 7.8.3. shall apply.

Upon approval of a conference, the Vice President-Conferences shall notify the Executive Director.

7.1.3. Termination of Conferences. (amended 13 November 2020)

Conferences shall require the following approvals in order to be considered for termination by SPS.

7.1.3.1. (a) Society Level Conferences.
Society Level Conferences in which SPS is the sponsor or co-sponsor shall require the approval of the Board of Governors.

(b.) Technical Committee Level Conferences.
Formal termination of a Technical Committee Conferences is not required, since these type of Conferences do not exist on a continual basis. The Conferences Board Executive Subcommittee will review and approve each instance of a Technical Committee Level Conference, usually on a yearly basis.

Technical Committee Level Conference can be terminated by the Board of Governors.

7.2. About Meeting Organization

7.2.1. Flagship Conference Date Range. (approved 18 May 2019)

ICASSP should be held between 1 March and 31 May, annually.

ICIP should be held between 1 September and 31 October, annually.

Exceptions can be approved by the Conferences Board.

7.2.2. Dates to Avoid for ICASSP and ICIP. (amended 13 November 2020)

This section defines the dates to avoid for ICASSP and ICIP to ensure that the conferences are accommodating people globally and making it as easy as possible to attend.

7.2.2.1. Major World Holidays and Observances to Avoid.

ICASSP or ICIP shall not occur during the below holidays. This list does not intend to include all holidays in all religions, but rather major religious events which overlapping with a major SPS conference may create significant personal or familiar discomfort.

• Orthodox Christmas
• Chinese New Year
• Ramadan
• Good Friday and Easter Sunday
• Pentecost (Whit Sunday)
• Passover
• Orthodox Good Friday and Easter
• Rosh Hashanah
• Yom Kippur
• Dasara (Vijaya Dashami)
• Muharram/Al-Hijra
• Diwali (Deepawali or Deewali)
• Hanukkah
• Christmas

7.2.2.2. Conferences to Avoid Overlap. (amended 1 June 2022)

ICASSP and ICIP shall not overlap with the below list of conferences, if the dates for any of these conferences have already been decided prior to ICASSP or ICIP proposal approval by SPS. This list contains conferences with similar audiences in which dates may be decided prior to ICASSP or ICIP:

• IEEE International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI)
• IEEE International Conference on Communications (ICC)
• Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Regonotion (CVPR)
• IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV)
• IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM)
• Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS)

7.2.3. Meetings and Workshops of Sister Organizations at Conferences. (amended 13 November 2020)

Sister Societies/Organizations may host technical or other meetings at SPS conferences provided that (1) the meeting does not overlap the technical activities of the conference; (2) no cost associated with the meeting is incurred by the conference or SPS; (3) SPS takes no liability or risk associated with such meetings; and (4) the publicity of such events must be clearly separated from the SPS Conference schedule.

7.2.4. Organizing Committees. (amended 13 November 2020)

A conference Organizing Committee (OC) shall be appointed to manage any and all aspects of a conference sponsored by SPS. Such Organizing Committee shall be chaired by the conference General Chair(s) and shall typically comprise individuals to serve as chairs of the following:

• technical program
• finance
• publications
• publicity
• registration
• local arrangements.

The members of the Organizing Committee shall be appointed by the conference General Chair(s) with the advice and consent of the SPS Conferences Board. Members shall serve a term of office coincident with the planning, execution, and closeout activities for that conference.

Organizing Committee members may make administrative decisions on behalf of the conference, pursuant to the rules and practices of this Society and of the IEEE.

7.3. About Communication and Marketing

7.3.1. E-mail and Other Mailing Lists. (amended 13 November 2020)

All e-mail and postal mailing lists generated by conferences sponsored solely by IEEE Signal Processing Society are solely owned by SPS and may be used only in conjunction with normal IEEE Signal Processing Society sponsored activities, and sent by the SPS Executive Office email tool to ensure compliance with IEEE and Privacy Laws. When a contractor is used for ICASSP, or ICIP it is mandatory that the contractor provide the conference e-mail and postal mailing lists back to SPS, in the proper electronic format, for updating SPS’s master e-mail and postal mailing lists. The contract will specify the information required for Society business. For example, such information should include:

• List of Attendees, including augmented lists from latest meeting
• Full list of all authors that submitted papers
• Full list of all reviewers contacted including those that declined to review

Furthermore, the list must contain the following information in the proper electronic format:

• Name
• Email address
• Postal address
• EDICS, if the person was an author or reviewer
• Profile (i.e. student, faculty, industry)
• Meeting name and date where data was collected

This must be part of the contract signed with the conference management company. If a conference management company is not hired, the chair of the SPS conference is responsible for providing this information.

