Web Science is the emergent science of the people, organizations, applications, and policies that shape and are shaped by the Web, the largest informational artifact constructed by humans in history. Web Science embraces the study of the Web as a vast universal information network of people and communities. As such, Web Science includes the study of social networks whose work, expression, and play take place on the Web. The social sciences and computational sciences meet in Web Science and complement one another: Studying human behavior and social interaction contributes to our understanding of the Web, while Web data is transforming how social science is conducted. The Web presents us with a great opportunity as well as an obligation: If we are to ensure the Web benefits humanity we must do our best to understand it.
Deadlines

February 1st 2013: Submissions of papers, notes, and fringe festival proposals due
March 1st 2013: Notification of acceptance for papers, notes, and fringe festival proposals due
March 15th 2013: Camera-ready version of papers and notes due.
March 16th 2013: Submissions of late-breaking extended abstracts due
April 9th 2013: Notification of acceptance of late-breaking extended abstracts
May 2-4, 2013: Web Science 2013, Paris, France

The Web Science conference is inherently interdisciplinary, as it attempts to integrate computer and information sciences, communication, linguistics, sociology, psychology, economics, law, political science, philosophy, digital humanities, and other disciplines in pursuit of an understanding of the Web. This conference is unique in the manner in which it brings these disciplines together in creative and critical dialogue, and we invite papers from all the above disciplines, and in particular those that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Web Science also offers a wide range of presentation modes in keeping with its diversity. The conference separates mode of presentation from mode of publication; for example, a striking new result might be presented as a poster or in a pecha kucha session for short, impactful results, and yet would still merit a full ten-page paper in the conference proceedings.

The Web Science poster session, in particular, has been always been exceptionally strong.

Following the success of WebSci’09 in Athens, WebSci’10 in Raleigh, WebSci’11 in Koblenz, and WebSci ’12 in Evanston, we are seeking papers and research notes that describe original research, analysis, and practice in the field of Web Science, as well as extended abstracts that discuss novel and thought-provoking ideas and works-in-progress.
Possible topics for submissions include, but are not limited to, the following:

Analysis of human behavior using social media, mobile devices, and online communities.

Methodological challenges of analyzing Web-based large-scale social interaction

Data-mining and network analysis of the Web and human communities on the Web
Detailed studies of micro-level processes and interactions on the Web
Collective intelligence, collaborative production, and social computing
The architecture and philosophy of the Web
The intersection of design and human interaction on the Web
Economics and social innovation on the Web
Governance, democracy, intellectual property, and the commons
Personal data, trust, and privacy
Web and social media research ethics
Studies of Linked Data, the Cloud, and digital eco-systems.
Web access, literacy, and development
Knowledge, education, and scholarship on and through the Web
People-driven Web technologies, including crowd-sourcing, open data, and new interfaces
Web archiving techniques and scholarly uses of Web archives
New research questions and thought-provoking ideas