SIG 2 Conference 2026

Comprehension of Text and Graphics in a World of Uncertainty

6 - 8 July 2026

Geneva, Switzerland

Theme

The 2026 conference theme is “Comprehension of texts and graphics in a world of uncertainty”.

In today’s world, uncertainty has become a defining feature of how we engage with information. Learners and readers are confronted with an overwhelming amount of texts and graphics whose reliability, origins, and intentions are not always clear. This calls for a deeper understanding of comprehension—not only as the construction of meaning, but also as the development of critical thinking and literacy skills that enable individuals to question sources, evaluate evidence, and integrate diverse perspectives.

For the 2026 SIG 2 Conference in Geneva, we invite contributions that address these challenges and opportunities, including but not limited to:

How comprehension of text and graphics supports critical thinking and decision-making.
Instructional designs and pedagogical approaches that foster literacy in uncertain information environments.
The role of digital media, AI, and multimodal resources in shaping comprehension.
Cross-cultural, developmental, and individual differences in dealing with uncertainty.
Methodological and theoretical advances in the study of comprehension under conditions of ambiguity and information overload.

Keynotes

Ric Lowe & Jean-Michel Boucheix

Curtin University (Australia) & Université de Bourgogne (France)

Making complex dynamic content more comprehensible: Challenges and opportunities.

Mônica Macedo-Rouet

CY Cergy Paris Université, France

Emmanuel Sander

Université de Genève, Switzerland

Submissions

The submission system will open on December 1, 2025, and will close on January 16, 2026. To reduce the workload for both presenters and reviewers, we will maintain a limit of 600 words for extended abstracts (excluding references), along with a short abstract of no more than 60 words. References and (up to two) tables or figures should be submitted in a separate pdf file.

Single paper

This standard format provides participants the opportunity to present and discuss results from recently completed research, as well as work in progress that is in its later stages. Paper proposals that receive favorable reviews and align with the conference’s scope will be allocated a 20-minute oral presentation format, consisting of a 15-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute discussion.

Symposia

Symposia focus on a single topic or theme, presenting a coherent set of papers for discussion. Each symposium session consists of 3-4 oral paper presentations, along with contributions from a discussant. For symposia, please submit an overarching abstract of 100-150 words that outlines the contents and objectives of the symposium. Additionally, for each paper, please provide a short abstract of 60 words and an extended abstract with a maximum of 600 words.

Symposia will be guided by a discussant. Each paper will have a 15-minute oral presentation format, followed by a 15-minute summary provided by the discussant, and concluding with a 10-minute discussion. The discussant is encouraged to prepare a brief presentation (maximum 10 minutes) to aid their discussion while ensuring enough time for interaction with presenters and attendees.

Participants in symposia should come from at least two different countries. Please note that each participant must register individually.

Scientific poster

This format is particularly well-suited for presenting new ideas or works in progress. The poster sessions will be of substantial length and scheduled at convenient times during the conference. This will create a lively and interactive presentation format, showcasing studies and fostering interpersonal connections.

All posters will be exhibited to encourage spontaneous discussions. We recommend a maximum size of A0 (portrait format) for the posters. Please note that, for organizational reasons, there will not be any blitz presentations. Instead, we invite you to submit a 1- to 2-minute video introducing your poster. This video will be available to the public before the conference.

ICT demonstration

Participants will have the opportunity to showcase software, multimedia products, innovative platforms, and instructional tools, which are derived from, or the subject of research. While presentations may reference completed research, the primary focus of the session will be on demonstrating the tools rather than critiquing the research itself.

ICT demonstrations will run during the poster sessions and
will be presented with the same format (short presentation and dynamic discussion with the standing audience).

Instruction for authors

Both empirical and theoretical contributions are welcome!

The brief abstract should highlight just the main ideas or important results of the research. It will be printed in the conference program

For empirical contributions, the abstract should be written concisely and include a brief background and the motivation for the conducted research as well as sufficient information regarding the research questions, design, sample, methods, and (if already present) results with important conclusions. Of course, it will not be possible to include a comprehensive theoretical background for the work in the short proposals and this is not expected. Please focus on making sure that the added value and the quality of your own research stand out in the submission.

For theoretical contributions, the summary should be written concisely and include a review of previous literature with diverse perspectives on a topic and build on existing work in the field. They can include a data section, or extend the current theory literature without including data. It should become clear what is original about the contribution and why it is important with respect to theory and/or practice. In addition, it should highlight how the contribution is relevant to the SIG 2 topics.

For ICT demo, the submission should describe the context in which the tool has been designed or used, the research goals underlying this design along with relevant theoretical framework, the method used for design and evaluation, preliminary or advanced results (qualitative or quantitative), and discussions about fundamental or practical implications and perspectives.

Additionally, please be aware that, depending on the number of accepted submissions, some sessions may run concurrently.

Register

Registration will open March 2nd 2026. More information will come soon!

Programme

Coming soon!

Venue

The venue is located in the Science II building at the heart of the campus of UNIGE. It is easily accessible by public transport (see this link for more information).

Access from Geneva airport:
Bus 10 – direction Onex-Cité, stop at Jonction

Access from Cornavin train station:
Bus 1 – direction Rive, stop École-de-Médecine
Tram 15 – direction Palettes, stop at Uni Mail