Call for proposals 2026
The Communication Policy and Technology (CPT) Section invites the submission of abstracts for its 2026 conference, to be held from 28 June to 2 July 2026 in Galway, Ireland, hosted by the University of Galway.
The deadline for submission is 3 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
Download this call for papers as a PDF file
Theme
IAMCR conferences cover a wide range of topics defined by our thematic Sections and Working Groups (S/WG). Each year, a central theme invites participants to engage in shared reflection across these diverse areas, fostering dialogue and collaboration.
The 2026 central theme, Peripheries and Connections: Media, Communication, and Transformation, addresses the complexities of contemporary media systems in a polarised and interconnected world. By interrogating the tensions between centrality and marginality—whether geographical, cultural, political, or conceptual—this theme aligns with IAMCR’s commitment to fostering critical and inclusive dialogues across diverse perspectives.
Consult a detailed description of the main theme
The Communication Policy and Technology Section focuses on the role of policy (broadly defined) in the development of media and communication technologies, both analogue and digital, in past, current and future societies.
For the IAMCR 2026 conference we invite papers that explore how the general theme “Peripheries and Connections: Media, Communication, and Transformation” relates to media and communication policy and technology. The rapid disruptions wrought by artificial intelligence, the global build-out of critical internet infrastructure, the increasing concentration of market power by big tech platforms and transformations in the creation and delivery of media content are just a few of the recent developments where we can think through the central theme of ‘peripheries and connections’, as well as the vital importance of policy as a means to reshape all of these changes.
The CPT section invites submissions – both papers and panels - that critically engage with the conference theme from a policy and technology perspective as well as the following themes:
- Data, algorithms, AI
- The data economy and its implications for privacy, inclusiveness, respect etc.
- Policies and governance around AI, automation, algorithms and quantification, and its ethical and social implications;
- Policy bills related specifically to mitigating the harms of AI, including catastrophic risk, guardrails for AI chatbots, fairness and bias in the design of AI algorithms and copyright implications of training LLMs
- Platform governance
- Policies and governance regarding content regulation, particularly as it relates to gender, race, class, ethnicity, nationality etc.;
- Policies and regulations related to online activities that influence elections and electoral campaigns;
- Policies related to online advertising and marketing, their implications for consumers and their privacy;
- Emerging technologies, internet and infrastructure governance
- Policies and debates around recent and future communication technologies, including metaverse, 5G, 6G, IPv6, Satellite Internet, etc.
- Policies regarding IoT, blockchain and datafication in mobile media and technologies;
- Policies regarding the sustainability impact of communication technologies and data infrastructures;
- Digital geopolitics and global communication governance
- Digital sovereignty, internet fragmentation and the challenges for global internet governance;
- Global media and communication governance (e.g., the WSIS+20; Global Digital Compact);
- Digital trade policies and the resulting tensions between countries
- Policies and debates related to ICTs, the digital divide, media literacy, access and inclusion programmes etc.;
- Comparative analysis of different policy regimes , their implementations and implications for communication and media practices
- National and regional policy initiatives, e.g. China's Belt and Road Initiative, the DSA; DMA and AI Act in the EU, etc.
- The roles played by different actors (both locally and globally) in shaping communication and media policies;
- Policies and governance around public service obligations, pluralism and diversity, convergence and net neutrality in broadcasting and internet/telecommunications services;
Please note that the CPT section does not cover the entire spectrum of communication technology-related research. As such, it is not meant to be the primary submission venue forproposals which focus only on the role of technology for political communication (e.g. campaign effects on voters), on policies irrelevant to communication technology (e.g., health policies and their influence on health behaviors), on human-computer interaction (e.g. user psychology or AI efficacy research without policy implications), on the political economy of technology without a clear connection to policy (e.g. media ownership and concentration) and similar topics without a clear communication technology policy dimension. Please note that, due to the high number of submissions received, we will not be able to redirect such proposals to more appropriate sections or working groups of IAMCR. All submissions to CPT will be subject to desk review by the chairing team.
