Oral Abstract Sessions include leading-edge research in HIV, hepatitis viruses, SARS-CoV-2, and other viral infections and their related conditions. During these 2-hour sessions, 8 or 9 speakers have up to 8 minutes (including introductory and acknowledgment slides) to present their research on a specific topic area and respond to questions from attendees in 1 of 2 question-and-answer periods moderated by experts in the field. Moderators introduce presenters and facilitate audience discussion during 2 live question-and-answer periods.

See Also: Important Dates | Abstract Submission | Themed Discussion Guidelines | Poster Presentation Guidelines | Registration | Embargo Policy | FAQs

CROI Slide Template: Download the optional slide template HERE.

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. You can update the title slide when submitting your final presentation in the Speaker Ready Room (location noted in the conference program guide).

Note: CROI only facilitates PowerPoint slides (no Keynote).

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ORAL PRESENTERS AND MODERATORS

Presentation Development and Slide Submission
  • Presentation Length: Prepare an 8-minute presentation. An optimal 8-minute presentation has 8 content slides (plus 1 title slide that includes the presenter’s abstract title, name, institution, and financial disclosure). The session moderators will cut off presentations longer than 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
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. Presenters will be seated near the stage before the start of the session.

Session Flow

Oral sessions may have up to 9 presentations (8 is most common). Before the session begins, Presenter Group 1 and the Oral Session Moderators take the stage. Regardless of the number of presentations, sessions will follow the same general flow:

  1. Oral Session Moderators: Welcome and introduce Presenter Group 1 (5 minutes). Introductions include names, institutions, and presentation titles of the presenters in the group (information will appear on a single slide). Remind audience members to submit questions through the conference platform for the Group Q&A segment
  2. Presenter Group 1
    1. Presenter 1 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
    2. Presenter 2 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
    3. Presenter 3 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
    4. Presenter 4 (8-minute presentation, no Q&A)
  3. Group Q&A 1: Audience Questions and Answers for Presenter Group 1. Questions will be posed through a Q&A feature on the conference platform and curated by the Oral Session Moderators, who will address the selected question to the relevant presenter(s)
  4. Transition: Presenter Group 1 leaves the stage, and Presenter Group 2 joins the stage
  5. Oral Session Moderators: Introduce Presenter Group 2 (information will appear on a slide)
  6. Presenter Group 2: The remaining 8-minute presentations with questions held until the group Q&A session
  7. Group Q&A 2: Audience Questions and Answers for Presenter Group 1, 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
  8. Oral Session Moderators: Wrap up the session with thanks to the audience and presenters

GUIDELINES FOR PRESENTATION DEVELOPMENT

Slide Format
  • Slide Template: Use the CROI Slide Template (optional) for a professional look that is consistent with the CROI branding
  • Title Slide: A title slide with your financial disclosures will be provided for you when you submit your final slides at CROI
  • 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, we recommend 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)
  • Callouts: Build callouts (arrows and circles) in your presentation to highlight important details as the pointer does not always function well for this purpose in large presentation rooms
Trade Names

Trade names for drugs should not be used in abstracts. Refer to drugs and products by their nonproprietary names.

QR Codes and Links to External Materials Are Not Allowed

QR codes, bar codes, or other links to external resources are not permitted on posters displayed at CROI or on electronic versions of the posters to be uploaded to the CROI website.

Corporate Logos

The use of commercial logos on posters, opening slides, title slides, or presentation slides is discouraged.

Statements of Support

Although statements of grant support or funding statements may not be included in the abstract text (eg, the Study was funded by NIH), they may be included in the presentation of the at CROI

Sex Stratification and Other Demographic Variables

Abstracts 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 epidemiological studies, the presentation should provide sex-stratified results 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

Use of Appropriate Terminology

It is important to use  “people first” language such as “people with HIV” rather than “HIV-infected people.” Similarly, do not characterize people by their conditions. “People with diabetes” is preferred over “diabetics”; “patients with cirrhosis” rather than “cirrhotics;” and “people who inject drugs” rather than ‘drug abusers.” Out of respect for their contributions to our scientific advances, avoid calling study volunteers “subjects.” The preferred terms are study “participants” or “volunteers.” Ensure correct use of the terms sex (when reporting biological factors) and gender (identity, psychosocial or cultural factors). Appropriate terminology such as “cisgender” (people whose gender matches the sex assigned at birth) or “transgender” (people whose gender does not match the sex assigned at birth) should be used.

Abstracts Describing New Compounds

Please be sure to include information sufficient to allow for a 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).

Case Reports and Systematic Reviews

In general, CROI does not accept abstracts for case reports, meta-analyses, or systematic reviews unless they are of enormous public health significance.

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 after 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.