Call for Papers: ASE Special Issue on Low-Code Development - Architecture, Design, and Modeling
Thiago Rocha Silva
Submission deadline: 01 September 2026
Low-Code and No-Code (LC/NC) technologies are reshaping how software systems are conceived, designed, and evolved. LC/NC platforms can accelerate development and broaden participation, however, they also introduce new questions and challenges. One particular question of interest to this Special Issue is how low-code approaches are reshaping the activities of architecting, designing, and modeling of software systems. Also, how should supporting processes and tools for planning/progress tracking and quality assurance be redesigned in light of the LC/NC paradigm?
This Special Issue builds upon the themes of the 2nd International Workshop on Low-Code Development and Software Architecture (LArc 2026), co-located with ICSE 2026 in Rio de Janeiro. It aims to consolidate high-quality, extended, and original contributions addressing the following topics of interest (but not limited to):
- Software architecture and design in LC/NC systems
- Modeling, analysis, and verification in LC/NC development
- Architectural decision-making and governance in LC/NC platforms
- Automation/tooling (including AI and CI/CD) support for architectural design and development of LC/NC systems
- Vendor-lock-in and interoperability of LC/NC approaches
- Quality attributes (such as performance, security, scalability, reliability, and maintainability) in LC/NC systems
- Technical and architectural debt in LC/NC systems
- Empirical studies of LC/NC adoption and evolution, including the integration in software landscapes with legacy/high-code systems
- Industrial experiences and case studies
Submissions must clearly articulate their contribution to automated software engineering research and practice.
Types of Contributions
For this Special Issue, we welcome two types of contributions:
- Full Research Papers – Mature empirical, theoretical, or technical contributions
- Systematic Literature Reviews – Evidence synthesis and gap analysis
All submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere.
Submission and Review Process
- Manuscripts must be submitted in LaTeX following the Springer Nature LaTeX template. The submission must be generated via LaTeX using the header \documentclass{sn-jnl}.
- Submissions will undergo rigorous peer review coordinated by the Guest Editors.
- Each paper will be reviewed by at least three expert reviewers.
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A second revision round is expected for most submissions to ensure journal-level quality.
Detailed Timeline and Editorial Milestones
Phase 1 – First Review Cycle
- 1 September 2026 – Paper submission deadline
- September – October 2026 – Reviewer assignment and review period
- 1 November 2026 – First decision notification
Phase 2 – Revision Cycle
- 1 January 2027 – Revised manuscripts due
- January – February 2027 – Second review round
- 1 March 2027 – Final decision notification
Phase 3 – Production
- 1 April 2027 – Camera-ready submission
- 15 April 2027 – Online-first publication
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Summer 2027 – Special Issue published
Relationship to LArc 2026
Authors of papers presented at LArc 2026 are invited to submit substantially extended versions (e.g., in the form of new algorithms, experiments or qualitative/quantitative comparisons). Neither verbatim transfer of large parts of the workshop paper nor reproduction of already published figures are allowed. Prior workshop submission is, however, not required. New submissions aligned with the scope are equally welcome.
Contact Information
For inquiries regarding suitability or scope, please contact the Guest Editors:
- Thiago Rocha Silva (thi...@mmmi.sdu.dk)
- Torben Worm (t...@mmmi.sdu.dk)
- Tiziana Margaria (tiziana....@ul.ie)
- Michel Chaudron (m.r.v.c...@tue.nl)