SIG-SI Awards

Each year, ASIS&T SIG SI gives out two research paper awards. Nominations for both awards are accepted during July of each year, with awardees notified in time for early registration for the ASIS&T conference (usually in October). Awards are then formally given during the SIG SI symposium at that year’s ASIS&T conference.

Social Informatics Best Paper Award

The Social Informatics Best Paper Award is given to the best paper published in a peer reviewed journal on a topic informed by social informatics during the previous calendar year (e.g. during 2015 for the 2016 award). The author or authors present their paper and receive a cash award (currently set at $1,000) at that year’s ASIS&T Annual Meeting. At least one author must be present at the SIG SI symposium to receive the award. Nomination letters, once nominations are opened each year, should be sent to the co-chairs of the SIG and must include a full citation, a brief explanation for the nomination, and a copy of the article; self-nominations are acceptable.

Previous Winners

Previous winners of the Social Informatics Best Paper Award include:

2019: Madelyn Sanfilippo (Princeton University), Pnina Fichman (Indiana University, Bloomington), and Shengnan Yang (Indiana University, Bloomington): “Multidimensionality of online trolling behaviors,” published during 2018 in The Information Society, volume 34 issue 1, pp. 27-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/01972243.2017.1391911
2018: Ken Fleischmann, University of Texas at Austin, Cindy Hui and William Wallace, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: The Societal Responsibilities of Computational Modelers: Human Values and Professional Codes of Ethics. Appeared in the 2017 Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology 68(3): 543-552.
2017: Daniel Schlagwein and Katie Choy, UNSW Sydney, for: “Crowdsourcing for a Better World: On the Relation Between IT Affordances and Donor Motivations in Charitable Crowdfunding", published in: Information Technology & People, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 221-247. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-09-2014-0215
2016: Kevin Crowston and Steve Sawyer, Syracuse University: “Social Networks and the Success of Market Intermediaries: Evidence From the U.S. Residential Real Estate Industry.”
2015: Mary Chayko of Rutgers University: “Techno-social Life: The Internet, Digital Technology, and Social Connectedness.” Appeared during July 2014 in Sociology Compass vol. 8 no. 7, pp. 976-991.
2014: Nama Raj Budhathoki of The World Bank and Caroline Haythornthwaite of the University of British Columbia: “Motivation For Open Collaboration: Crowd and Community Models and the Case of OpenStreetMap.” Appeared during 2013 in volume 57, issue 5 of American Behavioral Scientist, pp. 548-575; doi:10.1177/0002764212469364. Additional information from Budhathoki on Kathmandu Living Labs’ work on social and crowd engagementwas made available in association with the 2014 SIG SI symposium.
2013: Monica Garfield of Bentley University and Alan Dennis of Indiana University: “Toward an Integrated Model of Group Development: Disruption of Routines by Technology-Induced Change.” Appeared during 2012 in volume 29, issue 3, of the Journal of Management Information Systems, pp. 43–86; doi:10.2753/MIS0742-1222290302
2012: Kristen R. Eschenfelder, Anuj C. Desai, and Greg Downey, all of the University of Wisconsin, Madison: “The Pre-Internet Downloading Controversy: The Evolution of Use Rights for Digital Intellectual and Cultural Works.” Appeared during 2011 in volume 27, issue 2 of The Information Society, pp. 69-91; doi:10.1080/01972243.2011.548692
2011: Payal Arora of Erasmus University (Netherlands): “Digital Gods: The Making of a Medical Fact For Rural Diagnostic Software.” Appeared during 2010 in volume 26, issue 1 of The Information Society, pp. 70-79; doi:10.1080/01972240903423378

Social Informatics Best Student Paper Award

The Social Informatics Best Student Paper Award is given to the best paper written by a doctoral student on a topic informed by social informatics. Nominations may include a published paper in a peer reviewed journal during the previous calendar year (e.g. during 2015 for the 2016 award) or a conference paper presented during the previous calendar year. The author or authors present their paper and receive a cash award (currently $500) at that year’s ASIS&T Annual Meeting. At least one author must be present at the SIG SI symposium to receive the award. Nomination letters, once nominations are opened each year, should be sent to the co-chairs of the SIG and must include a full citation, a brief explanation for the nomination, and a copy of the article; self-nominations are acceptable.

Previous Winners

Previous winners of the Social Informatics Best Student Paper Award include:

2019: No award given
2018: Jenny Korn, Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University: Expecting penises in Chatroulette: Race, gender, and sexuality in anonymous online spaces, published in Popular Communication (15)2 2017.
2016: “Tweet to learn: Expertise and centrality in conference Twitter networks”
(No award given in 2015)
2014: Gal Oestreicher-Singer and Lior Zalmanson of Tel Aviv University: “Content or Community? A Digital Business Strategy For Content Providers in the Social Age“. Appeared during 2013 in volume 37, issue 2 of MIS Quarterly, pp. 591-616.
2013: Eden Litt of Northwestern University: "Knock Knock, Who's There: The Imagined Audience." Appeared during 2012 in volume 56, issue 3 of the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media; doi:10.1080/08838151.2012.705195
2012: Jessa Lingel of Rutgers University: “Improvisation, Tactics, and Wandering: Urban Information Practices of Migrational Individuals.” Paper was presented at the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) annual conference in January 2012 in Dallas, TX, where Lingel also received the ALISE / Bohdan S. Wynar Research Paper Competition award.
2011: Katie Shilton of UCLA: “Participatory Sensing: Building Empowering Surveillance.” Appeared during 2010 in volume 8, issue 2 of Survelliance and Society.