Abstracts form a key part of the RCEM Flagship Conference, with top submissions being invited to present either an oral presentation or a poster. The conference will be a hybrid event. All oral presentations and posters will be presented on site at the ICC, Birmingham. All successful abstract presenters will need to register to attend in person and will be eligible for a 20% discounted rate to attend.
Please find below some useful information to support your abstract submission.
+ Why submit?
Abstracts are an integral part of the RCEM Flagship Conference and allow you to disseminate and showcase your work to a large national and international audience. Presenting your work can help to inform education and clinical practice, as well as providing personal development opportunities such as improving your presentation skills and enhancing your CV.
The top scoring abstracts will be offered an oral presentation during the conference and will be published in the EMJ.
We expect a large number of presenters to attend the conference, allowing you to meet and network with a range of clinicians and academics from the UK and beyond. You will be able to share and discuss your findings with experts and connect with those with similar interests.
Abstract presenters will also receive a discounted rate to register for the conference, and we have several prizes available for the best submission in various categories. More details about this can be found below.
Please click here to submit your abstract or click here to submit your case report.
The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 28 October 2025 at 12:00 (midday) Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). We will not be able to accept late submissions for any reason.
Please complete all sections of the form. All correspondence about the submission will be sent to the main author.
You will be notified of whether their submission has been successful or not from Tuesday 18 November.
Abstracts can be submitted on a range of sub topics:
Please only submit your abstract once and do not submit the same abstract multiple times under different topics. The topic you select will not affect scoring and does not hinder you from being considered for other areas.
You have 300 words in total to complete the following sections about your work:
Aims, objectives and background
Method and design
Results and conclusions
The abstract title is not included within the 300 word limit. You may also submit one table OR one figure to support your submission. You will be able to upload this as part of the submission form.
If you submit more than one additional upload (e.g. one table AND one figure) only the first one will be considered, any subsequent uploads will not be reviewed.
If you submit an additional upload which is neither a table nor a figure, this will not be considered.
We are happy to accept published or unpublished work, providing that it has not been presented at another UK national specialty conference.
On submission of the abstract, the main author must ensure that they have the approval and a copyright assignment from any other authors and contributors involved in the work.
QIPs are eligible for submission.
Case reports should be uploaded via this link. You can see more information about them on this page below.
By submitting an abstract the main author is responsible for ensuring that the above criteria are met.
All submissions will be marked anonymously by two reviewers. Each reviewer will score each of the following criteria out of 10:
Once marking is complete, the average score of the two reviewers will be taken and submissions will be ranked from the highest to lowest scoring. The type of presentation offered is dependent on where the submission falls in the overall ranking.
The top scoring submissions will be invited to give an oral presentation or display their work as a poster. The categories of presentation are as follows:
Poster presenters will not be offered a specific time to present.
Oral presentations
The best Rod Little presentation and the best oral research abstract presentation will each receive one ticket for the Flagship Conference 2027 (this is only available for the author presenting and RCEM will be unable to reimburse accommodation or travel expenses). The Rod Little category is only open to EM trainees that are RCEM members. The top oral abstract presentation is open to anyone including RCEM non-members.
Poster presentations
The top 3 submissions from the below categories will be judged on-site and the top poster from each category will be awarded a £40 voucher and a place for a one day virtual RCEM study day or on-demand RCEM event (this will need to be claimed within 12 months after the Flagship conference):
We are also accepting the submission of case reports for the Flagship Conference separately to our main abstract call. Please click here to submit your case report.
The top scoring case report submissions will be invited to display their work at the conference.
The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 28 October 2025 at 12:00 (midday) Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). We will not be able to accept late submissions for any reason.
The author who submitted the abstract will be notified of whether their submission has been successful or not from Tuesday 18 November.
Please complete all sections of the form. All correspondence about the submission will be sent to the main author.
Successful case report submitters will be eligible for the discounted rate.
Please note, any case reports submitted via the main abstract link will not be considered, and must be submitted separately.
You have until 12:00 (midday) GMT on Tuesday 28 October to submit your abstract via this link or your case reports via this link.
Please note, any case reports submitted via the main abstract link will not be considered, and must be submitted separately.
Once you have submitted it you will receive an email confirmation direct from our submission system. If you do not receive this within 15 minutes of submission, please check your junk/spam mail and mark the sender as safe as all future correspondence about your submission will come from this address. If you are unsure about whether your abstract has been successfully submitted, please email events@rcem.ac.uk.
