Call for Abstract
Call for Abstract – ICC 2026
We invite researchers, practitioners, and innovators from all disciplines relevant to the coffee value chain to submit abstracts for presentation at the International Coffee Convention 2026, “Coffee at the Crossroads: Climate, Consumers and Circularity,” to be held 16–17 October 2026 in Trieste, Italy. The deadline for abstract submission is 30 June 2026.
All accepted abstracts will be included in the official conference booklet distributed to participants at the venue. Additionally, all submissions published on ScienceOpen — abstracts, posters, and proceedings papers — will each receive an individual DOI via Crossref, full indexing in Google Scholar, and are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) with permanent archiving via CLOCKSS. Published contributions are further delivered to major bibliographic databases through ScienceOpen’s content delivery services.
Submission Guidelines
We encourage submissions that demonstrate one or more of the following qualities:
Submission types
- Oral presentation abstract — for consideration as a plenary or session presentation (15–20 minutes plus discussion).
- Poster abstract — for presentation during the dedicated poster and networking session.
Authors may indicate their preferred presentation format. The Scientific Committee reserves the right to reassign submissions between oral and poster categories based on programme requirements and reviewer recommendations.
Abstract formatting requirements
Abstracts must be written in English and should adhere to the following guidelines:
| Element | Requirement |
Title | Concise and informative; maximum 20 words |
Abstract body | Abstract body 200–300 words (excluding title, keywords, and references) |
Structure | Structured abstracts are strongly encouraged, using the following elements (without headings, woven into a single paragraph): (1) Background — place the question in context and state the purpose; (2) Methods — briefly describe the main methods or treatments; (3) Results — summarize the principal findings, preferably including key data; (4) Conclusions — state the main conclusions or interpretations. Unstructured abstracts are acceptable for review or perspective contributions. |
Keywords | 3–6 keywords, entered one per field. Use English terms. Keywords should complement, not duplicate, the title. |
References | Up to 5 references may be included. References should be numbered sequentially in square brackets (e.g., [1], [2], …[5]) and cited in order of appearance in the abstract text. For each reference, the corresponding DOI must be entered in the ScienceOpen submission system; the platform will verify DOIs via Crossref and deposit open citation data. |
Language | English is required. Authors submitting work originally conducted in another language are welcome to provide a translated title and abstract in addition to the English version. |
Author and affiliation requirements
- All submitting and co-authors must meet the following requirements:
- ORCID iD (required). All submitting authors must register on ScienceOpen with a valid ORCID iD before submitting. This ensures proper attribution and discoverability of your work. If you do not yet have an ORCID, register free at orcid.org.
- Co-author ORCID iDs. Please provide ORCID iDs for all co-authors where available.
• Affiliations. Provide the full institutional name, city, and country for each author. ROR identifiers (Research Organization Registry) for institutional affiliations are strongly encouraged; find your institution’s ROR at ror.org.
- Corresponding author. Clearly indicate the corresponding author and provide a valid contact email address.
- Funding and grants. If applicable, include grant numbers and funding agency information in the designated field.
How to submit
- Create or log in to your ScienceOpen account at scienceopen.com. Ensure your ORCID iD is linked to your profile.
- Navigate to the ICC 2026 collection page and click the “Submit conference proceedings” button in the collection banner.
- Complete the submission form. Enter your title, abstract text, author information (with ORCID iDs), affiliations (with ROR IDs), keywords, references, and select the appropriate track and presentation type.
- Select a Data Availability Statement from the standardized options provided, as appropriate for your contribution.
- Review and submit. Check all fields carefully before submitting. You will receive a confirmation email upon successful submission.
Simplified submission workflow — new for ICC 2026
In a significant change from previous editions, there is no separate manuscript preparation in Word and no page proofing required for abstracts. The abstract PDF is automatically generated by ScienceOpen from the information entered into the submission system (title, authors, affiliations, abstract text, keywords, references). Authors simply complete the online form — the platform takes care of formatting and layout. This considerably streamlines the submission process compared to ICC 2023 and 2024.
Acceptance notification and invitation letters
All authors will be notified of acceptance decisions by email by 15 July 2026. The Scientific Committee may suggest reassignment to a different track or presentation format where appropriate.
Upon acceptance, authors will receive a formal acceptance notification via the ScienceOpen submission system confirming the accepted contribution. Authors who require additional documentation for visa applications, travel funding, or institutional approval may request an official invitation letter and/or letter of acceptance from the conference organizers. Please contact the ICC 2026 organizing committee at info@coffee-convention.com with the following information:
- Full name and affiliation of the requesting author (as stated in the submission)
- Title of the accepted contribution
- Purpose of the letter (e.g., visa application, travel grant, institutional approval)
- Any specific requirements regarding format or content of the letter (e.g., embassy address, statement of costs covered).
