Call for Contributions

Authored by Program Committee

Chicago, Illinois, USA      June 8–10, 2026

The ACM Conference on Research in Equity and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT) is the premier venue for research on equity, inclusion, and justice in computing and computing education. 

This year’s theme is Equity-focused CS Education: Honoring the Plurality of our Community. 2026 marks the beginning of a new decade for ACM RESPECT. As one of the newest members of the ACM family, our size allows us to push boundaries and audaciously challenge the status quo. The ACM RESPECT Organizing Committee intentionally pursues opportunities to elevate those who may not easily find footing in traditional CS Education venues, confident that their positionality and perspectives can enrich our interdisciplinary scholarship. This year’s theme reaffirms our commitment to championing equitable research and practice in computing education and emphasizes the people doing the work – a myriad of individuals who come together in our community.  

The conference invites contributions from sociology, learning sciences, cognitive and/or social psychology, feminist theory, gender studies, educational leadership and policy, human-computer interaction, as well as computer science education and related disciplines. Additionally, recognizing the important role that educators, students, and other community members play as partners in equity-focused efforts, RESPECT 2026 welcomes the participation of those who have not traditionally identified as “researchers” to present, including teachers, students, advocates, and policy-makers.

INTRODUCTION

We invite submissions to ACM RESPECT 2026 in four submission tracks: Research papers, Experience Reports, and Perspectives papers. New for this year, authors will be able to nominate their work for a thematic track. Papers aligned with the conference’s theme will be submitted through any of the three primary tracks (Research Papers, Experience Reports, Perspectives Papers), but will be evaluated for how they illuminate topics aligned with the theme.

  • Research Papers: Research papers are completed works or works in progress that describe empirical studies of broadening participation research and are expected to be original work. Broadening participation research is inherently interdisciplinary; as such, related literature and theory may be drawn from computer science education, education, learning sciences, cognitive or social psychology, social sciences, and other related disciplines. (Full paper: 8 pages; Works in progress: 4 pages).
  • Experience Reports: Experience reports are completed works or works in progress that describe an educational or outreach approach, curricula, program, or initiative that focused on and impacted at least one underrepresented population in computing. Experience reports differ from research in that they usually lack a theoretical framework, research design methodology, and/or analysis to support the evaluation of the impact of the experiences reported.  All submissions in this track should provide a rich reflection on what worked, what didn’t, and possible explanations as to why in enough detail to allow for others to adopt the approach/curricula/program/initiative. (Full paper: 8 pages; Works in progress: 4 pages).
  • Perspectives: Perspectives papers should communicate new ideas, reflections, or provocations within and beyond our current discourse on equity-based computing and computing education. They may also present a concise summary of a timely, relevant issue or an evergreen issue in computing equity. The Perspectives track combines prior Perspectives tracks (in 2024 and 2023) that were more focused on a single issue. Prospective authors may be informed by the examples set by the accepted works in those tracks. Submissions in this track must be grounded in theoretical literature, and sufficient references to support the perspective presented must be included. Acceptance will be based on the degree to which the reviewers find the perspective to be convincing, well-supported in the literature, timely, and coherent. (6 pages maximum)
  • Thematic Track (new): Thematic papers should include Research papers, Experience Reports, and Perspectives papers that align with the 2026 conference theme of Equity-focused CS Education: Honoring the Plurality of our Community.

Please review the specific track submission instructions below to find the best fit for your work and to ensure your submission meets track expectations.

Abstract and Anonymized Paper Submissions will be made through HotCRP.

At least one author per accepted paper must attend the conference in person to present their work. The ACM RESPECT 2025 Proceedings will be published in the ACM Digital Library. Please note:

  • By submitting your article to an ACM Publication, you are hereby acknowledging that you and your co-authors are subject to all ACM Publications Policies, including ACM’s new Publications Policy on Research Involving Human Participants and Subjects. Alleged violations of this policy or any ACM Publications Policy will be investigated by ACM and may result in a full retraction of your paper, in addition to other potential penalties, as per ACM Publications Policy.
  • Please ensure that you and your co-authors obtain an ORCID ID, so you can complete the publishing process for your accepted paper. ACM has been involved in ORCID from the start, and we have recently made a commitment to collect ORCID IDs from all of our published authors. The collection process has started and will roll out as a requirement throughout 2022. We are committed to improving author discoverability, ensuring proper attribution, and contributing to ongoing community efforts around name normalization; your ORCID ID will help in these efforts.
  • Starting January 1, 2026, ACM will fully transition to Open Access. All ACM publications, including those from ACM-sponsored conferences, will be 100% Open Access. To be included in ACM Open, the corresponding author must be affiliated with a participating institution. For APC-eligible articles (research, short paper, and survey) where none of the authors are currently from participating institutions, an APC will be required. The requirement is satisfied by one co-author listed as the corresponding author. Read below for the full update from ACM.

