Call for Papers
Submit your research on simulation and synthetic data for Information Retrieval
Workshop Scope
Join us in advancing the field of simulation and synthetic data for IR
The SynIRgy workshop brings together researchers from information access systems, including search, LLMs, recommender systems, and related fields. Our goal is to foster community building, establish a shared vocabulary, and identify key challenges and open problems in synthetic data and simulation for Information Retrieval.
This half-day in-person event is designed to combine high-quality research presentations with informal networking and focused discussions. The workshop will explore key research questions around user behavior modeling, synthetic data generation, algorithm evaluation, bias and ethics, and reproducibility infrastructure.
As a result, a short report will summarize the discussions and outline future directions. These outcomes will lay the foundation for later editions and potential activities such as tutorials, survey papers, or a special journal issue.
Topics of Interest
We welcome contributions on, but not limited to
User Behavior & Interaction
Modeling realistic user interactions with LLMs, synthetic user profiles validation, and bridging gaps between simulated and real user behavior
Synthetic Data Generation
Metrics for similarity assessment, privacy-preserving synthetic datasets, LLM fine-tuning for data generation, and validation for real-world applicability
Algorithm Development & Evaluation
Simulation environment requirements, reinforcement learning for interactive systems, RAG pipeline evaluation, and validity of synthetic data for evaluation
Bias and Ethics
Using synthetic data to mitigate bias, ethical concerns with LLM-generated data, ensuring diversity in user personas, and preventing bias reinforcement
Reproducibility & Infrastructure
Defining reproducibility in synthetic data, applying FAIR principles, standardization efforts, and open-source tools for scalable simulation environments
Submission Types
Full Research Papers
Presenting completed work with comprehensive evaluation and analysis
Short Papers & Work-in-Progress
Preliminary results, focused contributions, or ongoing research
Demo Papers
Demonstrations of tools, systems, or interactive applications
Negative Results Papers
Reporting unexpected or negative findings that provide valuable insights
Position Papers
Opinion papers, research methodology papers, or short survey papers on SynIRgy themes
Note: Page limits exclude references. All submissions should follow the Springer LNCS format.
Submission Guidelines
- Submissions must be written in English
- Follow the Springer LNCS format
- Submit in PDF format via the workshop submission system
- All papers undergo double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers
- Page limits exclude references
- At least one author of each accepted paper must register for ECIR 2026 and the workshop
- Each accepted paper must be presented by at least one of its authors at the workshop
- Full experiments are not required for position papers, but preliminary results are encouraged
Review Process & Evaluation Criteria
We follow a double-blind peer-review process. Each submission will be reviewed by at least two independent reviewers who are experts in the respective topic. Papers will be evaluated based on:
- • Relevance: Focus on areas related to synthetic data, simulation methods, and IR
- • Discussion potential: Ability to encourage interaction and provide foundation for workshop sessions
- • Quality: Well-structured arguments, clear communication, and appropriate use of language
All accepted contributions will be published in Springer LNCS proceedings. Based on interest and paper quality, we may organize a follow-up special issue in a relevant journal.
Ready to Submit?
Submit your research and be part of shaping the future of simulation and synthetic data in IR