Submissions are open until 14 April.
Once you have read all submission guidance: submit your abstract online.
All abstracts must present original research and at least preliminary results; abstracts reporting data pending will not be accepted. Submission implies that the material has not previously been presented or published elsewhere before presentation at the 51st Union World Conference on Lung Health. Abstracts are placed under embargo until they are presented at the conference.
Find out about The Union’s Abstract Mentor Programme.
Find session submission guidelines here.
LIST OF TRACKS
Your abstract must be submitted under one of the official tracks for the conference, found here: List of tracks.
SELECTION REVIEW SYSTEM
The Coordinating Committee of Scientific Activities of the Union World Conference base their programme selection decisions upon the following review criteria: Review system.
Please read the abstract guidelines below carefully before submitting.
A sample abstract is available here for consultation.
| ABSTRACT | GUIDELINES |
|---|---|
| Abstract session dates | 22-24 October |
| Abstracts accepted for these session types | – Oral abstract session – Short oral abstract session – E-poster session – Poster discussion session |
| Abstract session location | Main conference venue. Oral and short oral abstract presentations will take place in meeting rooms. E-poster and posters discussion presentations will take place in dedicated areas, indicated by sign posting in the conference venue. These will be confirmed beforehand in the notification of acceptance of your abstract submission. |
| Track | Please select the most appropriate track. Note this is to assist with programme planning, track choice has no impact on the selection process. The list of scientific tracks is available here. |
| European track | Developed in partnership with The Union’s Europe Region, these sessions will focus on the TB and lung health experiences and challenges that are particularly pressing in Europe and typically explored at European Regional Conference. When submitting, please indicate if you are interested in presenting your proposal as part of the Europe Track. |
| Abstract title | The title of the abstract should be entered in upper and lower case, not all capital letters. Titles of more than 25 words will be truncated. |
| Abstract summary | Please provide a 50-word summary of your abstract for publication on the online programme, prior to the lifting of the conference embargo. This should not include any results, but should provide information of relevance to assist delegates in selecting sessions of interest. |
| Abstract body | – The abstract text should not exceed 300 words. Abstracts of more than 300 words will be truncated. Please note that affiliations don’t count as part of the 300 words. – Abstracts can be submitted in English only. No simultaneous interpretation will be provided at the conference. – Use the palette of characters provided to insert symbols, accents and special formatting (e.g., italics, bold, β, μ, etc.). – Authors are responsible for proofreading and submitting an abstract without errors. – Abbreviations and acronyms must be written out in full at the first mention in the text. A sample abstract is available here for your reference. |
| Abstract format | All submitters can choose one of two abstract categories:
Category 1: Scientific Research This category is for reporting scientific and public health evaluation, as well as operational research. Abstracts in Category 1 should be organised as follows: Category 2: Public Health Practice This category is for reporting experiences in overcoming policy or programme barriers, and demonstrating best practices in implementing effective prevention and control programming. This includes identification of service delivery issues and the presentation of evidence-based practices that programmes have adopted. Abstracts in Category 2 should be organised as follows: |
| Tables | – Authors may only submit one table or one figure per abstract. – Tables should be smaller than 10 rows x 10 columns. |
| Figures | – The maximum file size of each figure/image is 5 MB. The maximum pixel size of the figure/image is 600(w) x 800(h) pixels. – You may upload graphs in JPG, GIF or PNG format. – The graphic content must be clearly legible when previewing the abstract. – Recommended resolution: min. 150 dpi, 300 dpi for images, 600 dpi for line art (charts). Low-resolution images will not be included in the Abstract Book. – Please do not upload the text of your abstract as an attachment. Uploaded abstracts will not be considered. – Please note that tables and figures are reproduced in a single column with the abstract and that legibility is the responsibility of the author. We recommend that you use a sans serif (Arial or Calibri) font for clarity. |
| Authors | – A maximum of 10 authors will be allowed. – If all authors belong to a single institution, you do not need to create new affiliations for each author. Click on “Institutes” to prefill the form. – The corresponding author is responsible for the abstract content. They are the contact person for submission and communication purposes and are also responsible for disseminating information related to the abstract to the co-authors. – A listed co-author (other than the corresponding author) may register and present the study at the conference. – Once the abstract is submitted and reviewed, the list of co-authors can no longer be amended. Please make sure there is no oversight in the final list of co-authors before proceeding with the submission. |
| Biographies | A biography of no more than 100 words must be submitted by the proposed presenter. |
| Submission | – Online submission will be open until 14 April. No further changes are accepted after that deadline. – The corresponding author will receive an email confirming that the submitted abstract has been received. – After submission, the authors will be able to export a copy of the submitted abstract. – An abstract should be submitted only once: re-submission is not permitted. Please refrain from submitting multiple abstracts on the same topic by varying the authors or under different titles with only minor word changes. Please also refrain from submitting multiple abstracts on the same study with the same first author. In such cases, all of the submissions on that topic will be automatically rejected. – Abstracts submitted by email will not be considered. – This is a new submission platform and so all authors will need to create an account to be able to submit an abstract. – Please do not submit an abstract if none of the authors intends to attend the conference to present it, in the event that it is accepted. |
| Reviewing | All submitted abstracts will be sent for peer review by a panel of international experts in the fields of TB, adult & child lung health, HIV and tobacco control. Each abstract will be reviewed and scored by at least three reviewers. The scores will then be submitted to the members of the Coordinating Committee of Scientific Activities who will determine which abstracts are accepted and whether they are best suited for oral abstract presentation sessions, poster discussion sessions or e-poster sessions. The review criteria are accessible here. |
| Use of non-stigmatising language | The Union is committed to promoting person-centred language in all conference abstracts and presentations. When drafting your abstract, The Union requests that you follow the guidelines laid out in the Stop TB Partnership’s publication, Suggested Language and Usage for Tuberculosis Care, Communications and Publications. Please note, abstracts using stigmatising language will be penalised in the review process. |
| Contact with submitters | Please make sure that you enter an active email address of the corresponding authors, as all communication will be sent to these email addresses. |
| Notifications | – Corresponding authors will be notified of acceptance of their abstracts by 5 June. – If your abstract has been allocated to a specific session, please note that it will not be possible to change the date, time or type of session. Any allocation is final. A co-author or colleague of yours can present on your behalf if you are not available on the assigned date and time. – Abstracts that are not accepted cannot be reconsidered for review or presentation at the conference. |
| Publication | All accepted and presented abstracts will be included in the Abstract Book, which is a supplement to the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD). The Abstract Book will be made available online for download from the website at the conclusion of the conference. Accepted abstracts which will end up not being presented will not be included in the Abstract Book. |
| Attendance | All delegates registered to the Union World Conference can attend any abstract session of the core programme. |
Once you have read all submission guidance: submit your session online.
The goal of The Union’s Abstract Mentor Programme is to provide an opportunity for individuals with limited experience writing and submitting abstracts to work with a volunteer mentor, someone with notable experience. Mentors review and provide feedback on the writing and content of an abstract.
If you have any questions, please contact mentoring@theunion.org.
