Submit an Abstract

Call for Abstracts

ABRCMS offers several options for students submitting an oral, poster, or ePoster abstract. Gather your latest research and get ready to present your science to esteemed and established researchers from universities across the country.

New for 2026

For this year’s conference, ABRCMS will allow abstracts that are not accepted to be revised and resubmitted one time
All student presenters must register by Nov. 2
Graduate students and individuals taking a gap year will present on Saturday morning in the Career and Recruitment Hall
Students submitting an abstract to ABRCMS are required to disclose use of AI tools.

Submit an Abstract

Important Dates

Abstract Submission Opens: April 15, 2026
Abstract Submission Deadline: September 11, 2026
Abstract Review: September 17-22, 2026
Abstract Notifications: October 5, 2026
Accept/Withdraw Abstract Deadline: October 7, 2026
Deadline for Student Presenters to Register: November 2, 2026
Deadline for ePoster presenters to upload ePoster PDF: November 2
ABRCMS 2026: November 18-21, 2026

Contact Us

Leah Dixon, Senior Specialist
202-942-9348
ldixon@asmusa.org

NEW Resource: Guide to Funding Your Trip to ABRCMS

You have the power to move your research forward — this guide will show you how to secure funding to get ABRCMS.

ACCESS NOW

Eligible Abstract Education Levels

Please keep in mind your eligibility is based on your enrolled education level as of November 18, and NOT your education level when you conducted your research.

Undergraduate (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) & Community College Students

Oral abstract* for in-person conference, OR
Poster abstract for in-person conference, OR
ePoster abstract for pre-conference viewing (November 2)

*If a student submits an abstract for an oral presentation, and the abstract is accepted to the conference, but not as an oral abstract, the abstract is automatically assigned a poster presentation.

Previous oral presenters are only eligible to submit a poster abstract.

Postbaccalaureate Students

Master's Level Students & Individuals taking a Gap Year

Individuals taking a gap year are those who have graduated from their undergraduate studies, but are not yet enrolled in a graduate program. These individuals intend to apply to graduate school in the future.

Poster abstract for in-person conference during the Graduate Student Poster Session (November 21), OR
ePoster abstract for pre-conference viewing (November 2)

Please note that master's level students and individuals taking a gap year are ineligible to submit an abstract for oral presentation.

Doctoral-Level Graduate Students

Oral abstract during the conference*, or
Poster abstract for in-person conference during the Graduate Student Poster Sessions (November 21)

*If your abstract is accepted, but not awarded an oral presentation you will be invited to present a poster during the Graduate Student Poster Session.

*If you have given an oral presentation as a graduate student, you are not eligible to give another oral presentation

Judging and Presentation Award Eligibility

Graduate students and individuals taking a gap year are not judged, and as a result, are not eligible for an award. Monetary awards will differ based on presentation type (oral, poster, or ePoster)

Eligible Education Levels

Previous Presentation Awardees

Previous presentation awardees will only receive one judge and are ineligible for a presentation award.

Exceptions are as follows:

Undergraduate, community college, and postbaccalaureate students who were virtual presentation awardees are eligible to win a poster or oral in-person presentation award.
Undergraduate and community college students who won a poster presentation award and are accepted to present an oral presentation are eligible for an oral presentation award.
Previous poster awardees cannot receive a poster presentation award twice.

ePoster Presentations

Only community college, undergraduate and postbaccalaureate students who have not previously won a presentation award will receive three judges and be eligible for a virtual presentation award. Graduate students are not eligible for judging.

Please note that judging will occur asynchronously prior to the conference. Eligible students will receive written feedback from judges post-conference from the Judging Platform, RocketJudge.

Virtual presentation awardees will receive a different monetary prize from those who present in-person.

Statement on Use of AI in Abstract Submission

Students submitting an abstract to ABRCMS are required to disclose use of AI tools (e.g., for language editing, data analysis or content generation) within their abstract submission. Content completely generated by an AI tool without any significant human contribution is prohibited; however, AI tools can be used to improve the language, accessibility, or quality of human-generated text. All submitted abstracts must be original. Failure to abide by these rules will result in the abstract being rejected from the conference.

