Abstract Submissions

• The submitting author must be the first (presenting) author. There can only be one first (presenting) author. You may recognize colleagues’ contributions in your presentation.
• An individual may submit and present only one abstract.
  • Lab heads or principal investigators are not permitted to submit or present on behalf of multiple lab members.
  • Featured symposia speakers are not eligible to submit or present an abstract.
• There is no limit to the number of times an individual may appear as co-author on abstracts.
• By submitting an abstract, the author consents to receiving communications about ASHG 2026, including the status of the abstract. The submitter will receive all correspondence regarding the abstract and will be considered the presenter.
• Co-authors do not receive communication related to the abstract. First (presenting) authors are responsible for coordinating communication with co-authors, must notify all authors of all correspondence relating to submission, and confirm that each co-author has agreed to all information as it was submitted.
• Submitting authors must attend the Annual Meeting in person with the understanding that ASHG is not making any commitments to host virtual or hybrid content formats and reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to adjust presentation format and style.
• Submitting authors of accepted abstracts must acknowledge acceptance and pay the ASHG 2026 registration fee. Your abstract may be withdrawn, and your opportunity to present may be forfeited without registration.
• If substitution of the first (presenting) author becomes necessary, you must inform ASHG by completing the Presenter Change Request Form. Substitution is not allowed without prior written approval.

• Abstracts should clearly reflect scientific research with experimental results and not be perceived as promotional in nature, i.e., advertising services for a company or product.
• Narrative reviews/education/trials-in-progress/case report abstracts are allowed. Specific results must be included and stated in the abstract, whether experimental or calculated. The latest data may be included in the final presentation, but the results in the original abstract must be substantive.
• Duplicate abstracts are not permitted regardless of changes in author order. Abstracts suspected to be duplicates may be rejected during the review process.

The ASHG Annual Meeting only showcases cutting-edge research that is new to the field and appears in an international forum for the first time. If the findings in this abstract submission have been or will be published elsewhere prior to May 18, 2026, authors should make clear what new information will be presented.

• It is the author’s responsibility to update the submission concerning any acceptances that occur before the submission deadline of May 18.
• For abstracts that are previously published, authors are strongly encouraged to describe any advancement beyond published work that will be presented.
• At the time of assigning platform talks, the Program Committee will independently verify whether there is a publication available with an acceptance date before May 18. Failure to disclose prior publication will result in abstracts being deprioritized for oral presentation in plenary or platform sessions.

For purposes of this policy, “previously published” means:

1. Accepted for peer-reviewed publication, or
2. Accepted for oral presentation at other conferences.

Material posted on a preprint server is NOT considered previously published.

• All submitters must confirm that any reported human participant research was conducted with participants’ voluntary, informed consent, with approval by an appropriate research ethics committee, and consistent with the principles of research ethics. ASHG endorses the protections embodied in the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and the Belmont Report, and their expansion in the regulations governing research supported by the U.S. Government (45 CFR Part 46).
• All submitters must confirm that investigations involving animals reported in the abstract must have been conducted in accordance with the FASEB Statement of Principles for the use of Animals in Research and Education.
• ASHG does not endorse and will not publish the results of research that was not conducted in accordance with these principles.

Accepted abstracts will be available in the Online Planner in mid-September. At this time, your abstract and all information will become a matter of public record and may be referenced by ASHG, media relations staff, and others. Abstracts will be published as submitted. ASHG does not generally edit abstracts, except for style consistency in titles and first author affiliations.

Please see our Licensing Agreement/Copyright Policy and suggested style for citing ASHG Meeting abstracts on this webpage.

ASHG aims to encourage presentation of the latest findings and enable responsible and quality reporting of those findings by press in attendance. Though the press may contact authors prior to the presentation for more information, any resulting articles or other press items cannot be released until the work is presented at the meeting.

General rules to follow:

• Abstract title and author names: Can be released at any time.
• Abstract text: Can only be released after the meeting program (with the abstract text) is made public. Linking to the abstract text on the ASHG website is suggested.
• Findings outlined in the abstract (whether a poster or oral presentation): Can only be released after the presentation has occurred.

