Abstract Guidelines and Submission

Studies with data analyzed after the General Abstract submission deadline are eligible for Late-Breaking Abstract submission if they meet a high threshold of scientific merit. These abstracts must be submitted by 11:59 PM Pacific Time on Tuesday, January 19, 2027. Abstracts must be submitted by the deadline to be considered for presentation—no extensions. 

Each abstract is assigned to the review team whose expertise matches that of the abstract’s subject matter, based on the submitter’s selection from a list of CROI Abstract Categories. Although the Scientific Program Committee and external reviewers may reassign an abstract to a more appropriate category, the abstract is most likely to receive an equitable review if the submitter carefully selects the correct category during submission.  

See: Categories and Definitions 

The title should be concise, clearly reflect the abstract’s subject, and not exceed 100 characters, including spaces. 

Titles must be written in Title Case, following American Medical Association (AMA) style. Key rules include: 

• Capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions/conjunctions longer than 4 letters 
• Keep prepositions and coordinating conjunctions with 4 or fewer letters in lowercase 
• Capitalize both parts of a hyphenated compound 
• When using scientific names, capitalize only the first word (eg, Dracaena trifasciata) 

Ensure your title accurately reflects the content while adhering to these formatting rules. 

Select up to 5 search terms from the standard list to help connect the presentation to other presentations with a related subject matter. If a term is not found in the standard search term list, it may be added by the submitter. 

Search terms are typically a single word or idea. Complex terms should be simplified and entered as separate search terms (eg, “breast milk transmission” should be entered as different search terms: “breast milk” and “transmission”). Selecting terms from the existing list is the best method to ensure that an abstract will be displayed in Conference App and database searches by attendees. 

Special Areas of Focus 

Select any special areas of focus for your abstract, including SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), MPXV (Mpox), or Behavioral or Social Sciences. 

Describing New Compounds 

Abstracts describing new compounds must include sufficient information for a meaningful review of compound data, including isolation, activity, chemical structure, mechanism of action, toxic effects, and pharmacologic data. The chemical or molecular structure must be shown in the presentation but need not be part of the abstract. 

Case Reports and Meta-Analyses 

As mentioned above, CROI accepts new, original science for submission. CROI generally does not accept abstracts on case reports, meta-analysis, or systematic reviews unless they are of major public health significance. If your abstract is a meta-analysis, use the table below to reference types of meta-analysis and their typical acceptance for review.  

Category	Typically Consider?	Characteristics
Systematic review with meta-analysis	No, unless it includes analyses of primary data (eg, not just review of the literature)	Predefined question, protocol, systematic search, explicit inclusion/exclusion criteria, quality assessment, statistical pooling
Individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis	Yes	Original participant-level data obtained from multiple eligible studies and reanalyzed. Considered the highest level of meta-analysis
Pooled analysis	Yes	Combines data from multiple studies, often planned collaborations, but not necessarily through a systematic review
Secondary database analysis	Yes	Analysis of an existing registry, surveillance system, or clinical database. This is generally not a meta-analysis
Bibliometric / literature mining / AI-assisted literature analysis	No	Uses large body of publications to identify trends, topics, citation networks, or associations rather than synthesizing evidence about a scientific question

 

Sex Stratification and Other Demographic Variables 

Abstracts from randomized trials and cohorts should follow the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines, including reporting of study designs (eg, prospective, observational, randomized, double-blind, STROBE, CONSORT, or others), statistical methods, and outcomes by demographic variables. The presentation should provide sex-stratified results for human clinical or epidemiological studies or identify who was included if it includes only a single population. Abstracts 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 

People-First Language and the Use of Appropriate Terminology 

See: Appropriate Terminology 

Clinical Trials 

Provide the clinical trial registration number and National Clinical Trial (NCT) or equivalent protocol identifier when prompted during submission, if applicable.  

Statements of Support 

Statements of grant support or funding statements should not be included in the abstract text (eg, Study was funded by NIH). Statements of support may be included in the presentation of the abstract at CROI, if accepted. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use in Abstract Development 

Indicate whether AI was used to develop the abstract, the type of AI use (eg, writing or editing, data analysis or modeling, data collection or processing), and the extent of the AI use. Questions about the use of AI are a standard part of CROI submission, and your answers are not used to evaluate your abstract. The person who submits an abstract must affirm that: 

• All listed authors meet ICMJE authorship criteria, and no AI tool is listed as an author 
• The authors accept responsibility for all aspects of the work and have reviewed and validated all AI-assisted outputs 
• The submission contains no fabricated, misleading, or unverifiable information 
• All applicable privacy and confidentiality requirements were followed. Protected health information, identifiable data, and confidential information (if used) were entered only into secure systems. 

Prior Publication and Presentation Policy 

CROI does not generally accept data that describe work that has been or is scheduled to be published or publicly presented before CROI.  

