WebSci’21 Call for Papers (CfP)

Hosted by the University of Southampton, UK, delivered online

https://websci21.webscience.org/

Globalisation, Inclusion and the Web in the Context of COVID

The Web has enabled a globally connected network of individuals and communities, but divides still exist and emerge in various online environments. Fostering an inclusive and just online environment is a persistent challenge: Web technologies can hinder or promote equity, and can exacerbate intersectional disadvantages. In recent years, this challenge has been amplified by the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence and the automation of Web-based tasks as well as ongoing divides in Web access, use, and skill. The theme for WebSci 2021, Globalisation, Inclusion and the Web in the Context of COVID, calls attention to these challenges, particularly in light of the ongoing global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Web Science is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to understanding the complex and multiple impacts of the Web on society, and vice versa. As such, the field of Web Science is particularly well situated to address these pressing issues. This year’s theme seeks to call attention to core issues facing the field, but as always we welcome a broad array of submissions relevant to Web Science.

Call for Papers

The 13th International ACM Conference on Web Science in 2021 (WebSci’21) is an interdisciplinary conference where a multitude of research disciplines converge with the purpose of creating a greater insight into a complex global Web than the sum of their individual parts. We invite participation from diverse fields including computer and information sciences, communication, economics, informatics, law, linguistics, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology.

Contributions may be analytical, conceptual, creative, critical, predictive, theoretical (or all of the above) and should aim, wherever possible, to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. The conference provides a platform to a range of practitioners from Ph.D. students to experienced researchers and ideas ranging from early work through projects as well as final analysis and completed publishable work. We look to evaluate and value the impact of the Web Science approach, its current theoretical, methodological, and epistemological challenges as well as Web practices of individuals, collectives, institutions, and platforms.

Building on our theme for 2021, we especially welcome contributions that:

  • Have a broader perspective on the Web and that combine analyses of Web data and other types of data (e.g., from surveys or interviews) to better understand user behaviour (i.e., online and offline)
  • Present successful cases of interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary Web research
  • Examine trends in globalisation, fragmentation, rejoining, and Balkanisation of the Web
  • Examine automation and AI in all its manifestations relevant to the Web
  • Interrogate questions of discriminiation, representation and fairness
  • Bring lenses such as intersectionality or design justice to questions of marginalisation and inequality
  • Consider the impact of COVID on technology adoption, risk perception and risk taking, rates of change, change management, digital health and privacy

Methodologically, Web Science is a discipline that is agnostic to specific methods. We welcome quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research, including methods from the social sciences and computer science. In addition, we welcome work that explores the ethics of Web-based data collection and research.

More broadly, possible topics for submissions include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Ethical challenges of technologies, data, algorithms, platforms, and people in the Web
  • Modeling Web-related structures, data, users and behaviours
  • Impact of AI and machine learning on the development of Web Science
  • Detecting, preventing and predicting anomalies in Web data (e.g., fake content, spam, algorithmic and data biases)
  • Data curation, Web archives and stewardship in Web Science
  • Safeguarding and governance of the Web, including anonymity, security and trust
  • Temporal and spatial dimensions of the Web as a repository of information
  • The architecture and philosophy of the Web
  • Social machines, crowd computing and collective intelligence
  • Analysis and modeling of human vs. automatic behaviour (e.g., bots) and their influence on the structure of the Web and responding behaviour
  • Health and well-being online
  • Humanities, arts, and culture on the Web
  • Critical analyses of the Web and Web technologies
  • Web economics, social entrepreneurship, and innovation
  • Analysis of online social and information networks
  • Legal issues including rights and accountability for AI actors
  • Inclusion, literacy and the digital divide
  • Health, politics, and education on the Web

Format of the submissions

Please upload your submissions via EasyChair.

The ACM Web Science Conference will run as an online conference, where authors will present their work remotely to online participants. There is one format for submission. All contributors will submit an abstract (max 400 words) followed by a full paper of between 6 and 10 pages (inclusive of references, appendices, etc.). The authors shall adopt the current ACM SIG Conference proceedings template (acmart.cls).

Please submit papers as PDF files using the ACM template, either in Microsoft Word format or with the ACM LaTeX template on Overleaf (ACM Conference Proceedings “Master” Template).

All contributions will be judged by the Program Committee upon rigorous peer review standards for quality and fit to the conference, by at least three referees. We will adopt a single-blind review process. Do not anonymize your submissions. Submissions without authorship information will be desk-rejected without review.

