2021 Workshops

Update: Decisions have been announced. Register now on the ConfTool submission site.

Contents

• Workshop Call
• Timeline
• Proposal and Submission Guidelines
• Workshop Chairs
• Questions

Workshop Call

iConference Workshops are intended to foster interactive discussions focusing on a particular topic within the purview of the iSchools, namely, the relationships among information, people and technology. This year’s chairs particularly welcome proposals focusing on the topics within the iConference 2021 theme: Diversity | Divergence | Dialogue. Workshops provide a great opportunity for attendees who share common interests and want to have intensive discussions. If you are interested in building a new research community, strengthening an existing research community, or further advancing a particular field, please consider organizing a workshop. We encourage you to submit proposals that will create common knowledge within iSchools.

Format Update: In a change from our original CFP, iConference 2021 will now be an entirely virtual conference. All workshops proposals should be made with remote participation in mind. Note that we also have a new Virtual Interactive Sessions track for non-workshops.

Full- and half-day and full-day formats will be possible. There will be no separate fee for workshops. Participants will sign up for workshops when they register. All registered participants for iConference 2021 can participate in workshops at no extra cost.

Workshop proposals should describe the organizers, participants, purpose, format (panels, papers, discussions), goals or outcomes, and relevance to the iConference. Please use the structure described below under “Submission Guidelines.” Proposals will be reviewed by the Workshop Chairs and/or a review committee of their choosing, in consultation with the Program Chairs. After the conference, accepted workshop proposals will be archived to the iConference website.

It is the practice of the iConference to allow any paid participant to sign up for any given workshop. Workshop organizers are welcome and encouraged to solicit position papers or other deliverables from their workshop participants in advance. These can be used to identify individuals for more specific involvement, but should not be used to exclude anyone from signing up. Note that the process of soliciting and receiving position papers must be managed by the workshop organizers themselves; iConference organizers cannot facilitate the collection of deliverables through the conference submission system.

For more information and inspiration, we encourage you to review the proceedings and summaries of past iConferences. In particular, we call your attention to recent workshops proposals:

• 2020 Workshop Proposals
• 2019 Workshop Proposals
• 2018 Workshop Proposals
• 2017 Workshop Proposals
• 2016 Workshop Proposals
• 2015 Workshop Proposals

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Updated Timeline

Proposal and Submission Guidelines

Workshop proposals can now be made using the ConfTool submission system. All submissions must be in English and submitted as a pdf. The following format should be used.

Title: Workshop title

Organizer(s): Names and affiliations of the organizers, in preferred order of appearance. We encourage workshops to include organizers from multiple institutions. (Note that all workshop organizers and presenters are expected to purchase an iConference registration.)

Abstract: An abstract of up to 150 words.

Description: Include a description of up to 1,000 words (not including abstract). Workshop descriptions should address each of the following:

• Purpose and Intended Audience: Please state the audience to which your event is designed to appeal and the general themes that your workshop will address.
• Proposed Format: Describe how your workshop will be organized and structured. The format is up to you. Possible activities include: Panel presentations; Group brainstorming of research issues and questions; Breakout discussions of specific topics or challenges; Collaborative deliberation of a particular case study or problem; Creation of a bibliography, research agenda, manifesto, or other product. 
• Engagement: Explain the strategies you will use to engage workshop attendees. Note that if you plan to solicit abstracts, papers, or position statements, you are expected to set up your own system or protocol for doing so (e.g., through a website, via email, etc.). Participant registration for workshops will be managed through the conference registration site. 
  
• Goals or Outcomes: State the goals and/or expected outcomes for your workshop. Also, include any plans to prepare a report, proceedings, wiki, or website to disseminate the results of your workshop.
• Relevance to the iConference: Briefly state the focus of your proposal topic and note the importance, relevance, value, and/or interest to the iSchool community. Provide a brief explanation of how this workshop will appeal to the audience both with respect to content and format of the workshop. If the workshop has been associated with the iConference in the past or is part of an ongoing series, please explain.

Duration: Indicate if your workshop will be a half- or full-day event, and include a draft schedule that will fit within the duration. 

Attendance: Please indicate your preferred maximum number of participants, if applicable. The registration module will be configure to stop accepting sign-ups when that figure is reached.

Special Requirements: The iConference typically does not provide funding for workshops. If your proposed event has technical or logistical requirements with budget ramifications, you must articulate them clearly for consideration by the chairs.

Visit ConfTool to create a user account and start the submission process

If you have questions or ideas that need help being fleshed out, please feel free to contact the Workshop Chairs listed below.

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Workshop Chairs

• Yuxiang (Chris) Zhao, Nanjing University of Science & Technology
• Jiqun Liu, University of Oklahoma 

Questions

Questions about Workshop proposals should be directed to the Workshop chairs listed above.

General questions about iConference 2021 should be directed to iconference2021@ischools-inc.org