Abstract Submission Rules 

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). Abstracts received in any other language will not be accepted.  
3. Authors will be notified in writing as to whether their abstract has been accepted by the Abstract Review Committee or not. 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, by the deadline date: 02 May 2025 
5. Presenting authors are asked to register using the same email address used in association with the abstract so that our abstract platform can recognise you as registered as to not receive any inaccurate registration reminders. 
6. Abstracts accepted and presented at the congress will be listed on the congress website. Subject to editorial review, abstracts may be published in a supplement to Epilepsia. 
7. Presenting authors who do not register for the congress will have their abstracts excluded from the congress programme and publication. 
8. Instructions for both platform and poster presentations will be available on the congress website. Authors selected for oral presentations should use Microsoft PowerPoint only (PC format). 
9. 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. 

Abstract Content Rules 

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: 
   1. Purpose: Should indicate the objectives of the work being presented. 
   2. Method: Should describe study material or subjects (e.g. number and type of patients), intervention and evaluation procedures. 
   3. Results: Should summarize the main findings. Wherever possible, give numerical values, including means with SD or SEM, and statistical significance or confidence intervals. 
5. Conclusion: Should state briefly the conclusions reached in the work. 
6. Figures, tables and other illustrations may not be included. 
7. 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. 
8. 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. 
9. 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. 
10. Abstracts containing data considered to be insufficiently informative will not be accepted. 
11. Authors should use a concise title that indicates the content of the abstract. Abbreviations should be avoided in the title. 
12. 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. 
13. 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. 
14. Abbreviations should be used sparingly. For words that are abbreviated, use the whole term the first time, followed by the standard abbreviation in parenthesis. 
15. 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.). 
16. 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. 

Wiley offers some guidelines on how to “Prepare your Manuscript” which you can find here - Preparing Your Manuscript | Wiley 

Wiley also offers a free service to check the quality of the language in your Manuscript which you can find here -  

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 a contribution towards costs in order to attend the congress. Please note this is a limited fund and may not cover all costs incurred in travelling to the congress.  

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

Please contact the ILAE Secretariat at bursary@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. 

The ILAE Mentor-Mentee Programme involves the allocation of a mentor to a trainee. 

Applications for the Mentor-Mentee Programme are only available through the congress abstract submission system. Applicants must submit an abstract to the congress in order to be eligible to apply for the programme. 

If selected, the trainee will be allocated a mentor - an experienced individual in the research/clinical area in which the trainee demonstrates an interest. They will have the opportunity to meet with their mentor, as well as to listen to other individuals established in their careers in different regions of the world. The mentor will arrange to attend the trainee’s presentation/poster and offer further consultation. 

Participants in the ILAE Mentor-Mentee Programme do not receive any support to attend the congress.
Attendance at an in-person kick-off meeting the evening prior to the congress is required for participation.

*Please note that applicants must submit an abstract to the congress in order to be eligible to apply for the programme. 

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

CRITERIA & SELECTION 

• Applications for the ILAE Mentor-Mentee Programme will only be accepted via the online abstract submission system for the congress. 
• At the time of application, the applicant must be aged 40 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. 
• At time of application, the applicant must be a trainee:
  for MDs: within 2 years of start of fellowship
  for non-MDs: being enrolled in a graduate student programme (Masters or PhD) 
• The applicant must submit a signed letter from a supervisor indicating the applicant fulfils the criteria, including that the work in the abstract submitted is mostly the work of the applicant. 

The Harinarayan Young Neuroscientist Award of the ILAE Neurobiology Commission is designed to reward young basic science investigators (within 10 years of completing PhD or MD training) who submit an abstract to the International Epilepsy Congress. 

The Award is generously supported by a donation of the Harinarayan Family. Candidates are selected by the members of the ILAE Neurobiology Commission. The Prize will be acknowledged during the Welcome Ceremony and will be awarded during the Neurobiology Symposium. 

Applications will only be accepted from those who also submit an abstract.    

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

REQUIREMENTS AND CONDITIONS    

• Applications the Harinarayan Award 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. 
• 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 be within 10 years of completing their PhD or MD training. 
• The applicant must submit their Biosketch, including publications. 
•  The applicant must submit a letter from a department director or chair confirming your eligibility for the award.