Policies and Procedures

Revised November 2023

Introduction

The IEEE Circuits and Systems Society (CASS) is a Society in the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) Incorporation. IEEE is incorporated under the New York State Not-for-Profit Corporation Law. The policies, procedures and regulations by which CASS is governed are embodied in six documents. In order of precedence, the IEEE Constitution, which can be approved and amended only by the voting members of the Institute, contains IEEE's fundamental objectives, organization and procedures. Implementation of the Constitutional provisions, in specific organizational structures and procedures, is entrusted to the IEEE Bylaws, which are approved and amended by the IEEE Board of Directors. The third document is the IEEE Policy and Procedures. Its purpose is to provide more detailed statements of specific policies, objectives and procedures than are appropriate for inclusion in the Constitution and Bylaws. Statements of Policy and Procedures are approved and amended by the IEEE Board of Directors. The fourth and fifth documents are the CASS Constitution and Bylaws. The CASS Constitution and Bylaws can be amended in accordance with Article XI of the CASS Constitution. The sixth document, this document, is CASS Policy and Procedures. Its purpose is to provide more detailed statements of specific policies, objectives and procedures than are appropriate for inclusion in the Constitution and Bylaws. Statements of CASS Policies and Procedures are approved and amended by the IEEE CASS BoG.

The precedence of these six documents should be remembered by all those engaged in CASS management duties. If, having consulted these documents, questions of procedure or interpretation remain; inquiries should be addressed to the CASS President or the President’s designee.

Acronym List

Section 1 – Regional Activities and Membership

Regional Activities and Membership, conducted by the Regional Activities and Membership Division under the CASS VP – Regional Activities and Membership, are concerned primarily with the interests of the individual member in the locale of his home or place of employment, and with the activities of local groups of members such as Sections, Subsections, Chapters and Student Branches. The activities are coordinated within each of the ten IEEE Regions by the CASS VP – Regional Activities and Membership. The Regional Activities and Membership Division meets at least once per year.

1.1 SUPPORT OF NATIONAL PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Considering its international membership base, CASS will not directly provide financial support for CASS members involvement in national professional organizations.

1.2 CASS AMBASSADORS

CASS Ambassadors are Society representatives who work for the creation, rejuvenation and expansion of the CASS membership within strategic geographical areas. CASS Ambassadors are recommended by the Vice President - Regional Activities and Membership and appointed by the CASS President for two-year terms, renewable for one term. CASS Ambassadors must be CASS members in good standing and be active members in the CAS society. A maximum of five CASS Ambassadors per term can be appointed.

Section 2 – Technical Activities

The technical activities of CASS are conducted by the Technical Activities Division under the aegis of the CASS VP – Technical Activities. The Technical Activities Division meets at least once per year.

2.1     IEEE CASS TECHNICAL COMMITTEES (TC)/SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIG) ESTABLISHING PROCEDURE

1. An application for forming a new TC/SIG can be submitted at any time to the VP TA or CASS The application should include the followings: (1) a charter with a clear vision, mission, management structure, and membership list; (2) a 3-year plan for achieving the vision and mission with measurable milestones; (3) statements on the benefits to the society and IEEE members.
2. The Technical Activities Division will evaluate the application and inform the applicant on the outcome within 90 days of receiving the application.
3. Each newly formed TC/SIG is subject to a 3-year probation period. A review will be conducted at the end of the third year to determine if the TC/SIG can be continued. The review committee can grant a 3-year extension (at most one extension) for the newly form TC/SIG.

2.2  IEEE CASS TC/SIG REVIEW PROCEDURE

1. The goal of TC/SIG Reviews is to ensure the ongoing health of the Society's technical community and the excellence of its technical activities. TC Reviews are a positive vehicle to help all Technical Committees and Special Interest Groups continue to maintain the highest of standards. They provide a way of identifying and sharing best practices across TC/SIGs and of informing the CASS leadership of the needs of the technical communities. Further, the documents comprising the Review should provide a useful and comprehensive introduction to the TC/SIG for all CASS members.
2. Any changes to TC/SIG name, scope, and Bylaws are subject to the review process.
3. The review process is conducted by a Review Committee, appointed and chaired by the CASS VP – Technical Activities, which prepares for each TC/SIG a Review Report providing feedback and recommendations.

2.2.1  Technical Committee/Special Interest Group Review Frequency

1. The CASS Board of Governors decides when each TC/SIG is reviewed.

2. Each Technical Committee/Special Interest Group will undergo a formal review at least, and typically, every 5 years.

2.2.2  TC/SIG Review Committee

1. Composition. The Chair of the Review Committee shall be the CASS VP – Technical Activities. The committee members shall be the President-Elect and members appointed for two-year terms by the CASS VP – Technical Activities from among the current and former Executive Committee and Members-at-Large of the Board of Governors.
2. Duties. The Review Committee shall guide the formal review process of the Technical Committees/Special Interest Groups. The Review Committee will meet at least annually to review the Technical Committees/Special Interest Groups; it will report to the CASS Executive Committee.