Joint sessions
We encourage submissions by emerging scholars and plan to hold at least one joint session with the Emerging Scholars Network Section (ESN). Submissions to this joint session need to focus on the themes listed above and follow other requirements as stipulated in this CPT call for papers.
If you would like your proposed paper to be included in this joint session, submit your abstract to ESN and choose the topic CPT/ESN joint session on the submission platform.
Guidelines for abstracts
The CPT section welcomes abstract proposals between 500 and 800 words for papers in line with the conference and CPT themes.
Abstracts should contain a title, main question or research problem, brief descriptions of the theoretical framework and method(s) used, and summarise the findings and their policy relevance.
They must be submitted exclusively through IAMCR’s submission system from 28 November 2025 through 3 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Abstracts submitted by email will not be considered.
Proposals are accepted for both single Papers and for Panels with several papers (in which you propose multiple papers that address a single theme).
It is expected that each person will submit only one abstract. However, no author’s name should appear on more than two abstracts, either individually or as part of any group of authors and authors should not submit more than one abstract to any single section or working group. The same abstract, or a version with minor variations in title or content, must not be submitted to more than one Section or Working Group. Such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected. Authors submitting the same work to multiple Sections or Working Groups may be removed entirely from the conference programme.
If a proposal is accepted, the presenter must confirm and register for the conference. Only registered participants will be included in the final conference programme.
Prior to the conference, a full paper will need to be uploaded to the conference website.
To continue our pre-Covid tradition, a CPT best paper award prize may be awarded. Only full papers submitted in advance of the conference, and by the full paper deadline, qualify for consideration.
Evaluation criteria
Within CPT, the review is conducted this way: after a first screening by the section chairs, submitted abstracts fitting the scope of the section and fulfilling the necessary requirements will be evaluated by double-blinded reviews on the basis of: (1) theoretical contribution, (2) methods, (3) quality of writing, (4) relevance of the submission to the work of the CPT section and (communication/technology/media) policy, and (5) originality and/or significance of the work. The section heads reserve the possibility to reject submissions without requesting additional reviews if they do not fit the scope of the section or do not fulfill the necessary requirements.
Acceptance of proposals may also be conditioned by programme diversity and balance criteria.
Languages
We welcome submissions in all three official languages of IAMCR: English, French and Spanish.
Please note that if you wish to present in French or Spanish, we will ask you to prepare English language slides to facilitate communication.
Statement on use of AI tools
IAMCR does not encourage or condone the use of generative AI tools to prepare abstracts submitted for consideration for our conferences. IAMCR values originality, integrity, and transparency in academic work, and believes that human-authored contributions best support rigorous and innovative scholarship in media and communication research. Should an author choose to use a generative AI tool in the preparation of an abstract, we require that they include a clear statement within their submission disclosing the tool's use. This statement must specify: (1) the name of any AI tool used; (2) how the tool was used in preparing the abstract, and; (3) the reason for using the tool. Failure to disclose the use of generative AI in accordance with these guidelines may impact the evaluation and acceptance of the submission.
Intention to attend
Each abstract submitted to IAMCR represents a real cost to the Association and contributes to the workload of volunteer reviewers and organisers. As the number of submissions each year far exceeds the available presentation slots, we ask authors to submit only if they genuinely intend to attend and present their work at the conference if accepted.
Deadlines and key dates
The deadline to submit proposals is 3 February 2026, at 23:59 UTC. Other key dates. Dates are subject to change.
About the Communication Policy and Technology Section
Learn more about the work and scope of the Communication Policy and Technology Section.
Contact the Section
Co-chair: Julia Pohle (WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Germany) <julia.pohle[AT]wzb.eu>
Co-chair: Weiyu Zhang (National University of Singapore) <viyucheung[AT]gmail.com>
Vice chair: Leah Komen (Daystar University, Kenya) <ledavid2002[AT]gmail.com>
Vice chair: Guy Hoskins (Carleton University, Canada) <ghoskins[AT]torontomu.ca>
