Undergraduate Research Symposium

Undergraduate research plays a critical role in shaping the next generation of scholars in data science, computer science, artificial intelligence, information science, and related areas. The Undergraduate Research Symposium at JCDL 2026 will provide undergraduate students with a supportive venue to present their research, receive constructive feedback from senior researchers, engage with the broader JCDL community, and explore pathways toward graduate study and research careers.

Building on the spirit of prior REU-style symposia, this symposium emphasizes early research engagement, mentorship, and scholarly dissemination, particularly in interdisciplinary areas aligned with JCDL.

We welcome submissions from undergraduate students working on research projects conducted through NSF REU programs, institutional undergraduate research initiatives, independent or faculty-mentored research, and programs such as TAMS, LSAMP, or similar pathways.

The lead author must be an undergraduate student at the time the research was conducted or at the time of submission. Recent graduates may submit work completed primarily while they were undergraduates. High school students may participate, especially as part of faculty-mentored or undergraduate-collaborative research teams. Faculty mentors, graduate students, and other collaborators may be listed as co-authors where appropriate.

Topics of Interest

Submissions should align with the themes of JCDL and broadly cover topics including, but not limited to, the following areas:

Submission Guidelines

• Eligibility: The lead author must be an undergraduate student.
• Originality: Submissions must be original and not under review elsewhere.
• Format: Paper submissions should be limited to a maximum of ten (10) pages, in the ACM two-column format, including the bibliography and any appendices.
• Templates: Suitable LaTeX, Word, and Overleaf templates are available from the ACM Website: ACM Proceedings Template. Please also refer to the JCDL 2026 regular submission guideline for additional information.
• Submission Portal: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=jcdl26

Review Process

Submissions will undergo double-blind peer review. Authors should anonymize their submissions and avoid including names, affiliations, acknowledgments, or other identifying information in the submitted manuscript.

Submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance to JCDL themes
• Clarity of research question and motivation
• Technical quality or methodological soundness
• Originality and significance of the contribution
• Quality of presentation and organization
• Appropriateness of the work for an undergraduate research venue
• Potential for constructive feedback and future development

Reproducibility & Open Science

Authors are strongly encouraged to support transparent and reusable research practices.

• Provide sufficient methodological details for reproducibility.
• Share datasets, code, and experimental pipelines when possible.
• Use publicly available benchmarks when appropriate.

Important Dates

All deadlines are tentative and are 11:59 p.m. Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time.

Publication & Presentation

• Accepted papers will be included in the JCDL 2026 workshop/symposium proceedings.
• At least one author must register and present the work.
• The symposium will provide oral and/or poster presentation opportunities.
• Participants will receive mentorship and feedback from senior researchers.
• The event will offer networking opportunities with the broader JCDL community.

Program Chairs

Questions about submissions, scope, and participation are welcome.