The Computational Humanities Research Conference continues to grow, re ecting the vibrant expansion of our eld. This year, the challenges were all about scale: managing an increasing number of submissions, handling this increased reviewing load, and nding ways to accept more papers. We received 144 total submissions in 2024, with 111 of these being paper submissions (an increase of more than 50% over 2023). To maintain the high standards of our review process, we increased our pool of reviewers from 94 to 116 dedicated scholars, ensuring that each submission received two reviews with the majority receiving three. With 96 accepted submissions, which includes 78 publish papers (36 long, 42 short), this will, again, be the largest CHR to date.
We made several changes to the conference format this year to enhance both the engagement and scholarly output of our community. Most notably, we introduced workshops as a distinct submission category. Among the workshops we hosted, the rst was "Analysing the Reception of Fiction Novels Across Languages," which equipped participants with a comprehensive understanding of the research work ow for studying reader responses, utilizing book reviews and online comments as key data sources. The second workshop, "Digital Methods for Mythological Research, " brought together researchers who are applying digital tools to mythological studies. The rationale behind incorporating workshops into the conference program was to provide a focused, collaborative space for researchers to engage with speci c topics, bene t from hands-on experience, and build networks with fellow academics in niche areas of computational humanities research. These sessions were scheduled for the day prior to the main conference, thus providing a preamble to the broader conference activities.
In order to enable accepting more papers, we made a large change to poster presentations. Instead of poster presentations corresponding to accepted non-archival abstracts, they now correspond to accepted short papers. We did not make this change lightly. Although this reduces the conference's presentation of non-archival work, it ensures that the contributions of posters remain accessible after the conference ends. We want to further stress that a short paper's presentation format is not indicative of its quality. Presentation formats were selected based on author-preference, program constraints, and the suitability of the format.
This year's conference demonstrated-yet again-an impressive expansion in the diversity of its topics and methodologies, re ecting a growing trend in computational humanities that goes beyond traditional text analysis. Accepted contributions from authors across 26 countries underscored a commitment to inclusivity and the exploration of global cultural phenomena. Notably, the submissions highlighted a move away from predominantly European-centered studies, but also broadening the scope to include a variety of humanities topics and non-textual media including audio analysis, image retrieval, lm studies, and even shadow puppetry.
Large Language Models (LLMs) emerged as a pivotal theme at the conference, with 27 accepted submissions addressing this technology. The fascination with LLMs spanned from their potential to revolutionize data processing capabilities to probing the depths of what these models actually know and how they are trained. This dual approach underscores a drive within the community to harness the potential of AI technologies while critically assessing their impacts and ethical considerations.
The CHR2024 conference was held at Aarhus University, Denmark, from December 4 to 6, 2024. One of the more complex issues we navigated this year was the university's policy on Russian and Belarusian authors. In alignment with all Danish universities, Aarhus University condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine and consequently prohibits representatives from Russian and Belarusian institutions from participating in events. The local organizers at Aarhus University, speci cally Kristo er Nielbo and Line E. Sørensen, were instrumental in helping us navigate these challenges. As Programme Chairs, we worked with the Local Organizers to explore potential solutions to mitigate these restrictions, such as pre-recording presentations from a ected researchers to be played at the conference. Unfortunately, this solution was not permissible under the university's current rulings. Consequently, two of the accepted papers from authors a liated with Russian institutions are included in these proceedings, as CEUR-WS does not share the same restrictions, while they were not presented at the conference.
The success of the CHR conference hinges on the e orts of numerous individuals who have contributed their time and expertise. We extend our deepest gratitude to the previous chairs from 2023, Artjoms el , a, Fotis Jannidis, and Iza Romanowska. Their guidance was invaluable, providing us with their in nite wisdom and practical strategies to handle the daunting volume of submissions. Their support was crucial in helping us maintain our sanity and e ectiveness throughout the conference preparation process.
We also owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the local organizers at Aarhus University. Kristo er Nielbo, Line E. Sørensen, and Ross Deans Kristensen-McLachlan played pivotal roles in every aspect of the conference's execution, ensuring that everything ran smoothly. Additionally, our thanks extend to the CHR Executive Board-Melvin Wevers (General Chair), Alie Lassche (Event O cer), Kristo er Nielbo (Treasurer), Folgert Karsdorp (Publication O cer), and Barbara McGillivray (Equity and Inclusion O cer)-for their support and leadership. We are also grateful to the Best Paper Committee for their discerning judgment.
Our appreciation also extends to the Computational Humanities Research journal for their sponsorship, and to our partners who provided signi cant support and resources: Aarhus University and its Center for Humanities Computing, and DIGHUMLAB.
xi Finally, this conference would not be possible without the enthusiastic participation of its authors and attendees. We are deeply thankful for your contributions and look forward to continuing our collaborations. Here's to a future where Computational Humanities Research continues to thrive and expand. October 2024 Wouter Haverals, Marijn Koolen & Laure Thompson xii