Re-centering the User in Recommender System Research

Special Issue of the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies (IJHCS)

Scope and topics

Recommender systems (RSs), driven by advanced technology and evolving user demands, intricately analyze data to tailor content, products, or services, offering personalized experiences and enhancing user engagement. Cutting-edge technologies are redefining the nature of the interaction between users and RSs and amplifying the classic challenges of user engagement, highlighting the necessity of building, maintaining, evaluating, and studying systems that are fair, transparent, ethical, and primarily beneficial to users and society, upholding user expectations and fundamental human rights. Consequently, the ever-evolving landscape of RSs urgently demands a shift in focus: from prioritizing technology and stakeholder interests to empowering users and placing them at the core of research.

This special issue fosters collaboration among researchers from computer science, human-computer interaction, psychology, and ethics. This issue will serve as a platform for groundbreaking research that not only advances the technical frontiers of RSs but also ensures these systems are designed with a focus on user welfare, ethical standards, and societal impact. Contributions may range from innovative user-centric evaluation strategies prioritizing user trust and fairness to dynamic recommendation processes integrating direct user feedback and conversational interaction for enhanced personalization, e.g., with LLMs. Explorations into the explainability of RSs, personalization techniques that respect individual decision-making styles, and the ethical implications of bias, fairness, and privacy in data-driven systems are particularly welcome.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

  • User control and user-centric approaches
  • Trustworthiness and privacy
  • Explanation and transparency
  • Bias and fairness
  • Psychological aspects of recommendation
  • Conversational and user-driven RSs
  • User studies and user-centric evaluation
  • User interfaces and novel UI design studies

Guest Editors

  • Li Chen, PhD Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China lichen(at)comp.hkbu.edu.hk
  • Antonio Ferrara, PhD Polytechnic University of Bari, Bari, Italy antonio.ferrara(at)poliba.it
  • Bart Knijnenburg, PhD Clemson University, Clemson, USA bartk(at)clemson.edu
  • Fedelucio Narducci, PhD Polytechnic University of Bari, Bari, Italy fedelucio.narducci(at)poliba.it
  • Maria Soledad Pera, PhD Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands m.s.pera(at)tudelft.nl
  • Claudio Pomo, PhD Polytechnic University of Bari, Bari, Italy claudio.pomo(at)poliba.it

Paper Submission Process

The submission process is organized in the following steps:

  1. Extended Abstract Submission: the goal is to pre-screen submissions for topical fit. Extended abstracts (up to three pages) should be submitted here.
  2. Full Manuscript Submission: after abstract pre-screening, the authors of selected paper will be asked to submit a full version of the paper by using IJHCS’s submission system (see the call for papers in the journal’s webpage for the details).

According to the IJHCS Guide for Authors, both the extended abstract and the full manuscript should be written in LaTeX using the Elsevier article class elsarticle.cls. Details about options are available here. Overleaf users may find useful the related template. Authors are asked to typeset their submissions with a double-spaced format, using the option \documentclass[review,11pt]{elsarticle}.

Important Dates

  • April 15th, 2024 – Full manuscript submission opens
  • July 15th, 2024 August 30th, 2024– Extended abstract submission deadline - NEW DEADLINE
  • September 15th, 2024 October 30th, 2024– Full manuscript submission deadline - NEW DEADLINE
  • February 15th, 2025 – Editorial acceptance deadline