7.3.2. Logo Usage. (approved 1 May 2012)

Using the IEEE and Signal Processing Society logos achieves "brand recognition" and represents quality.  Because the Signal Processing Society support and its logo are marks of quality, the Conferences Board must review and approve conference proposals to retain the value and meaning of the brand.

Guidelines for the use of the IEEE logo and accompanying logos can be found in IEEE Policy 6.3.2 at IEEE.org.

7.3.2.1. Solely Sponsored and Financially Co-Sponsored Conferences and Workshops. (amended 13 November 2020)

The Signal Processing Society logo is reserved only for conferences and workshops solely sponsored or financially co-sponsored by the Signal Processing Society per Policy 7.1.2. The Signal Processing Society logo must not be used until the Signal Processing Society has formally approved the conference. In addition (even though permission is anticipated), words or expressions such as "IEEE Signal Processing Society sponsorship requested" may not be used.

The sponsored and co-sponsored conference may only use the below Society’s logo in the format provided on the Society's website:

 

7.3.2.2. Chapter or Section Sponsored Conference or Workshops. (amended 13 November 2020)

When a Signal Processing Society chapter organizes/supports a conference, it is the IEEE logo that must be used (not the Signal Processing Society logo), since the event normally belongs to an IEEE Section.

The chapter shall follow IEEE Policy 6.3.2 Guidelines on the Use of the IEEE Logo and "IEEE".

7.3.2.3. Technical Co-Sponsored Conferences. (amended 13 November 2020)

When Signal Processing Society is a technical co-sponsor of a conference for a particular year, the support cannot be assumed for future years. Approval must be obtained from Conferences Board for every event, unless multiples years have been approved.

Technical Co-Sponsored conferences may use the IEEE logo as prescribed in IEEE Policy 10.1.17.

Technical Co-Sponsored conferences may use the Signal Processing Society logo for Technical Co-Sponsorship as shown below, and only after the MOU has been signed by an authorized Society representative.

In addition (even though permission is anticipated), words or expressions such as "IEEE Signal Processing Society technical co-sponsorship requested" may not be used. Misuse of the SPS logo may be grounds for revoking a technical co-sponsorship and future applications for technical co-sponsorship may be refused.

7.3.3. Logos on Conference Websites. (amended 13 November 2020)

No logos of institutions of conference volunteers may appear on any Society solely-owned conference material, including websites. The main web page for conference s may not have any logos other than that of the approved sponsoring entities for the conference. This would mean IEEE and IEEE Signal Processing Society logos only would appear for conferences solely owned by SPS.

7.4. About Finances and Budgets

7.4.1. Conference Banking. (amended 20 October 2022)

All SPS financially sponsored conferences and workshops shall open an IEEE Concentration Bank account as the primary conference bank account for deposit and disbursement of all funds related to the conference. Signatories on these accounts shall include, at a minimum:

1. one General Chair;
2. one Finance Chair;
3. one SPS conference staff member designated by IEEE as required by IEEE policy, must be included as a signatory on Society conference accounts.

A contractor or supplier cannot be a signatory on Society conference accounts.

Upon request and approval by the SPS Vice President-Conferences and SPS President-Elect, a second supplemental bank account may be utilized for local in-country expenses. Conference registration income shall not be deposited directly into this account and must be opened with an IEEE Section/Chapter or a local University in which a key member of the Organizing Committee is affiliated. This bank account would require the below signatories, at a minimum:

1. one General Chair;
2. one Finance Chair;
3. one active member of the SPS Volunteer Leadership, either the VP-Conferences, President-Elect, or Technical Committee Chair associated with the conference who will represent this request;
4. one SPS conference staff member, as requested by IEEE and in accordance with local regulations for staff signatory.

