Track-Chair Module: Assigning Persons, Topics and Submission Formats to Tracks

Please note: These features are only available in ConfTool Pro. Additionally, you must have the "Track-Chair Module" installed (an extra fee applies).

Some conferences consist of several thematic tracks or strands, allow different submission types (e.g. Full Papers, Posters and Roundtables) and have sub-conferences or pre-conference workshops. If these tracks have their own submission and review process supervised by independent Chairs, these Track Chairs shall usually only have access to the submissions, reviews and members of their own track.

The Track-Chair module of ConfTool Pro allows you to assign Chairs and/or PC-Members and Reviewers to such tracks, limiting the scope of these persons. Furthermore, you can define particular topics and submission formats for specific tracks. To use these features, you first have to activate them.

Enabling Options for the Track-Chair Module

Please go to this page to enable the main features for the Track-Chair module: 
Overview => Settings => Main Setup

Here you can find the following options:

• If you enable "Assign Chairs to Tracks" you may limit the access of "Track Chairs" to the contributions of one or several tracks. In fact, you then have to assign each Chair to at least one track, otherwise she / he won't have access to any submissions, reviewers or reviews. Users with the role Conference Chair always have access to all submissions and reviews of all tracks.
• If each Chair has her/ his own Program Committee (PC), you also need to enable "Assign Reviewers and PC Members to Tracks". This allows assigning Reviewers and PC Members to one or several tracks - in fact, again each of these persons now has to be assigned to at least one track. Chairs will (usually) only have access to the details of the Reviewers of their own track; other persons not assigned to their tracks are not visible to them and cannot be considered for the review process.
• If each track additionally has different submission formats, e.g. authors can either submit full papers or posters in each track, please enable "Assign Submission Formats to Tracks".
  Please note: The format selection has to be activated here first:
  Overview => Settings => Main Settings for Paper and Abstract Submission:
  Go to the option "Enable Selection of the 'Submission Format'" and activate it.
  Please also consult this entry in the forum: How to split thematic tracks into different submission formats?
• If each track has different topics, i.e., not all tracks share the same topics, please enable the option "Assign Topics to Tracks".

After you have enabled one or several of the features, new options appear in the "Settings" menu of ConfTool Pro (see Image 2). Here you can assign submission formats and topics to the "Submission Types and Conference Tracks" you have created for your event. In order to assign Chairs and Reviewers to the submission types / tracks (see Image 3), please go to:  
Overview >= User and Participant Management

Please take a look at the following examples.

Example 1 - Assign Chairs to Tracks

To assign Chairs to Conference Tracks please go to:
Overview => User and Participant Management => Assign Chairs to Conference Tracks

The page gives you an overview of all current assignments of chairs to tracks (see Image 4).

Now choose a track from the drop-down list at the top of the page. A list of all Chairs registered in your ConfTool Pro system appears. Tick those Chairs who shall be responsible for the corresponding track and click on "Save Data" (see Image 5).

Please use the same procedure for the assignment of Reviewers and PC Members.

You can also assign or reassign tracks to single PC Members or Reviewers. Please go to the list of the Program Committee and Reviewers:
Overview => Submissions & Reviews => Program Committee and Reviewers
In the right-hand column "Action", click on "Reassign Tracks" to edit the selection of tracks for this particular PC Member or Reviewer (see Image 6).

Hint: You can also use the user import function of ConfTool Pro to enter a list of persons as Chairs or Reviewers in your system and at the same time assign them to a track.

Example 2 - Assign Topics to Tracks

In some conferences, topics vary across tracks. If this is the case for your conference, please first enable this functionality as described above.

In the next step, in order to assign topics to Conference Tracks, please go to:
Overview => Settings => Assign Topics to Conference Tracks

For a quick overview, you will find a table with all topics connected to tracks on the main page of this option (see Image 7).

To assign topics to tracks, first choose a track in the select box at the top of the page.

Choose the topics that shall be selectable for this track by checking the checkbox in front of each corresponding topic (see Image 8).

Please use the same procedure for the assignment of submission formats.