Frequently asked questions about abstracts

Please note: This page is continuously updated and therefore the information below is subject to change and new content may be added.

General

  • What is an abstract?

    An abstract is a summary of a paper (research publication). The study and results reported should be novel and not simply an extension of previously published work.

    Writing an abstract and submission for the ERS Congress is a great opportunity, as:

    • It provides the first chance for you to announce and cite the preliminary findings of your study;
    • It allows you to communicate your findings to your peers and get their feedback;
    • It is the starting point for achieving the ultimate aim of a research project, the writing and publishing of a full paper in peer-reviewed literature.

    The submission period for abstracts is from 1 December 2022 until 15 February 2023. Submission is free.

  • How do I submit an abstract?

    Online: connect to myERS https://my.ersnet.org/ then choose the menu ‘Abstract/Cases’ and select Congress submission, then access abstracts platform.

  • What is a late-breaking abstract (LBA)?

    Abstracts that are considered as late breaking must contain novel data and this data must became available for public dissemination only after the standard abstract deadline in February 2023.

    The study and results reported should be novel and not simply an extension of previously published work. The late-breaking abstract round is not designed to favour investigators who unintentionally missed the deadline for the regular abstract submission.

    The submission period for late-breaking abstract is from 1 May to 31 May 2023.

    Note that the submission is not free, €75 submission fee applies for each LBA submission (non-refundable). For people based in Switzerland additionally 8% VAT will apply.

  • How do I submit a late breaking abstract?

    You must submit your late breaking abstract online by logging in to myERS and choosing the ‘Abstract’ menu, and then select ‘Congress submission’. The submission period for late-breaking abstract is from 1 May to 31 May 2023.

    Note that the submission is not free, €75 submission fee applies for each late-breaking abstract submission (non-refundable). For people based in Switzerland additionally 8% VAT will apply.

  • What is a Randomised controlled trial (RCT) abstracts?

    The most ground-breaking RCT and very late-breaking clinical trial data from all respiratory disease areas. Best RCTs will be presented as part of the ‘Abstracts Leading to Evolution in Respiratory Medicine Trials’ sessions (ALERT).

    The submission period for RCT is from 20 – 30 June 2023.

    Note that the submission is not free, €150 submission fee applies for each RCT abstract submission (non-refundable). For people based in Switzerland additionally 8% VAT will apply.

  • How do I submit a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) abstract?

    You must submit your RCT abstract online by logging in to myERS and choosing the ‘Abstract’ menu, and then select ‘Congress submission’. The submission period for RCT is from 20 – 30 June 2023.

    Note that the submission is not free, €150.00 submission fee applies for each RCT abstract submission (non-refundable). For people based in Switzerland additionally 8% VAT will apply.

  • My project is still ongoing and there are no results yet, should I still submit an abstract?

    Abstracts are intended to present scientific studies and research. If your study is currently ongoing and you only have preliminary data, but it seems relevant or significant, you can submit the abstract. However please be aware that abstracts with incomplete data may have less chance of being accepted for the ERS International Congress.

    After your abstract is accepted you cannot update the content of your abstract for the official publication as the accepted version will be published, however you are permitted to present updated information onsite at the Congress.

  • How many abstracts can I submit?

    A maximum of three abstracts (including LBA and RCT abstracts) may be submitted by the same person.

  • Can I submit a case report study?

    We do not encourage to submit the case study abstracts, however we accept them if they are well prepared. We do not provide specific templates for this kind of abstracts. You may however consider submission of Clinical Case by the extended 22nd February deadline.

  • Do I need to disclose information of conflict of interest in my abstract?

    Yes, when you are submitting your abstract(s) you will have the opportunity to disclose your conflict of interest. Conflict of interest statement is only required for the first author.

  • What is the required structure for an abstract?

    Title: The title should be an accurate description of the abstract’s contents. It should explain as much as possible about the context and the aims of the study. The title should be about 10–12 words long, and should include the scope of the investigation, the study design and the goal. The title should be a description of what was investigated rather than a statement of the results or conclusions. The abstract title should be easy for the reader to understand and should not include jargon or unfamiliar acronyms or abbreviations. The title should not be in capital letters.

    Authors: The list of authors should be restricted to those individuals who carried out the study, conceived it, designed it, gathered the data, analysed the numbers and wrote the abstract. The author who will present the abstract should be listed first. Every listed author should read and approve the abstract before it is submitted.

    Main text: A good abstract should address the five following questions in the relevant sections:

    1. “Why did you start?” – Introduction or background / You should summarise, preferably in one sentence, the current knowledge specifically in relation to the work you are presenting.

    2. “What did you try to do?” – Aims and objectives / State the aim of your study, and ideally include a short statement of the study’s hypothesis. A legitimate scientific study is not done “to prove that something is true” but rather “to find out whether it is true.” The distinction may seem small but it makes a significant difference. A formal hypothesis shows that you are objective.

    3. “What did you do?” – Methods / In an abstract, the description of the methods has to be concise, and much of the details of what was done must be omitted. However, in a few short sentences, you can give the reader a good idea of the design of the study, the context in which it was done, and the types of patients or measurements that were included.

    4. “What did you find?” – Results / It is important to give the main results of the study, not in subjective terms (“We found device X to be superior to device Y”) but also in the form of some real data. You will need to choose which findings to report here: it should be the most important data in your study, and the findings on which your conclusions will be based. Do not include a table or figure unless you need it to show your results.