2.2.3  Summary Description

The review process has three stages:

1. Review Questionnaire

The TC/SIG Chair first responds to a Review Questionnaire that yields a record of and commentary on the TC/SIG's vision for their field of interest, activities, membership, operations and future plans.

2. Review Meeting

A Panel of the Review Committee then meets with TC/SIG representatives, typically the TC/SIG Chair and Chair-Elect, either in person or via teleconference, to explore responses to Review Questionnaire.

3. Review Report

The TC/SIG Review Committee agrees on a Recommendation Report, which it submits to the TC/SIG for comments and revision of the Review Questionnaire. A Final Review Report then goes to the CASS Executive Committee for acceptance and release to the TC/SIG.

2.2.3.1   Detailed Review Description

1. By mid-February each year, the TC/SIG Review Committee sets a Review Meeting Date for each TC/SIG to be reviewed and sends to the Chair of those TC/SIGs the Review Questionnaire. Ideally, all review meetings are scheduled during ISCAS or, if that is not practical, at another time soon thereafter, either face-to-face or by tele/video conference.
2. The Review Questionnaire provides a snapshot of the TC/SIG's membership and activities, including, though not limited to, sponsored/co-sponsored workshops; paper review for sponsored/co-sponsored major conferences; session organization for major sponsored/co-sponsored conferences; awards nominations; associate editor nominations by EDICS and journal; distinguished lecturer nominations; TC/SIG elections; TC/SIG bylaws; number of TC/SIG meetings, attendance and quorum; diversity of membership; web page address and date of last update; relationship to other TC/SIGs in CASS, other IEEE Societies and non-IEEE groups; vision/mission statement and future plans.
3. Experience with past reviews is that TC/SIG Chairs need at least 2 months to recruit assistance from TC/SIG members and gather the information necessary to complete the Review Questionnaire. 
4. The completed TC/SIG Review Questionnaire, as well as any other relevant information, must be submitted to the TC/SIG Review Committee by the TC/SIG Chair at least 2 weeks in advance of the Review Meeting Date.
5. The Review Meeting is a meeting of a Panel of the TC/SIG Review Committee with two TC/SIG representatives, usually the TC/SIG Chair and Vice-Chair, to discuss the review questionnaire response.
6. The Review Committee Panel prepares a Report on this meeting, and the full Review Committee then agrees on a Recommendation Report which is sent to the TC/SIG Chair, ideally within one month of the Review Meeting.
7. The TC/SIG Chair has two months to respond to the TC/SIG Review Committee's comments/recommendations and return a revised Review
8. A Final Review Report, which includes the TC/SIG Review Committee's comments and the TC/SIG’s response, is submitted to the Executive Committee for formal acceptance, upon which the report becomes an archival record of the Review, to be referenced in future Reviews, and to be posted on the Society web site (password protected).

2.3 Standards Activities Sub-Division (SASD)

As part of the IEEE CASS Technical Activities Division, the IEEE CASS Standards Activities Sub- Division (SASD) organizes and promotes Standards Committees and related activities on behalf of the IEEE CASS. For standards development process activities, a Standards Committee is defined in subclause 5.2.2 (Standards Committee) of the IEEE Standards Association Standards Board (IEEE SASB) Bylaws. Initial or revised IEEE CASS SASD Policies & Procedures Manual has to be approved by IEEE CASS TA.

2.4 IEEE CASS TC/SIG Chair removal procedure

In the case that a TC/SIG Chair i) does not support the paper review for the related tracks in ISCAS, and/or ii) does not hold an annual meeting for TC/SIG officer and new member election, a complaint can be submitted to the TA division. The TA division will evaluate the complaint and forward it to the ExCom if there is sufficient evidence. If a majority vote is received from the ExCom, the President sends inquiries to the TC/SIG Chair. If the TC/SIG chair does not provide sufficient explanation for non-fulfilled responsibilities or does not respond in one week, the President may remove the TC/SIG Chair. Then officer vacancy will be filled following the TC/SIG bylaw. A TC/SIG Chair who is removed under this procedure is ineligible to serve as an officer for any TC/SIG of CASS in the following 6 years. If the TC/SIG chair is not able to serve due to unfortunate circumstances, such as illness, then the officer vacancy is filled temporarily following the TC/SIG bylaw until the circumstances are resolved.

Section 3 – Education and Digital Communications Activities

The education and digital communication activities of CASS are conducted by the Education and Communications Division, chaired by the Vice President – Education and Communications.

The Vice President – Education and Communications shall act as liaison to the Board of Governors for the activities developed in the Education and Communications Division for approval. The Vice President – Education and Communications has the direct overall responsibilities for the development, design, operation, and improvement of the Society’s educational and digital communications activities.

• STANDING COMMITTEES

The Vice President – Education and Communications shall chair the standing Education Committee and the standing Digital Communications Committee, comprised in the Division.

