A note about #AoIR2024

#AoIR2024 will take place at the University of Sheffield, 30 October – 2 November 2024. #AoIR2024 will accommodate a number of remote presentations and will stream a number of sessions, allowing for remote participation.

For the first time ever, therefore, we will be accepting submissions for individual papers that will be presented remotely. Accordingly, when submitting a paper proposal, you will be asked whether you wish to present in person or remotely. The choice you make at this stage will be binding and you will not be able to change it as the burden in terms of rescheduling will be too onerous. To avoid any inclarity: this does not apply to preconstituted panels, roundtables, fishbowls or experimental sessions, presentations for which will be in-person only.

In addition, please note the following:

  • Reviewers will not know whether you are proposing to present in person or remotely and this will not impact on how your paper is reviewed.
  • We want to preserve the unique AoIR conference atmosphere for in-person delegates, and so will limit remote presentations to a maximum of one in a session with four presenters, or two in a session with five presenters. Also, not every session will include remote presenters. 
  • There will be a lower conference fee attached to presenting remotely and accessing the live-streamed panels. 
  • If you propose to present remotely, you understand that session times will be assigned in keeping with the conference time zone (UTC). This may mean that your session will take place in the middle of your night.

In addition, and in keeping with our post-pandemic conferences, two of our core events will run in both face-to-face and online versions: the Doctoral Colloquium and the Early Career Researcher (ECR) workshop. Submissions for both modes of the Doctoral Colloquium are open as of 15 January. As with our other preconferences, calls for participation in both modes of the ECR event will be distributed shortly after conference acceptance notifications. We also plan to provide online access for all AoIR members to our larger events (keynote, plenary, and Annual General Meeting).

Presented paper and panel submissions will be included in our open access conference paper archive, Selected Papers of Internet Research (SPIR). SPIR helps us further publicize the work of our members and introduce our research to a wider audience. All paper and panel submissions must therefore follow our SPIR formatting requirements, which includes a consistent header and style format for the papers that will enable readers to easily locate author and title information, and identify the papers as part of the AoIR conference. This format is only intended to bring consistency to basic elements (such as typeface and spacing), not to impose any disciplinary constraints. You can download a Word template here.

To learn more about how submissions are reviewed, please read more here.

Most other types of submissions require only an abstract to be entered into ConfTool. Full instructions for each of the submission types are below.

When submitting, please read the submission categories and topics carefully. You will be asked to select up to two methods and two topics that best suit your submission, and we will use this to match your paper to the most appropriate reviewers. We recognize that not all topics and methods are included, but please do your best to label your submission as accurately as you can.

In the interest of diversity and collegiality, each conference participant is limited to presenting a maximum of two papers (either as standalone papers or as parts of a panel or one of each; fishbowls, experimental sessions and roundtables are not counted against your maximum of two presentations). You can be a co-author on additional papers, but you must not be the scheduled presenter of these papers.Deadline for papers, panels, fishbowls, roundtables, experimental, and preconference workshops is 1 March 2024. Deadline for Doctoral Colloquium is 16 April 2024. 

Submission Types

Traditional Papers
Preconstituted Panels
Open Fishbowls
Roundtable Sessions
Experimental Sessions
Preconference Workshops
Doctoral Colloquium

Traditional papers

Paper submissions should articulate the issue or research question to be discussed, the methodological or critical framework used, and indicate the findings or conclusions to be presented and/or the relevance to wider conference themes. Papers can present any kind of research, analysis or theoretical framing, but should be written so that the importance of the work can be understood by reviewers working in different disciplines or using different approaches. Cross- or trans-disciplinary work is especially encouraged.

Paper submissions must be made in the form of 1000-1200-word extended abstracts (this word count does not include the bibliography). Submissions must adhere to AoIR’s pre-formatted template and should demonstrate the rigor and relevance of the work. Further, in addition to the extended abstract document, you will also be required to enter a brief abstract of 250 words in the ConfTool website, which will be used to list your panel in the conference program. Paper submissions should not include the names of authors; all paper submissions are double-anonymized peer-reviewed.