Conferences sponsored by other technical societies may be excluded from the above provisions provided a charter of operations for those organizations is approved by the SPS Board of Governors and the IEEE, and an exclusion is granted by the SPS Vice President-Conferences and SPS President-Elect.

7.4.2. Registration Credit Card Charges - Merchant Services/Payment Gateway. (amended 20 October 2022)

All conferences and workshops must utilize an IEEE Payment Gateway/Merchant Services through IEEE to process any credit card transactions for the conference and workshop. These services are available for all IEEE financially sponsored conferences and can be used by Professional Conference Organizers and Registration providers. Utilizing IEEE services assures PCI (Payment card industry) compliance of the conference.

Exceptions to this process to utilize other Merchant Services/Payment Gateways may be submitted with justification for review by the SPS President-Elect and Vice President-Conferences on a case-by-case basis.

7.4.3. Budgets. (amended 20 October 2022)

All conferences and workshops shall submit a budget for Society review and approval by the SPS President-Elect, prior to final submission with IEEE, at least 1 year prior to the conference for ICASSP and ICIP and at least 6 months before the conference for any other conferences and workshops.

Conference budgets should be prepared using the SPS Budget template, and in accordance with the SPS Conference Organizer Guidelines.

In the preparation of budgets for Society conferences and other activities, it is important to acknowledge the role of the conference budget as a component of SPS's operating budget, and the surplus as a contribution to the new and ongoing member services.

If the Board of Governors or any other Society Board and Committee Meetings will be held in conjunction with a Society sponsored conference at the conference venue at the request of the Board of Governors or Executive Committee, the conference organizers are responsible for allocating the meeting space, catering and equipment, including providing wireless internet access. It is the responsibility of the conference organizers to assure this service is included within the conference budget and provided as requested.

7.4.3.1. Administration Services Fee. (amended 13 November 2020)

All conference and workshop budgets shall include as an expense item, an administration fee equal to 2% of the total (pre-loan) expense budget. Administrative Fee percentage can be adjusted exceptionally, with a proposal by the Vice President-Conferences and approval from both the Conferences Board and the Board of Governors.

7.4.3.2. Monetary Gifts to Local Signal Processing Society Chapters. (amended 20 October 2022)

Each SPS-sponsored conference has the opportunity to provide a donation to the local SPS Chapter where the event is taking place. However, in order for the donation to be executed, the following criteria must first be met:

Society-sponsored conferences may budget up to $5,000 per event. Society flagship conferences may budget up to $10,000 per event. The donation must be included as an expense item in the approved budget and the workshop must meet IEEE required 20% surplus. If the 20% surplus has not been met, the donation amount may be reduced, so SPS meets its projected surplus. If the 20% surplus cannot be met, the SPS Chapter donation will not be issued. Donations will not be allowed to be increased beyond this threshold due to a workshop acquiring a larger than budgeted surplus. Donations are made with the provision that the local SPS Chapter actively participated in the organization of the meeting.

7.4.3.3. Requirement to Balance Budgets. (amended 20 October 2022)

Every conference or workshop with financial sponsorship by SPS will be expected to achieve its approved budgeted surplus, and is expected to maintain a current status of the financial forecast throughout the planning of the event. If the financial forecast projects that the conference may fall below the surplus in the approved budget, the Conference Organizers must report this to SPS for review. Unless an exception is granted by SPS President-Elect and Vice President-Conferences, the conference or workshop will discharge all of its debts and meet the surplus as committed in the original budget.

Each ICASSP and ICIP Organizing Committee shall submit, prior to each Conferences Board meeting, a conference status report utilizing the SPS Semi-Annual Conference Update Template, which shall contain a financial update.

7.4.3.4. Conference Loans/Seed Funding. (approved 20 October 2022)

Conferences financially sponsored by SPS are eligible for a loan or seed funding, if needed, to pay any conference-related expenses prior to receiving income from conference registration or sponsorship. To request a loan, a detailed list of expenses should be provided to SPS Staff for review, and upon approval, the loan shall be issued to the conference’s IEEE Concentration Bank account. All loans are to be repaid to SPS in full at the conclusion of the conference during the conference closing process.

7.4.3.5. Closing of Conference Financials. (amended 20 October 2022)

Conferences financially sponsored by SPS shall meet the IEEE Policy requirements for closing, except with the permission of the Vice President-Conferences and the President-Elect.

