The Call for Papers for the 3rd MethodsNET Conference, taking place 28–30 October 2026 in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, is now open!

The conference focuses on research methods across the social sciences, with particular attention to how methods are developed, combined, and applied in practice. For public policy and public administration scholars, it offers space to engage with core questions of policy and administrative research, including how we analyse policy processes and governance, how we combine qualitative and quantitative evidence, and how methodological choices shape the knowledge we produce about public action.

A distinctive feature of the conference is its community-led structure, organised around six methodological tracks:
Case-Based and Comparative Methods
Qualitative and Interpretive Approaches
Mixed Methods
Statistical and Computational Approaches
Methods and the Global South
Research Methods Teaching Community of Practice

Submissions are fully open across topics and disciplines. Two types of submissions are welcome:
• method-focused papers
• empirical papers engaging substantively with a methodological approach (e.g. where you would like feedback on research design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation)
This makes the conference particularly suitable for work in progress.
The programme also includes a range of interactive formats, such as participatory sessions, methods labs, training and demonstration sessions, and community networking activities.
Submission deadline: 6 May 2026
Submissions can be made via the conference platform.
 
Beyond the annual conference, MethodsNET also offers opportunities for methodological training and exchange. The MethodsNET Summer School (with CEU), taking place in July 2026 in Vienna, brings together scholars for intensive courses across qualitative, comparative, computational, and mixed methods approaches.