Call for Abstracts

October 3, 2022: All abstracts must be submitted via this webform before 13:00 ET on October 3, 2022. Late submissions will not be accepted.  Conference registration ($25 early bird price, $50 regular price) is a prerequisite for participating in Research Presentation Day. Registration will open on November 4, 2022. 
All those who submit an abstract should set aside time in their calendars for possible selection for a speaking spot at the Keynote & Symposia held on February 15 or 16, 11:40-16:30 ET

October 19, 2022: Authors will receive notification of the decisions made by the CARC Scientific Committee via imha-iala@cihr-irsc.gc.ca. These include all authors selected for the Research Presentation Days and the top 8 ranked authors for Keynote & Symposia days (see Prizes section below). 

Tues. January 31, Mon. February 6, and Tues. February 14, 2023 - Research Presentation Days: The Research Presentation Days are a series of pre-conference events to facilitate networking among the arthritis community and highlight research-focused presentations. Speakers will present a seven-minute oral presentation of their work via Zoom webinar. This will be followed by a two-minute Q&A period.  

February 15 & 16, 2023 – Keynote & Symposia: The top 8 ranked abstract authors will be invited to speak during the ‘Best Research Presentation’ sessions. These symposia sessions will be held in addition to the invited Keynote & Symposia speakers at the two-day main event. 

We will be holding our annual Research Presentation Days on Tues. January 31, Mon. February 6, and Tues. February 14, 2023.

The Research Presentation Days are a series of pre-conference events to facilitate networking among the arthritis community and highlight research-focused presentations. Speakers will present a seven-minute oral presentation of their work via Zoom webinar. This will be followed by a two-minute Q&A period. If selected, you will only be invited to speak on one of these days. In anticipation of these pre-conference events, please hold all three dates in your calendar until you are notified of your exact time slot. 

Your presentation will be attended by members of the Scientific Committee depending on their availability along with other audience members. This is an opportunity to share your research with the wider arthritis community and gain valuable feedback/input from the Scientific Committee.

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, and consumers/patient partners that relate to the conference theme of Arthritis Across the Lifespan.

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

Update September 28: Abstracts can now be submitted to both the 2023 CRA/AHPA Annual Scientific Meeting and CARC 2023. Presentations can be made at both conferences, if applicable (Research Presentation Days or Keynote and Symposia Days). 

Reviewers are asked to use the following criteria, as appropriate, for the abstracts they evaluate. Note that not all criteria will apply equally well to each abstract.

1. Is the question or issue clearly stated?

2. Is the significance of the work clearly stated? Is relevant previous work appropriately cited?

3. If relevant, are the method, data collection, and analysis procedures well-designed and appropriate to the question addressed?

4. Is the conceptual framework coherent? If relevant, is the theoretical analysis well-argued?

5. Is the work original? Does it present new data (if relevant)?

6. Is the work completed, or does it show very strong promise of being completed in time for the conference?

7. Are the conclusions justified in relation to the data and/or analyses?

8. Is the abstract written clearly and organized well?

9. Is the topic of scientific, methodological or theoretical importance?

10. Is the topic timely in terms of current issues of interest in the field?

11. Is the topic likely to be of interest to a reasonable number of attendees?

12. Does the abstract address or include sex or gender-based analyses, and/or issues related to health equity (i.e., consideration of marginalized populations)?

13. Is the plain language summary an accurate and accessible summary of the project?

The top 8 ranked abstract authors will be selected to present at the keynote and symposia on February 15-16, 2023 (11:40 -16:30 ET) and be awarded a monetary prize. Evaluation criteria will be provided to all participants. The Scientific Committee aims to feature at least 50% trainee presentations from undergraduate, master’s students, and Ph.D. candidates. All winners will be expected to deliver a ten-minute presentation followed by a five-minute Q&A period.

All submissions must include:

• A scholarly abstract of no more than 400 words in English or 500 words in French 
• A title 
• A plain language summary (this does not contribute to the word count) - for tips on creating plain language summaries, please see this helpful overview.
• 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/Aim
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion/Conclusion
• Funding acknowledgment (this does not contribute to the word count)
• Disclosures/Declarations of interest (this does not contribute to the word count; see Disclosures section below)

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

A disclosures slide should be included in your presentation and may follow the recommended format: "Disclosures: None" or "Disclosures: The author(s) disclose a relationship with..."