ABSTRACT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Abstract submission for the 2025 Annual NEALS Meeting will open Spring 2025. Please check back for key deadlines and information.

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Rules for Abstract Submission: 
For technical support, please contact Associate Program Director, Beverly Smits at bsmits@neals.org. Please direct all questions regarding member/nonmember information, submission policy, rules and guidelines via e‐mail to bsmits@neals.org.  

 

Accepted abstracts are required to be presented in-person at the 2025 Annual Meeting. 

 

CRITERIA 

• Authors need not be NEALS members to submit an abstract for consideration. 

• The Abstract Review Committee rates the abstracts on scientific merit, breadth of audience interest, and quality of presentation, including compliance with the guidelines and instruction. 

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CONTENT 

• We welcome abstracts related to clinical investigations, basic science investigations, and information on clinical or educational resources. NEALS encourages collaborative projects.  

• Up to two abstract submissions will be selected for 10-minute presentations during the Science Symposium portion of our conference.​

• If an abstract contains material that has been previously published or presented, that information must be disclosed. 

• Authors are encouraged to consider merging related submissions into a single abstract to provide a more cohesive and comprehensive representation of the research.

• Each abstract should be limited to 350 words and contain the background, hypothesis, methods, results to date (if ongoing) and discussion/conclusions.

POSTER PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS

• All accepted poster presenters are required to have at least one representative attend the NEALS Annual Meeting in person to present. 

• Failure to present the accepted poster without notifying NEALS staff, will result in restrictions on future submissions.

  • If you are unable to present in person, please notify NEALS staff by October 1, 2025. You will have the option to virtually present. 

• All accepted posters will have the option for virtual presentation in addition to (not in lieu of) in-person presentation.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS AND ABSTRACT REVISIONS 

• Abstracts must be submitted online from the official NEALS abstract submission website. 

• Please proofread your abstract before submitting it to ensure the abstract content and author information is correct. Accepted abstracts will be published online exactly as they are submitted. 

• Authors can update abstracts after they have been submitted, but prior to the submission deadline date. 

• Minimal changes may be able to be accommodated after the submission deadline but  by contacting Associate Program Director, Beverly Smits at bsmits@neals.org. 

• Any changes made after the deadline will not be reflected in the publication version of the abstract. 

• Significant changes can not be made at the time of presentation. 

 

PRESENTATION 

• Accepted abstracts are required to be presented in-person at the Annual Meeting and require registration to the Annual Meeting. 

• All abstracts will be reviewed for presentation as either a formal platform presentation on October 10 (15 minutes, to be presented in-person during the Abstract Platform Presentations session) OR as a poster (to be presented in-person during the Poster Sessions on either October 8 or October 9 and included in a Virtual 2025 Annual Meeting Poster Library).

• All accepted posters will have the option for virtual presentation in addition to (not in lieu of) in-person presentation.

• The NEALS Abstract Review Committee makes the final decision of abstract assignment and approval based on scientific merit and program considerations. 

PUBLICATION 

• All accepted abstracts will be published in Muscle & Nerve
  and be made available to view online in a Virtual 2025 Annual Meeting Poster Library. Please double check your abstract submission to make sure all abstract text and author information is correct. 

• Abstracts that have been previously presented at a scientific meeting or that have been submitted as a manuscript for publication may be considered for presentation at the Annual NEALS Meeting; please indicate any previous publication/submission detail(s) in the abstract submission.

 
WITHDRAWALS 

• Withdrawal requests are permitted until [date to be determined]. However, not all withdrawals will be reflected in print or online publications depending on when the withdrawal request is made. 

• Withdrawal requests should be submitted to bsmits@neals.org and include the abstract title, ID number, and the presenter’s name. Authors should also provide reasoning for the withdrawal. 

• Authors not notifying NEALS staff of withdrawal, notifying NEALS staff after October 1, 2025, or not providing a reason for withdrawal will result in restrictions on future submissions.

 

ABSTRACT NOTIFICATION 

• Abstract submitters will be notified in by Friday, August 22, 2025 via email the outcome of their abstract submission(s). 

 

EMBARGO POLICY

• Announcement(s) regarding the upcoming presentation of the abstract (such as acceptance for meeting presentation at the meeting, date of presentation) are permitted.

• In accordance with our embargo policy, information from any abstract or presentation is confidential and may not be announced, publicized, or distributed before Wednesday, October 1, 2025 9:00 AM ET.

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AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

• Two abstract awards will be given to poster presenters – one for a clinical investigation, and one for a basic science investigation. 

• Additionally, the seventh annual UMN Achievement Award will be given for an abstract focused on PLS/UMN research. The UMN Achievement Award is supported by the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation (SPF) to promote UMN research and recognize those who contribute significantly to this field.