sigir

SIGIR stands for the Special Interest Group on Information Retrieval, a part of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The group promotes research, development, and dissemination of information retrieval techniques, including indexing, ranking, evaluation, natural language processing, and user interfaces for search systems.

Its activities include organizing the annual SIGIR Conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval, widely regarded as one of the premier venues for original research in information retrieval. It also publishes SIGIR Forum, a publication featuring surveys, tutorials, and updates on research and events, and maintains online resources for the community. The group supports professional networking through working groups, newsletters, and online discussions.

Leadership is elected, and governance is provided by an executive committee with representatives from academia and industry. Membership is open to researchers and practitioners worldwide. SIGIR and the conference have had a significant impact on the field by shaping research directions and enabling collaboration across disciplines.

Awards include the Gerard Salton Award for lifelong contributions to information retrieval and the SIGIR Test of Time Award for influential papers from the past. SIGIR remains a central organization for information retrieval researchers and practitioners, linking academic research with real-world search technologies.