1. Abstracts will not be accepted unless they are submitted online via the online abstract submission system before midnight (GMT) on the deadline date. Abstracts received after this date will NOT be accepted. Abstracts submitted by post, fax or email will NOT be considered.
2. All abstracts should be written, submitted and presented in English with a maximum word count of 300 words (not including the abstract title, authors and institutions).
3. Authors will be notified in writing as to whether or not their abstract has been accepted by the Abstract Review Committee. The decision of the committee is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
4. Once an abstract has been accepted, the presenting author must register for the congress for final acceptance. An abstract presenter may not register as a day delegate.
5. The abstracts of authors who do not register for the congress will be excluded from publication.
6. Instructions for presentations will be available on the congress website. Authors selected for oral presentations should use Microsoft PowerPoint only (PC format).
7. All correspondence will be sent to the submitting author only. It is the responsibility of the submitting author to forward any relevant correspondence to the presenting author.

1. Abstract submitters should ensure that the final version is submitted by the deadline; changes will not be permitted once the deadline has passed.
2. Institution information should be provided for all authors. Please include institution, city, state/ province and country but exclude department, division, laboratory, etc.
3. A topic category for each abstract must be selected during the submission process.
4. Abstracts should be structured in 4 sections as follows:

• • Purpose: Should indicate the objectives of the work being presented.
  • Method: Should describe study material or subjects (e.g. number and type of patients), intervention and evaluation procedures.
  • Results: Should summarize the main findings. Wherever possible, give numerical values, including means with SD or SEM, and statistical significance or confidence intervals.
  • Conclusion: Should state briefly the conclusions reached in the work.

5. Figures, tables and other illustrations may not be included.
6. If the work was supported by funds provided by a commercial organisation this should be stated in a short acknowledgment at the end of the abstract. Other sources of funding may be acknowledged in the same way.
7. Submission of multiple abstracts describing different components of the same study is not appropriate. All findings generated from the same study should be included in a single abstract.
8. Abstracts containing single case reports will not usually be accepted, unless the report is of outstanding scientific or clinical interest because of the uniqueness of the findings or the sophistication of the investigations.
9. Abstracts containing data considered to be insufficiently informative will not be accepted.
10. Authors should use a concise title that indicates the content of the abstract. Abbreviations should be avoided in the title.
11. For intervention studies (for example, therapeutic trials), type of design (prospective or retrospective, controlled or uncontrolled, randomized or observational, open vs. single-blind vs. double-blind), dosages, assessment methods and duration of follow-up should be specified.
12. Non-proprietary names of drugs must be used throughout. If results are considered to be specific for a given proprietary product (for example, bio-equivalence studies), the non-proprietary name must still be used, followed by the proprietary name and the name of the manufacturers in brackets.
13. Abbreviations should be used sparingly. For words that are abbreviated, use the whole term the first time, followed by the standard abbreviation in parenthesis.
14. References should be used sparingly. They should be included within the text in brackets. For journals, mention first author “et al”, followed by the name of the journal as abbreviated in the Index Medicus, year, volume number and inclusive pages (e.g. Hardus P et al. Epilepsia 2001;42:262-267.). For book chapters, give first author “et al”, editor, title, publisher, city of publication, year and inclusive pages (e.g. Levy RH et al. In: Levy RH et al, Antiepileptic Drugs. Lippincott-Raven, 1996;13-30.).

Submission of an abstract automatically implies acknowledgment that the work described was conducted in accordance with current ethical standards and regulations in biomedical research. Failure to adhere to these standards will result in rejection of the abstract.

Which reference number should I use when I send a query to the Secretariat?

The personal ID Reference Number that you received when you submitted your abstract should be mentioned in all correspondence.

I am not the first author; may I present the poster on behalf of my colleagues?

Presentation by a second author may be allowed. Once your registration has been completed, please contact aoec@epilepsycongress.org. Please note however that each author is permitted to present only once during the congress (not including invited lectures).

I am an invited speaker in the congress programme; do I need to submit an abstract?

Invited speakers are not required to submit abstracts to illustrate their talks.

I have been selected for a platform session but I would have preferred a poster presentation, what can I do?

During the abstract submission process you were asked if you would prefer poster or oral (platform) presentation, or if you do not have a preference.

The Abstract Review Committee (ARC) took this preference into account and did not select an abstract for platform presentation if the submitter indicated that s/he does not want a platform presentation.

However, if you indicated that you had no preference between poster and platform presentation, then the ARC has selected your work to be presented in a platform session because they felt that it was of high quality and that a large audience would be interested in knowing more about the study. It would be a shame not to use this opportunity to present your work! However if you are unable to make an oral presentation please contact the secretariat at aoec@epilepsycongress.org for alternative arrangements.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

How do I submit an abstract?