7.4.3.6. IEEE Conference Publications Program Revenues - Society Sponsored Conferences. (amended 20 October 2022

Electronic proceedings will be produced by the conference, to be provided to attendees in the format required by IEEE. A copy of that electronic proceedings shall be delivered to SPS staff office immediately upon preparation. If the conference proceedings are also approved for inclusion in IEEE Xplore, a second version of the proceedings in the correct format for IEEE Xplore should be prepared and submitted to IEEE at least 30 days before the conference ends, or in accordance with the Open Preview timeline received by IEEE. No other copies will be produced and no monies will be charged against or credited to the workshop for the conference proceedings.

7.5. About Contracts and Service Providers

7.5.1. Hotel Booking Agents. (amended 13 November 2020)

It shall be the policy of SPS not to use booking agents whose specific purpose is to engage hotel sleeping rooms on behalf of conferences, workshops, or other conferences, and who derive their income from direct payment or commission. When the meeting organizing committee believes an exception to this policy is warranted, a recommendation from the Conferences Board followed by the express, written approval of SPS’s Executive Committee shall be required.

7.5.2. Conference Contractors. (amended 13 November 2020)

Approved Society conferences may, upon approval of their budgets, contract professional management for the conference. Such contractor shall be identified via a detailed Request For Proposal (RFP). Proposals shall be reviewed by the conference team and SPS’s Executive Office prior to selecting a contractor, and before signature of any contract, which shall be reviewed and signed by the IEEE on behalf of SPS.

7.5.3. Payments to Professional Conference Organizers. (amended 13 November 2020)

Professional conference organizers shall submit a detailed, enumerated invoice to SPS Conference staff and the Organizing Committee. The payments will be made from IEEE Concentration Bank account, if funds are available. If funds are not available, SPS shall advance or loan the invoice amount to the conference and process the payment. For financial obligations that are not known until after the surplus has been transferred to SPS, SPS shall be responsible for the payment of the expense charged against the surplus via journal entry.

7.5.4. Hardware/Software Purchases. (amended 13 November 2020)

The Society will not approve, nor will it pay for, the purchase of hardware or the development of software by an approved conference to manage registration, manuscript submission and review, or any other conference-related task, without express action by the Board of Governors. Nor may such expenses be levied against the budgets or any of the Society’s conferences.

7.6. About Papers and Authors

7.6.1. Conference/Workshop Publications.

7.6.1.1. Papers submitted to conferences of the IEEE Signal Processing Society shall be submitted electronically, in a format approved by IEEE to enable inclusion in the online Xplore database. Papers submitted to conferences will be reviewed electronically and the author(s) will be notified of the outcome by electronic means. Finalized manuscripts shall be transmitted electronically to the contracted printer for publication.

7.6.1.2. Requirement of Original Material. (amended 13 November 2020)

Authors of conference papers have the same rights and responsibilities as authors of journal papers (see Section 6.1.1). Authors are required to submit material that is original and that has not been published, or submitted for consideration, elsewhere. Authors misconduct, including fabrication of results and plagiarism of the work of others (see Section 6.1.2), shall be subject to sanctions by IEEE under the rules of Member Conduct. Instances of suspected or documented plagiarism shall immediately be brought to the attention of the conference/workshop General Chair.

Allegations of misconduct by authors of articles in IEEE Signal Processing Society conference or workshop proceedings shall be investigated by the conference/workshop General Chair(s) or (one of) the Technical Program Chairs. The same process for investigation of misconduct will be used as for journal publications (see Section 6.1.3) with the exception that the appeal of a decision will be to the Vice President-Conferences.

7.6.1.3. Conference Publications, Publication of Obituaries. (amended 13 November 2020)

No obituaries will be published in any IEEE Signal Processing Society conference proceedings or programs.

7.6.2. Author Registration. (amended 13 November 2020)

Every regular paper accepted by a conference sponsored by the IEEE Signal Processing Society must have attached to it at least one registration at the full member/non-member rate.

Thus, for a manuscript for which all authors are students, one student author will be required to register at the full registration rate.

For manuscripts where at least one author is already registered at the full rate, this fulfills the obligation for up to four papers.