In the interest of diversity and collegiality, each conference participant is limited to presenting a maximum of two papers (either as standalone papers or as parts of a panel or one of each; fishbowls, experimental sessions and roundtables are not counted against your maximum of two presentations). You can be a co-author on additional papers, but you must not be the scheduled presenter of these papers.

  • Presented, non-anonymized, final version of the extended abstract must be uploaded by 24 November 2024 for inclusion in SPIR.
  • ALL presenting authors must be registered by the Early Registration Deadline of 1 Aug 2024

Submissions are closed

Preconstituted panels

Panels should present a coherent group of four or five papers on a single theme.

Panel submissions must include a 1000-1200-word extended abstract for each of the constituent papers in the standard AoIR paper submission template (this word count does not include the bibliography). The panel organizer is responsible for compiling the extended abstracts for each constituent paper into one single document for submission, and must add a brief introductory statement (600-800 words; this word count does not include the bibliography) articulating the papers’ relationship to each other. This statement should outline the overall rationale for the panel. Keeping in mind the interdisciplinary nature of this conference, you should provide enough explanation of your approach to give reviewers with different backgrounds an understanding of the rigor and relevance of the work.

Finally, in addition to this document collecting the introductory statement and the four or five extended abstracts, you will also be required to enter a brief abstract of 250 words in the ConfTool website, which will be used to list your panel in the conference program. Panel submissions should not include the names of participating authors or panel convenors; all panel submissions are double-anonymized peer-reviewed.

In the interest of diversity and collegiality, each conference participant is limited to presenting a maximum of two papers (either as standalone papers or as parts of a panel or one of each; fishbowls, experimental sessions and roundtables are not counted against your maximum of two presentations). You can be a co-author on additional papers, but you must not be the scheduled presenter of these papers.

  • Presented, non-anonymized, final version of the extended abstracts compilation must be uploaded by 24 November 2024 for inclusion in SPIR.
  • The presenting authors of ALL papers in the panel must be registered by the Early Registration Deadline of 1 Aug 2024

Submissions are closed

Preconference workshops

Workshops may be either half or full-day events that occur on the first day of the conference and focus on a particular topic. They may be a workshop of some kind (e.g., a publishing workshop), a methodological “bootcamp” (e.g., on ethnography or statistical analysis), an exploration of a theoretical tradition or topical area (e.g., symbolic interaction, political economy, or GIS) or anything else that may be of interest to conference delegates. Proposals for workshops should explain for a general scholarly audience the goals of the workshop, the way it will operate, and an indication of potential audience or attendees who may be interested in attending (such as “early career scholars” or “researchers using statistical analysis”). They must also indicate clearly whether they are half-day (three hours) or full-day (six hours) events.  If you wish to discuss your idea for a preconference workshop before submitting, please email AoIRConfChair@aoir.org. We’ll be happy to chat with you!

Proposals for workshops should be approximately 600-800 words in length (to be submitted as an “abstract” in the ConfTool Website: no separate document needs to be uploaded). They should name the facilitators and participants; while the reviewers will be anonymous, the quality and expertise of the facilitators and other participants will be recognized in the assessment. The availability of individuals named as facilitators and panelists in workshop sessions must be confirmed by the time the proposal is submitted. Workshop proposals should indicate any special requirements, especially including any upper limits on the number of participants. All workshops must take place on-site at the conference venue, and they must be open to all conference delegates, without a separate application process. All workshop facilitators must be registered by the Early Bird Registration Deadline of 1 August 2024.

Submissions are closed

Roundtable Sessions

Roundtables encourage discussion and interaction among delegates. They may involve brief introductory presentations by organizers. Proposals should include details on the theme or topic of discussion and its relevance, along with names of the organizers and initial participants. Roundtables can include no more than five initial participants. We stress that this format is not appropriate for submitters wishing to present papers. In such instances, the panel format is the one to choose.