Additionally, the Vice President – Education and Communications shall be empowered to determine and appoint other Ad Hoc Committees as required to meet the professional needs of CASS members in terms of life-long learning functions and information broadcasting.

3.1.1  Education Committee

The Education Committee shall comprise nine members: The Vice President – Education and Communications as Chair, the Chief of the CASS Institute for Global Education (he/she shall be appointed by the Vice President – Education and Communications with the advice and consent of the CASS Executive Committee and BoG), the President-Elect, one member nominated by the Vice President – Regional Activities and Membership, one member nominated by the Vice President – Conferences, one member nominated by the Vice President – Technical Activities and three Members-at-Large appointed by the Chair. The term of committee members shall be two years, renewable for one term. The ex-officio members are non-voting members of the committee, including Vice President – Conferences, Vice President – Regional Activities and Membership, Vice President – Publications and Vice President –Technical Activities. The Society President is, de facto, a member of all society committees; however, his/her presence at the meetings shall not be used to constitute a quorum.

This Education Committee shall meet at least once a year to review the Society education and training activities.

3.1.2  Digital Communications Committee

The Digital Communications Committee shall comprise nine members: The Vice President – Education and Communications as Chair, the President-Elect, one member nominated by the Vice President – Regional Activities and Membership, one member nominated by the Vice President – Conferences, one member nominated by the Vice President – Technical Activities, one member nominated by the Vice President – Publications and three Members-at-Large appointed by the Chair. The term of committee members shall be two years, renewable for one term. The ex-officio members are non-voting members of the committee including: Vice President – Conferences, Vice President – Regional Activities and Membership, Vice President – Publications and Vice President –Technical Activities. The Society President is, de facto, a member of all society committees; however, his/her presence at the meetings shall not be used to constitute a quorum.

This Digital Communications Committee shall meet at least once a year to review the digital communications strategy of the Society.

3.2  DISTINGUISHED LECTURERS PROGRAM

CASS maintains a Distinguished Lecturers Program (DLP) and a Industry Distinguished Lecturer Program (iDLP) under the Education and Communications Division. The DLP is managed by the DLP Chair and the iDLP is managed by the iDLP Chair. The formal term of appointment of a Distinguished Lecturer (DL), either in the DLP or the iDLP Program, shall be for two calendar years. The goal of the CASS DLP and iDLP is for Distinguished Lecturers to give a target of minimum 2 lectures per year at the invitation of local CASS Chapter Chairs. While DLs participating in the DLP are leading speakers from academia, those participating in the iDLP are recognized industry members. Both the DLP and the iDLP aim to educate and enhance the professional knowledge and vitality of IEEE CASS members by keeping them informed of the latest circuits and systems research results and their practical applications. iDLP focuses on topics that are primary importance to the industry and emphasis on industrial challenges and perspective. The programs are not intended to provide speakers for CASS conferences, regional conventions, university seminars, or trade shows.

3.2.1  DL Selection

The DLP Chair and the iDLP Chair shall be responsible for soliciting call for nominations in their respective Programs to the Society's Technical Committee and Special Interest Group Chairs and the Board of Governors. The CAS Fellows Committee will also submit nominations to the DLP Chair and the iDLP Chair. The nomination processes shall have a defined nomination period of eight weeks and all nominations to the DLP and the iDLP should be returned respectively to the DLP Chair and the iDLP Chair with the nominee’s name, full contact information, as well as their areas of expertise. As the nominations are received, the DLP Chair and the iDLP Chair will contact the candidates in their respective Programs to obtain a brief (100 word) biography, confirm contact information, and secure their list of lecture topics. If a nominee does not respond in a timely fashion, his/her non-response indicates lack of interest and his/her name will be dropped from the nomination list. A list containing a maximum of ten DLP candidates and a list containing a maximum of ten iDLP candidates must then be proposed to BoG each year. The BoG votes on the lists in the year previous to the DLs elected term. The DLs are then appointed by the President.

3.2.2  Criteria

DLP and IDLP candidates must be a recognized expert in a circuits and systems area of interest; must hold the IEEE grade of Senior Member or higher and be a member of the Circuits and Systems Society; and must be an engaging presenter. iDLP must work in industry. An engaging presenter is one who is a good presenter who can clearly convey the essence of their work to a wider audience, beyond the experts on the specific field, in a way that grasps the attention of the audience and motivates the participants. This can be supported by related evidence from previous lectures of the nominee.

3.2.3  Publicity

The Operations Office shall be responsible for causing information regarding the new class of DLs to be posted to the Society's Website.

3.2.4  Eligibility

No Technical Committee Chair or Board of Governors member is eligible to serve as a DL during the term of their service or for one year immediately thereafter. Serving DLP lecturers or iDLP lecturers who are elected as a TC Chair or a BoG member during their two-year term, can complete their term.

