Announcement: If you are unable to travel to CROI or believe you may need to withdraw or arrange a substitute presenter, contact CROIabstracts@iasusa.org before making any change. CROI staff will provide guidance based on your circumstances. 

Oral Abstract Session Overview

Oral Abstract Sessions include leading-edge research in HIV, hepatitis viruses, SARS-CoV-2, mpox, and their related conditions. During these 2-hour sessions, speakers present their research. The Oral Abstract Sessions are divided into two 1-hour segments, as described below. Two combined question-and-answer sessions are held and moderated by experts in the field. Moderators introduce presenters and facilitate audience discussion during the live question-and-answer periods.

See Also: Important Dates | Abstract Submission | Themed Discussion Guidelines | Science Spotlight Guidelines | Registration | Embargo Policy | FAQs

CROI Slide Template: Will be available on or around December 1, 2026

Title Slide: A title slide prepopulated with your name, institution, and financial disclosures will be provided when you submit your final slides in the Speaker Ready Room at CROI.   

Plain Language Summary Slide: Include a 1- or 2-sentence plain language summary that provides a “mile-high view” of your research and explains its findings in language accessible to a broad audience, including students, journalists, and other interested members of the public. For additional guidance, see the Plain Language Summary webpage. 

Note: The CROI presentation software can only accept PowerPoint slides (eg, no Keynote or other slide programs).   

General Information for Oral Presenters and Moderators

Presentation Development and Slide Submission 

Presentation Length: In general, oral abstract presenters are asked to prepare an 8-minute presentation. An optimal 8-minute presentation has 8 content slides, not including the 1 title slide provided. The session moderators will cut off presentations that exceed 8 minutes.

Presentation Contents: Refer to the Guidelines for Presentation Development below for slide format and details on content to be included or excluded in presentations

Final Slide Submission: The final version of the presentation slides must be submitted in the Speaker Ready Room at CROI (refer to the conference program for location) 24 hours before the start of the session. The presentation you upload in the Speaker Ready Room will be projected in the session room from a central location, not from a laptop at the podium. Bring your notes with you, as there is no notes preview at the podium for your presentation.

Check-In on Session Day 

Presenters and moderators should check in at the front of the session room (near the podium) 10 minutes before the start of the session. The first group of presenters will then be seated on the stage. Following the first segment, the second group will be seated on the stage.

Session Flow 

Oral sessions generally have 8 presentations, sometimes 9. In an 8-presentation session, the groups generally contain 4 presenters each; in a 9-presentation session, Presenter Group 1 contains 4 presenters and Presenter Group 2 contains 5 presenters. Some sessions may combine 4 oral abstract presentations with 4 Themed Discussion presentations; presenters in those sessions should follow the session-specific instructions provided.

Many attendees move between sessions, so it is essential that each presentation remains within its allotted time. Before the session begins, Presenter Group 1 and the Oral Session Moderators take the stage. Regardless of the number of presentations, sessions follow the same general flow:

  1. Oral Session Moderators:Welcome and introduce Presenter Group 1 (5 minutes). Oral moderators introduce each speaker before their presentation.
  2. Presenter Group 1
  • Presenter 1 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
  • Presenter 2 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
  • Presenter 3 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
  • Presenter 4 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
  1. Group Q&A 1: Audience Questions and Answers for Presenter Group 1. Priority will be given to questions from the microphone in the sessions, with an option to submit questions electronically.
  2. Transition:Presenter Group 1leaves the stage, and Presenter Group 2 joins the stage
  3. Oral Session Moderators: Introduce Presenter Group 2 (5 minutes). Oral moderators introduce each speaker before their presentation.
  4. Presenter Group 2:
  • Presenter 5 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
  • Presenter 6 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
  • Presenter 7 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
  • Presenter 8 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
  • Presenter 9 (In sessions with 9 presentations, the final presentation will be added to Presenter Group 2 and the associated Q&A section will be shortened)
  1. Group Q&A 2: Audience Questions and Answers for Presenter Group 2, moderated by the Oral Session Moderators. If time remains (and at the discretion of the moderators), additional questions may be posed to Presenter Group 1
  2. Oral Session Moderators: Wrap up the session with thanks to the audience and presenters

Guidelines for Presentation Development

Slide Format 
  • Slide Template: You are welcome to use the CROI Content Slide Template (optional) for a professional look that is consistent with the CROI branding.
  • Title Slide: A prepopulated title slide is provided for you. See above.
  • Format: When preparing your presentation, note that high-definition (HD) projectors will be used for all CROI sessions. Please apply widescreen formatting when preparing your slides (aspect ratio 16:9; resolution 1920 x 1080)
  • Font Size: For content slides, it is generally recommended to have a font size of 26 to 32 (based on Arial font) for text. This provides for around 7 lines of text, including a header. Details should be visible from the back of a large ballroom (avoid overly detailed figures or large blocks of text)
  • Embedded Videos: Please test any embedded videos in the Speaker Ready room prior presentation.
Use of Trade Names and Promotional Content

Trade names for drugs or products must not be used in presentations. Investigators should refer to drugs, biologics, devices, and other products only by their nonproprietary (generic) names.

Presentations must not include promotional or marketing content. This includes non–science-based promotional language intended to promote or “sell” a product, company, or brand. In addition, presenters may not include QR codes, URLs, or other links that direct attendees to promotional, marketing, or commercial materials.

All content in oral abstract, themed discussion, and poster presentations must remain scientific, objective, and data-focused.

Acknowledgments of Support and Contributors 

Acknowledgments of support may be included in the oral presentation of the abstract at CROI.

Sex Stratification and Other Demographic Variables 

Presentations from randomized trials and cohorts should follow the ICMJE guidelines, including reporting of study designs (eg, prospective, observational, randomized, double-blind, STROBE, CONSORT, or others), statistical methods, and outcomes by demographic variables. For human clinical or epidemiologic studies, the presentation should provide sex-stratified results or identify who was included if it includes only a single population. Presentations of preclinical data including the use of cell lines and animal studies should include the sex of the animals or the sex of the source of the cell lines. If data are not available on sex (as assigned at birth) or gender (where gender is relevant to the study results), this should be identified as a limitation in the study.

See: ICMJE Preparing for Submission

Use of People-First Language and Appropriate Terminology 

See: Appropriate Terminology

Presentations Describing New Compounds 

Please be sure to include information sufficient to allow for meaningful review of compound data; this can include isolation, activity, chemical structure, mechanism of action, toxic effects, and pharmacologic data. The chemical or molecular structure must be shown in the presentation (it need not be part of the abstract or be published in the Abstract eBook).

Publication or Presentation Prior to CROI

If study data are accepted for publication or presentation after the abstract submission to CROI, and that publication or presentation is expected to take place before CROI, the presenting author must contact CROI at CROIabstracts@iasusa.org to provide details as soon as the presentation is accepted for review, presentation, or publication in another venue or outlet. Please be aware that although publication in these circumstances will not necessarily prevent presentation of the research at CROI, our strong preference is that any additional publication or presentation happen either simultaneous to or following presentation at CROI. Requests to publish or present research accepted for presentation at CROI prior to its presentation at CROI will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Failure to notify the conference promptly regarding plans to publish or present a CROI-accepted abstract prior to CROI may result in the removal of the study from the conference program.