INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COASTAL ENGINEERING
(ICCE)
POLICY AND GUIDELINES
(1) The policy and guidelines given herein for an International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE) were
originally established at the 2 April 1979 meeting of the Coastal Engineering Research Council. The Council is a
part of COPRI (Coastal, Ocean, Port and Riverine Institute) of ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers). The
Policy and Guidelines have been modified several times to keep them in conformance with current COPRI and
ASCE policy, and to incorporate improvements based on experience since the original adoption. The present version
was approved at ICCE 92 and updated following ICCE 2002 to reflect the most recent practices. The purpose of the
policy and guidelines is to help the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and the Council plan and operate the
conferences.
(2) An International Conference on Coastal Engineering (ICCE) is normally held every two (2) years, in even
years. It is preferable to hold most of them between the middle of June and the first of September, owing to the large
number of academics who attend. The scope of the engineering and science subject matter covered in the ICCE's is
broad, and the geographic distribution of engineering works and research described in the presentations is
international. The conference language is English. Venues for conferences are normally selected from Countries that
submit proposals in accordance with (3) below. It is desired to select venues in countries that will provide a balance
of geographical distribution.
(3) The responsibility for the planning and operation of ICCE's must be assumed by a professional engineering
organization in the host country. A detailed study of the 15th and 16th ICCEs and a detailed analysis of the 17th
ICCE was made by John G. Betty, Chairman of the LOC for the 17th ICCE. A copy of his report, which contains
much useful information for planning and conducting an ICCE, can be obtained from the Council Secretary.
(4) The ICCE's have become fairly elaborate. However, it is the desire of the Council and the participants that
efforts be made by the LOC to keep costs to a reasonable level to encourage maximum participation by students and
younger professionals.
(5) The programs sometimes have been so full, including social events in the evenings, that it is difficult to
have necessary committee meetings and ad hoc meetings on technical coastal engineering subjects during the
conference. Two evenings should be free of social events to permit such meetings to be held, preferably Tuesday and
Thursday. Normally one afternoon is devoted to a technical tour(s) in lieu of technical sessions.
(6) The LOC has the entire responsibility, including financial, for registration, technical venue facilities, social
events, pre- and post-conference tours, and preparation, printing and mailing the bulletins and preparation and
printing the final program. The LOC is responsible for the details of all conference arrangements. The LOC should
request only a single payment to cover the total cost of all items on the Participant's Registration Form (registration
fee - which includes Proceedings prepayment, social functions, trips, and hotel reservations). The use of credit cards
(Master Card, Visa, Eurocard, etc.) to pay the fees is encouraged. This decreases the registrant’s time, effort, and
cost. Simplifying the payment process is likely to provide more early registrations.
(7) In addition to fully registered participants, who pay the full registration fee (including prepayment for a set
of the Proceedings - see (13) and (15) of this document), there are two other categories. One is the accompanying
person(s), who pay a reduced fee to cover the cost of the social functions such as the reception and banquet, but who
do not attend the technical sessions or receive a copy of the Proceedings or the Abstracts-in-Depth. The other
consists of full-time students, who pay a small fee to attend the technical sessions, but who do not attend the social
functions or receive a copy of the Proceedings or the Abstracts-in-Depth.
(8) The Council reviews drafts of all ICCE bulletins written and distributed by the LOC. The draft copy is sent
to the Council Secretary for review. Bulletin No. 1 ("First Announcement") is distributed at the previous ICCE,
Bulletin No. 2 ("Final Call for Papers" and other information) should be mailed eighteen (18) months prior to the
conference, and Bulletin No. 3 (Registration Handbook, which also includes the list of papers) should be sent by six
(6) months prior to the conference. The LOC is responsible for preparing, printing, and distributing these bulletins.
Fifty (50) copies of each conference bulletin should be sent by airmail to the Council Secretary and ten (10) to the
Council Chairman. Mailing lists for Bulletin No. 2 can be obtained from the Council Secretary, and the Executive
Secretary of the LOC of the previous ICCE.
(9) A deadline date of about thirteen (13) months prior to the conference is set for receipt by the Council
Secretary of one (1) copy of a two-page (approximately 600 words, or word equivalents) summary of proposed
technical papers, in English, for possible presentation at the conference. Electronic submissions in PDF are
encouraged. The deadline date will be given in conference Bulletin No. 2 ("Final Call for Papers", and other
information). The deadline date is firm, and facsimiles will not be accepted; this should be stated in the Call for
Papers. The secretary will provide an abstract format that can be made available on the conference web page.