    5. “What does it mean?” – Conclusions / Here, space constraints generally limit you to a single sentence of why you think your findings are important, and their potential implications. Keep your conclusions reasonable and supportable by the findings of your study. Remember that if your study was restricted to certain patients, or a particular therapy, or a specific device, its results may not extend beyond these restrictions.

  • If accepted, where will my abstract be published?

    All accepted abstracts will be published in a supplement of the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ) by end of November 2023.

  • What’s the abstract submission deadline for the 2024 ERS Congress?

    Note that the abstract submission deadline hasn’t been announced yet. However, it is very likely to follow this years’ timeline:

    • Submission start: December
    • Submission deadline: mid February
  • Where can I find the guidelines on how to prepare an abstract?

    You can access the:

Abstract submission

  • Can I submit an abstract that has been already presented in different event or published?

    The publication of the data should not have occurred prior to the submission of the abstract for presentation at the ERS international Congress.

    While we understand that publication of the data in journals cannot be delayed, the presentation of the original data should be presented for the first time to the audience at the ERS international congress.

  • Who has the copyright for my abstract after submission?

    Copyright for abstracts is retained by authors (see on submission Terms & Agreement “11. Copyright, if this abstract is accepted, will be held by the author or employer (as part of the conditions of the author(s)’s employment).”)

    The abstracts are not published under a creative commons framework (Creative Commons licencing is most generally used to ‘describe’ how you can ‘use/re-use’ an open access document). The abstracts are not published open access. They are free to access (on both the ERS platforms and when they are published as a supplement of the ERJ), which is different to open access, and are copyright to the author.

  • How long should an abstract be?

    The maximum length of an abstract is 1,810 characters including characters and spaces in the following: Abstract Title, Abstract Body, Table, and Figures. N.B. if you insert a table, one character will be deducted per cell. If you insert an image/picture/figure, it will deduct 277 characters.

  • How many co-authors can I include on the authors list?

    There is no limit regarding number of authors. However, the list of authors should be restricted to those individuals who carried out the study, conceived it, designed it, gathered the data, analysed the numbers and wrote the abstract. The author who will present the abstract should be listed first. Every listed author should read and approve the abstract before it is submitted.

    All authors must have a myERS account. If the co-author does not have an account, they can create a myERS account for free.

  • If author has more than one affiliation, how this information can be added on the submission platform?

    There is no additional text box available on the submission platform. If author has more than one affiliation, all additional affiliation(s) must be included in the same text box.

Notification and publication

  • How can I find out whether my abstract has been accepted or not?

    The status of your abstract(s) will be available on the submitter myERS account according to the submission round (1st round, LBA, RCT):

    Abstracts Submission RoundCall open / close datesNotification timeline
    First call

    Free submission

    1 December 2022 – extended deadline 22 February 2023 at 23:59 CETmid-June 2023.
    Late-breaking abstracts (LBA)

    €75 submission fee

    2 May – 31 May 2023 at 23:59 CESTLate July 2023.
    Randomised controlled trial abstracts (RCT)

    €150 submission fee

    20–30 June 2023 at 23:59 CESTAugust 2023.

    When the notification on acceptance will be sent, the successful authors will receive:

    • Session details: type, day, time
    • Official acceptance letter
    • Instructions and guidelines how to prepare to the session
    • Templates (ePoster and PPT)
    • Access to the platform to upload files for the ERS virtual congress
  • Is it possible to get the information whether abstract is accepted earlier than in scheduled notification timeline?

    No, this information will only be available after you will receive the abstract’s notification email according to the submission round (1st round, LBA, RCT).

    Abstracts Submission RoundCall open / close datesNotification timeline
    First call

    Free submission

    1 December 2022 – extended deadline 22 February 2023 at 23:59 CETmid-June 2023.
    Late-breaking abstracts (LBA)

    €75 submission fee

    2 May – 31 May 2023 at 23:59 CESTLate July 2023.
    Randomised controlled trial abstracts (RCT)

    €150 submission fee

    20–30 June 2023 at 23:59 CESTAugust 2023.

    When the notification on acceptance will be sent, the successful authors will receive:

    • Session details: type, day, time
    • Official acceptance letter
    • Instructions and guidelines how to prepare to the session
    • Templates (ePoster and PPT)
    • Access to the platform to upload files for the ERS virtual congress
  • Who selects the abstracts and decides how they will be presented?

    All abstracts are graded anonymously by a panel of at least three reviewers on a scale from one (lowest) to six (highest), with an average score of three minimum for acceptance, on the basis of the following criteria:

    • The scientific strength
    • The methodology
    • The data provided
    • The novelty and / or originality of its findings

    Based on these elements, the decision is taken to accept or reject abstracts for the congress. When allocation of abstracts into sessions begins, ERS officers also consider the limitations of slots available in the congress programme.

Changes and withdrawals

  • Abstract changes. Once submitted, can I still modify my abstract?

    You cannot modify your abstract’s body nor title after it is submitted with no exceptions.

    Until the 1st round abstracts submission deadline, you can delate the abstracts and still submit the new correct version. No need to inform the ERS office.

    After you receive the notification that your abstract is accepted to the ERS Congress, you will be able to modify only the list of authors via myERS.

  • How can I withdraw my abstract?

    It will only be possible after you received notification that your abstract is accepted in June 2023, you need to contact the ERS abstracts office with the completed abstract’s withdrawal form that will be available here from June 2023.

  • I submitted an abstract under the wrong category. Is it still possible to change it?

    You cannot change the submission category. However, note that if the content would better fit another category, the organisers of the abstract’s sessions might move your abstract into a different category.

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