Abstract guidelines

Guidelines for abstract submission for the Royal College of Podiatry Conference

The Royal College of Podiatry Annual Conference is an outstanding platform for showcasing your work through oral and/or poster presentations. To ensure your submission meets the necessary standards, please follow these guidelines carefully:

1.  Submission categories

Abstracts should align with one of the following categories:

• • Clinical Practice
  • Research and Innovation
  • Education and Training
  • Public Health and Prevention
  • Other relevant areas of podiatry practice

2.  Abstract structure

Your abstract should be structured as follows:

• • Title: A concise and informative title that reflects the content of your work
  • Background and aims: Provide context and explain the rationale for your work
  • Methods: Briefly describe the methodology, including study design, participants, and data collection
  • Results: Summarise key findings (even if preliminary)
  • Discussion: Highlight the implications of your work and its relevance to podiatry
  • Clinical Significance Statement

3.  Formatting Requirements

• • Word count: Each section has a word count that needs to be adhered to
  • Use standard abbreviations only and place any unusual abbreviation after the full word the first time it appears
  • Please check your abstract carefully as it will not be edited

4.  Eligibility

• • Submissions are welcome from students, clinicians, researchers, and other professionals involved in podiatry
  • Work must not have been previously presented at a Royal College of Podiatry Conference

5.  Review and selection

• • Abstracts will be reviewed by a panel of members from the Research Development and Innovation Committee for relevance, quality, and originality
  • Accepted abstracts may be selected for oral and/or poster presentations, depending on the content and available slots
  • Only formally submitted abstracts will be considered, those left ‘in progress’ on the system will not be considered
  • Please note that due to the volume of submissions and the size of the conference, we are unable to provide individual feedback on abstract submissions during any stage of the process

6.  Key dates

• • Abstract submission opens: 1 May 2025
  • Deadline for submission: 13 July 2025
  • Notification of acceptance: week commencing 15 September 2025

7.  Submission process

• • Submit your abstract online via Zealous platform
  • Ensure all authors are listed and indicate the presenting author
  • Include contact details for correspondence
  • Ensure that you have formally submitted the abstract within the system.  Submissions left ‘in progress’ will not be considered

8.  Presentation guidelines

• • Oral Presentations: Allocated 8 minutes, followed by 2 minutes for Q&A
  • Poster Presentations: Posters must adhere to size and layout specifications provided upon acceptance.  Posters will usually be size A0 in a portrait format

9.  General tips for a successful submission

• • Ensure your abstract is clear, concise, and free of errors
  • Highlight the relevance and impact of your work on podiatry practice or research
  • Seek feedback from colleagues before submission

10. Attendance at the RCPod Annual Conference

• • Those who are selected to give an oral presentation of their abstract will be invited to attend the conference free of charge on the day they are presenting. If you wish to attend other days, you must purchase the appropriate ticket
  • Those who are invited to display their posters and wish to attend the conference must book the appropriate ticket for the days they wish to attend. If you are unable to attend the conference, we will accept posters sent to the College in advance

11. Prizes

There are three prizes available for those submitting abstracts:       

• • Jewel in the Crown: The highest scored abstract will be invited to present their abstract as the Jewel in the Crown presentation on the main stage at conference and receive £250 and a certificate
  • Research Committee Award: The Research, Design & Innovation Committee will vote for the best poster. The winning poster author will receive £150 and a certificate
  • People’s Choice Award: At Conference, delegates attending the event will be asked to vote for the best poster via the conference app.  The winning poster author will receive £150 and a certificate

12. Posters after conference

• • Those attending conference will be advised as to where they can collect their posters from to take home after conference
  • If you are not attending conference but would like to arrange for your poster to be returned, please liaise with Kim Bryan at kim.bryan@rcpod.org.uk.
  • Any poster not collected or where return postal arrangements have not been made by 31 December 2025 will be recycled

Queries

If you have any queries about the submission process or you want to withdraw your submission, please contact Kim Bryan at kim.bryan@rcpod.org.uk.