These summaries must include the author(s) name(s), address(es), and affiliation(s). The author(s) should
designate the subject area their paper fits best (such as tides, storm surge, coastal stability, beach erosion control,
coastal structures, wave, outfalls, harbors). The summaries must be sent to the Council Secretary:
ICCE@erdc.usace.army.mil
or
Dr. Jane McKee Smith
Coastal Engineering Research Council, ASCE
Engineer Research and Development Center
3909 Halls Ferry Road, HF-CS
Vicksburg, MS 39180-6199 USA
The Council Chairman, with the advice of the Executive Committee appoints a Technical Papers Review
Committee (TPRC), of which at least one member is normally from the host country. The Council Secretary
distributes the summaries to the TPRC, which considers them in the manner described in (10) below. TPRC
members transmit their recommendations to the Council Secretary and the Council Secretary provides the Council
Executive Committee a summary of the TPRC findings. The final listing of accepted papers is made by the Executive
Committee, and is sent by the Council Secretary to the LOC, for LOC use in preparing the technical program and for
sending the authors information required for preparation of their Abstracts-in-Depth, and a copyright release form.
The Council Secretary sends letters of acceptance to each primary author whose paper is accepted, and letters of
nonacceptance to each primary author whose paper was not accepted. Secondary authors are not notified by the
Council Secretary.
(10) The decision on the acceptance of a proposed technical paper for presentation at an ICCE is based
primarily on the quality of the work as indicated in the summary. The decision is also based on whether or not the
work is new, whether or not the work will be completed by the time the ICCE is to be held, whether or not the main
component of the proposed paper has been or is expected to be presented at another meeting, and how it affects the
breadth and balance of the overall program and specific sessions. Continuing effort is needed to obtain papers on
completed projects. Consideration is also given to the past history of the author(s) in attending and presenting
accepted papers. To assure the international character of ICCEs, consideration is given to the geographic distribution
of authors and geographic distribution of field studies and works. Normally, only one paper will be accepted from a
person. This single-paper acceptance policy will apply to the case of co-authored papers if one person is the senior
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author of more than one paper. This policy statement must be included in the "Call for Papers," so people submitting
summaries will know of the policy.
The number of persons being a co-author of several papers should be minimized, as this decreases the number of
attendees. Normally, a person will be permitted to present only one paper at the conference. This policy should be
clearly stated in the Call for Papers. In exceptional cases, such as illness of a coauthor, a person may be permitted to
present two papers.
If an author (or a co-author) does not attend the conference to present his or her paper, the paper will be deleted
from the conference, and will not be published in the Proceedings.
(11) The host country LOC is consulted about the maximum number of presentations that can be accommodated
with the facilities available, and the CERC Secretary is consulted on Proceedings publication requirements. In recent
conferences the maximum number of pages per paper has been thirteen (13), to assure that the Proceedings can be
printed in four (4) volumes, in order to keep the cost reasonable. The maximum page number should be reviewed for
each conference after the program has been set.
The Council Executive Committee makes the final decision on the acceptance of papers in conformance with
the policy stated in (10) above, and attempts to hold the final number of published papers to about 300, with an
estimated dropout of about 15% between acceptance and published papers. This percentage is reviewed after each
conference, as the number changes, and must be kept current. It is desirable for the host country member of the
TPRC to meet with the Council Executive Committee at the time the final decision on papers acceptance is made.
The initial program will be developed by accepting approximately 345 abstracts for presentation with the
anticipation that 325 will be presented and of those 300 papers will be published in the proceedings.
If the venue allows adequate facilities for poster presentations, the LOC may elect to include those in the
program with the objective of providing a forum for papers that cannot be included in the oral program. This may
provide an opportunity for some authors to attend the conference who may otherwise not have travel funding. Since
this adds additional papers to the maximum already determined by space and page limitations, these poster papers
are not eligible for publication in the Proceedings.
The Council Secretary notifies the LOC of the Council Executive Committee's decision, furnishing the LOC
with the database of accepted papers (titles, authors, and addresses).
