IAMCR 2027 São Paulo
IAMCR

Communication Policy and Technology Section

Call for Proposals

The Communication Policy and Technology (CPT) Section invites the submission of papers for IAMCR 2027, which will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, from 18 to 22 July 2027, hosted by the School of Communications and Arts at the University of São Paulo (ECA/USP) in partnership with the Associação de Apoio à Arte e Comunicação (ARCO).

The deadline for submission is 12 February 2027 at 23:59 UTC.

Download this call for papers as a PDF file

Central theme

IAMCR conferences address many diverse topics defined by our 37 thematic sections and working groups. We also propose a single central theme to be explored throughout the conference with the aim of generating and exploring multiple perspectives. This is accomplished through plenary and special sessions, as well as in many of the sessions of the sections and working groups. The 2027 central theme is Multilateralism, Democracy, Diversity: Communication for a More Just World, is a globally resonant and critically urgent call to action.

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 2027 conference, we invite papers that explore how the general theme “Multilateralism, Democracy, Diversity: Communication for a More Just World” 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 this central theme 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 with the following themes:

  • Data, algorithms, AI and social media
    • 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, including for youth users (eg. New York State’s SAFE for Kids Act);
    • 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 (eg. Brazil’s Bill 2338/2023)
  • 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 and its multistakeholder institutions;
    • Global media and communication governance (e.g., the WSIS+20; Global Digital Compact);
    • Digital trade policies and the resulting tensions between countries and multilateral arrangements;
    • 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 for proposals 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, and must be submitted through IAMCR's submission system from 9 December 2026 through 12 February 2027 at 23:59 UTC. Abstracts submitted by email will not be considered.

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.

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 co-author. Authors may not submit more than one abstract to any given section or working group nor may they submit the same abstract, or a version with minor variations in title or content, 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.

Proposals are accepted for both single Papers and for Panels with several papers (in which you propose multiple papers that address a single theme). Please note that there are special procedures for submitting panel proposals. You can find the detailed procedures when submitting your abstract online in the abstract submission system.

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 chairs reserve the possibility to reject submissions without requesting reviews if they do not fit the scope of the section or do not fulfill the necessary requirements.

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 may be uploaded to the conference website.

For this year’s conference, any full papers submitted by the conference’s paper submission deadline will be considered for a CPT best paper prize. The winner(s) will be given an official certificate of award and the notice of the award will be publicized on CPT and IAMCR channels.

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 12 February 2027, at 23:59 UTC.

Other key dates to keep in mind. Dates are subject to change.

About the Communication Policy & Technology Section

Learn more about the work and scope of the Communication Policy & Technology Section

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