In Brief

The Perspectives Paper Track solicits papers containing original ideas and research visions that draw attention to the road less traveled. The Perspectives Track is intended to complement SIGIR full paper track. The Perspectives track seeks papers with a potential to create new trends or foment paradigm shifts. Kuhn argued that paradigm shifts start with a few early (promising, if not convincing) successes that leave plenty of room for the next generation to contribute and benefit by doing so. In fact, to encourage the next generation to take the next step, promising may be better than convincing.

We are particularly calling for papers offering:

1. Promising steps toward the next paradigm shift;
2. Visions describing new/open problems in information retrieval research; and
3. Novel perspectives on existing information retrieval research.

Perspectives papers are considered as SIGIR full papers, and accepted perspectives papers will appear in the SIGIR 2025 main conference proceedings.

Papers should be submitted at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sigir2025.
If you have questions, please contact sigir2025-perspectives@dei.unipd.it.

Important Dates

Deadlines time zone: Anywhere on Earth (AoE)

• Abstract submission: February 4, 2025
• Perspectives paper submission: February 18, 2025
  
  
  Due to other community events, there are 2 weeks between the abstract and paper submission!
• Perspectives paper notifications: April 4, 2025

Topics of Interest

Perspectives paper submissions are expected to be related to the wider Information Retrieval field. Please see the Call for Full Papers for a comprehensive list of relevant areas (but not limited to).

Submission Guidelines

Perspectives papers are expected to be interesting, innovative, and generally off the beaten path. Perspectives should wrestle not just with where research is going, but where it could go under different assumptions. Research is by definition novel, but the Perspectives Track particularly encourages papers that diverge from conventional wisdom and/or commonly accepted information retrieval practices, foundations, and paradigms. Perspectives papers should support their ideas with sufficient scientific argumentation, experimentation and/or proof, as appropriate. The papers also require high clarity in presentation.

Submissions of perspectives papers must be in English, in PDF format, and be at most 9 pages in length (including figures, tables, proofs, appendixes, acknowledgments, and any content except references), with unrestricted space for references, in the current ACM two-column conference format. Suitable LaTeX, Word, and Overleaf templates are available from the ACM Website (use sigconf proceedings template for LaTeX and the Interim Template for Word). ACM’s CCS concepts and keywords are required for review.

For LaTeX, the following should be used:

documentclass[sigconf,natbib=true,anonymous=true]{acmart}

Submissions must be anonymous and should be submitted electronically via EasyChair:

https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sigir2025

by selecting the “SIGIR 2025 Perspectives Papers” track.

At least one author of each accepted paper is required to register for SIGIR 2025, and the author(s) or their delegate(s) must present the work at the conference in person.The anonymity, preprint/ArXiv, and desk rejection policies of the Full Paper Track also apply to the Perspectives Paper Track.

Difference between regular full papers and perspectives papers

Perspectives submissions do not require new empirical results that outperform a state-of-the-art baseline, unlike traditional SIGIR submissions. However, perspective submissions that focus on novel, exploratory solutions still need to support their ideas with sufficient experimental evidence.

Perspectives submissions that focus on novel perspectives on existing problems, or new research vision do not require empirical results but are still expected to defend their position with solid scientific arguments based on the relevant literature. In-depth discussions and explanations of implications are also expected.

Examples of Appropriate Perspectives Submissions

• Submissions describing novel paradigms, foundations, or lenses through which to view the challenge of information need satisfaction.
• Submissions presenting novel, exploratory solutions that have never previously been applied to information retrieval tasks.
• Submissions presenting novel solutions from outside the information retrieval community that may enable fundamental, significant advances in information retrieval.
• Research trajectory/agenda for a new and currently unsolved information retrieval problem, with solid support from literature demonstrating that it has not been addressed.
• A scientific critique of a core assumption underlying information retrieval research or systems, supported by relevant literature from other disciplines and/or sufficient experimental evidence.
• A proposal and analytical critique of an evaluation metric that would facilitate progress on topics above.

Examples of Inappropriate Perspectives Submissions

• A submission that is suitable for the SIGIR full paper track but with lower quality.
• A literature review without novel arguments.
• A submission without sufficient connection to information retrieval.
• A submission without sufficient supporting evidence.

Anonymity and Pre-Print/ArXiv Policy

The full paper review process is double-blind. Authors are required to take all reasonable steps to preserve the anonymity of their submission. The submission must not include author information; citations or discussion of your own prior work should be written up in third person form. It is acceptable to refer to companies or organizations that provided datasets, hosted experiments or deployed solutions if reviewers can not infer that the authors are currently affiliated with these organizations. You can submit, to SIGIR 2025, papers that you have posted to pre-print/archival platforms (e.g. arXiv), or plan to post in the future, after submission. However, your paper must conform to the SIGIR 2025 Pre-Print/ArXiv Policy. Breaking anonymity or pre-print/ArXiv policy puts the submission at risk of being desk rejected.

In-Person Attendance Policy

SIGIR 2025 is an in-person conference. Despite the challenges it may pose, we believe that an in-person conference is more beneficial in terms of direct engagement and networking opportunities, more dynamic exchange of research ideas, and welcoming and nurturing newcomers.

All accepted papers (including all tracks) to the main conference and workshops are expected to be presented in-person. We anticipate that at least one author from each accepted paper will attend the conference in person to deliver the paper and address audience questions during the Q&A session. No pre-recorded videos will be accepted. More information at the SIGIR 2025 In-presence Policy page.

Child Care Service

SIGIR 2025 promotes inclusion and attendance also by organizing a child care service, in order to foster work-family balance by offering congress attendees the opportunity to attend events with their children.

Children from 0 to 12 years of age are welcomed in a specially set up room inside Padua Congress Center throughout the duration of the congress. A colorful, “warm”, safe and welcoming environment, in the same structure that hosts the congresses, a protected place where parents can leave their children, but at the same time stay in touch with them during the breaks of the different sessions.

The nursery space dedicated to the 0-3 age group, equipped with a changing table and other facilities dedicated to the little ones, is next to the kids’ area for children over 3 years old and a cinema room for screenings.

The activities are run by a company specialized in education services with expert staff, appointed by Padua Congress Center, and include thematic workshops - from painting to creative activities - as well as playtime also in the open air, in the facility's outdoor spaces. Children are also offered lunch.

The service is available - for a fee (depending on sponsors) - to all SIGIR 2025 attendees who request it. For more information and updates, check out the SIGIR 2025 Child Care page.

Desk Rejection Policy

Submissions that violate the anonymity, pre-print policy, length, or formatting requirements, or are determined to violate ACM’s policies on academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, author misrepresentation, falsification, etc., are subject to desk rejection by the chairs. Any of the following may result in desk rejection:

• Figures, tables, proofs, appendixes, acknowledgements, or any other content after page 9 of the submission.
• Formatting not in line with the guidelines provided above.
• Authors or authors’ institutional affiliations clearly named or easily discoverable.
• Links to source code repositories that reveal author identities, or links to extended versions of the current paper. It is recommended to hold these for the final published version and submit source code for artifact review. If you need to shared anonymous code, you may use anonymous git repositories, such as https://anonymous.4open.science/.
• Change of authors after the abstract submission deadline.
• Content that has been determined to have been copied from other sources.
• Any form of academic fraud or dishonesty.
• Lack of topical fit for SIGIR.

Perspectives Paper Chairs

Kenneth Church,  Northeastern University, USA

Diane Kelly,  The University of Tennessee Knoxville, USA

Jeremy Pickens,  Redgrave Data, USA