This policy must be clearly stated on the paper submission and call for papers sections of the conference web site so that authors are informed of it before they are notified of the acceptance of their paper. It should also be stated in the correspondence sent to the author advising the acceptance of their paper.

7.6.3. Conference No Shows. (amended 13 November 2020)

The IEEE Signal Processing Society enforces a "no show" policy. Any accepted paper included in the final program is expected to have at least one author or qualified proxy attend and present the paper at the conference. Authors of the accepted papers included in the final program who do not attend and present at the conference will be added to a "No Show List", compiled by the Society. The "no show" papers will not be published by IEEE on IEEE Xplore® or other public access forums, but these papers will be distributed as part of the on-site electronic proceedings and the copyright of these papers will belong to the IEEE.

Note: For poster sessions, if the speaker is not present in front of the poster for most of the time during the poster session, this implies "no show".

Exceptions to this policy will be made by the Technical Program Chair(s) of the conference only if there is evidence that the "no show" occurred because of unanticipated events beyond the control of the authors, and every option available to the authors to present the paper was exhausted. The “no show” authors may appeal the decision of the Technical Program Chair(s) to the Vice President Conferences.

The Signal Processing Society values diversity. Authors who anticipate inability to travel to a conference because of a government-imposed travel restriction are still encouraged to submit papers. Such papers will be reviewed and accepted on their own merit for publication in conference proceedings, without any knowledge of the author’s travel restriction. Within one week of paper acceptance notification, travel-restricted authors must notify the Technical Program Chair(s) of the conference with proof of their restriction. Substitute presenters may be possible or, depending on conference resources, other accommodations may be available, such as a remote presentation or pre-recorded video.

7.6.4. Handling of Manuscripts Authored by Conference Volunteers. (amended 13 November 2020)

All IEEE Signal Processing Society conferences have established procedures to ensure that no one can acquire unauthorized access to privileged information. The procedures ensure that the identities of reviewers for papers authored by editors or other conference volunteers are not divulged to the authors and cannot be accessed by them. In particular, manuscripts submitted by editors and other conference volunteers are handled by another member of the conference; reports and recommendations for volunteer-authored papers, when submitted to the author, omit the names and other identifying information for reviewers; and access restrictions to ensure reviewer privacy from authors are also enforced in the electronic publication management systems used for IEEE Signal Processing Society conferences.

7.6.5. Conference Paper Plagiarism. (amended 13 November 2020)

[This policy only applies to conference papers. SPS Policy 6.1.3. applies to journal papers.]

7.6.5.1. Requirement for Original Material and Sanctions for Plagiarism and for Duplicate Submission of Conference Manuscripts. (amended 20 October 2022)

Authors are required to submit material that is original and that has not been published, or submitted for consideration, elsewhere. Authors who plagiarize the work of others--who copy the work of another without attribution or appropriate documented permission--shall be subject to sanctions by IEEE. Such behavior not only constitutes a misdeed, but may be actionable by IEEE under the rules of Member Conduct. Instances of suspected or documented plagiarism shall immediately be brought to the attention of the Technical Program Chair(s) of the meeting for notification to IEEE.

In addition, authors who make duplicate submissions of a technical meeting manuscript shall be subject to the sanctions of the IEEE Signal Processing Society. Duplicate submission shall be defined as:

• Crossover of 50% or more in the material of two or more manuscripts;
• Submission of the same manuscript to more than one IEEE technical meeting; or
• Submission to an IEEE SPS technical meeting and one or more technical meetings inside/outside IEEE.

Authors may expand and develop conference papers into journal submissions. However, the authors must cite the conference submission(s) and describe the enhancements made in the journal submission from the conference paper.

The sanctions of the IEEE Signal Processing Society for duplicate submissions are:

• All manuscripts submitted to the Signal Processing Society discovered to be duplicate submissions shall be immediately REJECTED.
• All authors (that is, any single, paired, or group of authors) of the duplicate submission(s) shall be prevented from submitting new manuscripts for the period of one year from the date of sanction; and
• Any author(s) of duplicate submission(s) with papers in review by the Society will have their manuscripts returned to them immediately, regardless of the stage of peer review.  In this way, innocent co-authors will not be harmed by having their manuscript rejected; but the manuscript(s) will automatically be classified as withdrawn from consideration by the Society.

