PLANS Author Resource Center

Paper Preparation Instructions

It is important that you follow these instructions for preparing your paper for the conference proceedings.

Paper Style Formatting

Final copy should be styled according to the template provided. Papers should be in 2-column format, in 10 pt Times Roman or Calibri font style. All text should be single-spaced. A double space may be used when beginning a new section or paragraph. Paper Title MUST be 24 point Times Roman or Calibri font style with initial capitalization only. Title should be in bold face.

Input your text continuously; only insert hard returns at ends of paragraphs or headings, subheadings, lists, etc. Do not use space bar to make indents (e.g., to indicate paragraphs or in lists). A tab or an indent command should be used for this purpose.

Organization

Your paper should be organized in the manner specified on the sample provided. 

For Letter Size Paper: 8.5" x 11" paper use margins: top = 0.75" inches, bottom = 1" inches, and 0.62" inches for left and right. View 8.5" x 11" template. 

For A4 paper, use the following margins: right and left margin = 0.51", bottom margin = 1.69", top margin = 0.75" (title and authors list centered at the beginning of the paper). View A4 template.

Begin your paper with the Abstract (bolded) and Introduction (not bolded). Your paper should conclude with Acknowledgments and (or) References. 

Left- and right-justify your columns. Use tables and figures to adjust column length. Use automatic hyphenation and check spelling. Digitize or paste down figures.

Paper Length: 12 pages maximum.

A paper template is available for your convenience. An A4 paper template is also available for non-U.S.

Use of Graphics and Photos

Incorporate tables and graphs in the body of the text, centered within the column. If a figure must span across two columns, try to place these figures at the top or bottom of the page. If a two-column figure must go in the middle of the page, please make sure the text preceding the figure has wrapped from the left column into the right column and then insert the figure. Figure captions should be centered and placed at the bottom of the figure.

Figure axis labels are often a source of confusion. Use words rather than symbols. For example, write “magnetization,” or “magnetization (M)” not just “M.” Put units in parentheses. Do not label axes only with units. In the example, write “Magnetization (A/m)” or “Magnetization (A .m1).” Do not label axes with a ratio of quantities and units. For example, write “Temperature (K),” not “Temperature/K.” Multipliers can be especially confusing. Write “Magnetization (kA/m)” or “Magnetization (103 A/m).” Figure labels should be legible, about 10-point type.

Use of Tables

Tables should be centered within the column. Large tables may span across both columns. Table captions should be centered above the table. Avoid placing tables before their first mention in the text. When possible, use a table editor to create tables for your electronic version. Do not use spaces to align the columns of your table. Do Not use the "columns" feature to create tables.  Identify each table with a bold numeric reference and center it at the top of your table.

Numbering

Do not insert page numbers to your paper.

Language

Your paper must be in English.

Paper Title

Use 24 point Times Roman or Calibri font style with initial capitalization only. Title should be in bold.

Author and Affiliation

Use 10 point Times Roman or Calibri font style with affiliation in italics. (see sample paper)

Links

No embedded links may be included in the files submitted for this conference. Link URLs may be included as text in the body of the paper as long as the Word file and PDF files do not contain any active hyperlinks.

Section Headings

Use center justification and small caps. See sample paper.

Text (for electronic version)

• Do not adjust line spacing. 
• Columns should have full justification.

Technical Resources

NAVIGATION, The Journal of the Institute of Navigation publishes original, peer-reviewed articles on all areas related to the art, science and technology positioning, navigation and timing.  NAVIGATION is indexed in the Thomson Reuters Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch® ), Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition, and Thomson Reuters Current Contents®/Engineering Computing and Technology. Additionally, NAVIGATION is abstracted in Electrical and Electronics Abstracts. Citations and abstracts of articles in Navigation can also be found using the INSPEC online database.

NAVIGATION is an excellent resource for the latest state-of-the-art technical information and it is suggested you reference recent articles as a resource when preparing your manuscripts. Recent issues can be accessed at the following link: https://www.ion.org/publications/browse.cfm

Electronic IEEE Compliant PDF Specifications

IEEE requires that all papers comply with IEEE specifications for document format and compatibility.  Papers are published in PDF format. Your PDF file MUST be validated by the IEEE PDF eXpress service prior to being uploaded to the ION AMP. You may create the PDF and upload it to be analyzed, or you can upload your native document (i.e., Word, LaTEX, etc.) file and the PDF eXpress site will create a compliant PDF for you.

Step 1

• Access the IEEE PDF eXpress site at https://ieee-pdf-express.org

Step 2

First-Time IEEE PDF eXpress Users, click “New Users – Click Here” and enter the following information:

• 53410X for the Conference ID
• Your email address
• A password
• Continue to enter information as prompted. 
• An online confirmation will be sent verifying your email address and account setup.

Previous users of PDF eXpress need to follow the above steps, but should enter the same password that was used for previous conferences. 

Step 3

• Click “Create New Title”
• Enter the paper title 
• Click “Submit File for Checking or Converting”
• Click "Choose File" and select the PDF or source file.
• Click “Upload File”. 
• A screen will show the result of your file upload, and you will also receive a confirmation email.
• The results of your file's compatibility will be emailed to you.
  • If you submitted a PDF for checking, the email will show if your file passed or failed. The approved file is attached to this message, and is labeled within its document properties as being "Certified by IEEE PDF eXpress", with an exact date and time stamp. The file attached to this message is the file that you should submit to the ION AMP.
  • If you uploaded a native document for conversion, the auto-generated compliant PDF will be attached to the email. This is the file that you should submit to the ION AMP.

If the PDF submitted failed the PDF check, or if you are not satisfied with the IEEE PDF eXpress-converted PDF, you may submit your source file again for conversion.

Submitting Papers to the Conference Proceedings 

Once you receive an IEEE PDF eXpress compliant file, you must send that file to the ION Abstract Management Portal. Please note that the ION National Office does not have access to papers submitted to PDF eXpress. The last date to submit a revised paper for the proceedings is May 5, 2023, late papers and revisions received after this date will not be accepted.

If you have any questions please contact Miriam Lewis, meetings@ion.org, 1-703-366-2723.