3.2.5 Procedure

Requests for DLP and iDLP visits must be addressed by the local Chapter Chair to the CASS DLP and iDLP Chair and the CASS VP – Financial Activities. The CASS DLP and iDLP Chair shall keep track of the requests (chapter details, speaker, talk, and date of event), verify there are no timing overlaps between them, and inform the CASS VP – Financial Activities for approval. Depending on the available budget, lectures can be presented virtually or on-site. In the case of on-site presentations, travel expenses related to DLP and iDLP trips will be reimbursed to the Distinguished Lecturers after they file an IEEE Concur report. An e-copy of the expense report has to be sent to the CASS VP – Financial Activities for approval.

Section 4 – Awards Activities

The awards procedures are administered by the Awards Committee Chair (ACC), who is appointed by the CASS President according to the CASS Bylaws each year, before January 15.

4.1  SOCIETY AWARDS

Society awards are: Mac Van Valkenburg, Charles A. Desoer Technical Achievement, John Choma Education, Meritorious Service, Industrial Pioneer, Vitold Belevitch CAS (alternate years), Chapter-of-the-Year and Regional Chapter-of-the-Year (R1-7, R8, R9, and R10). Prize paper awards are: Darlington, Guillemin-Cauer, Outstanding Young Author, TCSVT, TVLSI, TBioCAS, and ISCAS Student Best Paper (4 awards).

4.2  PROCEDURE

The ACC recommends, for appointment by the President, the subcommittee chairs for each of the society awards and prize paper awards. In order to meet the stringent timing of the award selection process, the President appoints the new subcommittee chairs in the first week of his/her term. The Darlington and Guillemin-Cauer awards should be considered as a joint effort and only one subcommittee chair is to be appointed. Typically, subcommittee chairs should be selected as follows:

• Society Awards (excluding the Chapter of the Year award): past recipients of the respective award or past member of award subcommittee.
• Prize Paper Awards: present and/or past EICs of the corresponding.

4.2.1  Nominations

A call for nominations for all the CASS awards is issued to the CASS membership every year by November 15. Nominations for prize paper awards are also solicited from the editorial boards of the publications. The deadline for nomination submissions (the nomination form and no more than 5 references) is February 15 of the following year at midnight at the Operations Office. The subcommittee Chairs shall recommend at least 4 persons as members of their subcommittee. The Society President will consider these recommendations in appointing the membership of these subcommittees. For prize papers, members should be chosen among the present/past editors or associate editors of the corresponding transactions or related publications. This list shall be submitted for approval to the ACC before the submission deadline.

Each subcommittee shall receive the complete nomination material (and references/endorsements, if applicable) of the related award and decide on the recipient within at most 30 days. If a nomination does not contain all reference letters, then the subcommittee Chair shall ask the referees indicated on the nomination to submit their reference letter. The decision of each subcommittee must be duly submitted in written form by the subcommittee Chair to the ACC. As a best practice, the ACC and the ExCom will coordinate the efforts of the Society to ensure that at least two (2) high-quality nominations are received for each award each year. If only one nomination for an award is received in a given year, the corresponding award subcommittee and the ACC must agree in unanimous consent to be able to give the award that year. Self-nominations are excluded. If a subcommittee feels that none of the received nominations meets the high standards necessary for a given award, an award may not be given in that year. This decision must be noted in written form to the ACC. The ACC will forward the final award decisions to BoG for endorsement. The President who is responsible for informing the awardees and announcing the results to the BoG and the CASS membership.

In the event that a person is nominated for two or more Society awards, the appropriate subcommittees must confer with each other, the nominator(s), and the ACC to assure that no one is awarded two or more Society awards in the same year.

Previous winners of a technical achievement award of CASS society (Mac Van Valkenburg, Charles A. Desoer Technical Achievement, and Vitold Belevitch CAS awards) are not eligible candidates for consideration of another technical achievement award for the same work.

Previous winners of other CAS society awards (John Choma, Education, Meritorious Service, Industrial Pioneer awards) are not eligible for the same award.

Previous winners of Chapter-of-the-Year and Regional Chapter-of-the-Year awards are not eligible for the same award within 3 years from the receiving the last award.

Nominators of nominations deemed acceptable for an award but not successful in winning will be contacted in time the following year by the CASS Operations Office and asked if they intend to put the nomination forward again for consideration for the same award. While a new nomination form and reference letters is not required, they may be updated at the nominator’s choice. For a candidate nominated for two or more awards and winning one of those awards, the unsuccessful submissions for the other parallel nomination(s) will not be forwarded.

4.2.2  Conflict of Interest

Members of each subcommittee cannot nominate nor endorse nominations for the award category they belong to (e.g., a member of the VLSI Transactions Best Paper Award, cannot nominate or endorse any proposal for a prize paper), nor can one of their papers be nominated for any awards of the same category.

4.2.3  Procedure

The ACC and the CASS Operations Office will receive all nominations. Both will keep the nominations confidential. Nominations will not be accepted after the deadline. Preferably, the awards nomination procedure should be done using a web-based system. If so, the nomination web-system will be shut down after the deadline.

Section 5 – Administrative Activities

5.1  PETITION SIGNATURES

As specified by the CASS Constitution and Bylaws, CASS allows petition for BoG and ExCom nominations, the holding of certain meetings, the cancellation of certain meetings, etc.

