Canadian Arthritis Research Conference: Research with Impact

October 4, 2021: All abstracts (for both oral presentations and posters) must be submitted via this webform before 13:00 ET on October 4, 2021. Late submissions will not be accepted. Authors will receive an email confirming the receipt of their submission. Conference registration ($25 early bird, $50 late registration) is a pre-requisite for participating in Research Presentation Day and CARC Poster Session. Registration will open in November 2021.  

October 18, 2021: Authors will receive decision emails from the CARC Scientific Committee via imha-iala@cihr-irsc.gc.ca. All those who choose to present at the research presentation day on January 31, 2021 should also set aside time in their calendars for possible selection for a CARC presentation on February 7-8, 11:40 -16:30 ET.

January 31, 2022 - Research Presentation Day: Speakers will present a seven-minute oral presentation of their work via Zoom webinar. There will be a two-minute Q&A period.  The top 12 ranked presenters, as determined by the Scientific Committee, will be invited to present in the CARC keynote and symposia days on February 7 and 8, 2022 (11:40 -16:30 ET), and be awarded a monetary prize. Evaluation criteria will be provided to all participants.

February 7 & 8 – Keynote & Symposia. Selected speakers (as chosen through the Research Presentation Day) will be invited to speak at the two-day event. These virtual events will feature a range of presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities with experts, researchers, consumers and emerging leaders in the field of arthritis. Poster session participants will have the opportunity to present their research at selected times and discuss with leading experts in the field.

CARC aims to implement and champion principles of equity, diversity and inclusion, and foster Indigenous rights, within our scientific content and selection criteria. CARC welcomes a diverse community to submit abstracts/symposia and attend our conference, including people from communities that have historically been marginalized and underrepresented. We will keep a particular focus on patients, Indigenous peoples, and other health consumers. We encourage submissions that address or discuss concepts relevant to the arthritis community and equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous rights.

We welcome submissions from participants of all career stages, including but not limited to, faculty members, research associates, clinicians, all levels of trainees, and students. Consumers/patient partners are also encouraged to submit.

We encourage biomedical, clinical, health systems and population health research in the broad field area of arthritis.

Please note that abstracts that have been submitted to the 2022 Canadian Rheumatology Association and Arthritis Health Professionals Association Annual Scientific Meeting are not eligible for submission at CARC 2022 (keynote and symposia, and research presentation day).

The top 12 ranked presenters from the Research Presentation Day will be selected to present at the keynote and symposia on February 7-8, 2022. The scientific committee aims to feature at least 50% trainee presentations from undergraduate, master’s students, and PhD candidates. All winners will be expected to deliver a ten-minute presentation followed by a five-minute Q&A period. Please note that the time limit allotted for Feb 7-8 presentations is longer than Research Presentation Day.

All submissions must include:

• A scholarly abstract of no more than 400 words in English or 500 words in French  
• A title
• A list of all authors using their full names and including their current email address
• Institution affiliations where applicable and ‘N/A’ for authors based outside institutions
• Disclosure of any conflicts of interest (also called ‘competing interests’. If none, write “N/A”)
• Note: All accepted abstracts will be made available to conference attendees. They will also be posted on the CARC website.  

We recommend you use the following subheadings: [not obligatory]

• Background/Aims
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion/Conclusion
• Take home message (one line)
• Funding acknowledgement (this does not contribute to the word count)
• Declaration of interest (this does not contribute to the word count)

Poster Details

For this virtual conference, posters must fit onto a PDF page. Specific details will be shared in the email that will be sent to successful applicants on October 18.

The link to an infographic below aims to give you a basic understanding of the concept of abstracts, how they relate to conferences, and how they are usually structured. Our hope is that this information helps you develop and submit your own abstract to the CARC conference. Abstracts are open to anyone who wishes to submit one.

Abstract Basics

The Basics about Conference (and Other) Abstracts  

If you’re a patient partner, the concept of a conference abstract might be new. Here we’ve put together a basic overview of what an abstract is, its purpose, and the typical parts to help you co-create or write and submit an abstract. This was developed with input from a number of people who are acknowledged below. 