Roundtable submissions should be between 250-300 words long (to be included as the “abstract” in the submissions process: no separate document need be uploaded). Only the reviewers are anonymous; the quality and expertise of the organizers and initial participants will be recognized in the assessment. The availability of individuals named as organizers and initial participants in roundtable sessions must be confirmed by the time the proposal is submitted, and all initial participants must be registered by the Early Bird Registration Deadline of 1 August 2024.

Submissions are closed

Fishbowls


Fishbowl sessions should cover broad topics of interest to a wide segment of the AoIR community, and create a space for dialogue across different types of research. Submitted proposals should include a brief statement on the core idea or theme for the fishbowl, emphasizing its relation to the conference theme or its relevance to the AoIR community. Fishbowls can include no more than five initial participants, who should be named in the proposal. (Please visit this information page to make sure you understand a fishbowl session before submitting.)

Fishbowl submissions should be between 250-300 words long (to be included as the “abstract” in the submissions process: no separate document need be uploaded). Only the reviewers are anonymous; the quality and expertise of the organizers and initial participants will be recognized in the assessment. The availability of individuals named as fish in fishbowl sessions must be confirmed by the time the proposal is submitted, and all fish must be registered by the Early Bird Registration Deadline of 1 August 2024.

Submissions are closed

Experimental Sessions

Experimental sessions are those that, while of interest to members or engaging with conference themes, meaningfully “push the envelope” beyond more traditional forms of conference engagement and participation and as such do not fit into any of the other proposal formats. Examples may include Ignite or Pecha-Kucha presentations, demonstrations, performances, installations, short-form workshops, unsessions, maker or code-based projects, or interactive experiences. If you are unsure as to the fit of your experimental session, we encourage you to reach out to the program chairs (AoIRConfChair@aoir.org) to discuss your ideas, especially if you feel that your experimental session might not fit in a regular 90 minute slot. Sometimes, for instance, a half-day preconference workshop might be a better format. We’ll be happy to think this through with you.

Proposals for experimental sessions should be between 300-500 words long (to be included as the “abstract” in the submissions process: no separate document need be uploaded; if the proposal includes citations, the bibliography will not count towards the word limit). They should describe for a general scholarly audience the goal or idea of the session and how it will operate, and discuss why the proposed format will be of interest to AoIR delegates. Organizers of experimental sessions will be responsible for supplying any necessary equipment beyond that usually provided for conference presentations, and should be prepared to coordinate closely with the conference committee as necessary to enable a successful presentation of the alternative format. They are reviewed by the programme chair and conference committee in order to ensure their feasibility in the local setting of the conference. All named facilitators of an experimental session must be registered by the Early Bird Registration Deadline of 1 August 2024.

Submissions are closed

Doctoral Colloquium


The Association of Internet Researchers believes that its emerging researchers are the best in its disparate constituent fields. In keeping with its commitment to students’ scholarship, we continue the tradition of bringing emerging and established scholars together through the #AoIR2024 Doctoral Colloquium. The colloquium offers PhD students working in internet research or related fields a special, day-long forum, to be convened on 30 October 2024 or an online event for those who cannot attend the main in person conference. For many years, this pre-conference event has provided students with the opportunity to spend a concentrated amount of time with senior scholars to share research projects, address methodological and theoretical challenges, and exchange informal advice on juggling the multiple pressures associated with job searching, publishing, and finishing the dissertation.

Interested students should prepare a) a two-page summary of their research. This should provide a context for the research, describe the methods being used, the progress to date, and primary concerns and issues; and b) a brief statement indicating why they want to participate in this doctoral colloquium and what they hope to get out of it.

When submitting please select either the Main Doctoral Colloquium or Online Doctoral Colloquium depending on which mode you can participate in. (If the conference were to shift fully online, then those who selected face-to-face will be given the opportunity to join the online cohort.) All in person participants must be registered by the Early Bird Registration Deadline of 1 August 2024.

 

Submissions are closed

Contact Information

Please address any questions to the Program Chairs, Lianrui Jia and Tim Highfield, University of Sheffield, AoIRConfChair [at] aoir [dot] org.