Abstract submission guidelines

Session dates

19, 20, 21 and 22 October

Abstracts accepted for these session types

– Oral abstract session

– E-poster session
 

Researchers are invited to show their preferences during the submission process, but the CCSA reserves the right to change your preference if it is needed.

Abstract session format

The 52nd Union World conference will be virtual. Oral abstract and e-poster presentations will be pre-recorded prior to the conference and uploaded in a dedicated conference platform. Technical specifications will be provided to help speakers prepare.

• For oral abstract sessions, presenters will be required to attend the broadcast of their presentation during the virtual conference, and participate in the live discussion that will follow each abstract session.
• E-poster presenters are required to address written comments and questions raised in their e-poster gallery in the conference platform on the day of its presentation. This will not be a live interaction, and so you can choose to do this in your time zone on the day e-poster will be displayed.

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.

Abstract title

Please use capital/upper case only for the first word, acronyms and proper nouns. Titles of more than 25 words (110 characters and spaces) 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 do not count as part of the 300 words.
– Abstracts can be submitted in English only. Abstracts submitted in other languages will not be considered. No simultaneous interpretation will be provided at the conference.
– Use the formatting options 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, as they will be reproduced in the form they were submitted. No changes will be accepted after the submission.
– 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 out of two abstract categories:

Category 1: Scientific Research

This category is for reporting scientific and public health evaluations as well as operational research. Abstracts in Category 1 should be organised as follows:

– Background: State the study objectives, study question/hypothesis or describe the challenge addressed by the research.
– Design/Methods: Describe study design, setting, desired outcomes, procedures and techniques used to collect and analyse information. Include a description of appropriate statistical analyses.
– Results: Present specific findings to date.
– Conclusions: Describe the implications of the results presented and summarise key recommendations. Explain specific findings on how the research addressed the study question or challenge.

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:

– Background and challenges to implementation: Identify the context and the specific challenges to programme implementation.
– Intervention or response: How was the challenge overcome? Detail the methods, activities and implementation steps used to overcome the challenge. Describe the procedures and techniques used to collect and analyse information that informed your conclusions.
– Results/Impact: Describe the results and impact of the project. Explain the potential application or benefit to other programmes. Define what worked, what did not work and the evidence that led to this determination.
– Conclusions: Describe the public health practice implications of the results and summarise key recommendations. Highlight opportunities for future programme practice and implications for other programmes or setting

Tables

– If you wish to submit a table with your abstract, click on the “Insert Table” icon on the pink ribbon.
– Authors may submit only one table or one figure per abstract. If more than one table or figure are submitted, one of them will be deleted.
– Tables should be smaller than 10 rows x 10 columns.
– If you wish to submit a table with your abstract, click on the “Insert Table” icon on the pink ribbon.

Figures

– If you wish to submit a figure/image with your abstract, click on the “Insert Image” icon.
– 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, max. 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. S/he is the contact person for submission and communication purposes and is 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. The Secretariat must be informed.
– 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 the proposed presenter of no more than 100 words must be submitted.

Submission

–First-time users will need to create an account to be able to submit an abstract.
– Online submission will be open from 16 March until 12 May 2021. Abstracts are editable until 12 May 2021. No further changes are accepted after that deadline. The corresponding author will receive an email confirming that the submitted abstract has been received. Contact scientific@theunion.org if you do not receive the confirmation.
– After submission, the authors will be able to export a copy of the submitted abstract.
– An abstract should be submitted only once and to only one track: resubmission 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.
– Please do not submit an abstract if none of the authors intends to present it virtually, 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 (CCSA), who will determine which abstracts are accepted and whether they are best suited for oral abstract or e-poster presentations.

The review criteria are available 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 that, abstracts using stigmatising language will be penalised in the review process. More details are available in the review criteria.

Contact with submitters

Please make sure that you are entering the active email address of the corresponding author as all communication will be made with the email address you enter. To facilitate access to our submission, registration and conference virtual platforms, presenters must use one single email address for identification purposes.

Notifications

– Corresponding authors will be notified of acceptance or non-acceptance of their abstracts by the end of June.
– Any allocation is final. 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. A co-author or colleague can present on the initial presenter’s behalf if they 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 and registration

All delegates registered to the conference can attend any abstract session of the core programme.

All abstract presenters must register for the conference.

Consent

If selected, the abstract presenters agree:

• To the release and publication of their presentation slides and the audio and/or video recording of their presentation(s), during the live broadcast of the 52nd Union World Conference on Lung Health, and then access on demand to all registered participants in the conference library until 30 November 2021.
• To the subsequent use of their presentation slides, and the audio and/or video recording of their presentation(s), by The Union.
• That The Union will not be liable if any content is replicated and/or distributed/shared.
• That copyright of content is retained by the speaker(s)/contributor(s), and that copyright in the recordings will be retained by The Union.
• That they own the copyright for images contained within slides and other presentation materials. If excerpts from copyrighted works are included, they have obtained written permission from the copyright owners and acknowledge the sources in the presentation. They also warrant that the presentation contains no libellous or unlawful statements and does not infringe the rights of others and that they will indemnify the conference organiser against any loss, injury or expense arising out of any breach of this warranty.
• To the use of their personal data being processed for the purposes of this recording and subsequent publishing. Their personal data will be processed in accordance with the provisions of European data protection law.