RESEARCH PAPERS

Research papers can be either completed works or works in progress (up to 8 pages for full papers or 4 pages of works in progress). Both types of submissions should describe empirical studies of broadening participation research and are expected to be original work. Broadening participation research is inherently interdisciplinary; as such, related literature and theory may be drawn from computer science education, education, learning sciences, cognitive or social psychology, social sciences, and other related disciplines.

Submission Structure

Your paper should include the following parts, in the order listed:

  • Title
  • Author(s) and Affiliation(s): Full names, institution, and email addresses
  • Abstract: 75–100 words that briefly state the purpose/equity issue(s) being addressed, process, and key takeaways. It should provide a connection to the conference theme. 
  • Keywords 
  • Introduction
  • Theoretical framework 
  • Research Goals/Questions/Hypotheses (aligned to Theoretical Framework)
  • Positionality statement 
  • Research design/methods
    • For completed works, a full description of the research design and methodology, strengthened by relevant literature.
    • For works in progress, this section can be more concise, providing a brief description of the approach and highlighting the rationale.
  • Data collection/analysis
  • Results/Findings
  • Discussion
    • For completed works: Conclusions, limitations, assumptions,  recommendations for future research,  implications for practice, and connections to the reciprocal influences of research and policy.
    • For works in progress: Assumptions, limitations, and future directions,  implications for practice, and connections to the reciprocal influences of research and policy.
  • References 
  • Acknowledgment
    • If the submission contains acknowledgments, they should be placed immediately after the conclusion but before the list of references. This should be anonymized until acceptance. 

Review Process

  • Research paper submissions will undergo an identity-hidden peer-review process. Please fully anonymize your submission(s).
  • All submissions submitted to the Research Paper track will be evaluated based on authentic inclusion of the above criteria, rigor, and alignment with the conference’s commitment to equity and engagement of communities. Please note that the above criteria should not be interpreted as a checklist.
  • All submissions, regardless of the type, will be reviewed for the track they are submitted to and will not be moved between tracks.  Please ensure that you submit to the correct track.
  • Example of Theoretical Framework and Positionality Statement:

Page Length Requirements

Submissions for the Research Paper track must not exceed eight pages in length, excluding references.

Example Papers:

  1. Teachers’ POUR Evaluation of Computer Science Technologies
  2. Redefining Data Science: Where Transformative Youth Organizing Meets Arts-Based Abolitionist Education
  3. Implications of Disability Definition, Determination, and Data Collection

EXPERIENCE REPORTS

Experience reports are completed works or works in progress (up to 8 pages for full papers or 4 pages of works in progress) that describe an educational or outreach approach, curricula, program, or initiative that focused on and impacted at least one underrepresented population in computing. Experience reports differ from research in that they usually lack a theoretical framework, research design methodology, and/or analysis to support the evaluation of the impact of the experiences reported.  All submissions in this track should provide a rich reflection on what worked, what didn’t, and possible explanations as to why in enough detail to allow for others to adopt the approach/curricula/program/initiative.

Submission Structure 

  • Title
  • Author(s) and Affiliation(s): Full names, institution, and email addresses
  • Abstract: 75–100 words that briefly state the purpose/equity issue(s) being addressed, process, and key takeaways. It should provide a connection to the conference theme. 
  • Key words 
  • Introduction
  • Description of Practice: Including context, audience, goals, and outcomes
  • Positionality statement 
  • Limitations and assumptions
  • Implications and next steps
    • For completed works: Implications, next steps, recommendations for research, practice, and policy.
    • For works in progress: Future directions, professional development needs, and implications for policy. 
  • References 
  • Acknowledgement
    • If the submission contains acknowledgements, they should be placed immediately after the conclusion but before the list of references. This should be anonymized until acceptance. 

Review Process

  • Experience report submissions will undergo an identity-hidden peer-review process. Please fully anonymize your submission(s).
  • All submissions submitted to the Experience Reports track will be evaluated based on authentic inclusion of the above criteria, rigor, and alignment with the conference’s commitment to equity and engagement of communities. Please note that the above criteria should not be interpreted as a checklist.
  • All submissions, regardless of the type, will be reviewed for the track they are submitted to and will not be moved between tracks.  Please ensure that you submit to the correct track.

Page Length Requirements

Submissions for the Experience Reports track must not exceed eight pages in length, excluding references.

Example Papers:

  1. Transforming Perceptions of Black Achievement in Computing Research: A Multi-Institutional Intervention
  2. Pioneering Inclusion: A Low-Cost, Low-Tech Approach to Educating Thailand’s First Blind Engineering Student
  3. Training Students to Support Accessible Web Development in Higher Education: An Experience Report

PERSPECTIVES

Perspectives papers (up to 6 pages) should communicate new ideas, reflections, or provocations within and beyond our current discourse on equity-based computing and computing education. Perspectives papers differ from research papers and experience reports in that they are not expected to report results. However, they must be grounded in theoretical literature, and sufficient references to support the perspective presented must be included.  These works can focus on any of the following: 1) provide constructive, critical takes on equity in computing education research and practice; 2) provide policy recommendations based on evidence and/or discussions regarding how federal, state, and local policies influence computing equity; 3) critically analyze and provide takes on issues in computing related to equity and access for people with disabilities or accessible education.. Acceptance will be based on the degree to which the reviewers find the perspective to be convincing, well-supported in the literature, timely, and coherent.

