Technical Papers
Papers whose primary contribution is a new technical idea, system, analysis, methodology, empirical finding, or other concrete research result with potential to influence future networking research.
Networks/CORE Unranked
HotNets 2026
ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks
HotNets 2026 is the 25th ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks, bringing together researchers to debate innovative, early-stage ideas that challenge assumptions and shape the future of computer networking and networked systems. The workshop emphasizes bold, intellectually substantive contributions over incremental work and now explicitly welcomes perspective papers that critique or reframe research practices and community evolution.
Key deadlines
Verified September 9, 2026Full paper
July 17, 2026
AoE
Workshop timeline
Submission and decisions
Full paperKey deadline
July 17, 2026 · AoE
Paper fit
Contribution paths
A strong submission should clearly identify its contribution and evaluate it appropriately.
Perspective Papers
Papers whose primary contribution is a new way of understanding, critiquing, synthesizing, or prioritizing technical or community-facing questions, such as research practices, community evolution, or ethical and methodological challenges.
Research areas in scope
01
Technical Research Areas
mobile networkswide-area networksdata-center networkshome and enterprise networkspacket-processing and transmission hardware and softwarevirtualizationmobilityprovisioning and resource managementperformanceenergy consumptionsustainabilitytopologyrobustnessmeasurementdiagnosisverificationprivacysecurityeconomics and evolutiontheoryusabilitymachine learninginteractions with applicationswired, wireless, optical, visual, and acoustic link technologiessocial networksnetwork architecture
02
Perspective Paper Topics
research methodologiespublication and reviewing practiceseducation in networkingevolution of the networking communityrole of generative AI in networking research and educationincentives and publication structuresemerging research agendascritiques of existing workreframing or debunking established approachesproposing new evaluation methods
Policies worth checking twice
- Submissions must be blind: no author names or affiliations allowed.
- Papers must not exceed 6 pages (excluding references) in two-column ACM proceedings format with 10-point font.
- Appendices are not allowed.
- All references must list all authors (no 'et al.') and use numeric citation style.
- Papers must be written in English, render correctly in PDF, and print on US Letter paper.
- Concurrent submissions to any other peer-reviewed venue with overlapping review periods are prohibited.
- Perspective papers are not considered the 'same work' as conference-length technical papers on specific systems.
- One author of each accepted paper must attend in person.
Official sources
Compiled from the official call for papers. The organizers’ pages remain authoritative.
Last verified September 9, 2026