5.1.1  Petitions for Nominations

All nomination petitions will include the name of the CASS member being nominated, the position for which they are nominated, and the IEEE number of the signatory. Valid petitions for BoG and ExCom positions allowed in the CASS Bylaws require authenticated electronic signatures.

The Nominations Chair will submit a list of all nominated candidates, listed as eligible and non-eligible, to the members of the Nominations Committee.

5.1.2  Other Petitions

Petitions for other than nominations will include (1) a clear description of the matter being petitioned, (2) the authority for submitting the petition (e.g., a CASS Constitution or Bylaw Article), (3) the printed name and signature of each signatory and (4) the IEEE member number of the signatory. Only original petition signatures are accepted. The sheet of original petitions will be mailed to the President or his/her designee.

5.1.3  Validation

The President, CASS Administrator, Vice President – Financial Activities, and, in the case of BoG and ExCom nominees, the Chair of the Nominations Committee, may scrutinize the validity of signatures. Invalid signatures will be deleted from the tally of signatures and, in no way, will diminish the count of those signatures deemed valid. In cases of controversy concerning the validity of a signature, a vote of the President, Vice President – Financial Activities and, for nominations, the Nominations Chair, will be binding.

5.2  CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS CHAIR

The Constitution and Bylaws Chair advises the President and other officers, committees, and members on matters of parliamentary procedure and interpretation of the CASS Constitution, Bylaws and this Policies & Procedures document. The C&B Chair’s role is purely an advisory and consultative one - since parliamentary law gives to the President alone the power to rule on questions of order or to answer parliamentary inquiries. Accordingly, any appeal on a C&B Chair ruling will be to the CASS President.

5.3  ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND WEB PRESENCE

5.3.1  Conference Call or Web-Based Meetings

Members of the BoG or ExCom can participate electronically in meetings.

5.3.1.1   Notification

Those wishing to electronically participate in a meeting will so notify the OO ten days prior to the meeting. The OO will be responsible for facilitating such participation. At a minimum, an audio connection allowing real-time communication to those assembled and others electronically participating (e.g., a conference call over a speaker phone) is required.

5.3.1.2   Secret Ballots

Those participating in meetings electronically can designate a proxy prior to the meeting in writing. The proxy designee must be a voting member of the assembly. The proxy will vote in lieu of the electronically participating member (1) only on motions decided by secret ballots and (2) only concurrently with the participation of the electronically participating member.

If a written proxy is not submitted prior to the meeting, the electronic participant will not vote on secret ballots.

5.3.2  E-mail

• Alias Lists

Coordination and maintenance of e-mail alias lists is the responsibility of the Operations Office. At minimum, there will be alias lists for the BoG and ExCom. Other alias lists may be designated by the President. Alias lists are also available for each CASS Technical Committee. It is the responsibility of the Technical Committee Chair to communicate changes to their roster to the Operations Office for maintenance of the email alias list.

5.3.2.2   Electronic Voting Results

When, in accordance with procedures in the CASS Bylaws, vote is taken electronically, the President, when informing the body of the vote’s results, will identify the votes of all voting members.

5.3.3  Webmaster

The CASS website will be maintained by the CASS Operations Office and CASS Webmaster under supervision of the President.

5.3.4. e-Discussions

The use of electronic media (e.g., e-mail, discussion site, teleconferencing, wiki, etc.) is encouraged for discussing issues and proposals among the BoG members between meetings. In line with the facilities offered by IEEE, the CASS Operations Office under supervision of the President, shall provide the infrastructure as needed. All electronic debate concerning sensitive personnel and volunteer matters is, however, discouraged.

Section 6 – Publication Services and Products

All publications of CASS are under the jurisdiction of the CASS VP – Publications.

6.1  EDITORIAL POLICY

The editorial policy and technical scope of the journals sponsored by CASS are determined by the Society, within the framework and policies established by the IEEE Publication Activities Board and the IEEE Board of Directors. Implementation of these policies shall be the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief of the publication, who will have editorial independence unless a complaint is filed. Unless administratively rejected, all papers must have at least two reviews independent of the editor or associate editor. To avoid financial penalties from IEEE, EICs will work to adhere to fiscal page budgets, approved by the BoG in the preceding year on recommendation of the Publications Division, while simultaneously maintaining the high- quality characteristic of IEEE publications.

6.1.1  Publication Criteria

• Novelty and Quality

The major criteria for publication of manuscripts in the publications sponsored by the IEEE CASS shall be novelty and quality, based on the recommendation of the independent reviewers, and determined by the Associate Editor assigned to the manuscript.

6.1.1.2   Field of Interest

Using broad interpretation, EICs will adhere to the scope of interest for their magazine or transactions as approved by the BoG.

6.2  ORIGINALITY OF SUBMISSIONS

6.2.1  Plagiarism

Circuits and Systems Society publications and conferences follow the guidelines, processes, and definitions as provided by the IEEE Publications Services and Products Board (PSPB).