For authors who wish to opt-out of publication proceedings, this option will be made available upon acceptance. This will encourage the participation of researchers from the social sciences that prefer to publish their work as journal articles. All authors of accepted papers (including those who opt out of proceedings) are expected to present their work (virtually) at the conference. In 2020, the Web Science conference registration costs were kept low, and the intention is to continue this for Web Science 2021.

Important Dates

February 12, 2021           Abstract Submission Deadline

February 19, 2021           Paper submission deadline

April 9, 2021                      Notification

May 10, 2021                    Camera-ready versions due

June 21-25                         Conference dates

We hope to see you virtually in 2021!

WebSci’21 | 13th ACM Web Science Conference | Call for Papers

21-25 June 2021

Clare Hooper, Matthew Weber, Katrin Weller (Program Chairs)
Wendy Hall and Noshir Contractor (General Chairs)

ACM WebSci’20 – Second Call for Interdisciplinary PhD Symposium


Making the Web Human-Centric? New Directions in the Web and AI

12th International ACM Web Science Conference
6-10 July 2020

Organised by the University of Southampton, UK – delivered online

Submission deadline: May 31, 2020

Overview
One of the WebSci’20 events on Monday July 6, 2020 will be the Interdisciplinary PhD Symposium, offering PhD students the opportunity to present and discuss their research plans and ongoing research for an interdisciplinary audience. We aim for a lively and engaged discussion maximising early-stage ideas exchange and interdisciplinary discussion on emerging or novel ideas/research.

Contributions
To achieve this we are seeking 1-2 page PhD research descriptions that will be reviewed by the PhD Symposium chairs. Accepted submissions will be presented in (about) 20 minute slots during the PhD Symposium on Monday July 6, 2020.  Accepted submissions will also receive a fee waiver to the PhD Symposium, Workshops and Conference, which this year will be online.

The Web Science conference welcomes participation from all disciplines including, but not limited to, art, computer and information sciences, communication, economics, humanities, informatics, law, linguistics, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology, in pursuit of an understanding of the Web. This conference is unique in bringing these disciplines together in creative and critical dialogue. We particularly welcome contributions that seek to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Possible topics
Possible topics for submissions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Theoretical, methodological and ethical approaches for Web Science

• Web practices – individual and/or collective and/or institutional Humanities on the Web

• The architecture and philosophy of the Web

• Web Science approaches to Data Science and the Web of Data

• Web Science and the Internet of Things

• Social machines, collective intelligence and collaborative production

• Social Media analytics for Web Science

• Web economics, social entrepreneurship and innovation

• Web Science and Cybersecurity

• Governance, democracy, intellectual property, and the commons

• Personal data, trust, and privacy

• Web access, literacy, and development

• Knowledge, education, and scholarship on and through the Web

• Health and well-being online

• Arts and culture on the Web

• Data curation and stewardship in Web Science

• Web archiving techniques and scholarly uses of Web archives

Submissions
Submissions should be up to 2 pages, ACM double column format. You can submit your contribution by email to websci20@soton.ac.uk

Conference Website
https://websci20.webscience.org/call-for-phd-symposium/

Best wishes
_____________________________________________

Mark Weal & Hemant Purohit (PhD Symposium Chairs)

ACM WebSci’20 – Call for Interdisciplinary PhD Symposium



Please see the text in red below highlighting a change in the submission process.

Making the Web Human-Centric? New Directions in the Web and AI

12th International ACM Web Science Conference
7-10 July 2020, University of Southampton, UK

Submission Deadline: May 3, 2020

Overview
One of the WebSci’20 events on Tuesday 7th July 2020 will be the Interdisciplinary PhD Symposium, offering PhD and research master students the opportunity to present and discuss their research plans and ongoing research for an interdisciplinary audience. We aim for a lively and engaged discussion maximising early-stage ideas exchange and interdisciplinary discussion on emerging or novel ideas/research.

Contributions
To achieve this we are seeking 1-2 page PhD research descriptions that will be reviewed by the PhD Symposium chairs. Accepted submissions will be presented in (about) 20 minute slots during the online PhD Symposium on Tuesday 7th July. In addition, selected students may be invited to present their work as a poster during the online plenary poster reception of the main conference.

