REGULATIONS

ABSTRACTS

REGULATIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC PAPERS

21st National Congress of Oncology, Coimbra, 13-15 November 2024

Before submitting a scientific paper, we suggest that you carefully read the following regulations.


1. SUBMISSION PROCEDURE


SUBMISSION PERIOD FOR PAPERS: FROM 24 JUNE 2024 UNTIL 23:59 ON 30 SEPTEMBER 2024.

Papers must be submitted exclusively online through the website cno.sponcologia.pt, requiring the creation of a user account in the “Submission of Papers” section. Accessed by password, account management is the sole responsibility of the applicant. In this reserved area, submission is done by completing an online data form.

Changes can be made as needed until the deadline for paper acceptance, on 30 September 2024 at 23:59, provided that the paper is submitted on the abstracts platform as a draft.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • Once the paper is saved as “final version”, no further changes can be made.
  • Remember that for your paper to be evaluated, it must be submitted as “final version” on the papers platform.
  • For submission purposes, the author must seal the abstract(s) by saving them as “final version”. Only properly sealed papers will be considered for evaluation.
  • Upon validation of the submission, authors authorise the abstract of their paper to be published in the Portuguese Journal of Oncology if accepted.

2. CANDIDATE REGISTRATION


Acceptance of submitted papers will be communicated by email from 23 October 2024 and implies the subsequent registration of the first author or the author responsible for the presentation by the registration deadline of 31 October 2024, via the online system.

Candidates who benefit from Educational Grants SPO will be automatically registered for the Congress. Educational Grants are available to applicants who are trainees and young specialists (< 40 years) in the fields of Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Radiotherapy, Medical Imaging, and Pathology. Applications will be open until 30 September 2024.

Interested candidates should consult the relevant regulations.


3. PREPARATION OF ABSTRACTS


Abstracts must be submitted in both Portuguese and English and should be structured into 7 sections, with each language not exceeding 300 words in total and not more than 10 authors.

  • Title
  • Introduction: Clearly state the rationale of the work.
  • Objectives: Briefly describe the main objectives.
  • Methods: Brief description of the methodology used, including inclusion criteria for the assessed population and statistical analysis.
  • Results: Summary of the main results obtained.
  • Conclusion/Discussion: Short paragraph with the main conclusions, including possible future research directions.
  • Keywords: Limited to 4-6 words.

NOTE: FOR MULTICENTRE STUDIES, THE PLATFORM ALLOWS FOR UP TO 15 AUTHORS.

Note: In addition to these mandatory sections, you may submit 1 image, such as: a diagram explaining the methodology, a table with aggregated results, or a graph (formats supported and size indicated on the platform).

CLINICAL CASES

Clinical Cases should be structured into 4 sections:

  • Title
  • Introduction
  • Clinical Case
  • Conclusion

They must be submitted in both Portuguese and English and should not exceed 250 words in each language, with no more than 5 authors.

Note that clinical case abstracts will not be eligible for oral communications, only for presentation in e-poster format and respective award.

ENCORE ABSTRACTS

Encore Abstracts refer to papers presented at other events organised by the pharmaceutical industry. Submission for evaluation of Encore abstracts at the 21st National Congress of Oncology is permitted under the following conditions:

  • The promoter cannot submit the abstract; it must be submitted by one of the authors of the original work;
  • At the time of submission, the ENCORE option must be explicitly selected;
  • Information must be provided regarding the study registration number (EUDRACT), sponsor information, and disclosure of previous presentation (original);
  • If accepted for presentation at the Congress, it will be eligible only for Poster presentation;
  • It cannot receive any awards.

4. SELECTION OF PAPERS AND EVALUATION COMMITTEE


4.1 The judging panels for the papers are appointed by the Organising Committee of the 21st National Congress of Oncology, which will evaluate them according to criteria applicable to all categories. Each category has an evaluation committee that will select up to 3 of the best abstracts per category for oral communication awards, which will be presented in dedicated sessions identified in the programme of the 21st National Congress of Oncology.