Reference: http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/plagiarism.html.

Authors are required to submit material that is original and that has not been published, or submitted for consideration, elsewhere. Authors who plagiarize the work of others shall be subject to sanctions by IEEE. Such behavior constitutes a misdeed and is subject to the IEEE rules of Member Conduct. Instances of suspected or documented plagiarism shall immediately be brought to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief for notification to IEEE. The Editor-in-Chief will inform the CASS VP – Publications and the IEEE Vice President – Publications that an investigation has begun and will form an independent committee of technical experts in the subject matter of the submission. The Editor-in-Chief shall not be a member of this committee and shall remain as independent as possible. The committee will provide its findings and a recommendation for action concerning the submission. The Editor-in-Chief will provide those recommendations to the CASS VP – Publications and the PSPB Chair. The PSPB Chair will contact the author(s) to both explain the charges and provide an opportunity for response. Corrective action will be taken by the PSPB Chair and may include apologies to plagiarized authors and suspension of publication privileges for 1 to 5 years in CASS and, possibly, all IEEE publications. For additional detail, refer to IEEE PSPB Operations Manual on plagiarism at https://pspb.ieee.org/images/files/files/opsmanual.pdf.

6.2.2  Duplicate Submissions

If authors have used their own previously published material as a basis for a new submission, they are required to cite the previous work(s) and very clearly indicate how the new submission offers substantively novel or different contributions beyond those of the previously published work(s). Duplicate submissions arise when a manuscript contains substantial parts of a previous publication or simultaneous submission of the same author(s) or when an entire manuscript exactly mirrors a second manuscript by the same authors submitted to another journal. Journal papers based on previous conference publications are not considered duplicate submissions. Duplicate submissions without citing an author’s previous work is subject to sanctions by CASS and by IEEE as listed below.

1. All manuscripts submitted to CASS discovered to be duplicate submissions shall be immediately
2. All authors (that is, any single, paired, or group of authors) of the duplicate submission(s) shall be prevented from submitting new manuscripts for the period of one year from the date of
3. Any manuscripts already under review by the Society by any of the authors of the duplicate submission(s) will have his/her/their manuscripts returned to them immediately, regardless of the stage of peer In this way, innocent co-authors will be not harmed by having their manuscript rejected; but the manuscript will automatically be classified as withdrawn from consideration by the Society.

Identification of duplicate submissions shall be brought to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief and should be appropriately documented. Notification of sanction for duplicate submission shall be to the author(s) from the CASS VP – Publications with copies to the Editor-in-Chief and the IEEE Vice President-Publication Activities.

6.3  APPEAL OF EDITORIAL DECISIONS

Authors wishing to appeal the decision of an Associate Editor shall make a request, in writing, to the Editor- in-Chief. If the Editor-in-Chief believes that additional, independent review is warranted, the Editor-in-Chief may select independent reviewers. In the event the author(s) wishes to pursue the matter further or for any other issues concerning the Editor-in-Chief, the author(s) shall present the issue, in writing, to the Vice President – Publications. The Vice President – Publications, with the advice and consent of the Publications Activities Division, will decide the issue. This decision shall be communicated to the author by the VP – Publications. In the event of a challenge to reviewing or publishing actions which cannot be resolved at the Society level, the IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities shall be the IEEE officer with cognizance of the appeals process. An appeal of an editorial decision must be submitted within 60 days of final notification of the decision to the IEEE Staff Executive, Publications, who will acknowledge receipt of the appeal and inform the IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities within 30 days. The IEEE Vice President of

Publication Activities shall, within 30 days of receipt of a written appeal, determine whether the dispute merits a formal arbitration process. For arbitration, the IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities shall appoint an individual who shall, in consultation with all the parties to the dispute and with the assistance of knowledgeable members of the professional community, assess the merits of the dispute and recommend a resolution. The recommendation shall be presented to the IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities for review within 120 days of the receipt of the complaint. The decision, which shall be binding on the IEEE entity which is party to the dispute, shall be made within 15 days of the receipt of the recommendation by the IEEE Vice President of Publication Activities, and shall be reported to the IEEE Publication Activities Board.

6.4. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

All IEEE Transactions entirely sponsored by CASS will use ScholarOne Manuscripts.

6.5 SOCIETY PROCEDURES FOR PUBLICATION VOLUNTEERS

All IEEE Circuits and Systems Society publications have established procedures to ensure that no one can acquire unauthorized access to privileged information. The procedures ensure that the identities of reviewers for papers authored by editors or other publication volunteers are not divulged to the authors and cannot be accessed by them. In particular, manuscripts submitted by editors and other publication volunteers are handled by another member of the editorial board; reports and recommendations for volunteer-authored papers, when submitted to the author, omit the names and other identifying information for reviewers; and access restrictions to ensure reviewer privacy from authors are also enforced in the electronic publication management systems used for IEEE Circuits and Systems Society publications.

