ABSTRACTS

Abstract Submission Rules:

1. Abstracts will not be accepted unless they are submitted online via the online abstract submission system before midnight (GMT) on 19 March 2021. Abstracts received after this date will NOT be accepted. Abstracts submitted by post or email will NOT be considered.
2. All abstracts should be written, submitted and presented in English with a maximum word count of 300 words (not including the abstract title, authors and institutions).
3. Authors will be notified in writing in late April 2021 as to whether or not their abstract has been accepted by the Abstract Review Committee. The decision of the committee is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
4. Once an abstract has been accepted, the presenting author must register for the congress for final acceptance. Proof of registration for the congress must be submitted to abstracts@epilepsycongress.org to finalise acceptance of the abstract.
5. All accepted abstracts will be published on the congress website so long as the presenting author is registered for the congress.
6. Instructions for both platform and e-poster presentations will be available on the congress website when the abstract results are sent out.
7. All correspondence will be sent to the submitting author only. It is the responsibility of the submitting author to forward any relevant correspondence to the presenting author.
8. Each author is permitted to present once (not including invited lectures).

1. Abstract submitters should ensure that the version submitted is the final one; changes will not be permitted once the deadline has passed.
2. Institution information should be provided for all authors. Please include institution, city, state/ province and country but exclude department, division, laboratory, etc.
3. A topic category for each abstract must be selected during the submission process; the abstract topics can be found in the section below.
4. Abstracts should be structured in 4 sections as follows:
   Purpose: Should indicate the objectives of the work being presented
   Method: Should describe study material or subjects (e.g. number and type of patients), intervention and evaluation procedures.
   Results: Should summarise the main findings. Wherever possible, give numerical values, including means with SD or SEM, and statistical significance or confidence intervals.
   Conclusion: Should state briefly the conclusions reached in the work
5. Up to 5 key words relating to the content of the abstract may be provided.
6. Figures, tables and other illustrations may not be included.
7. If the work was supported by funds provided by a commercial organisation this should be stated in a short acknowledgment at the end of the abstract. Other sources of funding may be acknowledged in the same way.
8. Submission of multiple abstracts describing different components of the same study is not appropriate. All findings generated from the same study should be included in a single abstract.
9. Abstracts containing single case reports will not usually be accepted, unless the report is of outstanding scientific or clinical interest because of the uniqueness of the findings or the sophistication of the investigations.
10. Abstracts containing data considered to be insufficiently informative will not be accepted.
11. Authors should use a concise title that indicates the content of the abstract. Abbreviations should be avoided in the title.
12. For intervention studies (for example, therapeutic trials), type of design (prospective or retrospective, controlled or uncontrolled, randomised or observational, open vs. single-blind vs. double-blind), dosages, assessment methods and duration of follow-up should be specified.
13. Non-proprietary names of drugs must be used throughout. If results are considered to be specific for a given proprietary product (for example, bio-equivalence studies), the non-proprietary name must still be used, followed by the proprietary name and the name of the manufacturers in brackets.
14. Abbreviations should be used sparingly. For words that are abbreviated, use the whole term the first time, followed by the standard abbreviation in parenthesis.
15. References should be used sparingly. They should be included within the text in brackets. For journals, mention first author “et al”, followed by the name of the journal as abbreviated in the Index Medicus, year, volume number and inclusive pages (e.g. Hardus P et al. Epilepsia 2001;42:262-267.). For book chapters, give first author “et al”, editor, title, publisher, city of publication, year and inclusive pages (e.g. Levy RH et al. In: Levy RH et al, Antiepileptic Drugs. Lippincott-Raven, 1996;13-30.).
16. Submission of an abstract automatically implies acknowledgment that the work described was conducted in accordance with current ethical standards and regulations in biomedical research. Failure to adhere to these standards will result in rejection of the abstract.

A topic category for each abstract must be selected during the submission process; the categories are as follows:

1.         Adult Epileptology
2.         AED Issues
3.         Basic Sciences
4.         Clinical Neurophysiology
5.         EEG
6.         Epidemiology
7.         Genetics
8.         Neurobiology
9.         Neuroimaging
10.         Neuropsychology
11.         Others
12.         Paediatric Epileptology
13.         Pre-clinical Year Research
14.         Prognosis
15.         Psychiatry
16.         Seizure Semiology
17.         Social Issues
18.         Status Epilepticus
19.         Surgery
20.         Translational Research
21.         Women and Pregnancy

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for 13th AOEC Abstracts

Abstract Submission:

Can I make changes to my abstract after submission?