Submission Structure

  • Title
  • Author(s) and Affiliation(s): Full names, institution, and email addresses
  • Abstract: 75–100 words that briefly state the purpose or equity/policy/accessibility issue(s) being addressed, process, and key takeaways. It should provide a connection to the conference theme. 
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Body:
    • For equity-focused papers:  Lessons learned, critical opinions, implications for theory, reflections, etc.
    • For policy-focused papers:  Description of the policy landscape related to computing equity, including the implications of policy on computing equity and/or approaches to inform policy through computing equity work and recommendations for policy-related work. 
    • For accessibility-focused papers: Critical opinions, impact on accessibility, and identified groups, if any, implications for policy or theory on accessibility in computing, reflections, etc.
  • Positionality statement 
  • Implications for the ACM RESPECT community
  • References 
  • Acknowledgment
    • If the submission contains acknowledgments, they should be placed immediately after the conclusion but before the list of references. This should be anonymized until acceptance. 

Review Process

  • Perspectives papers will undergo an identity-hidden peer-review process. Please fully anonymize your submission(s).
  • All submissions to the Perspectives track will be evaluated based on their authentic inclusion of the above criteria, rigor, and alignment with the conference’s commitment to equity and community engagement. Please note that the above criteria should not be interpreted as a checklist.
  • All submissions, regardless of the type, will be reviewed for the track they are submitted to and will not be moved between tracks.  Please ensure that you submit to the correct track.

Page Length Requirements

Submissions for the Perspectives track must not exceed six pages in length, excluding references.

Example Papers:

  1. Intersectional Conference Accessibility: A Call to Action 
  2. Case Studies for Teaching Accessibility and Inclusive Design Principles in Data-Centric Computing Courses
  3. Conferences are Exclusive by Nature

THEMATIC TRACK SUBMISSIONS (NEW)

New for this year, we are providing a new track for submissions whose focus and contributions align with the conference’s theme,  Equity-focused CS Education: Honoring the Plurality of our Community. This will NOT be a separate submission but rather a designation you must add when submitting your work as any of the three (Research Papers, Experience Reports, Perspectives Papers) submission formats. These papers will be reviewed in the format you submitted, but also for strong alignment and exemplifying the core tenets of the conference theme.

ACCESSIBLE SUBMISSIONS

All papers are required to be accessible. This requirement applies to both anonymized submissions for peer review and final submissions, per the Call for Contributions. The ACM RESPECT 2026 Conference requests that all authors submit their .docx source file for peer review using only the Accessible ACM Word Template (click to download). Camera-ready instructions will follow for accepted papers. To assist authors in meeting the requirement, we are maintaining an Accessibility Guide with relevant resources.

GENERAL WRITING TIPS 

Important update on ACMs new open access publishing model for 2026 ACM Conferences!

Starting January 1, 2026, ACM will fully transition to Open Access. All ACM publications, including those from ACM-sponsored conferences, will be 100% Open Access. Authors will have two primary options for publishing Open Access articles with ACM: the ACM Open institutional model or by paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). With over 2,600 institutions already part of ACM Open, the majority of ACM-sponsored conference papers will not require APCs from authors or conferences (currently, around 76%).

Authors from institutions not participating in ACM Open will need to pay an APC to publish their papers, unless they qualify for a financial waiver. To find out whether an APC applies to your article, please consult the list of participating institutions in ACM Open and review the https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/policy-on-discretionary-open-access-apc-waivers.  Keep in mind that waivers are rare and are granted based on specific criteria set by ACM.

Understanding that this change could present financial challenges, ACM has approved a temporary subsidy for 2026 to ease the transition and allow more time for institutions to join ACM Open. The subsidy will offer:

  • $250 APC for ACM/SIG members
  • $350 for non-members

This represents a 65% discount, funded directly by ACM. Authors are encouraged to help advocate for their institutions to join ACM Open during this transition period. This temporary subsidized pricing will apply to all conferences scheduled for 2026.

Geographic and financial hardship waivers are available for eligible authors. The SIGCSE Board has committed to supporting costs for any contribution for which the authors are unable to cover APCs on account of financial hardship will be covered. 

To be included in ACM Open, the corresponding author must be affiliated with a participating institution. For APC-eligible articles (research, short paper, and survey) where none of the authors are currently from participating institutions, an APC will be required. The requirement is satisfied by one co-author listed as the corresponding author.

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