If you have any questions about this, please contact press@ashg.org.

Submitting authors must agree to the conditions of the Submission Guidelines and Policies. Failure to meet these conditions may result in abstract withdrawal, and the opportunity to present at the Annual Meeting will be forfeited.

After the May 18 deadline, abstracts will be reviewed by the Program Committee (PC), plus three independent reviewers for each topic category.

Abstracts are reviewed and programmed as follows:

• Each reviewer scores the abstracts independently using this rubric, without knowledge of the names and institutions of the submitters or the scores given by the other reviewers.
• In June, the PC meets to assign abstracts to plenary, platform, lightning talk, and poster sessions based on each abstract’s cumulative score as well as the impact of the science and the balance of topics for ASHG’s multi-disciplinary audience.
  • 12 of the top-scoring abstracts are selected for plenary sessions.
  • 248 abstracts are selected for platform sessions.
  • The remaining accepted abstracts are assigned to posters.
• The top-scoring poster abstracts are awarded the Reviewers’ Choice designation and, of those, 90 are selected for lightning talks.
• The PC reserves the right to decline abstracts that lack scientific content or merit, lack human genetics and genomics research and/or data, or that merely announce the availability of a resource or service and are primarily promotional.
• Abstract acceptance notifications will be sent to authors in early July.
• Presentation information is sent to all accepted presenting authors in mid-July by email and will include the session title and the date, time, and location. We cannot accommodate changes due to travel schedules.

• Visit the ASHG 2026 Abstract Submission Fee product page in the ASHG shop. Log in using your ASHG account login information.
  • If you have ever been a member, submitted an abstract, or attended an ASHG meeting, you already have an ASHG account. Your username is your email address. Be sure to review your profile and update it if needed prior to accessing the abstract fee payment site.
  • If this is your first time interacting with ASHG, you will have the option to create a free ASHG account regardless of your membership status.
• The non-member price for abstract submission is $85. Current ASHG members and individuals residing in a resource-limited country that is categorized by the World Bank as having a low-income or lower-middle-income economy should see $0 as the price of abstract submission.
  • If purchasing a membership at the same time as paying the abstract submission fee, the price of the abstract submission fee will be automatically adjusted to $0 in your cart.
  • You will not be required to add a payment method if your abstract submission is free, but you will need to enter billing information to complete the step and obtain a confirmation email.
  • If the balance due does not match your expectations, please contact meetings@ashg.org before proceeding with payment.
• Once you place your order, you will receive an email from no-reply@ashg.org at the email address supplied in the billing details with a copy of the order confirmation and receipt. Save this receipt for your records.
  • You can also view the order confirmation details when logged into the ASHG website by navigating to the My Orders tab in the dropdown menu when you click “Hi, [name]” in the top right corner of the ASHG website.
• Click the link in your confirmation or copy and paste it into your web browser to be taken to the abstract submission form.

• Access the abstract submission form via the Order Details page or through the link provided in your abstract submission fee payment confirmation and receipt.
• Review the information provided on the Welcome page of the abstract submission form, then log in using your ASHG account.
  • You may be prompted to leave the site in order to log in; you will be redirected back to the submission form after successfully logging in.
  • Important: Use the same ASHG account login information used previously in the payment step.

