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DH Benelux 2024 Conference
4-7 June 2024, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Submission deadline: 31 January 2024
Websitehttps://2024.dhbenelux.org
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We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the DH Benelux 2024 Conference, a gathering of scholars, researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts in the field of Digital Humanities (DH). The conference explores the theme “Breaking Silos, Connecting Data: Advancing Integration and Collaboration in Digital Humanities.”

DH research often involves working with incomplete, fragmented, and diverse datasets and collections created in specific contexts and stored in separate institutions. We invite contributions that explore strategies, techniques, and methodologies for breaking down silos and connecting disparate data sets and sources, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and enabling new kinds of access to data. In particular, we welcome papers that discuss innovative approaches and best practices for designing and implementing data pipelines in the context of Digital Humanities, facilitating the flow and transformation of data across various formats, structures, and platforms.

In the last decade, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has started playing a significant role in data integration: we encourage submissions that explore the application of AI techniques, such as natural language processing, computer vision, and multimodal machine learning, in data integration. Topics may include AI-driven data mapping, alignment, entity recognition, data enrichment, and metadata generation.

Modelization and semantic frameworks play a crucial role in representing and integrating heterogeneous humanities data: we therefore invite papers that investigate the use of conceptual models, ontologies, semantic web technologies, and knowledge representation approaches for fostering harmonization and interoperability.

In a data-centered research domain such as DH, ensuring transparency, reliability, and accessibility of integrated data is of utmost importance. We welcome contributions that address the challenges and opportunities in adhering to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) principles in the context of data integration, sharing insights on best practices, ethical considerations, and data governance.

Related to this is the link with Open Research (also called Open Science or Open Scholarship) and how publication, curation, and preservation strategies as well as particular choices for (open or closed) tools, software, or infrastructures determine the impact and reusability of research results.

Finally, data-driven approaches often develop strategies to summarize and interpret information extracted from sources to create a new understanding of the material gathered. We welcome papers that propose case studies, methodological enquiries, data visualization techniques, and discussion of data-driven research within the domain of DH. Contributions that reuse data from other projects or institutions and integrate the challenges of data reuse in their papers will be particularly welcome.

We invite researchers, practitioners, scholars, and students to submit their original research, case studies, position papers, and poster presentations related to the theme of "Breaking Silos, Connecting Data" and its associated topics. We welcome interdisciplinary perspectives and encourage submissions from various disciplines within the Digital Humanities.

*** Important Dates ***

Abstract submission deadline: Wednesday 31 January (23:59 CET)
Notification of acceptance: end of March 2024
Conference dates: 5-7 June 2024, pre-conference workshops on 4 June 2024

*** Language ***

We accept abstracts written in English and in any official language of the Benelux. Please keep in mind that English is the most widely understood language.

*** Formats ***

For DH Benelux 2024, we welcome five types of proposals: (1) long papers; (2) short papers; (3) posters; (4) application and tool demonstrations; and (5) workshops. Abstracts should clearly state the title of the presentation and the names and affiliations of the authors and the presenters. If applicable, please include your ORCID. Please indicate for which category (or categories) of presentation you are submitting your proposal. The word length is dependent on the proposal type, see details below. References and/or bibliography are excluded from the word count. The reviewers will take word length into account. Proposals may contain graphics and illustrations.

- Long papers: (abstracts of 1000-1500 words, paper presentation 20 mins + 10 mins for discussion) are suitable for presenting empirical work, theorizing, cross- and multidisciplinary work, research methods and concise theoretical arguments. The research presented in a long paper should be completed or in the final stages of development. The research’s stage of completion must be clearly stated in the abstract.

- Short papers: (abstracts of 750-1000 words, paper presentation 10 mins + 5 mins for discussion) are well-suited for reporting on early stage and ongoing research, as well as new project presentations, technical details and the results of practical experimentation and proof of concepts.

- Posters: (abstracts of 500-750 words) are particularly suited for detailed technical explanations and clarifications, and for the showcasing of projects and research alike.

- Demonstrations: (abstracts of 500-750 words) of prototypes, work-in-progress or finished software, hardware technology, tools, datasets, digital publications and so forth. Demonstrations take place simultaneously, in parallel to poster sessions and are meant to be interactive. Conference delegates will have the opportunity to mingle among the demonstration tables in an informal setting.

- Workshops: (abstracts of 1000-1500 words) are self-organized tracks planned on the day before the conference. Workshop proposals are welcome on relevant topics and/or innovative approaches/tools/techniques. Workshops can be organised either  in-person or in fully virtual mode (hybrid format will not be able to be supported). We ask you to indicate the scientific scope, aims, preferred format (in-person or fully virtual), length (half day or full day), number of participants, and a preliminary program  in your proposal.

The abstracts will be peer-reviewed by the DH Benelux 2024 Program Committee and published on the DH Benelux 2024 website. Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to submit a full research article for the DH Benelux Journal. A separate call for journal submissions will be made after the conference.

*** Submission ***
Submissions can be made via Easychair: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=dhb2024.

*** Evaluation ***
Proposals will be evaluated according to: relevance, clarity, novelty and contribution.

We look forward to your contributions and the opportunity to share insights, engage in discussions, and strengthen the Digital Humanities community at the DH Benelux 2024 Conference. Join us as we break silos and connect data, fostering integration and collaboration in the field of Digital Humanities.

For any queries, please contact artesresearch [at] kuleuven.be.

Sincerely,

DH Benelux 2024 Organizing Committee