ACM Computing Surveys Submission Guide

Source: Clarivate JCR 2024, ACM editorial disclosures (accessed April 2026).

Source: ACM Computing Surveys author guidelines, ACM.

Use this page when you are still deciding:

• whether your proposed survey has an original taxonomy or framework, not just a literature catalog
• whether the scope justifies comprehensive treatment
• whether reference coverage is truly comprehensive
• how to position the cover letter to establish the original contribution

Before a credible CSUR submission goes into the system:

• a clear original taxonomy, framework, or comparison methodology
• comprehensive reference coverage (100-300+ references typical)
• a comparison table or analytical figure that organizes the literature
• a discussion section identifying open problems or future research directions
• a cover letter that establishes the original contribution beyond literature aggregation

• Literature review framing without original taxonomy. A chronological catalog of recent papers without an original organizing structure is the most common rejection.

• Scope too narrow. A survey on a topic with only 30-50 relevant papers typically doesn't justify CSUR's 30-50 page treatment.

• Reference coverage gaps. A survey claiming to cover [topic] without referencing key foundational papers or recent state-of-the-art work.

• Comparable recent CSUR coverage. A survey overlapping a CSUR piece from the last 3-5 years without a clearly distinct angle.

• Cover letter argues comprehensiveness, not contribution. Editors look for what's new about your survey, not just that you covered many papers.

CSUR is the flagship comprehensive-survey venue in computer science, with an editorial standard tuned to original organizing structure rather than literature aggregation.

Taxonomy or framework requirement: CSUR surveys must contribute an original way of organizing the field's knowledge, not just compile recent work. This distinguishes CSUR from IEEE journal review issues or workshop survey papers.

The 100-300+ reference standard: comprehensive reference coverage is expected. Surveys with 50-100 references are routinely flagged as insufficient.

The 3-5 year timing window: CSUR rarely accepts a survey on a topic covered in a recent CSUR piece without a clearly distinct angle.

The package needs:

• an original taxonomy or framework figure in the introduction
• a comparison table organizing the surveyed literature
• comprehensive reference coverage
• a discussion identifying open research directions

The strongest CSUR cover letters establish the original contribution upfront.

They usually:

• state the survey's original taxonomy or framework in one sentence
• explain why this organizing structure is needed (existing surveys lack it, the field has fragmented, new techniques require new categorization)
• distinguish from existing CSUR or IEEE survey coverage briefly
• establish comprehensive reference coverage scope

• Is ACM Computing Surveys a good journal?
• ACM Transactions on Graphics submission guide

Before upload, run your manuscript through an ACM Computing Surveys taxonomy and reference-coverage readiness check.

In our pre-submission review work with CS survey manuscripts targeting CSUR, three patterns generate the most consistent rejections.

In our experience, roughly 40% of CSUR rejections trace to literature-review framing without original taxonomy or framework. In our experience, roughly 25% involve insufficient reference coverage relative to the topic's comprehensive scope. In our experience, roughly 20% arise from topic overlap with recent CSUR pieces.

• Literature review framing without original organizing structure. CSUR editors specifically look for taxonomy, framework, or comparison methodology that organizes the surveyed literature in an original way. We observe that submissions framed as "a comprehensive review of recent work in [topic]" without an original organizing contribution are routinely rejected. SciRev community data on ACM journals consistently shows the original-structure requirement as the dominant filter.

• Reference coverage below the comprehensive bar. CSUR reviewers consistently expect 100-300+ references for a comprehensive survey. We see many manuscripts with 50-100 references that claim comprehensive coverage but lack foundational citations or recent state-of-the-art. These are routinely returned with requests to expand bibliography substantially.

• Topic overlap with recent CSUR pieces. Editors at CSUR check the journal's recent volumes. We find that submissions on topics covered in CSUR within the last 3-5 years are routinely rejected unless the new submission articulates a clearly distinct angle (a new taxonomy, a methodological reframing, an emerging subfield). A CSUR taxonomy and reference-coverage readiness check can identify whether the original-contribution case and reference completeness support a CSUR-level submission.

Clarivate JCR 2024 bibliometric data places CSUR among the highest-impact computer science journals. SciRev author-reported data confirms 2-4 month first-decision windows.