Call for Submissions – WTDO 2026

The 10th Workshop on Theses and Dissertations in Ontologies (WTDO 2026) is a satellite event of the 19th Seminar on Ontology Research (ONTOBRAS 2026) that offers Master’s and Doctoral students working in the field of ontologies an opportunity to discuss their research proposals with experts, receive feedback on methodological issues, and develop a network of contacts with the research community.

WTDO 2026 will take place in person on September 23, 2026, organized by the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES).

ONTOBRAS 2026 will be co-located with FOIS 2026 (16th International Conference on Formal Ontology in Information Systems), in Vitória (Espírito Santo).

Important Dates

    • Submission deadline: May 29, 2026
    • Author notification: July 14, 2026
    • Final Version (Camera Ready): August 24, 2026
    • Author registration deadline: August 24, 2026

Submission Instructions

Master’s and doctoral students must include two documents in their applications:

Both documents must be submitted in a single PDF file with the first two pages containing the completed research sheet and the following pages containing the short article with the research proposal.

In the short article, the student must describe the content of the research proposal. The student must be the first author, while their supervisors should follow as co-authors. The short article should be between 5 and 6 pages long, excluding references, and must follow the CEUR-ART template, single column. Templates for Microsoft Office Word, Open Office, and LaTeX can be downloaded from: https://www.inf.ufrgs.br/ontobras/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/CEUR-Template-1col_ONTOBRAS_2026.zip.

Submissions should be written in ENGLISH (preferably) or in PORTUGUESE. We strongly encourage students to submit their research proposals in ENGLISH, as this allows for the exchange of academic knowledge with a wider audience and allows for feedback from members of the international community. Submissions in PORTUGUESE must have an abstract and keywords in ENGLISH.

Submissions for WTDO must be made through the EasyChair platform at https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=fois2026 (select the track “track chair WTDO”).

Submissions of works already published or under review at other events, including ONTOBRAS, will not be accepted. Submissions related to dissertations or theses with defenses scheduled before the event date will also not be considered.

Evaluation of Works Submitted to WTDO

The evaluation of submissions to WTDO 2026 will have a different dynamic compared to previous editions. This year, works submitted to WTDO will undergo two distinct evaluations, with specific purposes and criteria.

Evaluation of Master’s/Doctoral Research (for presentation at WTDO):

This is the main evaluation and considers both the research form and the short article. The goal is to analyze whether the research work (dissertation or thesis in progress) is aligned with the scope of ONTOBRAS – that is, whether the research falls under the scope of ontologies or related areas.

The general tendency of the organizing committee is to approve for presentation all works that fit within the scope, valuing the formative and exchange character of WTDO, which is configured as an open space for discussion between students and specialists in the field.

Works approved in this evaluation will be included in the WTDO program for in-person presentation by the student and discussion with a senior member of the community. Details regarding the structure and dynamics of the presentations will be released in due course.

Short Paper Evaluation (for publication in the ONTOBRAS main track):

This evaluation considers only the short paper. The key question here is: Can the submitted text, as it stands, be considered a short paper for publication in the proceedings of the ONTOBRAS main track? The following criteria is taken into account to approve the article:

    • Originality and relevance of the scientific contribution;
    • Clarity and quality of writing;
    • Article structure;
    • Maturity and methodological adequacy of the research.

The papers approved in this evaluation will be included as short papers in the ONTOBRAS 2026 main track and will be published in the event proceedings at CEUR-WS as part of the IAOA series. The proceedings of the recent editions of ONTOBRAS are available through the links below:

Awards

Based on the evaluations of the research form, the short paper, and the oral presentation, 2 papers (1 at the master’s level and 1 at the doctoral level) will be selected for the WTDO 2026 award. The selected papers will be announced at the event’s closing ceremony, and the authors will receive a certificate.