Society for the Scientific Study of Reading

What Can Artificial Intelligence Do for the Scientific Study of Reading?

Scientific Studies of Reading (SSR) is pleased to announce a Special Issue (2028) exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and reading science. The Guest Editorial Group — Matthew J. Cooper Borkenhagen (Florida State University / FCRR), Yaacov Petscher (Florida State University / FCRR), and Donald L. Compton (Florida State University / FCRR) — invites abstracts investigating the unique possibilities of AI in influencing the reading system, broadly defined to include learning, teaching, and beyond.

Special attention will be given to submissions involving large language models given their direct relevance to reading and writing, and research that focuses on ethics, safety, and responsibility will be prioritized. Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Educational processes related to learning to read (instruction, assessment, intervention)
• Novel methodological approaches with high impact potential in reading research (e.g., agentic technology, personalized tools, advanced machine learning methods)
• Basic and applied research leveraging experimental and statistical methods for deeper understanding of AI's role in reading

How to Submit

• Submit an abstract (500-word maximum) following the general SSSR annual conference guidelines, including sections for: purpose with a concise literature review, methods, results, and conclusions.
• Include a title for your proposed manuscript.
• Priority will be given to completed studies, though studies with ongoing data collection will be considered.
• Email submissions to the Guest Editorial Group and the current SSR Editor, Young-Suk Kim (youngsk7@uci.edu):
  • Matthew J. Cooper Borkenhagen — mcb@fcrr.org
  • Yaacov Petscher — ypetscher@fcrr.org
  • Donald L. Compton — dcompton@fcrr.org

Timeline

• March 2026 — Call for Papers (proposal window opens)
• June 1, 2026 — Abstracts due
• July 1, 2026 — Decisions made; invitations for manuscripts sent to authors
• December 2026 — Initial manuscript due
• May 2027 — Revised manuscripts due
• October 2027 — Second revision due
• February 2028 — Special Issue published

Note the accelerated timeline between invitation and the initial manuscript deadline.

Announcement: 2026 Conference Registration Fees

The SSSR Board of Directors is pleased to announce that registration fees for this year’s conference will remain unchanged, despite having the opportunity—and financial rationale—to increase prices.

We recognize the financial pressures faced by our community, including students, emeritus members, and professionals at all career stages. After careful review of our budget and projected expenses, we have chosen to prioritize accessibility and affordability over raising fees. This decision reflects our ongoing commitment to supporting broad participation in SSSR’s annual meeting.

2026 Registration Fees (USD)

Early Bird Pricing

• Member: $450
• Emeritus: $330
• Student: $300
• Non-member: $660
• Non-member student: $540

Regular Pricing

• Member: $570
• Emeritus: $450
• Student: $420
• Non-member: $780

We encourage all attendees to take advantage of the early bird rates and to register as soon as possible once registration opens.

Thank you for your continued support of SSSR and our shared mission. We look forward to welcoming you to the conference!

~On behalf of Board of Directors

SSSR2026 awards are now open! To view individual awards for consideration, please visit the SSSR awards page. To submit, please email materials to scientificstudy.reading@gmail.com no later than January 16, 2026. Travel awards will have early decisions.

You can share announcements via our Discussion List or to add to our resources pages by submitting our new webform.

See our resources pages for the latest job and workshop opportunities.

Anne Helder, Sofia Giazitzidou, Marianne Rice, Susan J Chambre, Renan de Almeida Sargiani, Gina Biancarosa, Lisa Lopez, Tanya W. Wright, Amanda Denston, Callie Little, Philip Capin, Urs Maurer, Mara Breen, Peng Peng, Deborah Bergman Deitcher, Xin Sun, Ye Shen, Douglas M. Mosher, Yaling Hsiao, and Matthew Zajic!

Stay up-to-date with SSSR announcements by joining our email listserv. Sign up with your email address here: https://lists.triplesr.org/mailman/listinfo/sssr-discussion

Email scientificstudy.reading@gmail.com if you are interested in becoming an abstract reviewer for SSSR2026.

Submissions are now closed for SSSR2026! Click the Submissions and Programme' page for further details.