Notification of sanction for duplicate submission shall be to the author(s) from the Technical Program Chair(s) with copies to the SPS Vice President-Conferences.

7.6.5.2. Procedures for Investigation of Author Misconduct. (amended 20 October 2022)

1. If the Technical Program Chair(s) (TPC) of the conference learns that an author may have acted improperly, which may include the suspicion of plagiarism or self-plagiarism, they shall investigate the alleged misconduct. All inquiries shall be handled promptly and fairly. All parties relevant to the allegation shall be given the opportunity to respond.
2. In considering the allegation, the TPC shall appoint an independent ad-hoc committee of experts in the topic to confidentially investigate and make a recommendation on the allegation to the TPC. This ad-hoc committee may seek the advice of the IEEE Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) offices. The institution where the work was performed is not to be contacted, unless there is explicit information that such institution has already investigated the issue.
3. After considering all available evidence in relation to the plagiarism policy of the Signal Processing Society (SPS), the TPC shall communicate the evidence to the authors. The authors may then respond and provide any additional evidence or arguments. Subsequently, the TPC shall make a decision.
4. The TPC shall communicate the final decision to the authors, the SPS Office, and the SPS Vice President-Conferences.
5. Should the authors choose to appeal, they shall be referred to the SPS Vice President-Conferences to handle the appeal process. Further appeals shall be referred to the IEEE PSPB Chair.
6. The SPS Office shall then implement the decision and notify the IEEE Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) office or that person's designee of the inquiry and the decision. In severe cases of misconduct (as specified in the PSPB Operations Manual Section 8.2.4.D and F), the TPC may recommend additional IEEE-level corrective actions to the IEEE PSPB Chair.
7. If the TPC has a conflict of interest, they shall report this to the SPS Vice President-Conferences to find a proper substitute to handle the case.
8. All co-authors of a paper have responsibility for work submitted under their names. (viz. PSPB Operations Manual 8.2.1.A.6)

7.6.5.3. Plagiarized Work Published by SPS. (amended 13 November 2020)

When authors plagiarize work published by SPS, whether in its periodicals or conference publications, SPS volunteer leader who is the nominal "publisher" of the periodical or conference publication will contact the publisher of the offending paper to request an investigation of the offense in a specified period. If the publisher of the offending paper does not undertake an investigation, or does not respond timely to the request, then the relevant society leader will undertake an investigation on behalf of SPS and will recommend a sanction to the SPS’s Conferences Board, if appropriate. In any event, SPS may take action, and also report the outcome of SPS’s decision to IEEE for the sanctioned author list.

7.7. About Awards and Recognition

7.7.1. Recognition at Technical Meetings of SPS Members Who Have Died. (amended 13 November 2020)

Obituaries, as defined in Policy 6.12., may be recognized in one of the IEEE Signal Processing Society flagship conferences. This includes special sessions with no archived papers in IEEE Xplore. Special sessions with archived papers or special issues would have to go through the regular process. Any questions regarding an individual’s credential will be resolved by the Executive Committee.

7.7.2. Presentation of Society Awards and Recognition of SPS Fellows at ICASSP. (amended 13 November 2020)

As per Society bylaw, annual recognition of SPS’s awards is to take place at SPS’s Awards Ceremony, which is held during ICASSP. At the ceremony, SPS will also recognize its members who were recently elevated to the grade of IEEE Fellow.

The Awards Board Chair will work directly with the conference organizers to arrange the date, time, location and duration of the Awards Ceremony. The Awards Board Chair will ensure that the Awards Ceremony be held in a location and at a time that is convenient for most attendees of the conference. The Awards Ceremony will be approximately one hour in length and should be scripted in advance by the Awards Board Chair.

SECTION 8: FINANCIAL/LEGAL/MISCELLANEOUS

8.1. Contracts. (amended 15 September 2011)

All contracts for goods and services on behalf of the Society, whether in the name of the Society or one or more of its boards, committees, conferences, etc., shall be reviewed by IEEE prior to execution.

Whenever possible, contracts for review should be submitted by fax or mail to IEEE at least four weeks prior to the signature deadline date, to allow the appropriate IEEE office time for thorough review and, if necessary, the further engagement of legal or other appropriate advice.

