cscw

name

cscw

description

Writing and formatting guidance for CSCW (ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing) papers. Use when drafting, formatting, or submitting to CSCW 2026. Covers ACM acmart sigchi format with anonymous review mode, CSCW-specific requirements (CCS Concepts, author keywords), empirical/research methodology standards, ethics and IRB requirements, figure quality, double-blind anonymity, page limits, and camera-ready preparation.

CSCW 2026 Conference Writing Skill

CCF-A | HCI | Publisher: ACM Conference: https://cscw.acm.org/2026 Template: CSCW/acmart.cls (ACM acmart, sigchi format)

Document Setup

Preamble Structure

% === SUBMISSION MODE (anonymous, double-blind) ===
\documentclass[sigchi, review, anonymous]{acmart}
\settopmatter{printfolios=true}

% === CAMERA-READY MODE ===
\documentclass[sigchi]{acmart}
\acmConference[CSCW 2026]{CSCW '26: Proceedings of the 2026 ACM Conference...}
               {April 25--29, 2026}{Shanghai, China}
\acmISBN{978-X-XXXX-XXXX-X/XX/XX}
\acmDOI{10.5555/XXXXXXX.XXXXXXX}

CSCW uses the sigchi format option. For the abstract, include both CCS Concepts and author keywords as required metadata blocks.

Required Packages

\usepackage[round]{natbib}     % Author-year citations
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{booktabs}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{balance}
\usepackage{cleveref}          % Consistent cross-references

Abstract Metadata Blocks

CSCW abstracts require CCS Concepts and keywords:

\begin{abstract}
  We present a novel approach to...
  Findings from a field study ($N=32$) demonstrate...
\end{abstract}

% CCS Concepts (generated at http://dl.acm.org/ccs.cfm)
\ccsdesc[500]{Human-centered computing~Collaborative interaction}
\ccsdesc[300]{Human-centered computing~Computer supported cooperative work}
\ccsdesc[100]{Human-centered computing~Social computing}

% Author keywords
\keywords{collaboration, CSCW, social computing, coordination, awareness}

Page Limits

Section	Limit
Main paper (submission)	10 pages
References	No limit
Appendix / Supplementary	Not permitted

CSCW enforces a strict 10-page limit for the main body. References do not count toward the limit. No appendix or supplementary materials are permitted.

Anonymity Requirements

Double-blind review with anonymous class option:

1. No author names or affiliations in submission
2. Third-person self-citations: "Prior work showed..." not "we showed..."
3. Anonymize all URLs (GitHub, participant recruitment pages, personal pages)
4. Clear PDF metadata
5. Remove acknowledgments
6. Anonymize any videos or media files

Camera-Ready Differences

After acceptance:

1. Remove review and anonymous options
2. Fill in \acmConference, \acmISBN, \acmDOI
3. Restore author names, affiliations, and contact information
4. Add appropriate \setcopyright mode
5. Enable page numbers with \settopmatter{printfolios=true}

Section Organization

CSCW papers follow a research-centered structure:

1. Introduction — Problem space, motivation, research questions, contributions (enumerate 3-5 contributions)
2. Background & Related Work — Prior CSCW and HCI research, theoretical grounding
3. Research Context & Methods — Study design, participants, data collection (field study, interview, experiment, etc.)
4. Findings — Empirical or qualitative findings
5. Discussion — Interpretation, implications for CSCW, design recommendations
6. Conclusion & Future Work
7. References

CSCW values papers where the contribution is clear and evidence supports the claims. CSCW accepts empirical studies, design research, and theory-building work.

Contribution Statement

\section{Introduction}
Despite the widespread use of collaborative tools...
We address this gap by investigating...
This paper makes the following contributions:
\begin{itemize}
  \item An empirical study of coordination practices in...
  \item A novel framework for understanding...
  \item Design implications for collaborative tools in...
\end{itemize}

Research Methods

CSCW accepts diverse methodologies:

\section{Research Methods}

\subsection{Study Context}
We conducted a qualitative field study in...

\subsection{Participants}
We recruited 20 participants through...

\subsection{Data Collection}
Data was collected over 3 months through...

\subsection{Analysis}
We used thematic analysis with an iterative coding process...

IRB and Ethics

CSCW requires ethical research practices:

\section{Ethics Statement}
This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional
Review Board of [University Name] (protocol #XXXX-XXXX).
All participants provided informed consent.

CCS Concepts and Keywords

Generate CCS Concepts at http://dl.acm.org/ccs.cfm and include them as shown above. Keywords are also required and appear after the CCS Concepts block.

Figures and Tables

CSCW emphasizes visual communication and empirical data presentation:

• Use high-quality vector figures (.pdf, .eps)
• Ensure grayscale legibility
• Include screenshots, study setups, and design artifacts
• Number figures/tables sequentially
• Tables should use booktabs (no vertical rules)

\begin{figure}[t]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{figs/study-context}
  \caption{The collaborative workspace showing (a) shared calendar,
    (b) chat interface, and (c) notification panel.}
  \label{fig:context}
\end{figure}

References (natbib)

\bibliographystyle{ACM-Reference-Format}
\bibliography{references}

\citet{key}    % Author (Year)
\citep{key}    % (Author, Year)

All references must list every author by full name.

Formatting Rules

• Format: ACM sigchi (single-column for submission, two-column camera-ready)
• Paper size: US Letter
• Body font: 9pt minimum, Times New Roman
• References: 8pt, unlimited pages
• Margins: Top/bottom 1in, sides 0.75in

CSCW Writing Conventions

• Evidence-based: Claims must be supported by study data or other evidence
• Methodological transparency: Enough detail to understand and (where possible) replicate the study
• Contribution clarity: Explicit contribution statement in the introduction
• Theoretical grounding: Connect findings to relevant CSCW and HCI theory
• Design implications: CSCW values practical takeaways for designers
• No appendix: All essential content must fit within 10 pages

Submission Checklist

• 10 pages or fewer (no appendix)
• \documentclass[sigchi, review, anonymous]
• CCS Concepts and keywords included in abstract
• All author identification removed
• Third-person self-citations only
• Anonymized all URLs
• IRB/ethics statement included
• Methodology fully described
• References list all authors
• High-quality, grayscale-legible figures