The Program Committee recognizes that important findings may be published shortly before CROI. Exceptions to the prior publication and presentation policy may be made if: 

• The publication occurs after January 1 of the conference year 
• The presentation was at a small conference (ie, fewer than 400 attendees) or a conference that is not focused on HIV 
• The abstract includes substantial new data or different analyses 

If study data have been or are scheduled to be published, submitted for publication, or presented before January 1, the abstract submitter must provide the following details during submission: 

• Name and date (or anticipated date) of the publication or conference presentation 
• Whether any copyright restrictions apply to the data 

Abstract text under copyright by a publication or another conference should not be submitted to CROI. Manuscripts placed on preprint servers ahead of peer review are not considered published.  

Final decisions are based on scientific importance, novelty, and relevance to the CROI audience. 

After Acceptance 

If an abstract accepted for CROI is subsequently accepted for publication or presentation elsewhere prior to CROI, the Presenting Author must notify the Conference Manager at CROIabstracts@iasusa.org as soon as possible, ideally when the work is first accepted for review, presentation, or publication. 

Although prior publication or presentation does not automatically disqualify the abstract from being presented at CROI, the strong preference is that any other dissemination occurs simultaneously with or after the CROI presentation. Requests for early publication or presentation will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. 

Important: Failure to promptly inform the conference about plans to publish or present the abstract before CROI may result in the abstract being removed from the CROI program. 

Abstract Structure and Guidelines 

CROI abstracts are structured into 4 sections:  

• Background 
• Why was the study conducted? Briefly describe the rationale of the study, which can include the hypothesis. 
• Methods 
• What was done and how was it done? Detail the experimental methods, statistics, and processes employed in the study. 
• Results 
• What were the findings? Describe the findings of the study, including data. Promises of results “to be determined” are not acceptable. Abstracts without data may be rejected. The results section should include sex stratification and other demographic variables and use appropriate terminology. 
• Conclusions 
• What does the study suggest or imply? Logically describe sound conclusions and reliable inferences drawn from the study results. 

Text submitted should be written as a single paragraph per section. Do not include section headings in the text as they will automatically be added by the submission system. 

Character Limit: The total character limit for the abstract body is 2,500 characters, including spaces. Tables and figures do not count toward this character limit. 

Acronyms: Any nonstandard acronyms or abbreviations should be defined at first use. Avoid creating new acronyms unless they are used repeatedly and improve readability of the abstract. 

One graphic (eg, table, figure, image, or flowchart) may be included with an abstract. The graphic should provide information that supplements the scientific content of the abstract and cannot be adequately conveyed in the abstract text. Graphics do not count toward the 2500-character limit for abstract text.

Because abstracts proceed directly to review after the submission deadline, graphics that do not meet CROI requirements will be removed and cannot be replaced. Reviewers will evaluate the abstract without the removed graphic, and, if the abstract is accepted, the graphic will not appear in the Abstract eBook.

Graphics must be submitted as an image file (PNG or JPEG).

1. Content: The graphic must present supplemental information that cannot be conveyed in the abstract text.
2. Legibility: All elements, including titles, legends, labels, and data points, must be clearly readable when displayed in a 4-inch by 4-inch (10.15 cm x 10.15 cm) space. Reviewers evaluate graphics in a relatively small display area. Figures should communicate their information without requiring magnification.
3. Character Limit: Titles, legends, labels (excluding x- and y-axis labels and row or column headers), and footnotes are limited to 100 words.
4. Figures and Graphs: One figure or graph is permitted. Figures with more than 2 panels are not acceptable. A figure with 2 panels is acceptable only if both panels represent the same analysis (eg, same graph type, axes, and analysis, comparing different populations, cell lines, or similar groups). Graphics containing multiple unrelated figures or different graph types (eg, a Kaplan-Meier curve with a scatter plot, or a graph with a separate image) will be considered multiple figures and removed.
5. Tables: A table may contain a maximum of 64 data cells. Row and column headers do not count towards the data cell or word limit.
6. Table-Based Graphics: Graphics that display data in a tabular format (eg, confidence intervals or risk ratios arranged in rows and columns) must follow the table limits, including the 64 data cell maximum.
7. Images: Images must remain legible when displayed in a 4-inch by 4-inch space. Illegible images will be removed.
8. Flowcharts: Flowcharts must remain legible when displayed in a 4-inch by 4-inch space. Illegible flowcharts will be removed.

For additional guidance and examples, see Common Reasons for Removal of Tables, Figures, and Other Graphics.

The person who submits an abstract must affirm the following on behalf of the presenting author and coauthors: 

• ALL coauthors have reviewed and approved the abstract’s content 
• Complete and accurate contact (email) and affiliation information for all coauthors has been provided 
• Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and confidentiality of all submitted work regardless of whether AI-assisted tools were used 
• If accepted, the presenting author will present the abstract in the format designated by the CROI Program Committee (eg, Oral Abstract, Themed Discussion, or Poster) and will be present for the session(s) in which they are assigned to present 
• Financial relationships have been disclosed by the presenting author and their institution (eg, funding paid to the presenting author or their institution on their behalf)  
• If the designated presenting author cannot present the abstract at CROI, a new presenter from among the coauthors listed on the abstract will be selected. The new presenter must provide a disclosure of financial relationships 
• Permission is given for the presentation to be videotaped and recorded and the abstract to be published in the Abstract eBook, CROI website, Topics in Antiviral Medicine™ (for eventual listing in the National Library of Medicine), and other related conference materials 

The authors must commit to these responsibilities. Failure to comply with these policies may result in withdrawing the presentation from CROI.  At the discretion of the Program Committee Chairs, authors may be penalized, including a ban on attendance at future CROI. 