The Council Secretary advises the authors of the acceptance or nonacceptance of their papers. Three (3) months
before the conference, a manuscript-style sheet, page-limitation, and model manuscript paper is sent by the Council
Secretary to the primary author of accepted papers for guidance in preparing their paper for the Proceedings. Authors
are requested to provide five (5) key words for use in compiling the index. A copyright release form is also sent. The
final date for submission of manuscripts, and signed copyright release forms, is one and a half (1-1/2) months after
the end of the conference. This is a firm deadline, and will not be extended; this statement should appear in the
letters of acceptance. The reason for this "early" due date for manuscripts is to encourage the authors to have the
paper in nearly final form prior to presenting it at the conference, and so that the Proceedings is published soon after
the conference. The paper should be ready prior to the conference, with the exception of input from discussions of it
at the conference. The completed manuscripts, in camera-ready form, and the signed copyright release form, should
be mailed to the Council Secretary.
(12) Only papers included in the list of accepted papers can be presented at the conference. The list of papers
accepted is based in part on the expectation that there will be dropouts, so the total number of papers for publication
will be at or below the maximum number permitted, and also to have some spare time during the conference.
(13) In order to maintain the present high standards, the CERC will continue to publish papers presented at the
ICCEs. This continuity is valuable. The CERC is also responsible to the ASCE for two reasons. First, the Coastal
Engineering Research Council is a part of the ASCE. Second, as the papers accepted and presented at the conference
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are to be printed by the CERC in the conference Proceedings, the final choice must be exercised by a committee
thereof.
The Proceedings will be printed after completion of the conference, rather than prior to the conference. This is
for three reasons. The first is that it helps to assure the work presented at the conference is current. The second is that
authors benefit from discussions of their presentations at the conference, which should result in improved papers.
The third is it ensures that only papers presented at the conference are published. The policy in regard to publication
is that only papers accepted by the TPRC and the Council Executive Committee, and presented at the conference by
the author or co-author, and which are transmitted to the Council Secretary in proper format prior to the deadline
established by the Council, will be printed in the Proceedings.
One (1) month after the conference, the LOC sends the Council Secretary the following:
• a verified list of names and addresses of fully paid registrants (who have thus prepaid for their copy
of the Proceedings)
• a list of LOC members, their titles, and other persons to be acknowledged in the Proceedings
• photos of coastal scenes in the host country with descriptions and copyrights should have been sent
previously by the LOC
 a list of papers that were included in the program but that were not presented at the conference.
The above information together with a list of Council members will appear in the Proceedings.
(14) Present policy is that a separate portion of the registration fee is required for advance purchase of the
Proceedings. This portion of the fee, in U.S.$ (Dollars), is established by the CERC, and partially supports
publication cost. Each and every registrant must pay this portion of the fee in prepayment for the conference
Proceedings (excepting accompanying persons and full-time students). The LOC is responsible for collecting this
payment at the time of registration. This money must be transferred to the CERC within one (1) month after the end
of the conference, preferably by an electronic bank transfer (Details are available from the Council Secretary). The
Proceedings are mailed directly to each registrant by the CERC or publisher when publication is complete, about
seven (7) months after the conference.
(15) The conference program is based on twenty (20) to thirty (30) minutes per paper (including question, time
is set by the LOC), 70 percent of the time for presentation and 30 percent for discussion. Authors should be notified
of this in the letter of paper acceptance. Authors should be made aware at the same time that a proper communication
of their ideas is of paramount importance to themselves as well as their audience. They should be informed that our
experience has shown that for a 20-minute paper:
•
Introduction should be kept brief (1 minute at most).
•
Paper should focus on no more than 2 or 3 of the most important ideas, presented
in an unhurried fashion.
•
No more than 20 slides or overhead transparencies should be used.
•
Paper should reach a properly formulated conclusion, on time.
If an author is not present, the session chair should use the time for further discussion of other papers. The chair
should not change the order of presentations, as some attendees change rooms, depending on the particular paper
scheduled for presentation. Session chairs should notify the LOC of the names of any author who do not present their
papers.
In order to have reasonable size audiences in technical sessions, there usually should be only five (5) or six (6)
simultaneous sessions.
(16) The LOC arranges the sessions, and selects the chairs. Selection of technical session chairs is based on their
ability to facilitate the authors' presentations, promote discussion, and enforce the timing and scheduling of
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presentations. The international coastal engineering community will normally be used as a source of chairs. The
Council Secretary is pleased to furnish names and addresses of possible chairs to the LOC, if they so desire.
