iConference 2026 Call for Papers

iConference 2026 will be the 21th annual conference of the international iSchools organization. The virtual academic program will take place 23 - 26 March 2026 and the onsite academic program will take place 29 March - 02 April 2026. The 2026 iConference theme will be "Information Literacies, Authenticity and Use: The Move Towards a Digitally Enlightened Society” and the host of the conference will be Edinburgh Napier University (UK). All information scholars, researchers, and practitioners are encouraged to submit their research and participate in the conference. An iSchools affiliation is not required.

Call for Papers

The 2026 iConference invites scholars, practitioners, creators, and community voices to contribute to critical conversations around information literacies, authenticity, and the use of digital technologies in shaping a more enlightened and inclusive digital society. Rooted in a re-examination of the Scottish Enlightenment—a movement that championed reason, education, inquiry, and civic progress—the 2026 theme challenges us to critically reflect on both the promise and limitations of these ideals. The Enlightenment catalysed revolutionary thinking about human potential and the organisation of knowledge, laying foundations for public libraries, encyclopaedias, scientific method, and democratic discourse. Yet, it also advanced progress through Eurocentric and exclusionary frameworks, marginalising voices through colonial, gendered, and class-based structures.

This conference asks: how can we carry forward the Enlightenment’s commitment to learning and justice, while also confronting and redressing its embedded inequalities? How can information systems today promote not just efficiency and access, but authenticity, trust, equity, and inclusion? As digital infrastructures increasingly shape how we learn, communicate, govern, and remember, the iConference offers a space to explore what it means to be digitally literate and ethically informed. We welcome proposals that interrogate the ethical, social, political, and cultural dimensions of information—from AI and misinformation to decolonisation, community archives, open data, and digital storytelling.

Submit your full and short papers, as well as panel, workshop, and symposia proposals, to contribute to this vital conversation. We also welcome work addressing broader issues relating to information, technology, and people, even beyond this year’s theme. Together, let us shape the discourse around digital authenticity and access—building a future where technology and information serve the goals of collective flourishing, justice, and an inclusive, digitally enlightened society.

iConference 2026 key themes include but are not limited to:

·       Digital literacy, digital fluency, and equitable access to information

·       Authenticity and trust in the age of mis/disinformation and AI

·       Decolonisation of knowledge and the ethics of information use

·       Digital inclusion, accessibility, and universal design

·       Cultural heritage, memory, and storytelling in digital contexts

·       Community informatics, marginalised voices, and participatory design

·       Open science, ethical metadata, and sustainable informatics

·       AI and machine learning in libraries, archives, and education

·       Information governance, digital rights, and platform accountability

·       Digital and social media proxies, algorithms, and attention economies

·       Playable archives, immersive experiences, and digital humanities

·       Environmental sustainability and responsible innovation

·       Indigenous knowledge, migration, and global perspectives on literacy

·       Human understanding, robotics, and the future of digital education

·       Copyright, intellectual property, and information use in the age of AI

Submission Deadlines

15 September 2025 for

• Full Research Paper

• Short Research Paper

• Posters (written Proposal)

  
  

20 October 2025 for

• Workshops & Panels

• Student Symposium

• Doctoral Colloquium

• Early Career Colloquium

• Chinese Research Paper

• Spanish & Portuguese Research Paper

Decision Notification, Registration Opens: Mid November 2025

We encourage information scholars, researchers, and practitioners from all parts of the world to submit their research via the secure Conftool submission portal. All accepted papers and posters will be presented virtually. Accepted authors can request additionally a presentation slot in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Please note that at least one author per paper needs to register in the Early Bird Registration phase of the iConference. Detailed information can be found on the iConference 2026 website and in the Call for Papers (PDF).