Special Issue Proposal to the Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society (JBCS) Selected Extended Papers from the XII Latin American Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (CLIHC 2026)

 

1. Introduction

This Special Issue proposal is anchored in the outcomes of the XII Latin American Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (CLIHC 2026, https://clihc2026.laihc.org/pt), one of the leading forums for Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research in Latin America. CLIHC brings together researchers, practitioners, and students interested in HCI, User Experience (UX), and related interdisciplinary fields, with the goal of fostering collaboration, visibility, and knowledge exchange within and beyond the region.

The conference is organized under the umbrella of the Latin American HCI Community (LAIHC, www.laihc.org), a non-profit academic network founded more than two decades ago. LAIHC has been instrumental in promoting HCI research across Latin America by supporting regional initiatives, mentoring early-career researchers, and strengthening international visibility for work conducted in diverse local contexts.

Since its inception, CLIHC has served as a key platform to explore both shared challenges and culturally embedded approaches to the design and evaluation of technology in Latin America. Held biennially since 2003, the conference has taken place in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama, and has often been co-located with other prominent computing conferences in the region.

Until 2023, CLIHC proceedings were published in the ACM Digital Library, including its most recent edition. For CLIHC 2026, the conference is expected to adopt the Sociedade Brasileira de Computação (SBC, https://www.sbc.org.br/) platforms (JEMS for submission management and SOL for the publication of accepted papers). The confirmation process for this transition is currently underway. The SBC provides robust infrastructure to support academic publication through its digital platform, the SBC OpenLib (SOL,
https://sol.sbc.org.br/index.php/indice). SOL is an open-access, peer-reviewed digital library that hosts a wide range of Brazilian computing research, including journals, conference proceedings, and technical reports. For the CLIHC 2026 Special Issue, SOL will be used as the platform for managing submissions, peer review, and digital publication, ensuring long-term visibility and accessibility of the selected papers. The Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society (JBCS, https://journals-sol.sbc.org.br/index.php/jbcs/) is the official international journal of the SBC. It is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal that publishes high quality research in all areas of computer science, with a strong emphasis on relevance to the Brazilian and Latin American scientific communities. JBCS is indexed in Scopus, Web of Science (ESCI), and DBLP, among others, and follows rigorous editorial and ethical standards. The journal’s partnership with SOL enables efficient editorial workflows and wide dissemination of published work. For this Special Issue, we aim to collaborate with JBCS to publish extended versions of the most outstanding papers presented at CLIHC 2026.

Given CLIHC’s reputation as one of the most prominent HCI conferences in the region, this Special Issue in JBCS aims to showcase extended versions of the best peer-reviewed papers presented at CLIHC 2026. In this context, we are planning to invite up to 4 (four) papers for the Special Issue. Authors will be notified through a direct invitation from the Special Issue editors, as well as via the official CLIHC 2026 website (https://clihc2026.laihc.org/). These extended papers will reflect high-quality and innovative research with strong theoretical or practical contributions to the HCI field, particularly in Latin American sociotechnical contexts.

We believe that this Special Issue will not only expand the visibility of Latin American HCI research but also contribute to the international conversation on how culture, equity, and local innovation shape human-technology interactions.

 

2. Source of Articles

The proposed Special Issue will include extended versions of selected and awarded papers originally presented at the XII Latin American Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (CLIHC 2026), to be held in May 2026 across two satellite locations: Aracaju, Brazil, and Oaxaca, Mexico.

All invited submissions will come from peer-reviewed and accepted papers presented at CLIHC 2026. Authors will be required to substantially expand their original work to meet journal publication standards.

Submissions are expected to align with the thematic areas of CLIHC 2026 and may include, but are not limited to, the following topics:
1. Affective computing
2. Brain computer interaction (BCI)
3. CSCW and social computing
4. Design methods
5. Education and HCI
6. Embodied interaction
7. HCI for development (HCI4D)
8. HCI and Artificial Intelligence (e.g, Human-Centered AI and Interaction Design;
Human-AI Interaction; HCI in AI-Powered Systems; User Experience and Design for
AI Systems; Responsible and Ethical HCI for AI Applications; eXplainable Artificial
Intelligence - XAI)
9. Health and HCI
10. Inclusion and accessibility
11. Innovative user interfaces
12. Interfaces and interaction in games
13. Mobile computing
14. Perception and visualization
15. Human-robot interaction and telepresence
16. User experience (UX) and usability
17. Intellectual Property and HCI

The proposed themes for CLIHC 2026 align strongly with the multidisciplinary scope of the Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society (JBCS), which welcomes high-quality research across all areas of computing, including interdisciplinary topics that advance theory and practice. Themes such as Affective Computing, Brain-Computer Interaction (BCI), and Embodied Interaction explore emerging interaction paradigms that integrate computational, cognitive, and physiological dimensions (key areas of interest in human-centric computing. Topics like CSCW and Social Computing, Mobile Computing, Human-Robot Interaction, and
Interfaces and Interaction in Games reflect current trends in interactive systems, ubiquitous computing, and real-time user engagement). The focus on Design Methods, UX and Usability, and Innovative User Interfaces speaks directly to foundational concerns in software engineering, interface design, and user experience evaluation.