4.2 Submitted abstracts will be sent to the judges for blind evaluation. In this regard, papers will be excluded under the following conditions:

  • Inclusion of references – Papers should not identify the authors and/or the institution/hospital;
  • Quality of the work – All papers that do not meet the quality standards will be excluded from presentation (oral communication or e-poster) and/or awards.

4.3 The judges' decisions are final, and there will be no possibility of appeal or exceptional requests.

The available categories that you should select at the time of submission are:

ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
  • Head and Neck Cancer
  • Digestive Cancer
  • Gynaecological Cancer
  • Breast Cancer
  • Urological Cancer
  • Lung Cancer
  • CNS Tumours
  • Skin Tumours
  • Endocrine Tumours
  • Sarcomas
  • Geriatric Oncology
  • Others
  • Nursing

E-POSTERS
  • Head and Neck Cancer
  • Digestive Cancer
  • Gynaecological Cancer
  • Breast Cancer
  • Urological Cancer
  • Lung Cancer
  • CNS Tumours
  • Skin Tumours
  • Endocrine Tumours
  • Sarcomas
  • Geriatric Oncology
  • Clinical Cases
  • Others
  • Nursing

5. E-POSTER PRESENTATION


E-posters are to be displayed in the event area from 13 to 15 November 2024, corresponding to the duration of the 21st National Congress of Oncology.

SUBMISSION OF E-POSTERS:
  • Must be done through the Congress website platform:
  • Must include the title of the paper and the code assigned at the time of submission;
  • The paper should be submitted in PDF format, and the file name should be the same as the title of the paper;
  • Submission of e-posters must be completed by 23:59 on 7 November 2024, adhering to the specifications (dimensions and format) identified on the platform.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

E-posters submitted after the specified date will not be considered. E-posters will be organised according to their category and will be visited and evaluated by the evaluation committee of the respective category, with no defence of the e-poster expected. Inclusion of the e-poster in the National Congress of Oncology requires the subsequent registration of the first author or the author responsible for the paper by the registration deadline of 31 October 2024.


6. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS


The judges will select the best papers for each Oral Communication session, respecting the distribution by categories. Oral presentations will take place on 13, 14, and 15 November 2024 in Room C, with the schedule to be announced later.

SUBMISSION OF COMMUNICATIONS:
  • Must be submitted in digital format via the Congress website platform by 23:59 on 7 November 2024;
  • The paper should be submitted in PPT format, and the file name should be the same as the title of the paper;
  • Authors should prepare their presentation for 7 minutes, followed by a 3-minute discussion period;
  • Presentations should be prepared using the PowerPoint template sent in the contact email from the organisers;

IMPORTANT NOTES: PRESENTATIONS SUBMITTED AFTER THIS DATE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. AFTER THE SUBMISSION DATE, NO NEW VERSIONS OR CONTENT CHANGES WILL BE ACCEPTED.

7. INCENTIVES AND AWARDS


Distinctions will be awarded for each category at the end of the Congress. A monetary prize and a winner’s diploma will be awarded to the paper with the highest score in the oral communication or e-poster presentation in each area. The authors of the Best Papers will be invited at a later date to publish the full article in the Portuguese Journal of Oncology. The first authors of other oral communications will receive a diploma of oral communication presentation and will be offered registration for the 2025 National Congress of Oncology. Prizes cannot be combined.


8. AWARDS BY CATEGORY:


ORAL COMMUNICATIONS

A prize of 1000 euros will be awarded to the best communication in each category.

E-POSTERS

A prize of 500 euros will be awarded to the best communication in each category.

NOTE: PRIZES MUST BE CLAIMED WITHIN 90 DAYS AFTER THE CLOSING SESSION OF THE 21ST NATIONAL CONGRESS OF ONCOLOGY.

Any questions remaining after reading these regulations can be clarified via email at: cno.trabalhos@sponcologia.pt or by phone: +351 969 220 165 or +351 239 702 200.

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