Conferences provide instructions about the abstract format or there is an online submission form with instructions. A typical abstract format with basic parts (may depend on the conference) is shown below. 

Share your draft abstract with co-authors for their input and to declare their conflicts - well in advance of the deadline. Provide a copy of the submitted abstract to your co-authors for their files. 

The conference organizers might give you an idea of when to expect a decision on your abstract. 

Good luck with your abstract! We hope you have found this to be helpful and informative! 

What is an ‘abstract’ is and its purpose? 

• A brief summary of research or work you have done or will do before a conference to present at a conference (the work doesn’t have to be completed yet(!), but the goal is for it to be done by the conference).  
• Submitted to conference organizers a few months before a conference to ‘apply’ to present your research at a conference.  
• Typical presentation types you can request: 
  • Poster: Develop a poster of your research and present it; you are given a time to present and answer questions about your poster (in person or virtual conference) 
  • Oral: Present on your own, with a co-author, or as part of a panel about a similar topic; length of time can vary  
  • Workshop – Host a workshop, often with others. 
• The abstract is ‘reviewed’ by a committee. If accepted, you will be told the presentation type you are invited to give based on your preference when you applied.  
• Anyone can write an abstract. Patient partners often help prepare the abstract or may write and submit one on their own. 
• A way to share knowledge. The abstract is often part of an ‘abstract book’ given to conference attendees or in a journal that accompanies the conference. 

Parts of an Abstract 

• Title of your presentation 
• Authors. Contributors to the work and their affiliations (often ordered from who contributed the most to the least). Patient partners may or may not have an affiliation – hopefully the submission allows for flexibility. A ‘presenting author’ is the person who will present the work if accepted.  
• The main body. Instructions about sections or headings, word count, and anything else required. Generally, the main parts are: 
  • ​The goal or objective. Why you did the research and what you hoped to accomplish 
  • A bit of background. Why the goal is important (e.g. an area that patients have indicated is an unmet need). 
  • How the research was done or methods and approaches. For example, was there a review of the scientific literature or current knowledge? Was a survey done (and if so, how many people responded?)? Were there focus groups? Were patient partners part of the team, and if so, how were they involved? 
  • Results and discussion. Highlights of the findings and why you found them interesting or maybe the findings weren’t what you expected and you can share those and your thoughts. 
  • Conclusion or summary. The ‘takeaway’ or one or two things that you found and want people to remember. 
• Potential conflicts of interest. Any relationships that may be perceived to influence the research and important for transparency (e.g. employment, a consultancy, being provided an honorarium, relationships with for profit companies, etc.).  

Information Credit: The aforementioned information to help patient partners was put together through a crowdsourcing call put out by Dr. Dawn Richards through her Twitter handle @TO_dpr. The call was open to anyone to provide input.

Thank you for your input: Brenda Andreas, Mary Brachaniec, Rachel Cooper, Jennifer Daly-Cyr, Trudy Flynn, Erin Gilmer, Kathy Kastner, Delane Linkiewich, Laurie Proulx, Zal Press, Maureen Smith, Linda Wilhelm, and Andy Wong.

Authors are responsible for reporting any real or perceived competing interests. A brief disclosure and Declaration of Interests statement must be part of the submitted abstract. Any potential for financial gain that may be derived from reported work may constitute a possible competing interest. Disclosure is required in any case in which an individual or company stands to benefit financially from research performed. Therefore, each author must indicate any benefit to an individual or company that may potentially lead to financial reward.

A “financial interest” may include but is not limited to:

• being a shareholder
• receiving research funding or other support
• receiving fees or other benefits for any role (including speaking at CPD activities)
• being a paid employee or consultant

An “affiliation” may include but is not limited to:

• holding a position in the organization
• sitting on an advisory committee
• playing some other role of benefit to the organization

Disclosures should appear on the bottom left corner of the poster and may follow the recommended format: "Disclosures: None" or "Disclosures: The author(s) disclose a relationship with..."