Requirements for Authorship 

Authors listed in the abstract should conform to the ICMJE recommendations for authorship: 

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND 
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND 
3. Final approval of the version submitted; AND 
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. 

See: ICMJE Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors 

Author Listing 

Each abstract may include up to 15 authors. If more than 15 authors are listed, the sixteenth and all subsequent authors will be automatically removed. Submitters may also include 1 Research Group, which will be listed in the author block. 

By submitting an abstract, the submitter confirms that all listed authors have reviewed and approved the abstract’s content. This confirmation ensures the accuracy of the data, the scientific validity of the results and conclusions, and that all authors accept responsibility for the integrity of the work. This affirmation aligns with the ICMJE authorship requirements and is essential for the abstract reviewers during the evaluation process. If it is later determined that all authors did not approve the submission, the abstract may be withdrawn. 

Presenting Author 

The Presenting Author listed on the abstract is responsible for delivering the presentation if the abstract is accepted. In an emergency, a coauthor may serve as a replacement presenter. The authors must disclose this information to CROIabstracts@iasusa.org, and the new presenting author must update the abstract submission to disclose financial relationships with ineligible companies. 

Presenting Author Financial Disclosures 

The abstract submitter must complete the Financial Disclosure Form on the IAS–USA website, disclosing any financial relationships with ineligible companies (formerly “commercial interests”) from the past 24 months. Any real or perceived conflicts of interest must be addressed and mitigated before the Continuing Medical Education (CME) activity is delivered. 

The ACCME defines an ineligible company as “those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, reselling, or distributing health care products used by or on patients.” 

Posthumous Inclusion of a Coauthor 

Presenters may recognize the contributions of a deceased colleague during the presentation at CROI. However, the posthumous recognition of a coauthor is not permitted within the listing of authors in the abstract as the deceased author cannot meet the ICMJE criteria 3. 

By submitting an abstract, you are assigning copyright of the abstract content, but not the data, to CROI. See CROI Conference Materials Copyright Statement. 

Abstract Review and Disposition Notices 

Each abstract is reviewed and scored independently by 5 to 10 experts in the particular field. The review of abstracts begins immediately after the submission deadline. Therefore, changes to abstracts are not possible after the submission deadline. 

The disposition of each abstract will be sent via email to the abstract submitter and all authors listed on the abstract submission. Accurate professional email addresses for the presenting author and all coauthors are required for this purpose. 

Common Reasons Abstracts Are Not Accepted for Presentation 

Because of the number of abstract submissions, the CROI Program Committee is unable to provide feedback on individual submissions. Common reasons why abstracts are not accepted for presentation include: 

• Data, including statistical analyses, are not included or offer inadequate/insufficient support for conclusions 
• The subject matter is not appropriate for CROI 
• All coauthors have not approved the abstract prior to submission 
• Information is not novel (ie, new enough) 
• Prior publication or presentation is not disclosed 
• The abstract is duplicative of other submissions 
• The format does not follow guidelines (eg, data missing, more than 1 table or figure submitted) 
• The submission is poorly written and difficult to understand 
• The Background section does not summarize the hypothesis 
• The methodology is inadequate or insufficient to support conclusions 
• Controls are absent or inadequate 
• Statistical evaluation is inadequate or absent 
• The summary of essential results is inadequate or absent 
• Submission reports clinical trial data from unplanned analysis or incomplete or ongoing studies 
• Abstract included a graphic (figure, table, or other image) that was removed prior to review and the text of the abstract did not include sufficient data for the reviewers to score adequately 

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

• Trade Names: Use only nonproprietary (generic) names for drugs, biologics, devices, and other products. Trade names are generally not permitted. 
• Promotional Content: Do not include promotional or marketing content, including non–science-based language that promotes a product, company, or brand intended to promote or “sell” a product, company, or brand. QR codes, URLs, or other links to promotional or commercial materials are not allowed. 
• Commercial Content: CROI prohibits the use of commercial or promotional language in the abstract or presentation. Commercial or promotional language in the abstract may negatively affect scientific review.  
• Testimonials: Patient testimonials or anecdotal statements are not permitted if they are selective, lack methodological context, or are promotional in tone. Such statements may be included only if they are systematically collected, representative, objectively presented, and relevant to the scientific findings, and the methodology for selection is clearly described. 
• Author Responsibility: Authors are responsible for ensuring that all content, including material developed with third-party or commercial communications support, complies with these standards.