Proceedings
After acceptance — posters and proceedings papers
Authors of accepted abstracts are invited — but not required — to submit either a poster or a proceedings paper for open-access publication in the ICC 2026 ScienceOpen conference collection:
- Poster: A poster summarizing the contribution, suitable for the conference poster session and for permanent open-access publication on ScienceOpen.
- Proceedings paper: A short paper (3–6 pages, including figures, tables, and references) providing a more detailed account of the work, including extended methods, results, and discussion. Please ensure that submitted proceedings papers are original and unpublished.
Both posters and proceedings papers will be peer-reviewed and, upon acceptance, published open access in the ScienceOpen collection. Each published poster and proceedings paper will receive its own Digital Object Identifier (DOI) via Crossref, ensuring full citability and discoverability — continuing the publication model established at ICC 2023 and ICC 2024.
Submission of a poster or proceedings paper is optional. Detailed formatting guidelines, templates, and submission instructions for both formats will be sent directly to authors of accepted abstracts together with the acceptance notification.
Please note the two submission deadlines:
- 31 August 2026 — Proceedings papers intended for inclusion in the printed conference booklet must be submitted by this date to allow for production and printing.
- 16 October 2026 (conference date) — Proceedings papers and poster PDFs for open-access publication on ScienceOpen may be submitted up to the start of the conference. Contributions received after this date cannot be guaranteed inclusion in the ScienceOpen collection.
Conference booklet
All accepted abstracts, together with any proceedings papers submitted by the print deadline (31 August 2026), will be compiled into an official conference booklet that will be distributed to all participants at the conference venue in Trieste. The booklet serves as the programme and abstract volume of ICC 2026.
Peer review policy, publication and indexing
All contributions to ICC 2026 undergo formal single-blind peer review by the Scientific Committee. Each submission is evaluated by at least two independent reviewers.
Abstracts are assessed against the following criteria:
- Relevance to the conference theme and the selected track
- Scientific rigor and methodological soundness
- Originality and novelty of the contribution
- Clarity of writing and presentation of results
- Practical significance and applicability to the coffee value chain
Accepted abstracts, proceedings papers, and posters are published open access in the ICC 2026 conference collection on ScienceOpen, each receiving an individual Digital Object Identifier (DOI) registered via Crossref. Published contributions are indexed in Google Scholar and further discovery services, and are delivered to major bibliographic databases through ScienceOpen’s content delivery infrastructure. This peer-reviewed, DOI-registered publication model ensures that ICC contributions are fully citable, discoverable, and eligible for recognition by academic institutions and funding agencies.
Proceedings papers and posters submitted after abstract acceptance will likewise undergo single-blind peer review to ensure quality and originality before publication. Submissions with a high degree of overlap with previously published work or lacking novelty will not be accepted for the conference proceedings. Please ensure that all submitted materials are original and unpublished.
This peer review policy applies uniformly to all abstracts, proceedings papers, and posters. By maintaining rigorous peer review across all contribution types, ICC ensures that its published proceedings meet the standards expected by academic institutions, funding agencies, and bibliographic indexing services.
Publication, indexing and open access
All accepted abstracts and proceedings papers submitted by the print deadline (31 August 2026) will be published in the official conference booklet distributed to participants at the venue in Trieste.
All submissions published on ScienceOpen — abstracts, proceedings papers, and poster PDFs (submitted up to the conference date) — will be made available open access in the ICC 2026 ScienceOpen conference collection under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Each published contribution will receive an individual DOI registered via Crossref. Published contributions further benefit from:
- Formal single-blind peer review by the ICC 2026 Scientific Committee
- Indexing in Google Scholar and other discovery services
- Content delivery to major bibliographic databases via ScienceOpen’s indexing infrastructure
- Full usage metrics, including views, citations, and Altmetric score
- Permanent archiving via CLOCKSS
This continues the open-access publication tradition established at ICC 2023 (MDPI Proceedings 89(1)) and ICC 2024 (MDPI Proceedings 109(1)), while expanding the indexing and discoverability of ICC contributions through the ScienceOpen platform.
Use of AI-generated content
Authors who have used artificial intelligence tools (e.g., large language models, AI writing assistants) in preparing their posters or proceedings must disclose this in the acknowledgements section of their submission. The nature and extent of AI use should be described transparently, in keeping with evolving best practices for research integrity.