International Pediatric
Endosurgery Group (IPEG)

Guidelines for abstract submission

• Abstracts must be submitted online in English through the submission system.
• Each abstract will receive a unique submission number; please use this in all correspondence.
• Abstracts can be edited until the submission deadline but should not be resubmitted.
• Only one submission per abstract is allowed. Abstracts submitted to multiple categories will be automatically rejected without review.
• Abstracts accepted for presentation require the presenting author to attend the congress.

Eligibility

• Abstracts must contain original material and must not have been previously accepted to publication, previously published, or presented at the following meetings: APSA, CAPS, IPEG, PAPS, AAP, ESPES, ESPU, BAPS, or BAPU.
• Abstracts may not be submitted to another congress with a parallel review process.
• Failure to declare previous publication or presentation will result in disqualification of the senior author from submitting abstracts to IPEG for two subsequent years.
• Authorship and content cannot be altered after acceptance. Abstract titles, authors, and affiliations will be published as submitted.
• A senior author or co-author is expected to attend if the presenting author is a trainee. Should unforeseen circumstances preclude this from occurring, another co-author of the abstract from the trainee’s institution should replace. The senior author is obliged if required to participate in the discussion following the trainee’s presentation.

Ethics

Evidence of ethical approval must be included for studies involving humans or animals (exceptions may apply for retrospective studies, following institutional rules).

Abstract format

• File type: MS Word (.doc/.docx) • Font: Calibri, 10 pt
• Spacing: single (0 pt before/after)
• Title: ALL CAPITALS
• Length: maximum 300 words (including one table or figure, fitting on one A4 page)
• Structure:
  • Original abstracts: Aim, Methods, Results, Conclusions
  • Case reports: Aim, Case description, Conclusions
• One figure or table may be included.

Abstracts exceeding the word or page limits will not be accepted.

Video abstract format

• All video submissions must also include an accompanying abstract.
• File type: .mp4.
• File size: max 300 MB.
• Video length:
  • 5 minutes max
  • Videos longer than 5 min will be automatically rejected.
• All videos must be recorded in English. Subtitles are permitted. Music is not allowed.
• The opening frames of the video must display the exact title and list all authors’ names.
• Submissions that are exceedingly commercial are discouraged and are less likely to be accepted for presentation.
• Submissions funded by commercial companies must include a disclaimer at the start of the presentation identifying the source of funding.

Data Presentation

Abstracts must include clear description of results with data; reporting only p-values is insufficient.

Submission and review process

• First-time users must create a log-in profile to the submission system; the same email/password can be used for multiple submissions.
• Each abstract must be submitted in one category only. Case reports may be submitted only in the case report category.
• All double submissions (e.g., altering the title or resubmitting to multiple categories) will be automatically rejected.
• Reviews are blinded: author names and institutions must not appear in the abstract text or title.
• If you want to withdraw an abstract, please contact the Program Committee.
• Authors will be notified of abstract acceptance/rejection by email. The submitting author is responsible for updating any changes in email address.

Abstract categories

Chest Wall, Colorectal/Lower GI, Cool Tips and Tricks, Education/Simulation, Esophageal Atresia–TEF, Gastrointestinal, Hepatobiliary, Inguinal Hernia, Innovation, Miscellaneous, My Worst Nightmare, Robotics, ICG, Systematic Review, Thoracic, Urology

Abstract scoring criteria

• Scale: 1 to 5 or reject; 1 = extremely poor to 5 = extremely good
• Originality
• Methodology
• Results (quality and presentation)
• Relevance

Total score range: 4–20

Rejection criteria

• Previously published, accepted, or presented abstracts (as above)
• Submission to another congress with parallel review process
• Lack of ethical approval (when applicable)
• Exceeding abstract length limits
• Identifying information in title/text
• Submission of same abstract to multiple abstract categories
• Congress Awards

IRCAD Award

Abstracts submitted under the Innovation category may be selected for the IRCAD Award if the author chooses to be considered for this award during the submission process.
Eligibility and Submission

• Only abstracts submitted under the Innovation category are eligible for consideration for the IRCAD Award.
• The presenting author must be a trainee.
• Abstracts must meet the same eligibility and submission criteria as all other congress abstracts (see guidelines).
• During submission, authors must select the Innovation category and indicate whether they wish their abstract to be considered for the IRCAD Award.

Although an individual author may submit multiple abstracts, each author may present only one paper in the IRCAD Award session.
Selection Process

• Eligible abstracts submitted under the Innovation category are selected for the IRCAD Award session based on their overall peer-review scores.
• Although the review criteria are the same as those applied to all congress abstracts, final scoring during the session is performed by the IRCAD Award Committee.
• The abstract and presentation are evaluated for originality, scientific value, clinical relevance, quality of presentation, and overall impression, using a scale from 1 to 5.

Best Scientific Presentation Award

Scientific abstracts will be considered for the Best Scientific Presentation Award if the author selects the relevant option during submission.
Eligibility and Submission

• Any scientific abstract may be submitted for consideration for this award.
• Abstracts must meet the same eligibility and submission criteria as all other congress abstracts (see guidelines).
• During submission, please indicate whether your abstract should be considered under the Best Scientific Presentation Award category.

Although an individual author may submit multiple abstracts, each author may present only one paper in the Best Scientific Presentation Award session.
Selection Process

• Abstracts are selected for the Best Scientific Presentation Award session based on their overall peer-review scores.
• Although the review criteria are the same as those applied to all scientific abstracts, final scoring during the session is performed by the Best Scientific Presentation Award Committee.
• The abstract and oral presentation are evaluated for originality, scientific rigor, clinical relevance, quality of presentation, and overall impression, using a scale from 1 to 5

Best Poster Award

Poster abstracts will be considered for the Best Poster Award if the author selects the relevant option during submission.
Eligibility

• All abstracts accepted for poster presentation are eligible, excluding case reports.
• Posters must comply with congress abstract submission rules and formatting guidelines.
• During submission, please indicate whether your abstract should be considered under the Best Poster Award category.

Selection Process

• Posters are shortlisted for the Best Poster Award based on their overall peer-review scores.
• Final scoring is performed during the congress by the Best Poster Award Committee.
• Posters are evaluated based on two components:
  a. Abstract score received during the review process.
  b. Presentation score awarded during the poster session by the session chairpersons.
• The abstract and poster presentation are evaluated for originality, scientific value, clinical relevance, clarity and visual quality of the poster, effectiveness of the oral presentation, and overall impression, using a scale from 1 to 5.

Best Tips and Tricks Award

Abstracts submitted under the Tips and Tricks category may be selected for the Best Tips and Tricks Award if the author chooses to be considered for this award during the submission process.
Eligibility

• Abstracts must meet the same eligibility and submission criteria as all other congress abstracts (see guidelines).
• During submission, please indicate whether your abstract should be considered under the Best Tips and Tricks Award category.
• Although an individual author may submit multiple abstracts, each author may present only one contribution in the Best Tips and Tricks Award session.

Selection Process

• Abstracts are selected for the Best Tips and Tricks Award session based on their overall peer-review scores.
• Although the review criteria are consistent with those applied to all congress abstracts, final scoring during the session is performed by the Best Tips and Tricks Award Committee.
• The abstract and presentation are evaluated for originality, technical innovation, clinical usefulness, reproducibility, educational value, quality of presentation, and overall impression, using a scale from 1 to 5.

Publication

Information to be updated soon.

Contact

For all inquiries, please contact the Program Committee:

• Maria Escolino – maria.escolino@unina.it
• Hanna Alemayehu – hanna.alemayehu@emory.edu
• Silvana Prodan – sg.prodan@gmail.com