Individuals should not be asked to chair more than one session. Letters of invitation to proposed chairs should be
sent by airmail (or electronically) within two (2) months of the decision on accepted papers. Session chairs need this
advance notice in order to make their plans. The LOC should request a response within one (1) month, in order to
complete their program schedule, as substitute chairs may be required.
(17) Each technical session chair should be sent, in advance, copies of the Abstracts-in-Depth of the papers in
his/her session. Session chairs should be asked to record the number of conference participants in attendance. They
should also give to the LOC the names of authors who did not present their papers. Forms for doing this should be
provided to each session chair at the time of arrival at the conference site, or at a table for session chairs. This
information is to be transferred to the Council Secretary by the LOC, for use in planning future conferences.
(18) The Registration Handbook (Bulletin No. 3, which includes the list of papers) is prepared, printed, and
mailed by the LOC. Handbooks distributed by previous conferences LOCs should be used as a guide for content. A
list of hotels and categories of the hotels should be included. A list of names of LOC and Council members should be
included. It should be mailed by the LOC six (6) months prior to the conference. Also, fifty (50) copies should be
sent by airmail to the Council Secretary and ten (10) to the Council Chairman.
Registrants should be notified by the LOC Secretariat of receipt of their registration form, hotel reservation
form, and conference fee within two weeks of their receipt by the LOC, or its designated agent. Hotel reservation
confirmation should also be sent at the same time.
(19) A book of Abstracts-in-Depth (approximately 1200 words, or word equivalents per paper) is to be
distributed to all registrants. One-page final abstracts were used successfully for ICCE 2004. The LOC includes the
cost of the publication in the registration fee. Owing to increasing cost, the decision on whether or not to publish the
Abstracts should be reviewed for each ICCE by the LOC and the Council Executive Committee. LOCs have found
the Abstracts to be a useful management tool in regard to making final adjustments in the program. The Abstracts
book has been very useful to ICCE participants. This practice should be continued as long as it is financially
reasonable to do so.
The LOC provides each author with a style manual for preparing camera-ready Abstracts, and sets the "duedate" (usually about seven (7) months prior to the conference). This "due-date" is firm, and facsimiles will not be
accepted. Authors of accepted summaries should be notified of this policy in the letter sent to them accepting their
paper for the conference. The author(s) should provide a list of five (5) key words for use in the index. A copyright
release form is also sent to the author(s). Abstracts and completed copyright release forms are mailed by the
author(s) directly to the LOC for publication, in time and manner that they are received by the LOC by the "duedate". Normally, if an author does not submit an Abstract-in-Depth, his or her paper is removed from the program,
and the author is notified of this action by the LOC.
(20) The decision on whether or not to have a keynote speaker is made by the LOC. If they decide to have a
keynote speaker, the speaker and subject matter are the responsibility of the LOC.
(21) Post-conference and/or pre-conference technical tours are optional. The decision on whether or not to have
them is made by the LOC of the host country. If the LOC decides to have one or more tours, it is their responsibility
to organize the tour(s). The costs are not a part of the ICCE conference registration fee; a separate fee is charged to
cover costs. Alternatively, the LOC could provide the name and contact information for a local travel agency for
participants to arrange their own tours. In 2002 and 2004, post-conference tours were canceled due to lack of
interest.
(22) Some LOCs have found it desirable to organize a one- or two-day short course on the weekend prior to an
ICCE. The decision on whether or not to have a short course on some topical coastal engineering subject is made by
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the LOC. They chose the subject matter and speakers. The costs are not a part of the ICCE, and a separate fee must
by charged to cover costs.
(23) The conferences change with time. Much is learned from each ICCE that is useful in future conferences.
LOC Chairmen of previous conferences are pleased to pass on to their successors useful information in organizing
and running a conference. The Council meets with the LOC members of the current and future ICCEs during an
ICCE, normally at a luncheon meeting which is extended as long as is necessary. Two such meetings are usually
required.
(24) The list of attendees at an ICCE (with verified names and mailing addresses) should be given to the Council
Secretary for use by the LOC of the following conference, and for use in mailing copies of the Proceedings to
participants. Most registrants also like a copy of a list of registrants. It is important for the LOC to prepare the list of
registrants during the conference, and to request registrants to check the spelling of their names, and their mailing
addresses, and to inform the LOC of any changes required.
The LOC is responsible for supplying the Council Secretary, at the time of the Conference, photographs of
representative coastal scenes of the host country. These photographs will be used in the conference Proceedings.
