How to write a call for abstracts that gets quality submissions

The call for abstracts sets the ceiling on your scientific program: you cannot build a strong congress from weak submissions. A vague call — “submit your research” — produces vague, off-topic work and a miserable review process. A precise one attracts quality submissions and makes your committee’s job far easier. Here is how to write it.

1. State the topics and tracks clearly

Tell authors exactly what you are looking for. List the themes or tracks the congress covers, so submissions arrive already sorted into the categories your reviewers will use. Specific topics also signal the scientific focus and discourage off-target submissions.

2. Spell out the submission guidelines

Leave nothing to interpretation:

• Format — structured (background, methods, results, conclusion) or free-form.
• Word limit — a firm number, enforced by the submission form.
• Language — and whether figures or tables are allowed.
• Author details — how many co-authors and affiliations, presenting author.

3. Set a realistic deadline — and work back from it

A submission window of six to eight weeks fits busy researchers without losing momentum. Set the deadline three to four months before the congress, so the committee has real time to review and assemble the program. Everything downstream — acceptances, the schedule, the app — depends on this date, as we cover in organizing a medical congress.

4. Tell authors how they will be judged

State the review process and criteria up front — for example, blind peer review scored on originality, methodology, and relevance. When authors know the criteria, they write to them, and your abstract review gets easier and more consistent.

5. Explain the presentation formats and what acceptance means

Be clear about outcomes: will accepted work be an oral presentation, a poster, or either? What does an author receive — a speaking slot, an e-poster slot, publication in the abstract book? Authors invest more when they know what they are competing for.

6. Promote it and make submitting effortless

A great call no one sees gets no submissions. Promote it to past authors, society members, and relevant networks — and keep the submission form simple, since a painful form loses exactly the busy experts you want. Send a reminder a few days before the deadline; most submissions arrive at the last minute.

The call-for-abstracts checklist

Before you publish, confirm your call states all of:

1. topics / tracks;
2. format and word limit;
3. submission deadline (and time zone);
4. review process and criteria;
5. presentation formats (oral / poster);
6. what authors receive on acceptance;
7. a link to a simple submission portal.

Where to go next

Once the call closes, submissions flow into review and then the program. See how that pipeline runs in abstract management, and how it all fits together in congress management software. For what one platform covers, the pricing page has the details.