ICML 2026 Article

What is the ICML template?

ICML (International Conference on Machine Learning) is, alongside NeurIPS and ICLR, one of the three top-tier machine learning conferences. ICML enforces a slightly different layout than NeurIPS: the same single-column structure but with different margins, line spacing, and a stricter "no-decoration" approach to section titles.

The Sarmate template uses icml2026.sty, the official 2026 author kit, pre-installed on our compile server so you can focus on writing rather than fighting paths.

When should you use this template?

• You're submitting to ICML — main track or workshop. ICML workshops sometimes use slightly modified versions; check the workshop's individual page.
• You're working on a paper that may go to ICML rather than NeurIPS. Easier to switch templates while still writing than after revisions are baked in.
• Your collaborators say "send me the LaTeX in ICML format" — this is what they mean.

Step-by-step: your first ICML paper

1. Pick the right submission mode

\usepackage[accepted]{icml2026}    % Camera-ready (accepted papers)
\usepackage{icml2026}              % Submission (anonymous, with line numbers)

The default (no option) gives you the anonymous submission layout with line numbers — exactly what reviewers want. Switch to [accepted] only after notification of acceptance.

2. Title, authors, affiliations

ICML uses a custom syntax different from standard LaTeX:

\twocolumn[
\icmltitle{Your Paper Title Here}
\icmlsetsymbol{equal}{*}

\begin{icmlauthorlist}
\icmlauthor{Jane Smith}{equal,inst1}
\icmlauthor{John Doe}{equal,inst1,inst2}
\end{icmlauthorlist}

\icmlaffiliation{inst1}{Department of Computer Science, Cradle University, USA}
\icmlaffiliation{inst2}{Independent Researcher, Pittsburgh, USA}

\icmlcorrespondingauthor{Jane Smith}{jane@cradle.edu}
]

The whole block goes in \twocolumn[ ... ]. The equal symbol marks equal contributors (printed as *). The icmlcorrespondingauthor appears as a footnote.

3. Abstract and 8-page limit

ICML 2026 allows 8 content pages maximum for the main paper, plus unlimited references. Anything else is in the supplementary material.

\begin{abstract}
We introduce ... We show that ... Our approach achieves ...
\end{abstract}

4. Sections and structure

Standard \section{} / \subsection{} / \subsubsection{}. ICML uses sentence case for everything (don't write "Related Work" — write "Related work"). The class won't enforce this; reviewers might complain.

5. Citations: \citet and \citep

Same as NeurIPS — ICML uses natbib with author-year:

• \citet{key} → "Smith et al. (2024)"
• \citep{key} → "(Smith et al., 2024)"

Use \citet when the author is part of your sentence, \citep for parenthetical references at the end of a claim.

6. Bibliography

\bibliography{your_bib_file}
\bibliographystyle{icml2026}

The icml2026 bibliography style is installed on the Sarmate compile server. The output is the standard ICML reference format: alphabetical, with full author names and DOIs when available.

Common errors and how to fix them

! Undefined control sequence \icmltitle

You forgot to wrap the title block in \twocolumn[ ... ], or you're missing \usepackage{icml2026}. The ICML class commands only exist within that environment.

Authors visible despite no [accepted] option

Authors are anonymized only if you don't pass [accepted]. If you see them, double-check your \usepackage line. Also remove any acknowledgments — those are not auto-anonymized.

Page count overflows past 8

References don't count, but everything else does — including figures, tables, the algorithm pseudocode. The honest fix: cut content. Don't reduce font size or shrink margins (the class blocks most attempts anyway).

"Bad citations: [?]"

BibTeX hasn't run, or the citation key doesn't match an entry in your .bib. Recompile (Sarmate runs bibtex automatically). Check that \cite{key} matches a key in your_bib_file.bib — case-sensitive.

Equal-contribution mark (*) not appearing

You forgot \icmlsetsymbol{equal}{*} before \begin{icmlauthorlist}. The symbol is bound to the equal tag — without it, no asterisk.

Class options worth knowing

(no option) / accepted

The two main modes. Default = anonymous submission. [accepted] = camera-ready with authors visible.

10pt

Forced by the class. Don't try to change it — your paper will be desk-rejected.

letterpaper

Forced. ICML doesn't accept A4 submissions even from European authors.

FAQ

How is ICML different from NeurIPS?

Same single-column author-year style, different page limit (8 vs 9), different style file, slightly different margins. Layout is similar enough that it looks identical at a glance, but you cannot use a NeurIPS source for ICML without changing the style file. The reviewers and program committees are also different — ICML and NeurIPS often deadlock on the same paper.

Should I include code with my submission?

ICML strongly encourages it as supplementary material (a ZIP upload). Reviewers don't have to look, but reproducibility-focused area chairs do consider it positively. Anonymize: remove your name, GitHub username, lab paths.

Can I use biblatex instead of natbib?

Technically yes, but you'll need to redo the bibliography style yourself. Easier to stick with natbib + icml2026.bst.

What's the relationship between ICML and JMLR?

JMLR (Journal of Machine Learning Research) publishes ICML proceedings and accepts long-form papers separately. JMLR has its own template (jmlr2e). Don't mix them.

Where can I find recent ICML papers as examples?

PMLR proceedings hosts every accepted ICML paper. The structure of the top papers is a fast way to learn what good looks like.

Going further

• Official ICML 2026 Call for Papers
• ICML 2026 Author Instructions — the official guide.
• Open the template now and try changing options to see what each does.