Following completion of the review as detailed above, and upon IEEE approval, contracts may be executed by an appropriate IEEE signatory.

8.2. Budgeting for Society Activities. (amended 30 March 1999)

The Signal Processing Society shall not, as a rule, adopt budgets for Society activities that provide for a deficit. The Society's policy shall be for break-even or better budgets. In the event that deficit budgeting may be necessary to initiate a new activity or preserve ongoing activities, the express permission of the Board of Governors is required.

8.3. Travel Support for Volunteer Leaders. (amended 30 September 2010)
The Society may provide volunteer travel support to specific Boards and representatives as mentioned in these policies. Additional travel support may be provided to other Boards and Committees, as detailed below. The additional support will be reviewed annually by the Executive Committee on behalf of the Board of Governors.

The Board of Governors gives the Executive Committee the authority to modify volunteer travel support levels as necessary due to the Society’s financial situation.

8.3.1. Upon request and submission of appropriate documentation, the Society will reimburse the full expense, within IEEE guidelines, of member travel in the following categories:

8.3.1.1. Travel of the President and President-Elect to meetings of IEEE Technical Activities Board and its associated councils and committees.

8.3.1.2. Travel of members in connection with their services as Society representatives to IEEE-level committees and activities, when such representation has been requested by the Board of Governors or the Executive Committee.

8.3.1.3. Travel of members of the Executive Committee to meetings of that group that are not held in conjunction with a Society conference, workshop, or Board of Governors meeting.

8.3.1.4. (amended 4 October 2012) Travel of the Vice President-Technical Directions to meetings of the Society’s Technical Committees not held in conjunction with ICASSP. Travel and budget approval is needed in advance of the trip by the Society President with a copy to the President-Elect and Executive Office. 

8.3.2. (amended 11 April 2023) Voting and non-voting members of the Board of Governors shall qualify to have their hotel room, at the “host” conference hotel, direct billed to the Society for the ICASSP meeting in the Spring and ICIP meeting series in the Fall. The Society will cover the hotel charge from the night before the Board Member-at-Large’s, Regional Director-at-Large’s, and other member’s first Board or Standing Committee meeting through the night of the Board of Governors meeting; all other nights must be paid by the Board Member. For the Awards Board Chair, the Society will cover the hotel charge from the night before the Awards Ceremony through the night of the Board of Governors meeting. The Officers of the Society are expected to attend the ICASSP and ICIP meeting series in their official capacity and will have their hotel room nights at the “host” hotel covered for the duration of the meeting series.

Voting and non-voting board Members will also be reimbursed for travel expenses associated with the ICASSP and ICIP meeting series, which are: non-refundable, economy class, coach airfare, transfers to/from airport, visa fees, and food for covered days, provided they adhere to IEEE travel policy. With pre-approval by the Society President, Premium Economy airfare and extra legroom (e.g., Economy Plus) seats are permissible for flights with elapsed flight time over 8 consecutive hours for a single segment or over 8 hours flying time when a layover is required. Travel funds may not be used for conference registration. All reimbursement requests must be made through the IEEE reimbursement platform along with the associated receipts.

8.3.3. (amended 26 September 2019) Members of the Publications Board, upon completion and submission of an IEEE reimbursement form and appropriate documentation, shall qualify for reimbursement of travel expense to attend IEEE Panel of Editors meeting. Should the Publications Board meet in conjunction with the Panel of Editors, Publications Board members shall qualify for one day additional reimbursement. Publications Board members are required to adhere to IEEE travel Policy.

Members of the Publications Board shall also qualify for up to $1200 continental or $2100 intercontinental travel per year in travel assistance to only one Publications Board meeting, either at ICASSP or ICIP. Members of the Publications Board may choose which Publications Board meeting they would like to seek travel reimbursement for. Additional travel support up to the same level may be provided to the members of the Publications Board to support a second Board meeting. This support will be determined the preceding year by the Executive Committee after review of the Society’s financial situation. Publications Board members must adhere to IEEE travel policy. Such funds may not be used for conference registration. Such travel funds shall be reimbursed upon submission of appropriate documentation and a completed and signed IEEE reimbursement form.

