Conference abstract submission workflow

The scientific committee wants abstracts in by a date, and the secretariat has to run the process without making decisions that are not theirs.

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The short answer

An abstract workflow has eight administrative stages: call, submission, acknowledgement, checks, assignment to reviewers, decision recording, notification and programme handover. The secretariat or planner coordinates each stage.

The scientific or programme committee owns every decision about content, scoring, acceptance and format. Any accreditation or credit question belongs to the accrediting body and the committee, and the planner records the answer, not the decision.

Settle the rules before the call opens

Ask the committee to write down, before the call goes out: topics, abstract length and structure, accepted formats, submission and notification dates, how many abstracts one person may submit, and how decisions are made. The secretariat publishes exactly that wording.

Rules published in the call are the rules. Changing them after submissions open needs a committee decision, recorded and communicated to everyone who has submitted.

The eight stages and who owns each

Stage	Administrative task	Owner of the decision
1. Call	Publish rules, dates and contact route	Committee approves wording
2. Submission	Collect abstracts through the agreed route, one record per abstract	Secretariat runs it
3. Acknowledgement	Confirm receipt with a reference number and what happens next	Secretariat
4. Checks	Check completeness against the published rules: fields, length, author details	Secretariat flags, committee decides on exceptions
5. Assignment	Send abstracts to reviewers following the committee's assignment rule and conflict list (see conflicts of interest in review)	Committee chair or delegate
6. Decision	Record each decision exactly as the committee gives it	Scientific or programme committee
7. Notification	Send decisions with the committee-approved text and next steps	Committee approves text, secretariat sends
8. Programme handover	Pass accepted abstracts to scheduling (see abstracts and programme scheduling)	Committee decides placement

What the secretariat should not decide

Whether an abstract is good enough, relevant or original.
Which session type or presentation format an abstract receives, unless the committee has delegated it in writing.
Whether a late abstract is accepted, unless the committee has set a rule.
Whether any session or the conference carries professional credit. That is for the responsible body, and the committee passes on its answer. See accreditation evidence checklist.
Whether a reviewer has a conflict of interest.

Keep the record usable

Give every abstract a reference number at submission and keep it for the life of the conference.
Keep one record per abstract with status, version, author contact, reviewer assignment and decision.
Log every change after submission, such as author corrections, withdrawals or title changes, and who approved it.
Keep reviewers' comments with the committee. The secretariat sends what the committee approves.
Check the materials against the materials and translation-version checker once abstracts become session materials, and plan rooms with the multi-room allocation checker.

Worked example · Fictional example

A medical-technology society plans its abstract process for a two-day meeting

Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.

A fictional society expects about 160 abstracts for a two-day scientific meeting. The scientific committee agrees topics, a word limit, three presentation formats and reviewer assignment rules, and approves the call text.

The secretariat runs submission through an online form, sends acknowledgements with reference numbers, flags 14 abstracts that exceed the limit, and asks the committee how to handle them. The committee chair decides to return them to authors once. The secretariat records the decision and sends the committee's wording.

Use this yourself

Abstract workflow and boundary map

Copy this and complete it with the committee before the call opens.

Call wording approved by committee (name, date):
Topics, length, structure and formats set by the committee:
Submission route and dates (open, close, late-submission rule set by committee):
Acknowledgement text and reference number format:
Completeness checks the secretariat will run:
Exceptions rule: who decides, and how it is recorded:
Reviewer assignment rule and conflict list owner:
Decision record format, held by:
Notification text approved by (name, date):
Programme handover: who decides placement, when records are passed:
Accreditation or credit question owner and who will confirm the answer:
Change log: who may approve changes after submission:

Open the tool: Conference materials and translation-version checker

Handle it in-house, or bring in help?

Your team can usually handle this when

The committee has agreed rules and a chair who decides promptly.
You use an abstract system you already know.
Volumes are manageable by one coordinator.

Outside planning help earns its fee when

The committee, secretariat and sponsors each give instructions about abstracts.
Volumes are large and multiple rooms, languages or formats are involved.
Decisions, versions and handover to programme scheduling keep getting lost.

Need the abstract process coordinated alongside the rest of the conference?

A conference project lead can coordinate the administrative workflow, keep the decision log, chase the committee for the decisions that are theirs, and manage handovers to the programme and supplier teams. The scientific content, review and any accreditation questions stay with your committees and the responsible body.

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Questions organisers ask

Who should publish the call for abstracts?

The secretariat publishes, but the committee approves the wording. Keep the approved text and date so any later change can be traced.

Can the secretariat accept late abstracts?

Only if the committee has set a rule for it. Otherwise ask the committee chair and record the decision.

Do we need to promise professional credit in the call?

Do not state it unless the responsible body has confirmed it in writing. Ask the committee and the body what can be said, and use that wording.

What system should we use to collect abstracts?

Any system that gives each abstract a reference, records versions and exports decisions will do. Choose it with the committee, and test it as described in link and registration testing.

Related resources

Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.