2026 8th International Conference on Human-Centered Computing and Data Intelligence (HCC 2026)
Academic questions require linking entities such as scholars, papers, projects, and awards, and integrating scattered evidence to answer. This competition uses the SCHOLAT-MHopQA dataset, built on the SCHOLAT academic knowledge graph. It contains 408 scholar records and 1,632 question-answer pairs, covering fine-grained reasoning, core-contribution reasoning, concept-location reasoning, and cross-document synthesis reasoning, with scholar-related context, reference answers, and sentence-level supporting facts.
Participants are encouraged to combine large language models (LLMs) and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to design accurate, explainable academic multi-hop QA methods that retrieve and integrate evidence, and output answers with supporting facts.
Dataset download: Log in to SCHOLAT and complete real-name verification, then download the dataset: https://www.scholat.com/research/opendata/#mhopqa
The competition is open to university faculty, students, and the public. Individual and team participation are accepted, with teams limited to 3 members or fewer. Entries should be a research report describing method design, data processing, experimental results, and limitations.
Registration: https://v.wjx.cn/vm/Pp9hZbV.aspx
Research reports are reviewed under the same rules as previous editions, with a total score of 100 points:
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Soundness of argumentation | 25% |
| Clear and detailed analysis | 20% |
| Effective visualization for argumentation | 20% |
| Complete data processing records | 10% |
| Discussion of method strengths and weaknesses | 10% |
| Clear and verifiable conclusions | 5% |
| Clear identification of external references | 5% |
| Clear visualization quality | 5% |
An additional Publishability score (maximum 11 points) is set, not counted toward the total competition score. It is used only to identify entries for the conference submission recommendation pool and as "Potential Works." Entries scoring 8 or above enter the recommendation pool:
| Item | Points |
|---|---|
| Problem definition and contribution statement | 3 |
| Method reproducibility | 3 |
| Sufficiency of experimental comparison | 3 |
| Completeness of paper form (abstract, introduction, method, experiments, conclusion, citation standards) | 2 |
Before the deadline, the team leader must package the research report (Word or PDF) and the participant information form, name the file "Team Leader Name + Institution Name.zip", and send it to ichccn@163.com with the subject "HCC 2026 Data Competition". The report language and information form template are subject to the organizing committee's notice.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| November 10 | Registration deadline (problem category and submission intention collected) |
| December 11 | Submission deadline |
| December 13 | Preliminary review results and conference submission recommendation pool announced |
| December 14–17 | Paper conversion and submission to the conference system: English draft revision |
| December 18–20 | HCC 2026 Conference (Guangzhou): competition poster/oral presentation |
| December 19 | Final defense and award ceremony; certificates issued on site |
| During/after the conference (first round) | Conference submission completed (revision feedback within one week) |
| After revision approval | Acceptance notification |
| After the conference | Paper proofreading and Springer copyright signing |
| Publication stage | Papers included in Springer CCIS, submitted for EI Compendex and Scopus indexing |
Competition topics correspond to conference tracks, and entries may be submitted to the conference after paper-conversion guidance. Accepted papers will be published by Springer and submitted for EI Compendex and Scopus indexing.
| Competition problem category | Corresponding conference track |
|---|---|
| Fine-grained reasoning | Track 1 Human-Centered Data Intelligence; Track 5 Explainable Data Intelligence and Human-Centered Trustworthy AI |
| Core-contribution reasoning | Track 1 Human-Centered Data Intelligence; Track 3 Human-Machine Collaboration and Social Intelligence |
| Concept-location reasoning | Track 5 Explainable Data Intelligence and Human-Centered Trustworthy AI; Track 6 Multimodal Human-Computer Interaction Data Intelligence |
| Cross-document synthesis reasoning | Track 2 Large-Scale Data Analysis and Human-Centered Design; Track 4 User Behavior Big Data Modeling |
Competition outcomes connect directly to the conference submission and publication channels. Teams are encouraged to rewrite entries into conference papers, submit them to the HCC 2026 paper system, and present them on site. The conversion pathway for recommendation-pool entries (Publishability ≥ 8) is: paper conversion and submission on December 14–17 → revision feedback within one week → acceptance after revision → proofreading and Springer copyright signing after the conference → publication in Springer CCIS, submitted for EI Compendex and Scopus indexing.
Two official publication channels are available; award winners may choose one:
Conference Channel (HCC 2026, published by Springer CCIS, indexed by EI Compendex and Scopus)
Journal Channel (Journal of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, DSAI)
Award determination: First, Second, and Third Prizes are determined by final ranking (top 3, 4th–10th, 11th–20th). Entries with a Publishability score of 8 or above are recognized as "Potential Works," enter the conference submission recommendation pool, and receive targeted conversion guidance.