• Enter the title of your abstract in sentence-case format. Title may not exceed 200 characters, including spaces.
  • Only use capital letters as appropriate (e.g., Genome-wide linkage analysis using SNP genotyping set).
  • To avoid character formatting issues, please use standard keyboard punctuation (straight quotes (” or ‘) and apostrophes (‘), and simple hyphens (-) and avoid “smart” quotes, long dashes (–, —), and other styled symbols pasted from Word/PDF.
• Enter the abstract body text. Note that abstract body text may not exceed 2,500 characters including spaces.
  • Abstracts are published as submitted, so please check for accuracy and correct any formatting issues before submitting.
  • References, figures (such as tables, images, and graphs), and URLs are not permitted in the abstract body.
  • Do not include identifying author or institution information as abstracts must go through a blind review process.
  • For gene/protein designations, follow these guidelines set by The American Journal of Human Genetics: Human gene names and loci should be written in italicized capital letters and Arabic numerals. Protein product names should not be italicized.
  • Formatting tip: To avoid character formatting issues, please use standard keyboard punctuation (straight quotes (” or ‘) and apostrophes (‘), and simple hyphens (-)) and avoid “smart” quotes, long dashes (–, —), and other styled symbols pasted from Word/PDF.
  • Note: To see your character count, click the # words text in the bottom right corner of the description box. It will then switch to show your abstract character count.
• Enter your abstract’s author block. Keep in mind that the submitter (presenter) must be the first author in the author block. A group/consortium cannot be cited as the sole or first (presenting) author.
  • Format the author block as Full Name of Presenting Author (Institutions of Presenting Author separated by commas), Full Name of Co-Author (Institutions of Co-Authors separated by commas).
  • For example: Jane Smith (ASHG), Bob Miller (Genetics Lab, ASHG), John Jones (State University, Institute of Human Genomics)
  • A maximum of thirty (30) authors can be listed, plus any groups/consortia. Co-first and co-last authors are not permitted on ASHG abstracts.
  • The author block will not be included in reviews.
• Confirm your agreement to the conditions of submission as outlined in the Submission Guidelines and Policies and the Code of Conduct by checking the box. Failure to meet these conditions may result in abstract withdrawal and the opportunity to present at the Annual Meeting forfeited. This agreement is required for all submitting/presenting authors.
• Select one (1) abstract topic from the provided list of topics that best fits your abstract. This selection allows the appropriate reviewers to accurately review your abstract submission.
• Select up to five (5) keywords related to your abstract content in order of importance from the provided list of keywords.
• Select at least one (1) target audience expected to attend your abstract presentation.
• Select at least one (1) track that best fits your abstract.
• Provide one (1) learning objective for your abstract, following these guidelines. Objectives may not exceed 150 characters including spaces. Learning objectives are required by ASHG’s accreditation bodies and will be provided to attendees seeking continuing education credits.
  • Learning objectives must be written using one behavioral, measurable verb and lead to ONE action or outcome. The verbs “understand,” “learn,” and “know” are NOT acceptable verbs as they cannot be measured. Start the learning objective with the behavioral verb: e.g., Compare genomic literacy…

• Indicate whether the work outlined in the abstract has been accepted for presentation at another conference or for publication elsewhere as of the submission deadline.
  • If previously published or presented, you are required to name the publication or conference where the work was previously published or presented and the date of such. At the time of assigning plenary and platform talks, the Program Committee will independently verify whether there is a publication available with an acceptance date before May 18. Failure to disclose prior publication will result in abstracts being deprioritized for oral presentation in plenary or platform sessions.
  • For abstracts that are previously published, authors are strongly encouraged to describe any advancement beyond published work that will be presented.
• Indicate whether the work outlined in the abstract has been deposited to a preprint server prior to the submission deadline. This does not constitute prior publication, but it is helpful to include for awareness.
  • Material posted on a preprint server is NOT considered previously published. For purposes of this policy, “previously published” means: Accepted for peer-reviewed publication or accepted for oral presentation at other conferences.
• It is the author’s responsibility to update the submission concerning any acceptances that occur before the submission deadline. You may do so by accessing your speaker portal, viewing your submission, and making edits up until the submission deadline.