You are able to make amendments to your abstract until the submission deadline stated above. You will receive a personal amendment link as part of your submission confirmation allowing you to do this.
Abstracts will be reviewed throughout November 2025. The author who submitted the work will be notified whether their submission has been successful or not from Tuesday 18 November. This email will include information about how to present your work.
Can I submit more than one abstract?
Yes, you may submit as many abstracts as you like, however please discuss submission with any co-authors to avoid repeat submission of the same abstract.
Can I mark a submission to be considered for oral presentation or poster only?
No, all submissions are marked together as a group. The top scoring abstracts will be awarded an oral presentation, with the next group offered a poster.
How do you decide who is awarded an oral presentation or poster?
All submissions will be marked anonymously by two judges. The average score of the two marks is then taken, and submissions ranked from the highest to lowest score. The top scoring abstracts will be awarded an oral presentation with the next top scoring submissions invited to display their work as a poster.
Can I submit an abstract by post or email? No, all abstracts must be submitted via our online system by clicking this link. Case reports should be submitted at this link.
Do you have to be a certain grade to submit an abstract?
No, we welcome submissions from anyone regardless of what stage they’re at in their career. Some presentation categories, such as the Rod Little Prize Papers, however, are only open to RCEM member trainees.
Do you have to be a member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine to submit an abstract?
No, anyone can submit an abstract regardless of whether they’re a College member. Some presentation categories, such as the Rod Little Prize Papers, however, are only open to College members.
Can I make changes to my abstract if it is successful?
No, once the submission window has closed and abstracts have been marked, we are unable to accept any changes to your abstract.
Can I add additional authors?
You can add co-authors at the time of submission, or as an amendment at any time before the submission window closes on 12:00 (midday) GMT on Tuesday 28 October by using the personal amendment link which will be included in your submission confirmation email.
Can I withdraw a submission?
Yes, you can withdraw your abstract at any time before the submission window closes at 12:00 (midday) GMT on Tuesday 28 October. To do this, please follow the personal amendment link in your submission confirmation email and then click ‘remove’ next to the abstract you wish to withdraw.
If you wish to withdraw your submission once marking has taken place, please respond to your notification email to let us know you no longer wish to present your work.
If my abstract is accepted, do I have to pay to attend the conference?
Yes, if your abstract is accepted and you wish to present you work, you will have to register and pay to attend the conference. However, a 20% discount on standard fees is available for abstract presenters. RCEM is unable to reimburse travel expenses and accommodation.
Will I receive individual feedback on my abstract?
Unfortunately, we receive too many abstracts to provide individual feedback for each submission.
If I’m invited to display a poster, will I have a specific time to present it?
Posters will be displayed at the ICC for the duration of the conference, however you will not be given a specific time to present. We would encourage you to stand near to your poster during break times in case other delegates have questions about your work.
I’ve been offered an oral presentation, will my abstract be automatically included in the EMJ?
All abstracts offered an oral presentation will automatically be submitted to the EMJ for publication. These include Rod Little, Free papers, Lightning papers and Moderated papers. If you do not want your abstract to be put forward for publication, you will have the opportunity to opt out during the submission process. Case reports will not be included in the EMJ.
I am unsure whether I can attend the conference, do I need to be registered to present?
At least one of the authors of the abstract needs to be registered and attend the conference in order to present your oral presentation or display your poster, however it does not need to be the main author. If it is not the main author attending, please ensure you inform the RCEM events team by responding to your notification email.
I cannot attend the full conference, can I still present my work?
As long as one of the authors is registered for at least one day of the conference then work will be able to be presented. Please note that for oral presentations you will need to be registered for the day which your presentation is scheduled to take place.
Can my colleague present my work instead if I am successful?
For oral presentations, only the main or co-authors can present the work. For posters, if you are unable to attend you can nominate any colleague to bring and hang the poster on your behalf.
My work is currently unpublished, but I’m planning to publish it before the conference takes place, can I still present?Yes, we’re able to accept published or unpublished work, however it cannot have been presented at another UK national specialty conference.
Will I receive a certificate for presenting my work?
Yes, certificates will be sent by email to all authors, including co-authors, listed on the submission form within 10 working days of the end of the conference.
Where can I go if I have further questions?
If you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further please email the RCEM events team on events@rcem.ac.uk or call 020 3931 0700.
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