+++ Submission Deadline: December 4, 2022 +++
Special Issue on “Conversational Agents”
Conversational agents (CAs) are heavily discussed within the fields of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Information Systems (IS). CAs are software systems designed to interact with humans using natural language. They encompass text-based (cf. chatbots) and/or speech- based (cf. voice assistants) interactions. At present we are surrounded by a multitude of different conversational agents, such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. For a long time, CAs were used to automate standard communication in different application areas, including customer service in telecommunications companies and booking tickets for travel. However, as a result of increasing volumes of data and longer-term training of algorithms, CAs are now also able to be used for more and more complex tasks, such as fostering dialogic interaction for informal learning or supporting mental health.
For this special issue we invite contributions in the field of conversational agents that are unique, thought-provoking, and impactful.
Topics of Interest
Topics include, but are not limited to:
- Conversational agents in complex application fields
- Anthropomorphic or zoomorphic design of conversational agents
- Conversational agent networks and multi-agent applications
- User interactions and perceptions of conversational agents
- Trust and privacy when interacting with conversational agents
- Context-aware and sensor-heavy conversational agent use cases
- Novel methods for designing and/or evaluating conversational agents
- Conversational agents in the corporate environment (e.g.: knowledge management, job recruitment, internal training)
- Hybrid conversational agents combining human and machine intelligence (cooperative CAs)
- Design frameworks and guidelines for conversational agents
- Customization of conversational agents for non-programmers
We welcome any contributions that address one or more of these, as well as related issues.
Timeline
04.12.2022: Submission deadline for articles
23.12.2023: Notifications: accept, revise or reject
03.02.2023: Resubmission deadline for accepted and revised papers
17.02.2023: Final Decisions
April 2023: Publication of the special issue
Submission and Review Process
All submissions will undergo a single-blind peer review process: Each manuscript will be reviewed by 3 independent expert reviewers. Possible outcomes of the first round of reviews are: accept, revise, or reject. Authors of submissions that require revision have to implement the required changes until February 3, 2023.
Anonymized manuscripts need to be submitted via ScholarOne. The anticipated length of articles for this special issue is about 7.000 – 10.000 words. The length of the manuscript should be proportional to its contribution. Templates for preparing submissions can be accessed below.
Accepted articles will be published in the Journal of Interactive Media (i-com). i-com is indexed by the major scientific indices. Scopus CiteScore has reached 1,7 for i-com articles in 2020. In 2023, I-com will finish its transition to a Full Open Access journal – so, the publications will be available Open Access.
Link to Submission System: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/icom
Link to Templates and Author Information: https://i-com-journal.org/links-downloads/
Guest Editors
- Thomas Ludwig, University of Siegen
- Philip Weber, University of Siegen
- Alexander Maedche, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- Andreas Riener, Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt
Further Information
For further information, please contact:
- thomas.ludwig@uni-siegen.de
- philip.weber@uni-siegen.de
- alexander.maedche@kit.edu
- andreas.riener@thi.de