• Abstract submission is a requirement of eligibility for the Trainee Research Excellence Awards and the Resource-Limited Travel Awards. The only opportunity to apply for these awards is at the time of this abstract submission.
• Resource-Limited Travel Awards support individuals who would otherwise lack the funds to attend the ASHG Annual Meeting. Awards are granted based on the quality of abstracts scored by the ASHG Program Committee. To be eligible, applicants must submit an abstract by May 18, 2026, confirm financial need, and commit to attending the meeting in person. Selected awardees must accept the award within one week of notification and confirm their in‑person attendance.
• Trainee Research Excellence Awards are only available for first (presenting) authors who are ASHG trainee members (postdoctoral and predoctoral students) for the 2026 calendar year. If you are not a trainee member, you must join or renew your membership to be eligible for this award. Ensure additional eligibility requirements are met. You must complete an additional required form due by May 18, and your nominator must complete the online nomination form verifying your primary role in the work described in the abstract by May 26.
• If you do not qualify or do not wish to be considered for either award, select “Not Applicable” from the award dropdown response before proceeding.

• On the Presenter Info page, the submitter, who will also serve as the presenting author, must provide their first and last name, email address matching the one used to log in to the submission form, company/institution name, mobile phone number, address, and additional demographic information.
  • Enter the address and affiliation information in upper and lowercase as it should be published. Do not use special characters in the name or address fields. If applicable, include international dialing codes for phone numbers.
  • Affiliation and address changes you enter will not affect your ASHG membership affiliation and/or address.
  • ASHG does not permit co-first author or co-presenting author designations.
• You have the opportunity to request a visa invitation letter if you require one for visa application purposes. These letters will only be sent to accepted abstract submitters after acceptance notifications are sent in July or to registered attendees.
  • Entry requirements for Canada depend on your citizenship and travel route. You may not need a visa invitation letter, even for international travel. Before requesting a letter, use IRCC’s official tool to confirm required travel documents: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/check-visa-eta.html.
  • Note: If you are requesting a visa invitation letter during abstract submission, you do not need to request another letter through registration.
• Submitters may choose to include a secondary contact such as a personal assistant to assist with tasks and communication after acceptance. The only information required for secondary contacts is their name and email.
• Once the required fields are filled, double-check that all the information is accurate. Then, click “Complete” to submit your abstract.

• After clicking “Complete” on the Presenter Info step, you will be shown a confirmation page, which will automatically redirect to the speaker portal. This speaker portal is where you can view your abstract and edit it until the submission deadline. If your abstract is accepted, your speaker portal will be where you are assigned tasks to complete. It is recommended that you bookmark or save this link.
  • Once submitted, you will receive a confirmation email from meetings@ashg.org with the subject line “[2026 ASHG Annual Meeting] Submission Received.” This email will also contain your speaker portal link. Save this email confirmation for your records. Whitelist or add the email address meetings@ashg.org to your email contacts to ensure your abstract submission confirmation and other notifications will not get blocked by your email provider.
• Abstract acceptance notifications will be sent to authors in early July.

• To save your progress:
  • First you must enter a title for the abstract. Then, you can click “Save as draft” in the bottom right-hand side of the form.
  • If you saved your draft successfully, the bottom of the submission form will state when the form was last saved. If you are sure your draft was saved, click “leave” on the pop-up window. If you are unsure, click “cancel” to stay on the submission form and ensure it is saved as a draft.
• To make edits to a draft:
  • After saving a draft, you can return to the submission form link at any time before the submission deadline. Once logged in with your ASHG account, click “Resume submission” to complete the draft submission.
  • Be sure to click all the way through the form to complete the submission. Draft submissions will not be reviewed after the submission deadline.
  • Note: You will not receive a new confirmation email any time edits are made.
• To make edits after submission:
  • After you submit your abstract, you may revise your abstract until the submission deadline by accessing your speaker portal, clicking the title of the abstract, then clicking “View Submission” at the bottom of the screen. For additional guidance, please refer to this help page, https://learn.sessionboard.com/en/knowledge-base/pp-how-to-view-edit-my-session-submission-form. Email meetings@ashg.org if you have questions that are not answered in the help page.

• To withdraw a submitted abstract or request a change in presenter, please complete a Presenter Change/Withdrawal Request Form.
  • You will need the abstract title, which can be found in your speaker portal.
  • Abstracts withdrawn after the meeting program is live on our website may remain visible and searchable.