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ICML Reviewer Drops Score After Rebuttal

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🤖Read original on Reddit r/MachineLearning
#conference-review#paper-submission#icml-2026icml-2026icmlopenreview

💡ICML score flip post-rebuttal: rejection signal or normal? Key for submitters.

⚡ 30-Second TL;DR

What Changed

Reviewer acknowledged rebuttal and upped score to 5(3)

Why It Matters

Reveals score volatility in ICML reviews, urging researchers not to over-rely on rebuttal gains before final decisions.

What To Do Next

Check OpenReview frequently for ICML score updates during AC discussions.

Who should care:Researchers & Academics

Key Points

  • Reviewer acknowledged rebuttal and upped score to 5(3)
  • Score reverted to 4 during AC reviewer discussion
  • Average score fell from 4 to 3.75, sparking rejection fears

🧠 Deep Insight

AI-generated analysis for this event — not the original article.

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

  • ICML 2026 utilizes a multi-stage review process where Area Chairs (ACs) have the authority to override or adjust reviewer scores based on private discussions, often leading to score volatility post-rebuttal.
  • The 'confidence' score (the number in parentheses) is a critical weighting factor in the final decision-making process, meaning a score drop from a high-confidence reviewer carries significantly more weight than a change from a low-confidence reviewer.
  • Community discourse on platforms like OpenReview and Reddit suggests that 'score sniping' or late-stage score adjustments by ACs are a recurring point of contention in top-tier AI conference peer review cycles.

🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources

ICML will implement stricter transparency requirements for AC score adjustments.
Increasing community pressure regarding the lack of visibility into post-rebuttal score changes is likely to force policy updates in future conference cycles.
The reliance on numerical scores for paper acceptance will decrease.
The volatility of scores during the AC discussion phase highlights the inadequacy of simple averaging as a proxy for scientific merit, prompting a shift toward more qualitative assessment models.

Timeline

2026-01
ICML 2026 paper submission deadline.
2026-03
Initial reviewer scores released to authors.
2026-04
Rebuttal phase concluded and AC discussion period initiated.
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Original source: Reddit r/MachineLearning

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