(25) The LOC is encouraged to establish a web page for the conference as early as possible. The web page
should provide up-to-date information on deadlines (abstract, extended abstract, and full paper submission;
registration; and lodging), abstract and paper formats (provide templates, if possible), registration, schedule,
program, excursions, lodging, transportation, etc.
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TIME TABLE
-48-72 months
Council makes decision of host country for ICCE. Council Secretary furnishes host LOC
with available information.
-36 months
Council obtains formal approval from the ASCE of host, venue and time of ICCE.
First announcement, with "Call for Papers." (Bulletin No. 1) distributed at the preceding Conference (ICCE)
by the LOC of the host country. In addition, fifty (50) copies sent by airmail to Council Secretary, and ten (10) to
Council Chairman.
-18 months
Publicity to professional journals, etc., including the "Call for Papers," should be sent about
eighteen (18) months prior to the conference by the Council Secretary.
Bulletin No. 2 ("Final Call for Papers" and other information) should be mailed by the LOC eighteen (18)
months prior to the conference. In addition, fifty (50) copies should be sent by airmail to the Council Secretary and
ten (10) to the Council Chairman.
Council Secretary obtains cost of Proceedings from publisher, and sends information to the LOC.
-13 months
Receipt by the Council Secretary of one (1) copy of the two-page summaries of proposed
papers due about thirteen (13) months prior to the conference. Summaries must be in English, and must include the
name(s) and address(es) of the author(s). Author(s) should designate which subject area their paper best fits into, for
use by the LOC in planning the program.
-11 months
Technical Papers Review Committee (TPRC) review should be completed by about eleven
(11) months prior to the conference.
-10 months
Final decision on papers by the Council Executive Committee should be made by ten (10)
months prior to the conference, and authors notified by the Council Secretary. Council Secretary sends database of
all accepted abstracts, authors, and addresses to LOC.
-9 months
Program publicity should be submitted to professional journals, etc. nine (9) months prior to
the conference by the Council Secretary and by the LOC.
-8 Months
Letters of invitation sent by LOC eight (8) months prior to the conference to prospective
session chairs, requesting response within one (1) month. Session chairs need this amount of time to make their
plans.
-7 months Abstracts-in-Depth of papers and completed copyright release forms mailed by authors to LOC
for receipt by seven (7) months prior to the conference. These must be in English, and should be approximately 1200
words or word-equivalents in length in camera-ready form. They are reduced in size to fit on one or two printed
pages.
-6 months
Registration Handbook (Bulletin No. 3, including list of papers) prepared, printed and sent by
airmail by LOC by six (6) months prior to the conference. In addition, fifty (50) copies sent to the Council Secretary
and ten (10) sent to the Council Chairman. The LOC may find it convenient to arrange to have bulk shipment by air
to a designated person or organization in some countries. This should be worked out with the knowledge of the
Council Secretary.
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Registrants should be notified by the LOC Secretariat of receipt of their registration form, fee payment, and
hotel registration form within two (2) weeks of their being received. Hotel reservation confirmation should be sent at
the same time.
-3 months
The Council Secretary should send the primary author of accepted papers instructions for the
preparation of their papers for the Proceedings, and copyright release forms.
-1 month
Abstracts-in-Depth printed. Each Abstract printed on one or two pages, in such a manner that
when the book is opened, the first page (if two page) is on the left-hand side, and the second page on the right-hand
side, for ease in following the presentation.
CONFERENCE
Conference LOC gives to Council Secretary photographs and descriptions of
representative coastal scenes in the host country to be used in the Proceedings.
The aggregate of the portion of the conference fee for prepayment of the Proceedings, in U.S.$ (dollars), is
transferred to the ASCE. This is preferably done by electronic bank transfer. Arrange with Council Secretary for
details.
+1 month
The LOC gives the Council Secretary a list (verified) of names and complete mailing addresses
of all fully paid registrants (who have thus prepaid for their copy of the set of the Proceedings).
+1-1/2 months Manuscripts of complete papers should be received by the Council Secretary by one and a
half (1-1/2) months after the conference. They must be in camera-ready form, in the proper format. They should
include the author(s)' consideration of discussions of the paper at the conference. The paper should have been
completed prior to the conference, with the exception of input based on the discussions at the conference. A list of
five (5) key words should be included for use in the index. The completed copyright release forms must be sent with
the papers.
+7 months
Conference Proceedings printed and mailed to fully paid registrants.
<End>
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