Abstract Guidelines - Late(breaker) submission

For the late-breaking abstract call, we welcome abstracts containing novel data that became available only after the end of February 2021 (close of regular call), have outstanding scientific quality, and that are in line with the pre-defined late-breaker abstract priorities which are: new drugs, results of clinical trials, ground-breaking innovations concerning COVID-19 and important outbreaks and public health emergencies other than COVID-19. For late-breaker abstract categories, follow this link . The best late-breaking abstracts will be selected for oral presentation in dedicated sessions.

The ECCMID Programme Committee will allow, as an exception this year, the submission of regular research abstracts during the late-breaker call, for members of our community who could not prepare and submit their work during the regular call due to involvement in the pandemic response. These abstracts could belong to any of the abstract categories, but abstracts focusing on COVID-19 and the other late-breaker categories are highly encouraged.  

Please note: Submission of an abstract for ECCMID 2021 indicates your consent for the abstract to be available within the congress literature (electronic and in print). Submitted abstracts should be based on novel data not previously presented or published. The ECCMID Programme Committee reserves the right to reject presentation of abstract material at ECCMID 2021 if essentially the same data have been or will be published in an international journal more than 6 weeks before the congress.
NOTE: this does not include posted pre-prints. 

We are fully aware that time to publication of papers during COVID times is commonly expedited and difficult to predict. In the event that materials have been submitted for publication, accepted and published in a journal between ECCMID abstract submission and the congress, we expect authors to ensure that data presented during congress are updated or new angles are provided and not just duplicating already published data.

To learn how to submit your abstract please watch the abstract submission tutorial that is available here.

Please note that the tutorial was originally created for  the regular abstract submission. Whilst there have been small changes, the tutorial  explains the overall submission process very well. Should you have any questions regarding the submission, please contact eccmidabstracts[at]escmid.org
Abstract Submission Tutorial

Abstracts should fall into one of two selectable categories:

1. Late-breakers (choose this submission field if your data was not available during the regular submission and meets the above description and priority topics)
2. Regular abstract (choose this category, if you are submitting a regular abstract, just at a later time)

The submission template contains 4 fields, please fill your abstract body in the following fields:
Background/Materials/Results/Conclusions

Please double check that the names of author(s) and their affiliation(s) are correctly spelled and formatted, with appropriate capitalisation and punctuation.

Names and affiliations cannot be edited by the submitter once submitted, and will be published exactly as inputted. The ESCMID office will need to be contacted for any further changes.

ESCMID takes no responsibility for errors in either author or affiliation information.

ALL CAPS for text (other than abbreviations or acronyms) are not allowed. The abstract text may not be longer than a maximum of 350 words.

Abstract titles must be submitted according to the scientific rules and should be succinct. This includes any special characters and special words that need to be capitalised or italicised.
Abstract titles will be proofread and may be amended if appropriate. Titles in ALL CAPS (other than abbreviations or acronyms) or brand names are not allowed.

Use the provided fields to draft your abstract. Please ensure that the different sections of your abstract are entered into the appropriate textbox. For research abstracts briefly state the background and context of research and its goals. The Methods section should provide minimum required information on the research setting, data collection and analytical methods used (wet lab, data). Results presented in the abstract should be original data not previously published or presented. Please include actual findings, tangible data, and conclusions in your abstract.

For case report / series (usually featuring a single instructive case or a series of up to 10-15 cases) emphasise the unique aspects of the case and discuss the learning points emerging from the case(s).

Abstracts stating that data will only be presented or discussed at ECCMID cannot be accepted.

While filling in your abstract, please use the figure upload fields at the bottom to select up to 3 images from your computer.

Formats: JPEG or PNG. Size: 1000px width x 1000px height* max. File size: 5 MB max.

Authors may include a maximum of 3 picture or graph or tables per abstract. If the table is inserted in the text field of the abstract body, please note that any words therein will count towards the total. In order to avoid this, you may upload the table as an image file in the upload section.

Please think about readability and avoid tables of excessive size.

*It is strongly recommended that submitters use the 'preview' function in the abstract submission system to ensure that pictures, graphs and tables are properly rendered. Oversized images may be cut off if they do not fit the page width.

Use British English spelling throughout. The International System of Units (SI) should be used wherever appropriate. Genus and species names should be written in full on first mention and then abbreviated on subsequent mention.

The following scientific rules apply (examples in brackets):

• Systematic names (genus, family and higher orders): capitalized (Chlamydia, Enterobacteriaceae, Picornaviridae).
• Non-English expressions in English texts are written in italics, e.g. force majeure, in vitro/in vivo, ad hoc, ex officio
• Taxonomic names must be italicised, e.g. Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium difficile.
• Non-systematic names (e.g. plural): lower case and not italicized (group A streptococci, mycobacteria, chlamydiae).
• Generic drug names: lower case (penicillin).
• Do not use brand names in titles; product names are allowed, but should be avoided in the title.
• Please observe standard English grammar rules including a space after full stops and commas.
• Please observe British English spelling titles.
• Only common abbreviations may be used without definition.

The full list of abstract topics may be found here

Please choose the best-fitting abstract topic to ensure a sound and fair review by the most suitable reviewing expert.

It is possible (but not mandatory) to specify a second category, if you feel that your abstract does not fit wholly within a single category.

Authors are asked to enter three keywords to better define the abstract content.

You can save your abstract at any time. Please make sure to have all fields completed before you finally submit your abstract. You will receive a confirmation by email after the submission (please make sure to state your correct email address!). Changes in the abstract title are not possible after submission. Please note that emails regarding the submission will be sent to the submitter. The submitter is responsible to obtain permission for submission and presentation of the abstract, from all co-authors and any relevant stakeholders. All correspondence regarding acceptance or rejection, including further information on the mode of presentation etc. will be sent to the presenting author.

Should you decide to change the type of abstract once you have started the submission, please withdraw your current abstract and re-start the submission process with your new work.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at eccmidabstracts[at]escmid.org.

Please ensure that the presenting author’s name is correct upon submission. It is the responsibility of the presenting author to ensure that this is kept up to date, in case of changes. Following ECCMID, a certificate of presentation will be sent to the presenting author only. The presenting author is then responsible for disseminating this certificate amongst any co-authors.

Certificates will not be awarded to authors that are not present during their poster session at ECCMID, or whose posters do not comply with the requirements for size and format. For those with an oral presentation, the presentation slides must be uploaded to the online system by the specified deadline, as well as presented, in order for a certificate to be awarded.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at eccmidabstracts[at]escmid.org.