Online submission via myERS enables you to create an account, create and save your abstract. If you already have a myERS account, you will be able to submit your abstract directly.
Once you have saved your abstract, you can later edit or update it until you feel it is ready for submission.
The first-round abstract submission period is now closed. Notification on whether an abstract is accepted or not, session formats and scheduling of presentations will be sent to the author's email address (the one used during abstract submission) by mid-June 2020.
Further abstract submission periods
Late-breaking abstract submission: call open between 1–31 May, 2020.
An opportunity to submit an abstract that contains novel data from all suitable experimental methods and study designs, which only became available after the first-round submission deadline in February 2020.
NEW: Randomised controlled trial (RCT) abstract submission: call open between 24 June–15 July, 2020.
The most ground-breaking RCT submissions will be presented as part of the ALERT sessions (Abstracts Leading to Evolution in Respiratory Medicine Trials), offering a perfect platform to showcase important clinical trial data from all respiratory disease areas.
Programme allocation
The International Congress Programme Committee will allocate successful abstracts to session formats, including:
- Oral presentation
- Poster discussion
- Thematic poster
- Clinical trials session
Accepted and presented during the ERS Congress abstracts will be published in a supplement of the online version of the European Respiratory Journal known as the Abstract Book. Publication in the Abstract Book or Congress Guide requires registration by at least one author.
Correspondence and further information regarding abstract travel grants and sponsorship will be sent to the corresponding author only. If you intend to apply for ERS sponsorship once abstracts have been accepted, please ensure that you are the corresponding author of the abstract.
Frequently asked questions on abstracts (FAQs):
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.
How do I submit an abstract?
What is a late-breaking abstract?
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 on 13 February 2020.
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.
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 2020.
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.
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 be submitted by an author?
A maximum of three abstracts (including Late-breaking abstracts) may be submitted by the same author.
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 13th February deadline.
Do I need to disclose information of conflict of interest in my abstract?
Yes; when you are submitting your abstract you will have the opportunity to disclose your conflict of interest. Conflict of interest statement is only required for the first author.
Where can I find the guidelines on how to prepare an abstract?
You can access the instructions from this page or from the submission platform.
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.
Please see the full guidelines for more information
Further help needed
If none of the answers above could help you, you can contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
We will do our best to answer your queries within a maximum of 5 working days. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Submission
Can I submit an abstract that has been already presented in different event?
We do not accept abstract which was already presented and published. However you can submit something similar to the ERS International Congress, we expect some addition/new data to an abstract presented at another 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.
I missed the deadline for the 1st round of abstract submission. Can I submit my abstract as a late-breaking abstract?
The late-breaking abstract round is not an extension for the regular abstract submission deadline.
Further help needed
If none of the answers above could help you, you can contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will do our best to answer your queries within a maximum of 5 working days. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Notification and publication
How can I find out whether my abstract is accepted or not?
Abstract notification will be sent to the author's email address (the one used during abstract submission) by mid-June 2020.
Who selects the abstracts and decides how they will be presented?
All abstracts have been graded anonymously by a panel of minimum three reviewers on the basis of the following 4 main criteria (on a scale from 1/lowest to 6/best, 3 average acceptance rate):
- The scientific strength
- The methodology
- The data provided
- The novelty and /or originality of its findings
Based on these elements, abstracts were accepted or not to be presented at the Congress. Then, when allocating abstracts into sessions, the ERS officers also had to take into account the limitation of slots in the Congress Programme.
My abstract is accepted to the Congress. How do I obtain an invitation for my visa application?
The information regarding type, date and time of the session that your abstract is accepted to, as well as the official invitation letter (visa letter) will be sent to your email address along with abstract acceptance notification.
I cannot come to the congress to present my abstract. Can one of the co-authors present it on my behalf?
After you receive notification that your abstract is accepted (mid-June) you will be able to change the abstract presenting author. In order to change the presenting author, you will have to login to the
abstract platform where you submitted your abstract and edit the authors list in order to change the presenting author.
When will the full abstract content be available, and where can I find it?
Full content of accepted abstracts will be visible in the online programme and congress app from 29th of August 2020 (the week prior the beginning of the Congress). This date excludes abstract under embargo which will be visible on the day of the presentation.
Where will my abstract be published?
Abstracts will be published in a supplement of the September 2020 edition of the European Respiratory Journal (ERJ).
Further help needed
If none of the answers above could help you, you can contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will do our best to answer your queries within a maximum of 5 working days. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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.
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.
To ensure that changes to the author's list are considered, make sure the changes are done in due time, at least one month prior the Congress starts to ensure the abstract are updated on all platforms.
You will have to
login to the abstract platform and edit the authors list or to change the presenting author.
How can I change my abstract’s presenting author?
After you received the notification that your abstract is accepted to the ERS Congress you are able to modify the list of authors yourself.
You will have to
login to the abstract platform and edit the authors list to change the presenting author.
How can I withdraw my abstract?
If your abstract is accepted you need to contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the completed abstract withdrawal form.
To ensure that your abstract is withdrawn from the ERS 2020 Congress Programme send the completed form in due time, at least one month prior the Congress starts to ensure that all platforms are updated.
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 abstracts sessions might move your abstract into a different category.
Can I change the session of my abstract presentation?
No, after you abstract is selected to the ERS Congress, the allocation (schedule and presentation type) is decided by the International Congress Programme Committee and you will have no option to modify this.
Further help needed
If none of the answers above could help you, you can contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will do our best to answer your queries within a maximum of 5 working days. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Sponsorship and grants
When will I be notified if my sponsorship / grant application has been successful?
All notifications will be sent out by end of June 2020
Can I apply for sponsorship / a grant when submitting a late-breaking abstract?
No, grant or sponsorship is not offered for the late-breaking abstract submissions.
If I change the presenting author of my abstract, will the new author receive the sponsorship / grant instead of me?
No, sponsorships and grants are specifically attributed to carefully selected candidates, rendering sponsorships and grants non transferable.
If I will not be able to participate at Congress this year, would it be possible to transfer my sponsorship to next year’s Congress?
No, the grant or sponsorship is related to your abstract submitted and accepted for the ERS International Congress 2020 and not any other ERS event.
Further help needed
If none of the answers above could help you, you can contact the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will do our best to answer your queries within a maximum of 5 working days. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
