07/04/2026

CSCA 2027 ... Communication & Technology Interest Group Call for Papers

COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY INTEREST GROUP
Call for Papers and Panels

Central States Communication Association (CSCA) Annual Convention
Madison, WI
April 7^th -11^th, 2027

Navigate–Finding Inspiration in Uncharted Terrain

The Communication & Technology Interest Group invites submissions of competitive papers, extended abstracts, and panel proposals for the 2027 CSCA Convention in Madison, Wisconsin. In keeping with this year’s conference theme, Navigate—Finding Inspiration in Uncharted Terrain, we especially encourage submissions that examine how people use, resist, adapt to, and make meaning through communication technologies in changing social worlds.

Communication technologies shape how we navigate relationships, institutions, identities, communities, workplaces, classrooms, and public life. They can offer connection, access, creativity, and possibility, while also producing uncertainty, inequity, surveillance, conflict, misinformation, exclusion, and ethical dilemmas. As technologies continue to evolve, communication scholars are uniquely positioned to examine how individuals, groups, organizations, and communities navigate both the possibilities and challenges of digital life.

We welcome submissions that address communication technology from a wide range of theoretical, methodological, pedagogical, critical, and applied perspectives. Submissions may examine established or emerging technologies, including but not limited to social media, artificial intelligence, mobile communication, gaming, virtual and augmented reality, health technologies, workplace platforms, educational technologies, data systems, and mediated interpersonal communication.

Suggested Paper Topics and Panel Themes

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Navigating Relationships and Identity Online: How do communication technologies shape relational maintenance, intimacy, conflict, belonging, identity expression, disclosure, or community formation?
• Navigating AI and Emerging Technologies: How are individuals, educators, organizations, and communities making sense of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies? What ethical, pedagogical, relational, or institutional questions do these technologies raise?
• Navigating Digital Inequities: How do access, literacy, platform design, algorithmic systems, disability, race, class, gender, sexuality, age, geography, or institutional power shape participation in digital spaces?
• Navigating Misinformation, Uncertainty, and Trust: How do people evaluate information, credibility, expertise, and risk in mediated environments? How do technologies complicate or support public understanding?
• Navigating Technology in Teaching and Learning: How are communication technologies being used in classrooms, training, mentoring, and public education? What challenges and opportunities emerge in technology-supported pedagogy?
• Navigating Work, Organizations, and Professional Life: How do communication technologies affect labor, collaboration, surveillance, burnout, productivity, organizational culture, or professional identity?
• Navigating Health, Crisis, and Community Support: How do people use communication technologies to seek care, manage crises, share resources, build support networks, or communicate during uncertainty?
• Navigating Ethics, Policy, and Public Practice: How can communication technology research inform ethical practice, policy, platform governance, institutional decision-making, or community partnerships?
• Navigating Theory and Method: How can communication and technology theories help us better understand emerging mediated experiences? What methodological challenges arise when studying rapidly changing platforms and digital practices?

The Communication & Technology Interest Group welcomes submissions from faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, independent scholars, K-12 educators, practitioners, and community partners. We encourage work using all methodological approaches, including quantitative, qualitative, critical, rhetorical, interpretive, computational, mixed-method, pedagogical, and community-engaged research.

Submissions that connect communication technology scholarship to lived experience, public practice, institutional decision-making, pedagogy, and community life are especially welcome. We also encourage panel proposals that foster dialogue across academic, professional, and public contexts.

Awards & Instructions

The Communication & Technology Interest Group presents the following annual awards. Only FULL papers are eligible.

1. ComBotLabs Top Paper Award honors the most outstanding full paper submitted to the interest group. No separate application is needed; all eligible full papers submitted to the interest group will automatically be considered. To remain eligible, submissions must fully comply with formatting, anonymization, and submission requirements. Final award selections will be made from among full papers accepted through the peer-review process.
2. Top Student Paper Award recognizes the best full paper authored solely by graduate student(s). To be considered, type “STUDENT” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page. Papers co-authored with faculty are not eligible. Review and selection follow the same process as the Top Paper Award.
3. Inclusive Scholarship Award (CSCA-wide) recognizes scholarship that explicitly engages historically marginalized communities or populations. To be considered: a) Type “INCLUSIVE SCHOLARSHIP” in the upper right-hand corner of the title page; b) in the abstract, include at least one paragraph explaining how the work addresses equity and inclusion; c) select the “Inclusive Scholarship” option when submitting. For further information, please consult the general CSCA Convention Guidelines.