The Web Science conference welcomes participation from all disciplines including, but not limited to, art, computer and information sciences, communication, economics, humanities, informatics, law, linguistics, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology, in pursuit of an understanding of the Web. This conference is unique in bringing these disciplines together in creative and critical dialogue. We particularly welcome contributions that seek to cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Possible topics
Possible topics for submissions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Theoretical, methodological and ethical approaches for Web Science

• Web practices – individual and/or collective and/or institutional Humanities on the Web

• The architecture and philosophy of the Web

• Web Science approaches to Data Science and the Web of Data

• Web Science and the Internet of Things

• Social machines, collective intelligence and collaborative production

• Social Media analytics for Web Science

• Web economics, social entrepreneurship and innovation

• Web Science and Cybersecurity

• Governance, democracy, intellectual property, and the commons

• Personal data, trust, and privacy

• Web access, literacy, and development

• Knowledge, education, and scholarship on and through the Web

• Health and well-being online

• Arts and culture on the Web

• Data curation and stewardship in Web Science

• Web archiving techniques and scholarly uses of Web archives

Submissions
Submissions should be up to 2 pages, ACM double column format. Accepted submissions will be made available in a separate open access WebSci’20 Events Proceedings that will accompany the main conference proceedings.

You can submit your contribution by email to websci20@soton.ac.uk

Conference Website
https://websci20.webscience.org/call-for-phd-symposium/

Given the situation in relation to Coronavirus (COVID-19) the PhD Symposium will take place online.  Further updates will follow once we have the infrastructure plans in place.

We hope you and your families are keeping safe and well.

Best wishes
_____________________________________________

Mark Weal & Hemant Purohit (PhD Symposium Chairs)

WebSci20 Workshop Calls

The following are the proposed workshops for WebSci’20 – please click through to the individual websites for more info.

Socio-technical AI systems for defence, cybercrime and cybersecurity (STAIDCC20)

This workshop (hosted by WebSci’20 conference) will bring together a mixture of inter-disciplinary researchers and practitioners working in defence, cybercrime and cybersecurity application areas to discuss and explore the challenges and future research directions around socio-technical AI systems. The aim is to showcase where the state of the art is in socio-technical AI, charting a path around issues including transparency, trustworthiness, explaining bias and error, incorporating human judgment and ethical frameworks for deployment of socio-technical AI in the future.

Visit website

Using AI for Good: The Ethical and Societal Implications of using AI in Scientific Discovery

This year the AI3SD Network+ (Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Intelligence for Automated Investigations for Scientific Discovery) will be running a workshop at the WebSci20 Conference in Southampton, UK. Artificial and Augmented Intelligence systems have the potential to make a real difference in the scientific discovery domain however this brings a new wealth of ethical and societal implications to consider with regards to this research (e.g. human enhancement, algorithmic biases, risk of detriment). This workshop looks to explore the ethical and societal issues centered around using intelligent technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Intelligence, Machine Learning, and in general Semantic Web Knowledge Technologies) to further scientific discovery, with a strong consideration of data ethics and algorithmic accountability. Advances in technology and software are rarely inherently bad in themselves, however that unfortunately does not preclude them from being subverted to ill intent by others; furthermore, as demonstrated by the examples above, even an unintentional lack of care towards ethical codes and algorithmic accountability can lead to societal and ethical implications of scientific discovery. It is our responsibility as researchers to consider these issues in our research; are we conducting studies ethically? What ethical codes can we put in place for scientific discovery research to mitigate against ethical and societal issues. These are really important issues, and they require an interdisciplinary focus between scientists, social scientists and technical experts in order to be comprehensively addressed.

Visit website

Personalisation and Community: User Modelling and Social Connections in Web Science, Healthcare and Education

This workshop, for Web Scientists engaged in user-centred endeavours, will bring together people who are working to model (profile) and personalise (tailor) for different user groups across digital offerings, and / or foster community and personal connection throughout user groups.

We are particularly interested in healthcare and education, although all approaches to user modelling and community building are of interest. Attendees will discuss tools and techniques for user modelling/personalisation and for building community online, and share case studies showcasing such tools and techniques in action.

Visit website

Explanations for AI: Computable or Not?

This workshop (hosted by the WebSci’20 conference) will focus on socially-sensitive decisions made or assisted by AI systems which often involve more complex (e.g. machine learning) and opaque forms (also referred to as black-box algorithms) of underlying decision-making processes. The aim is to stimulate a lively debate on whether explanations for AI are computable or not by bringing together researchers, practitioners and representatives of AI (or AI-assisted) decision-making systems.