8.3.4. (amended 26 September 2019) Members of the Conferences Board shall qualify for up to $1200 continental or $2100 intercontinental travel per year in travel assistance to only one Conferences Board meeting, either at ICASSP or ICIP. Members of the Conferences Board may choose which Conferences Board meeting they would like to seek travel reimbursement for. Additional travel support up to the same level may be provided to the members of the Conferences Board to support a second Board meeting. This support will be determined the preceding year by the Executive Committee after review of the Society’s financial situation. Conferences Board members must adhere to IEEE travel policy. Such funds may not be used for conference registration. Such travel funds shall be reimbursed upon submission of appropriate documentation and a completed and signed IEEE reimbursement form.

8.3.5. (approved 6 December 2014) Members of the Membership Board shall qualify for up to $1200 continental or $2100 intercontinental travel per year in travel assistance to the Membership Board meeting at ICASSP. Membership Board members must adhere to IEEE travel policy. Such funds may not be used for conference registration. Such travel funds shall be reimbursed upon submission of appropriate documentation and a completed and signed IEEE reimbursement form.

8.3.6. (approved 6 December 2014) Travel support up to $1200 continental or $2100 intercontinental per person may be provided to voting members of the Technical Directions Board to attend the Board meeting at ICASSP. Travel support will be determined annually by the Executive Committee after review of the Society’s financial situation. Such funds may not be used for conference registration. Such travel funds shall be reimbursed upon submission of appropriate documentation and a completed and signed IEEE reimbursement form.

8.3.7. (approved 6 December 2014) Travel support up to $1200 continental or $2100 intercontinental per person may be provided to voting members of the Awards Board to attend the Board meeting at ICASSP. Travel support will be determined annually by the Executive Committee after review of the Society’s financial situation. Such funds may not be used for conference registration. Such travel funds shall be reimbursed upon submission of appropriate documentation and a completed and signed IEEE reimbursement form.

8.3.8. (approved 18 May 2019) Members of the Education Board shall qualify for up to $1200 continental or $2100 intercontinental travel per year in travel assistance to only one Education Board meeting, either at ICASSP or ICIP.  Members of the Education Board may choose which Education Board meeting they would like to seek travel reimbursement for.  Additional travel support up to the same level may be provided to the members of the Education Board to support the second Board meeting.  This support will be determined annually by the Executive Committee after review of the Society’s financial situation.  Education Board members must adhere to IEEE travel policy.  Such funds may not be used for conference registration.  Such travel funds shall be reimbursed upon submission of appropriate documentation and a completed and signed IEEE reimbursement form. 

8.3.9. (amended 4 October 2012) Other Volunteers Leaders seeking travel assistance to attend a Society meeting series should submit their requests to the Society President with a copy to the President-Elect and to the Executive Office.

8.3.10. Volunteer Information Captured on Society Website. (approved 18 May 2019) The Society may display the following details on its website for each active volunteer holding a position on a respective Signal Processing Society Board, Committee, conference, publication, technical committee or appointed position.  The information includes: first name, last name, email, photo, title of position within Society and work affiliation.

SECTION 9: AMENDMENTS (amended 15 September 2011)

9.1. Amendments to a section of the Society’s Policy & Procedures Manual is the prerogative of the Board of Governors. The Board of Governors may delegate approval to the Executive Committee between meetings. Notice of the proposed policy or amendment must be transmitted to each Board member at least one week prior to the Board meeting.

9.2.These amendments may be initiated by a particular board by a two-thirds vote of the members of that Board, followed by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee. Both the corresponding board and the Executive Committee may conduct the voting either at a face-to-face meeting or by email, provided a seven-day period is allowed for such responses.

9.3. Amendments to a section of the Society’s Policy & Procedures Manual that does not pertain to a particular Board of the Society may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may conduct the voting either at a face-to-face meeting or by email, provided a seven-day period is allowed for such responses.

9.4. Board of Governors Approval of Amendment.

Amendment to this Policy and Procedures Manual shall be by majority affirmative vote of the members of the Board of Governors present at the meeting for which the amendment appears on the agenda and has properly been circulated in advance of the meeting as part of the agenda book or by email, provided a seven day period is allowed for such responses.

9.5. Effective Date.

Unless specified in the action of the Board of Governors, amendments to this manual shall become effective immediately upon approval by the Board of Governors.