Regions: When Authorship Goes Wrong: Why SIGCHI Conferences Freeze Author Lists and What That Means

Every year at conferences, the same painful situation occurs. A student or collaborator made a significant contribution to a paper, but their name was inadvertently omitted from the submission. When the mistake is discovered, the conference says that no changes are allowed. The result feels deeply unfair, especially in a community that publicly emphasizes inclusion, mentorship, and proper credit. How can a system that claims to value ethical research allow someone who did the work to be excluded from authorship?