Furthermore, Education and HCI, HCI for Development (HCI4D), and Health and HCI contribute to applied computing by addressing how interactive technologies can positively impact social and institutional domains, which are consistent with JBCS’s support for impactful research with real-world implications. The inclusion of Inclusion and Accessibility and Intellectual Property and HCI reflects an important ethical and legal perspective within the journal’s interdisciplinary interests. Importantly, the emerging area of HCI and Artificial Intelligence (including Human-Centered AI, eXplainable AI (XAI), and Responsible AI Design) represents a critical frontier in computing, where the interaction between users and intelligent systems raises new questions about transparency, control, and trust (issues that resonate deeply with the JBCS editorial mission). Collectively, these themes support the journal’s aim to foster cutting-edge and socially relevant research in computer science, particularly with relevance to Brazil and Latin America.

 

3. Originality and Extension Criteria

To ensure the academic rigor and novelty of contributions:
- Each submission must contain at least 30% new content compared to the original conference version.
- The title and abstract must be significantly revised to reflect the extended nature of the work.
- An explicit mention and citation of the original paper must be included in the manuscript, along with the full reference.
- All submissions must be written in English.
- Each manuscript will be reviewed by at least two independent reviewers who did not participate in the original conference review process.
- Submission does not guarantee acceptance.

4. Editorial Team

The Guest Editors responsible for managing the Special Issue will include:
- Adriana Lopes Damian, PhD. (Instituto de Pesquisas Eldorado, Brazil), adriana.ldamian@gmail.com
- Lizbeth Escobedo, PhD. (Dalhousie University, Canada), lizbeth.escobedo@dal.ca
- Pedro Reynolds-Cuellar, PhD. (Research Scientist, RAI Institute | Research Affiliate MIT Future Heritage Lab), pedroreynoldscuellar@gmail.com
- Soraia Silva Prietch, PhD. (Professor and Researcher at Universidade Federal de Rondonópolis | 2nd time-PhD Student at Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla), soraia@ufr.edu.br

The Guest Editors will coordinate all editorial activities, including: setting submission deadlines and review timelines, assigning qualified reviewers, ensuring timely, high-quality reviews, and writing meta-reviews and making final editorial recommendations.

The Peer Review Panel includes the following researchers among its members:
- Claudia López Moncada, PhD. (Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (UTFSM), Chile)
- Daniel Domingos Alves, PhD. (Instituto Federal de Mato Grosso, Brazil)
- Gilton José Ferreira da Silva, PhD. (Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Brazil)
- Jean Clemisson Santos Rosa, PhD. (Centro Universitário Maurício de Nassau, Brazil)
- Juan Pablo Hourcade, PhD. (University of Iowa, US)
- Laura Sanely Gaytán Lugo, PhD. (Universidad de Colima, Mexico)
- Mario A. Moreno Rocha, PhD. (Universidad Tecnológica de la Mixteca, México)
- Napoliana Souza, PhD. (Universidade Estadual do Amapá, Brazil)
- Roberto Pereira, PhD. (Universidade Federal do Paraná, Brazil)
- Rodrigo Gonzatto, PhD. (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil)
- Valéria Argôlo Rosa de Queiroz, PhD. (Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia, Brazil)

 

5. Managing the Special Issue
A dedicated “Section” within the journal’s submission platform will be created for the Special Issue. Authors will be instructed to select this section when submitting their extended papers. The Guest Editors will oversee the entire process, ensuring submissions align with the journal’s standards and timelines.

 

6. Proposed Timeline (All within 1 year)

- Launch of Call for Papers (CfP): June 1st, 2026
- Submission window opens: June 8th, 2026
- Submission window closes: August 30th, 2026
- First round of reviews: September 1st to October 31st, 2026
- Notification of first review decision: November 10th, 2026
- Revised papers due: December 10th, 2026
- Second round of reviews (if necessary): December 11st, 2026 to January 15th, 2027
- Final decisions and meta-reviews: January 25th, 2027
- Camera-ready papers due: February 15th, 2027
- Tentative publication period: April-May 2027

We believe this Special Issue will serve as an excellent platform to showcase cutting-edge HCI research from Latin America and abroad, while contributing to global discussions in the field through original and rigorously reviewed work.

Please let us know if any further information is required. We are happy to provide additional documents or host a meeting to clarify the proposal.

 

 

Adriana Lopes Damian, PhD.
Lizbeth Escobedo, PhD.
Program Chairs of CLIHC 2026

 

Pedro Reynolds-Cuellar, PhD.
Soraia Silva Prietch, PhD.
General Articulation Committee

 

The General Articulation Committee is responsible for coordinating the CLIHC 2026 distributed satellite events, ensuring cohesion across venues, alignment with LAIHC’s mission, and collaboration among local organizing teams in Brazil and Mexico.