2026 Call for Submissions
Central States Communication Association
2026 Annual Conference
Translate!
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
April 14 - 19, 2026
You are invited to submit competitive papers, panel discussions, and performance sessions for our 95th Annual Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Members are encouraged to reflect on the theme of Translate!
CSCA members make a difference from changing the lives of students to changing the world through public policy. Our teaching, research, and/or service have the potential to enlighten and foster change when we generate knowledge and share it with others. Yet, unlike other disciplines with clinical arms or systematic paths to the public, communication teacher/scholars might fail to reach this potential, despite having some of the most important and timely information. Thus, this conference theme is a call to consider how we can communicate what we know to people outside of the academy walls.
Most often, the academy functions to reward those who disseminate knowledge through scholarly publication. In this system, what we know can be, at worst, locked behind a journal paywall and, at best, trickled to the public via those students who (can afford to) attend our classes. Albeit very important, journals also often prioritize theory advancement, at the expense of other types of knowledge contributions. Yet, some communication scholars have begun to innovate ways to reach extended audiences and communicate what they know about communication.
In embracing the theme of Translate!, we consider how our research and teaching can make a meaningful difference outside of the academy. Is there space in our writing, teaching, and thinking that promotes engagement with others? Can we imagine innovative ways to share what we know to the public in ways our institutions recognize? How might our research improve when others have access to it and how might other people’s lives improve if they had access to our research? How could our students participate in sharing knowledge with others? Who can we partner with to help us put theory into practice? And – importantly, what kinds of ethical considerations must we take into account when we provide recommendations? These are just some questions we might have the opportunity to engage with as we imagine ways to share our expertise with others.
With these guiding questions in mind, this conference theme encourages members to make connections with instructors, scholars, the communication literature, community members, public policy makers, and practitioners examining related issues of interest in different ways. Translating what we know to the public might highlight community engaged research, interdisciplinary collaborations, or innovative strategies that help everyday people learn practical ways to address their most pressing issues.
I encourage each one of us to use the sessions of this conference to consider how we might create positive change. Seek out opportunities to collaborate[1] not just with other communication scholar/teachers but with people from K-12 schools, members of the private sector, health institutions or practitioners, community members, or even other communication professionals. During the conference, also consider attending an interest group or caucus that you ordinarily would not attend. Translate your theoretical and methodological expertise to encourage innovative thinking and new approaches to engaging in research and teaching.
Faculty, students, independent scholars, and community members are encouraged to submit and attend the convention. Institutional and community partnerships are particularly welcome.
Submissions inclusive of all methodological perspectives in the communication discipline are expected and embraced.
[1] All conference costs are paid by attendees, regardless of their status as members of the public or private sector.
Question about the general call or the 2026 conference:
- Contact Kristina M. Scharp (kristina.scharp@gmail.com), 2026 primary program planner
Look for specific calls and submission information from each of the 27 CSCA Interest Groups, Caucuses, and Sections.
Deadline for Submissions: October 10, 2025, 11:59 pm CDT
Directions for using the online system: Online Submission Directions