Section 7 – Technical Meetings Activities

Technical meetings, including Conferences, Symposia, and Expositions activities of CASS, are conducted under the jurisdiction of the CASS Vice President – Conferences, and shall follow the IEEE guidelines for organizing such technical meetings.

7.1  IEEE MEETING RESOURCES

Meeting organizers are encouraged to consider the following services offered by IEEE.

• IEEE Concentration Banking, https://www.ieee.org/membership/services/financial/treasury/concentration.html, allows managed centralized banking and easy conference closing of conference finances.
• Other support can be found online here: https://ieeemce.org/planning-basics/

7.2.  SANCTION OF TECHNICAL MEETINGS

Technical meetings shall require the following approvals in order to be held under the auspices of and/or with the support of CASS.

7.2.1  Publication Guide Adherence

All CASS sponsored Technical Meetings, and all CASS co-sponsored meetings where all other co-sponsors are IEEE Societies or Councils, will adhere to procedures contained in the guidelines http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/index.html. These include but are not limited to (a) 20% projected surplus, (b) differential registration fees between IEEE and non-IEEE members, and (c) signatory authority on all bank accounts by two CASS volunteers (VP – Conferences and VP – Financial Activities) and the signature of the IEEE Staff Director – Financial Services or designee. Exceptions to this policy can be made with the majority approval of the President, Past President, President Elect and VP – Financial Activities.

7.2.2  Criteria for New Conferences

• New Sponsored or Co-Sponsored Conferences

New Conferences in which CASS is the sponsor or co-sponsor shall require the following clearances:

1. Review by the CASS VP – Technical Activities
2. Approval by the Conference Activities Division, including approval of the proposed budget
3. Budget review by the CASS VP – Financial Activities

Subsequent notification shall be made to the cognizant Society Chapter Chair and IEEE Regional Section Chair.

7.2.2.2   New Technical Committee Workshops

New workshops sponsored or co-sponsored by one or more of the Society's Technical Committees or Special Interest Groups or Chapters, or with other organizations, shall require the following clearances:

• Approval by the cognizant Technical Committee(s) or Special Interest Group(s)
• Approval by the Conference Activities Division, including approval of the proposed budget Subsequent notification shall be made to Technical Committee Chair(s) or Special Interest Group Chair(s) or the cognizant Society Chapter Chair and IEEE regional Section Chair.

7.2.2.3   Meetings Having Technical Sponsorship or Technical Co-Sponsorship Status

Technical meetings for which the Society provides no direct financial sponsorship shall require the approval of the Conference Activities Division. The VP – Conferences will subsequently read these actions into the minutes of the ExCom.

7.2.3  Ongoing or Repeating Technical Meetings

Technical meetings of any description in which the Society has previously participated require approval by the Conference Activities Division, which includes approval of the proposed budget. For ongoing or repeating technical meetings having technical sponsorship and technical co-sponsorship status, approval of the Conference Activities Division shall be required for each instance of CASS participation. The VP – Conferences will subsequently read these actions into the minutes of the ExCom.

7.2.4  Report to BoG

The CASS VP – Conferences will report to the BoG concerning all conferences with which CASS is associated.

7.3  CONFERENCE BUDGETS & CONTRACTS

7.3.1  Budget Adherence

Every technical meeting with sponsorship by CASS is expected to follow its budget. The meeting will discharge all of its debts and meet the surplus as committed in the original budget.

7.3.2  MOU’s AND CONTRACTS

All contracts and MOU’s between CASS with other organizations (e.g., meeting management and hotel contracts) must be approved by the VP – Financial Activities with the advice of the OO.

7.3.2.1   Hotel Booking Agents

It shall be the policy of CASS not to use booking agents whose specific purpose is to engage hotel sleeping rooms on behalf of conferences, workshops, or other technical meetings, and who derive their income from direct payment or commission. When the meeting organizing committee believes an exception to this policy is warranted, a recommendation from the Conference Activities Division followed by the express, written approval of the ExCom shall be required.

7.4  MEETING ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE EXPENSES

No expenses for the meeting organization committee (e.g., travel, complimentary rooms, and registration waivers) are to be charged to the conference unless explicitly included in the conference’s approved budget.

7.5.  CONFERENCE RECORDS

7.5.1  Adherence to Electronic Publication Criteria

All CASS conferences are required to adhere to IEEE’s electronic submissions as outlined on http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/pubs/conference_publications.html.   Failure to do so will result in fees charged by IEEE for noncompliance.

7.5.2. Post-Conference Distribution

IEEE's Conference Publication Program (CPP) handles the acquisition and exclusive post-conference distribution of conference content for conferences sponsored and co-sponsored (either financially or technically) by IEEE organizational units such as CASS, according to the guidelines published on http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/organizers/pubs/cpp.html. The Conference Organizer or General Chair submits any Conference Publication Form for a conference fully sponsored by or co- sponsored for at least half by CASS.

