icdm-topic-selection

ICDM Topic Selection

Use this before writing. Two decisions happen here: is the work ICDM-shaped at all,

and if so, which track. ICDM is the IEEE-sponsored data-mining flagship; it rewards a

named data-mining mechanism on a defined mining task with strong baselines and a

scalability or discovery-validity story — not pure learning theory, and not a broad

deep-learning systems result.

Fit test

• Prefer ICDM when the contribution is a data-mining method: pattern discovery, graph

mining, anomaly detection, temporal/streaming mining, clustering, or scalable analytics,

with an algorithmic idea and defensible empirical evidence.

• Route to SDM (SIAM) if the contribution is primarily mathematical/statistical rigor

in a mining method — SDM's community weights theory and analysis more heavily.

• Route to KDD if the work is large-scale applied discovery or a deployed data-science

system aimed at the biggest data-mining audience and its two-cycle calendar.

• Route to CIKM for information/knowledge management, IR, and database-adjacent work;

to WSDM for web-and-social search and mining; to WWW/TheWebConf for web-native

contributions; to ICDE/SIGMOD/VLDB for database-systems results.

• Route to an ML flagship (NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR) if the contribution is a general learning

method with thin data-mining specificity.

Track fork within ICDM

| Track | 2026 review | Best for |

|---|---|---|

| Research | Triple-blind | A novel mining algorithm/mechanism with baselines and scale evidence |

| Applied | Single-blind (new in 2026) | A deployed/industrial system with measured real-world impact |

| Blue Sky | CCC-sponsored | A visionary, forward-looking position with a research agenda |

If a project is a deployed system whose contribution is the deployment and its measured

outcomes, the Applied Track fits and spares you the triple-blind anonymization burden. If

the contribution is the algorithm and the deployment is illustrative, stay on Research.

Fit signal table

| Signal in the project | ICDM reading |

|---|---|

| Named mining mechanism + baselines + scaling curve | Core fit — the house genre |

| Anomaly/graph/pattern/stream mining with a discovery-validity argument | Core fit |

| Deployed system with quantified impact, deployment is the point | Applied Track |

| Pure statistical/theoretical mining analysis | Better served at SDM |

| Broad deep-learning method, little mining specificity | Route to an ML flagship |

| Database-systems or query contribution | Route to ICDE/SIGMOD/VLDB |

The routing calendar from ICDM's seat

ICDM's deadline sits in June, conference in November. That position matters when

choosing where a finished project goes next: a paper not ready for ICDM's June can often

target CIKM (spring deadline, autumn conference) the same year, WSDM (late-summer deadline,

following spring), SDM (autumn deadline, following spring), or KDD's next cycle. Choose by

community and format fit, not prestige — the same result reads differently to each pool.

Vignette: where a streaming anomaly detector goes

A project delivers a one-pass anomaly detector for edge streams with a memory bound and

experiments on injected anomalies. ICDM reading: strong Research Track fit — a named

mining mechanism, a scaling argument, and a discovery-validity claim. Strip the mechanism

and keep only "we deployed it and fraud dropped," and it becomes an Applied Track paper

(or a KDD applied submission). Grow it into a pure asymptotic analysis of the sketch with

no system, and SDM becomes the better community.

Sharpening moves before committing

• Name the mining task and the data regime in one sentence; if you cannot, the ICDM

framing does not exist yet.

• Name the single mechanism the contribution rests on, and the baseline it beats *for a

stated reason*, not just on a leaderboard.

• Confirm the whole argument — body, references, appendix — can fit ICDM's 10-page

all-inclusive cap; a result needing 14 pages is a journal or SDM paper.

• Topic emphasis and track lineup drift between editions; scan the current calls before

final routing.

Output format

[Fit] strong ICDM / possible ICDM / better elsewhere
[Track] Research / Applied / Blue Sky
[Best venue] ICDM / KDD / SDM / CIKM / WSDM / WWW / ICDE / ML-flagship / journal
[Contribution sentence] <one sentence naming task + mechanism>
[Top rejection risk] <novelty / baselines / scale / discovery-validity / fit>
[Next action] <experiment, framing, track switch, or venue switch>