Abstracts will only be accepted for review if submitted via the congress abstract submission system which will open shortly.

Can I make changes to my abstract after submission?

You may make changes to your submitted abstract until the official submission deadline.

Once the abstract submission deadline has passed, changes are not permitted unless they relate to the results of the study. In this case only, please contact aoec@epilepsycongress.org.

Can I submit an abstract after the deadline?

Abstracts will not be accepted for review after the deadline. Please contact aoec@epilepsycongress.org with any queries.

Can an Encore Abstract be submitted?

Yes an encore abstract may be submitted, provided that there is no copyright issue with the original publisher.

What is the abstract word count?

The maximum word count is 300. 

ABSTRACT ACCEPTANCE

When will I know if my abstract has been accepted?

Authors will be notified of the outcome of the abstract review once completed.

How will I receive the information from the Secretariat?

Contact details provided at the time of submission will be used for all correspondence related to the congress. Please ensure that the correct details are entered.

All correspondence will be sent to the submitting author only. It is the responsibility of the submitting author to forward any relevant correspondence to the presenting author, if different, and any co-authors.

How will my abstract be presented at the congress?

Authors of abstracts which have been accepted for presentation will receive all details by email using the contact details provided at the time of submission.

My colleague has received confirmation of their abstract acceptance and I did not, is there something wrong?

Please contact aoec@epilepsycongress.org.

1. Adult Epileptology
2. Autoimmune Neurological Disorders and Epilepsy
3. Basic Science
4. Climate Change
5. Clinical Neurophysiology
6. Drug Therapy
7. Epidemiology
8. Epilepsy and Comorbidities
9. Epilepsy and Reproductive Health
10. Epilepsy Infection and Inflammation
11. Epilepsy in Older People
12. Epilepsy in Resource-restricted Settings
13. Epilepsy Surgery
14. Epileptic Encephalopathies
15. Genetics
16. Neuroimaging
17. Neuropsychology
18. Neurostimulation
19. Paediatric Epileptology
20. Psychiatry
21. Social Issues/Nursing
22. Status Epilepticus
23. Systemic Diseases and Epilepsy
24. Terminology and Classification

Bursary Information

In order to encourage young researchers to participate in the congress, bursaries will be awarded to a number of applicants who have submitted an abstract to the congress that stands out for its scientific quality.

Bursary awards assist awardees with costs in order to attend the congress.

Applications for bursaries will only be accepted from those who also submit an abstract and application is made via the abstract submission system.

Please contact the ILAE Secretariat at aoec@epilepsycongress.org with any queries.

REQUIREMENTS AND CONDITIONS

• Applications for bursaries will only be accepted via the online abstract submission system for the congress.
• The applicant must submit an abstract and receive a score higher than 3.5 out of 5.
• At the time of application, the applicant must be 45 years of age or under. A copy of the applicant’s passport/ID document must be included with the application to verify date of birth.
• The applicant must submit a short statement explaining why attendance at the congress would be particularly relevant to his/her present appointment or activity in the field of epilepsy, making sure to indicate the reason he/she requires funding to attend the congress and why he/she feels the application should be considered.
• The applicant must submit a signed reference from a person supporting his/her application (e.g. local ILAE Chapter representative, Head of Department of hospital or institution, etc.).
• The applicant must declare if he/she has sourced any other funding to attend the congress and disclose the nature of the funding.