7.6  CONFERENCE CLOSING

Any technical meeting in which the Society has a financial participation and that is an "approved" IEEE meeting shall meet the requirements of IEEE for speedy closing, and shall not incur penalties for late closure, except with the express, written permission of the CASS VP – Conferences and the VP – Financial Activities. Conferences must be scheduled to close within six months of the event, to avoid the fines that IEEE imposes on CASS for conferences that close late.

7.7  E-MAIL AND OTHER MAIL LISTS

All e-mail and postal mailing lists generated by technical meetings sponsored solely by CASS are solely owned by the Society and may be used only in conjunction with normal CASS-sponsored activities, as approved in writing by the Society’s Operations Office. Such permissions will be given on a one-time-use- only basis and with the understanding that the technical meeting using the e-mail or postal mailing list will provide any modifications, additions, or deletions back to the Society, or its designated agent for e-mail or postal mailing lists, upon completion of the technical meeting. Further, should a cost be incurred by the Society’s designated agent for e-mail or postal mailing lists to provide said lists, the technical meeting may be charged a fee to cover those costs.

Section 8 – Financial Matters

Financial matters are under the jurisdiction of the CASS VP – Financial Activities. The following policies have been established to ensure that volunteers and staff have a clear understanding of and shall carry out their responsibilities regarding the functions and administration of the financial aspects of CASS.

8.1  ASSET AND LIABILITY MANAGEMENT

Adherence to the policies in this section regarding Asset/Liability Management shall be the same inside and outside of the United States, except where local laws and regulations prohibit compliance. This compliance outside the United States should be to the maximum extent possible.

8.1.1  Asset Management

All CASS Geographic Units and all conferences must use an electronic bank account with IEEE. It is the policy of IEEE that all bank accounts for IEEE Meetings provide for the signatures of at least two volunteers and the signature of the IEEE Staff Director - Financial Services or designee. The two volunteers are the CASS VP – Conferences and the CASS VP – Financial Activities. In countries where this policy is prohibited or otherwise cannot be practiced, a procedure can be approved by the CASS VP – Conferences and CASS VP – Financial Activities that is in conformance with the intent of the policy to provide competent fiscal oversight of CASS accounts.

8.2  BUSINESS EXPENSE REPORTING

8.2.1  Travel Policy and Funds

It is CASS policy to reimburse reasonable, authorized travel expenses. This includes travel of Officers and Board Members to attend the meetings of the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors. Travel of Officers to represent the CAS Society at IEEE meetings and travel of CASS representatives to the meetings where they represent the CAS Society must be pre-approved by the CASS President.

Travel reimbursement guidelines are detailed in the CASS Travel Guidelines. Reimbursable expenses include the direct travel (economy airfare, taxi/bus fare, car mileage) to and from the meeting place, and single-room lodging and meals (when not provided as part of the meeting) from the night before through the night after the meeting. Expenses not directly related to the meeting, such as conference registrations, phone calls, bar tabs, are not reimbursable. Exceptions to these rules, such as the use of business class and above, must be approved in advance by the CASS President and IEEE; reasons considered include medical necessity. Volunteers are strongly encouraged to compare prices with those available via e-mail from IEEE Travel Service http://www.ieee.org/membership_services/services/travel/index.html. Persons claiming the reimbursement of travel expenses must submit an IEEE expense report via Concur within one month of the final day of travel. Expense receipts must be provided for all expenses over $25 USD. Concur may be accessed at: https://corporate.ieee.org/resources/travel,-medical-and-insurance/ieee….

8.3  CONTRACTS WITH OUTSIDE VENDORS AND CONTRACTORS

All contracts or MOUs between CASS and organizations or contractors external to IEEE must be approved by the CASS VP – Financial Activities with the advice of the OO. For large contracts over $25,000 USD, consultation with IEEE advisory services is required. For contracts under $25,000, consultation with IEEE advisory services is recommended.

Section 9 – Legal Matters

9.1  THE CASS LOGO

The emblem of CASS will be protected by legal registration. The emblem, “CAS” and “CASS” is to be used only in connection with official business of CASS. The CASS emblem may be incorporated in the design of awards, or for similar purposes, provided that the total emblem is used without any modification.

9.2  INDEMNIFICATION

CASS Officers and BoG members will be indemnified by CASS when (1) CASS and IEEE Policy has been followed and (2) there is no associated criminal act.

Section 10 – The CASS Calendar

The following calendar serves as a guideline for actions normally practiced annually by CASS staff and volunteers.

Key:

• SOM: Start of the Month
• MOM: Middle of the Month
• EOM: End of the Month
• TBD: To be Determined

Section 11 – Other Policies and Procedures

11.1. CASS ORIENTATION SEMINAR

In the beginning of the year, the Past President shall organize an orientation seminar (e.g., using teleconferencing), covering the operations of the IEEE and the CAS Society for the benefit of incoming members of the BoG.

Section 12 – Modification of IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Policies and Procedures

Changes to this document can be made by a 2/3 (two thirds) votes of the CASS BoG present at a regularly scheduled BoG meeting.