For detailed submission formatting and eligibility criteria, please refer to the Full Paper Submission Guidelines below.

CAT Submission Guidelines

CAT accepts the following types of submissions:

1. Full Papers:
   1. May use any methodological or theoretical perspective.
   2. Preferred citation style: APA 7^th edition (other consistent styles also accepted).
   3. Must include a title and a brief abstract.
   4. Length: Maximum 30 double-spaced pages, including references, tables, and figures.
   5. Indicate if author(s) are active CSCA members.
   6. Remove ALL identifying information before submission, including from file properties.
   7. Top-right of title page should include any applicable labels:
      • “STUDENT” for graduate or undergraduate student authors (not co-authored with faculty members),
      • “DEBUT STUDENT” for single-authored papers by a graduate student presenting at CSCA for the first time,
      • Or “INCLUSIVE SCHOLARSHIP” if eligible (see “Awards and Instructions” section above).
   8. Extended Abstracts:

Extended abstracts are ideal for works-in-progress that may benefit from early feedback, especially those using emerging or complex theoretical frameworks. This format allows scholars to share developing ideas and receive constructive input prior to full paper development. We particularly encourage submissions from graduate students, early-career scholars, and those seeking to grow toward journal publication.

1. May use any methodological or theoretical perspective.
2. Length: Maximum 10 double-spaced pages, including all content (e.g., references, tables, figures).
3. Must include a title and a brief abstract (between 150-250 words, summarizing the core idea).
4. Minimum content: Submissions must clearly include:
   • A well-formulated research question or objective
   • Theoretical framework
   • Proposed or ongoing methods
   • Expected contributions or significance

Please remove ALL identifying information before submission, including from file properties.

Note: Extended abstracts are not eligible for the ComBotLabs Top Paper Award.

• Paper & Discussion Panels:

We welcome 1) Paper Panels (collections of completed papers on a shared topic) and 2) Discussion Panels (4-5 participants offering brief remarks followed by open discussions). Preference is given to panels with contributors from multiple institutions or institutional types.

Panel submissions must include 1) Title, 2) Description (≤75 words), 3) Rationale (≤75 words), 4) Full list of participants with institutional affiliations, contact information (address, emails, phone numbers), and their CSCA membership status.

For paper panels, also include the title and an abstract (≤100 words) for each individual paper.

1. Special Note: Showcase Panel Abstract Guidelines

Submissions to the Emerging Tech Tools Showcase panel must adhere to the following:

1. Each abstract should focus on one primary tool (maximum two tools per submission; up to two presenters per abstract).
2. Must include the following components:
   • Abstract title.
   • Description and rationale (≤150 words; include a direct link to the official website or documentation for the app/tool).
   • Full list of participants, including institutional affiliation, email and phone contact， and CSCA membership status.
   • For graduate student presenters: Label the top-right of the title page with “STUDENT.”

Submissions should follow the general panel submission process through the CSCA system. Demonstration abstracts that do not meet these requirements may not be considered.

All technology requests must be made at the time of submission. Submissions must be received by 11:59 PM, CDT, October 9, 2026. Send submissions electronically through our CSCA online submission system site.

About CAT

CAT brings together scholars, researchers, and practitioners who explore how communication interacts with technology across contexts, whether through theory-building, practical application, critical inquiry, or innovation. We aim to foster a collaborative network that supports both academic inquiry and professional relevance. To learn more about the Communication & Technology Interest Group and connect with fellow members, we invite you to join our CAT Interest Group Facebook page.

We also call for CSCA members who are willing to serve as paper or abstract reviewers. If you're interested in helping with this year's review process, you’re welcome to sign up here.

For questions about this call, please contact Dr. America Edwards (americaedwards@uky.edu) CAT Chair and Program Planner.