Visit website

Digital (In)Equality, Digital Inclusion, Digital Humanism

In this workshop, we aim to bring together ongoing research on the Web and the Digital Divide and on what to do about it. Apart from empirically grounded (case) studies and theoretical analyses of mechanisms behind digital inequalities, we also seek, in view of recent initiatives such as Digital Humanism or Tim Berners Lee’s SOLID initiative, programmatic or solution design-oriented work from multiple disciplines, and concrete experiences on what scientists and professionals can do to help redress matters of digital inequality and exclusion. We encourage work rooted in the Global South, as both topics of interest for and authors from the Global South are underrepresented in Web Science, but also welcome work addressing matters of the Digital Divide and underprivileged communities in the Global North.

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Evolutionary thinking for the Web

The Web has been the subject of compelling biological metaphors that liken it to an evolving ecosystem. Analogies of this kind could benefit from further theoretical and empirical examination through the lens of evolutionary and cognitive approaches. This half-day workshop (hosted by the Web Science conference) aims to bring together researchers who work at the intersection of evolution and the Web. Evolutionary approaches are increasingly crossing disciplinary boundaries, including (but not limited to) fields such as network and complexity sciences, anthropology, computer science and social psychology. This workshop provides an opportunity for researchers from these diverse disciplines to come together, exchange views and establish collaboration.

Visit website

Call for WebSci’20 Workshops and Tutorials *** Deadline extended to 5 March 2020 ***

The 12th Annual Web Science Conference (WebSci20) in Southampton, UK is soliciting proposals for workshops and tutorials addressing the way Web Science research can illuminate key contemporary issues and global challenges.

Workshops should reflect the multidisciplinary nature of Web Science.

The tutorials could cover a wide variety of Web Science approaches and methods, including but not limited to techniques for data collection, processing, and analysis, as well as substantive interpretation, best practices, and ethics.

Examples of potential WebSci workshop areas include but are not limited to:

The interplay between AI and the Web
Using Web Science for social good
Collective intelligence, crowdsourcing
Bias on the Web
Data ethics and algorithmic accountability
Digital inequalities: access, quality, and participation
Information privacy and cybersecurity
Learning and education on the Web
Misinformation and propaganda on the Web
Social connections and social influence on the Web
Internet politics and political participation
The evolution of social media services
Online health and wellness
The future of the Web
Cybercrime and safety
Digital Humanitarianism, Peacetech, and ICT4D (ICT for development)
Climate Change and digital carbon footprints
Paid & Unpaid work, the gig economy
Ageing & Generations (different practices and attitudes towards web)
Global South & Globalization
Gender & Sexualities (web as safe/unsafe space, space for mobilization)

Organizers are responsible for advertising accepted workshops and tutorials, recruiting participants, and managing the review process if paper submissions are invited. Successful proposals should also put together a web page describing the event and distributing any preliminary materials.

Proposal format
Proposals should be up to 3 pages long and should  include the following information:

• Workshop/tutorial title

• Workshop/tutorial summary (1-2 paragraphs)

• Workshop/tutorial description, including the motivation and goals of the proposal, as well as its relevance to the field of Web Science.

• Workshop/tutorial schedule and activities, including the format, proposed activities (panels, sessions, interactive exercises, etc.), as well as invited speakers or panelists.

• Workshop/tutorial organizer info, including names, affiliations, emails, and personal websites. Please indicate who would be the main contact person for the submission and if the workshop has been run in the past.

• Target audience and audience size: the expected number and type of attendees, along with any information about the required skills or tools with which participants need to be familiar.

• Special requirements or equipment, if any.

Proposal submissions
Proposals must be submitted to EasyChair by March 5, 2020.

Acceptance criteria
Workshop and tutorial proposals will be evaluated based on their academic rigor, timeliness, originality, potential to address important questions and attract large multidisciplinary audiences. Relevance to the field of Web Science is also a prerequisite for all submissions.

Proceedings
Workshop organizers are free to publish workshop proceedings. WebSci20 offers the possibility to include workshop papers as a companion collection of the ACM WebSci20 proceedings. In this case, it is crucial that workshop schedules are aligned with the schedule for the overall proceedings publication, i.e. camera-ready papers need to be submitted to us by 15 May 2020.

Workshop and Tutorials Chairs
Silke Roth (University of Southampton, UK)
Oshani Seneviratne (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA)

Conference website
https://websci20.webscience.org/call-for-workshops-and-tutorials/