AI Prompt

Within the abstract submission, students will be required to indicate if they used AI, including if they used AI to enhance readability, proofread or as language assistance. If the student answers "yes", they must complete this prompt:

I used [name AI tool/service] to [reason/how you used tool]. After using this tool, I edited the text for accuracy. I take full responsibility for the content in this abstract.

For example, "I used ChatGPT to proofread my abstract for grammatical mistakes. After using ChatGPT, I edited the text for accuracy. I take full responsibility for the content in this abstract."

How to Submit an Abstract

1. Confirm your eligibility.

For ABRCMS 2026 (November 18–21)
To submit an abstract, you must satisfy the following two criteria:

As of November 18, you must be currently enrolled as one of the following:
- Community college student
- Undergraduate freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior
- Postbaccalaureate student
  - Must be enrolled in a formalized program
- Individual taking a gap-year
  - Must intend to apply to graduate school in the future
- Master’s level graduate student
- Doctoral level graduate student
Submit an abstract with research based in one of the 12 ABRCMS scientific disciplines

Important Information

Postbaccalaureate, master’s students and individuals taking a gap year are not eligible to submit abstracts for oral presentations. Previous oral presenters are not allowed to present an oral presentation again.
Senior-level graduate students who have previously presented an oral presentation as a graduate student are not eligible to present an oral presentation again.

2. Review the abstract components and rules.

Accepted abstracts (based on research that has been conducted) must contain:

At least two authors in the author block.
Hypothesis or statement about the problem under investigation.
Statement of the experimental methods/methodology used.
Essential results provided in summary form (even if preliminary).
Conclusion.

Abstracts missing any of the items above will be rejected. Abstracts must also be clearly written and free of multiple errors.

Additional Resources for Creating a Competitive Abstract

Sample Abstracts and Top Five Tips for Writing Your Abstract
Watch the ABRCMS webinar series, "Writing a Compelling Abstract"

Abstract Rules

Only one student, the individual listed first in the author block, can present the abstract. No group presentations are allowed.
You must obtain permission from your research mentor, co-authors, and program director(s) before submitting an abstract. They will receive a copy of the notification email by October 5 indicating the status of the abstract.
Only one abstract submission, poster, ePoster, or oral, per student is acceptable. If you are listed as the presenting author on more than one abstract, all abstracts associated with you will automatically be rejected.
If you submit an oral abstract and it is accepted into the conference, but is not selected for an oral presentation, you will automatically be assigned a poster presentation.
If you are working in the same lab as another abstract submitter, you must independently submit original abstracts. Identical abstracts submitted by different students will automatically be rejected.
Abstracts must be written by you and reviewed/edited by the mentor. Mentors should not write the abstract.
Citations, tables and keywords are not allowed in the abstract text and will be removed.
The character limit of the abstract is 2,500 (not including spaces).
Work must be proofread prior to submission. ABRCMS staff will not edit abstracts. Additionally, no co-authors can be added after the abstract submission deadline.
No late submissions will be accepted.
For this year’s conference, ABRCMS will allow abstracts that are not accepted to be revised and resubmitted one time.

3. See if you're eligible for an in-person Travel Award or virtual Registration Waiver.

4. Submit your abstract by 11:59 pm PT on September 11.

Next Steps

You will be notified by October 5, if your abstract is accepted. All abstract authors, including the research advisor/program director listed on your abstract, will receive notice of whether your abstract was accepted. Your co-authors and research advisor/program director will receive notification by October 5.

If your abstract is accepted, confirm your status by October 7. You MUST accept the invitation to present your abstract by October 7. Presentation date/time will not be provided until you have accepted.

All student presenters must register for the conference by November 2. If you do not register by November 2, you will be ineligible to present at the conference.

Submit an Abstract

Call for Abstracts

New for 2026

Important Dates

Contact Us

NEW Resource: Guide to Funding Your Trip to ABRCMS

Eligible Abstract Education Levels

Judging and Presentation Award Eligibility

Statement on Use of AI in Abstract Submission

How to Submit an Abstract

Next Steps

Sponsored and Managed By

CONTACT US

ABOUT ABRCMS

GET INVOLVED

ATTEND ABRCMS