GUIDELINES FOR ORAL PRESENTATIONS IN PLATFORM SESSIONS 
 

Preparing your Presentation  

1. Presentations must be given in English, the official language of the congress. No translation will be available.   
2. The assigned time for each platform presentation is 8 minutes, followed by questions and answers for up to 2 minutes. Please be certain that the length of the oral presentation remains within the allotted time, as session chairs will be instructed to terminate presentations which exceed their time. 
3. Presentations should be planned carefully, and each phase of the lecture should be co-ordinated to match the PowerPoint presentation.   
4. A maximum of 10 slides can be presented including introduction and closing slides. 
5. Remember, the three rules of effective presentation are:   
1. Introduce your topic and inform your audience about what you intend to speak. 
2. Deliver your talk, including the methods, results and conclusions.  
3. Summarise the most important points of your lecture for the audience.   
6. On arrival at the congress venue, please go to the Speakers’ Room to check in and save your presentation on the network. We recommend that you go to the Speakers’ Room the day before your presentation. Please note that all presentations must be placed on the network at least 3 hours before the session.   
7. Format and saving method for PowerPoint documents:   
1. Only MS-PowerPoint (*.ppt) presentations with video formats will be accepted.   
2. Please verify that the size of your slides is adapted to projection ratio of 16:9.   
3. Please save fonts used in your document.   
4. If your presentation uses digital video file (files .mpg or .avi), check that they are saved in the same directory as your PowerPoint file and adapt the link if necessary.   
8. Media to use to provide your presentation:   
1. Please bring a USB memory stick (flash drive) for PC.   
2. If you wish to compress your files, use Winzip.   
3. We strongly recommend that you bring a copy of your presentation on a USB memory stick (flash drive), even if your presentation exists on your laptop.   
9. The use of your files:   
1. Your original media used in the Speakers’ Room are immediately returned to you.  
2. A single file with your presentation is created on the server; no copy is made except for technical back-ups.   
10. Please make sure that you arrive in the session room at least 10 minutes before the start of the session in order to meet the Co-chairs. 
11. If your presentation uses digital video files, bring your videos to the Speakers’ Room on DVD or USB drive and please ensure that you leave adequate time ahead of your session to discuss and confirm with the technicians that the files are in working order. MPG (MPEG), WMV or AVI are the only acceptable video formats. 
12. If you use hyperlinks to websites in your presentation, please download the website to your USB drive. Try to avoid too many different folders on the medium. 
13. Special notes for Apple users:  
1. Please give your filename an extension “.PPT”.  
2. Try out your presentation on a PC before bringing it to the congress.  
3. Use a common font, such as Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana, etc. (special fonts might be changed to a default font on a Windows PC).  
14. Do not use timer-controlled transitions (transitions that switch to the next slide after a pre-set amount of time).  
15. In presentation mode, your text should be large enough to be easily readable. The slides should not include multiple rows of text in small font.  
16. Media to use to provide your presentation: 
1. Please bring a USB memory stick (flash drive) for PC.   
2. If you wish to compress your files, use Winzip.   
3. We strongly recommend that you bring a copy of your presentation on a USB memory stick (flash drive), even if your presentation exists on your laptop. 

Speakers’ Room  

1. You must go to the Speakers’ Room to check in and save your presentation on the network. 
2. It is recommended to go to the Speakers’ Room the day before your presentation. Please note that all presentations must be placed on the network at least 3 hours before the session. Speakers at early morning sessions are required to submit their material no later than 17:00 on the evening before their session is scheduled. 
3. Computers are available in the Speakers’ Room for any last-minute changes and to review presentations. Presentations may not be edited in the session room. 
4. In the Speakers’ Room, a technician helps you to transfer your presentation onto the network and then performs a quick run-through with you to check that the presentation runs correctly.  

Your Presentation  

1. Your presentation can only be a maximum of 10 slides, including introduction and closing slides. 
2. Please make sure to arrive in the session room at least 10 minutes before the start of the session to meet the Chair(s) and to discuss general session arrangements. Session Chairs have been encouraged to contact speakers prior to the congress to prepare their sessions and to request a short bio from each speaker. 
3. Remember, the three rules of effective presentation are:  
1. Introduce your topic and inform your audience about what your intended topic. 
2. Deliver your talk, including the methods, results and conclusions.  
3. Summarise the most important points of your lecture for the audience. 
4. Please explain any acronyms used in your presentation as well as your visuals for the benefit of all attendees.  
5. To avoid breaks between speakers, presentations from speakers’ own laptops are not permitted in session rooms.   

If you have any questions on your platform presentation, please contact aoec@epilepsycongress.org

Poster Presentations at AOEC 2025

• Each poster will be available to view for 2 days of the congress: Friday, 21 February and Saturday, 22 February.
• Each poster presenter must be available to answer questions at their poster during the lunch period (13:00-14:00).
• Poster boards are portrait in orientation and the maximum poster size is 100cm wide x 250cm high. There will not be printing facilities at the congress, please pre-print in advance.
• No equipment for displaying video content will be provided or available.
• Posters can be put up on Friday, 21 February between 08:00-09:15.
• The poster must be removed between 18:00-19:00 on Saturday, 22 February. The congress does not take any responsibility for unclaimed posters. All unclaimed posters will be disposed of.

Registration – action needed:

• The presenting author must register for the congress to finalise the acceptance of the abstract and to ensure publication of the abstract in the congress proceedings.
• Non-registered authors will be removed and excluded from publication. 
• Please note that the Congress is in-person only and no online participation is available.
• Click here to register for the congress. Early bird discounted registration fees are available only until 6 November 2024. After this date the price will increase.
• If you applied for a bursary you will be notified of this separately in due course.

IF YOU DO NOT REGISTER FOR THE CONGRESS BEFORE 6 NOVEMBER 2024, YOUR ABSTRACT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE WITHDRAWN FROM THE CONGRESS AND WILL NOT BE PUBLISHED IN THE ABSTRACT BOOK.