Trying to decide how many EI conferences to submit your paper to? You're not alone — it's one of the most common dilemmas we hear from researchers racing against a deadline. Cast a wide net to improve your odds, or concentrate your energy on one or two carefully chosen venues? The answer isn't a number; it's a trade-off between effort, ethics and opportunity cost. In this guide, we break down the two strategies, how to judge conference quality, and how to match your submission count to the time you actually have.
Cast a Wide Net or Go Deep? Two Strategies, One Question
The choice of how many conferences to target comes down to two philosophies:
- The wide-net approach. Submit to several EI conferences at once, on the logic that more attempts means a higher chance of acceptance. It can feel necessary when your research is time-sensitive or you need a publication urgently.
- The deep approach. Pick one or two highly matched conferences and prepare thoroughly. This demands real knowledge of your field, of each conference's preferences and of the quality of its past proceedings — but the submission quality, and the revision conversations that follow, tend to run much more smoothly.
The wide net carries real risks. Review cycles often overlap, which can push you towards duplicate submission — a serious academic integrity violation — or leave you juggling multiple sets of revision comments at once. Neither strategy is inherently better; the right one depends on your career stage and what you need this publication to do for you.
How to Judge a Conference Before You Commit
Whatever number you settle on, the first step is the same: judge the conference itself. Being indexed in EI Compendex is an entry ticket, not a quality certificate. Look deeper:
- Organiser reputation. Events hosted by respected learned societies or leading institutions usually carry more weight.
- History and continuity. A conference in its fifth or tenth edition has mature processes; a first-time event is a bigger bet.
- Past proceedings. Read previous volumes — the average quality of accepted papers and the topics they favour tell you more than any marketing page.
- Small organisational signals. A well-maintained website and a usable submission system often reflect the rigour behind the scenes.
None of these replace each other — they're four angles on the same question: is this organiser worth my paper?
Match Your Submission Count to Your Time and Energy
Be honest about your team's capacity before you multiply your targets. Every additional conference means extra work: learning new formatting requirements, adjusting your paper's angle to fit the theme, and preparing for another possible round of reviews. If the deadline is tight and hands are few, more submissions often means every one of them is under-prepared — which can lower your overall success rate, not raise it.
If your schedule allows, a tiered approach works well:
- One "stretch" target. A high-profile conference that would be a real achievement.
- One "safe" target. A well-matched, reliable conference that protects your baseline.
Submit the two in a way that keeps their review windows apart — and never the same paper to both. Challenge the ceiling, secure the floor.
A Practical Way to Shortlist
Concrete steps beat anxiety. Here's the routine we suggest:
- Shortlist three to five candidates from conference listings.
- Score each one on four dimensions: organiser background, quality of past proceedings, fit with this edition's theme, and deadline timing.
- Pick the one that fits your research best — the venue where your paper feels most at home and whose organisers seem most trustworthy — and put most of your energy there.
- Keep your integrity line intact. Whatever the pressure, never submit the same manuscript to two venues at once. If a paper is rejected, you are free to send it elsewhere.
In our experience supporting researchers and conference organisers, the researchers who treat submission as a strategy — not a lottery — are the ones who keep succeeding.
FAQs
How many EI conferences should I submit to at the same time?
There's no universal number. Most experienced researchers prefer one to two well-chosen targets with non-overlapping review windows over a scattergun approach. The key rule is absolute: never submit the same paper to two venues simultaneously.
Is it okay to submit the same paper to multiple conferences?
No. Duplicate submission is a serious breach of academic ethics — it can trigger rejection at both venues and damage your reputation. You may resubmit only after a paper has been formally rejected elsewhere.
What does "EI-indexed conference" actually mean?
It means the conference's proceedings are indexed in EI Compendex (searchable via Engineering Village). It's a useful signal of recognition, but it's not a quality guarantee — always assess the organiser, history and past proceedings too.
How do I know if an EI conference is worth submitting to?
Score it on organiser reputation, continuity of editions, the quality and themes of past proceedings, and how well this edition's call matches your research. Small signals like website quality and submission-system usability also count.
Should I combine a top conference with a safer one?
A tiered approach — one stretch target and one reliable target, with review windows kept apart — works well when time allows. Just make sure the two submissions are different papers, or the first has been rejected before the second is sent.
The Takeaway
How many EI conferences you submit to matters less than how well you choose them. Shortlist, score, and commit to the venue where your work fits best — then prepare as if it's the only option.
At AiScholar, we've watched this play out across conference editions in 100+ host cities, and the researchers who plan their shortlist, compare deadlines and track submissions in one place consistently win. Browse our upcoming academic conferences to build your shortlist, check the EI Compendex engineering conferences currently open for submission — because submitting fewer, and choosing better, is how every submission counts.