You can make any changes you wish to the abstract even if the abstract has been submitted, but the changes need to be made before the abstracts submission deadline. Once the abstract submission deadline has passed, changes are not permitted unless they relate to the results of the study, in this case only, please contact abstracts@epilepsycongress.org

Can I submit an abstract after the deadline?

Late abstracts are not being accepted for this congress.

Can an Encore Abstract be submitted?

Yes an Encore Abstract can be submitted to the 13th AOEC providing that there is no copyright issue with the original publisher.

Abstract Acceptance:

When will I know if my abstract has been accepted?

Authors will be notified of the acceptance / rejection of their abstract by late April 2021.

How will I receive the information from the Congress Secretariat?

Contact details provided at the time of submission will be used for all correspondence related to the Congress. Please ensure that the correct details are entered.

How will my abstract be presented at the congress?

Most abstracts are accepted for poster presentations, a few are selected for oral presentation. You will be informed of the format of your presentation at the time of acceptance notification.

My colleague has received confirmation of his acceptance and I did not, is there something wrong?

There may be a problem with your email address, therefore please contact abstracts@epilepsycongress.org

Abstracts – Onsite Information:

When will I know more about how to prepare for my poster or platform presentation at the congress?

If your abstract is accepted for the 13th AOEC, you will receive detailed information on how to prepare your research for virtual presentation.

Do e-posters have to stay up for the duration of the congress?

Yes posters will be featured for the duration of the congress and will also be available to view during the post congress on demand period too.

When will my platform presentation be?

You will receive instructions on the pre-recording of your platform presentation; you will then be required to join a platform session during the congress to answer any questions from the audience or chair on your research. This session will also be available on demand post congress.

Will there be poster tours?

Yes; selected abstracts will be selected for a poster tour where a leading epilepsy specialist with invite a small group to review a number of posters together. Full instructions with dates and times for the poster tours will be advised in advance of the congress.

Abstracts – General Queries:

Which reference number should I use when I send a query to the Congress Secretariat?

Please quote your abstract reference number that starts with A-1186- in all correspondence.

I am not the first author; can I present the poster on behalf of my colleagues?

Presentation by a second author may be allowed. Once your registration has been completed, please contact abstracts@epilepsycongress.org. Please note however that each author is permitted to present only once during the congress (not including invited lectures).

I am a speaker in the congress programme; do I need to submit an abstract?

Speakers are not required to submit abstracts to illustrate their talks unless specifically requested by the session’s chair(s).

I have been selected for a platform session but I would have preferred an poster presentation, what can I do?

During the abstract submission process you were asked if you would prefer poster or oral (platform) presentation, or if you do not have a preference. The Abstract Review Committee (ARC) took this preference into account and did not select an abstract for platform presentation if the submitter indicated that s/he does not want a platform presentation. However, if you indicated that you had no preference between poster and platform presentation, then the ARC has selected your work to be presented in a platform session because they felt that it was of high quality and that a large audience would be interested in knowing more about the study. It would be a shame not to use this opportunity to present your work! However if you are unable to make an oral presentation please contact the Congress Secretariat at abstracts@epilepsycongress.org for alternative arrangements.

How do I find out information about the posters given that the congress is now virtual?

Further information on the poster presentations at the 13th AOEC will be available here once the abstract results are sent out.

ILAE-YES BEST PRESENTER AWARD

All abstract presenters aged 40 or younger are eligible to be considered for the ILAE-YES Best Presenter Award.

Eight high-quality abstracts will be chosen from the applicants to give an oral presentation at the ILAE-YES Data Blitz Session in front of a jury and public audience who will judge the best presentation.

The Prize

The winner giving the best presentation at this session will receive a free conference registration for the next AOEC in 2022.

Criteria

• All abstract presenters <40 or younger are eligible for the ILAE-YES Best Presenter Award; a legal document (passport or ID) needs to be uploaded to certify your age
• You need to be the main contributor and presenting author of the abstract submitted and accepted for the 13^th AOEC

The Selection Process and What It Involves

Consideration for selection will be based on the above criteria.

The eight people shortlisted for this award will be contacted by the congress secretariat in April 2021 and will receive further information on the presentation format. Please note that it will be oral presentation only.

How to Apply

Applications must be made through the 13^th AOEC abstract system. Please note that the applicant must submit an abstract to the congress in order to be eligible to apply for this award.

If you have any queries, please email aoec@epilepsycongress.org.