Important Dates

• November 20, 2026 (5:00 pm PT) Abstract Submission Deadline
  Abstracts will not be accepted after the deadline.
• December 7, 2026 (5:00 pm PT) CRAF Education Bursary Abstract Deadline
  This deadline applies only to MOH PGY 4 and 5 rheumatology residents (who are CRA members and qualify for the bursary).
• January 18, 2027 Acceptance or Rejection Notifications
  The podium presentation date and time will be included in the acceptance notification for all podium presenters.
• February 5, 2027 (11:59 pm PT) Abstract Acceptance Deadline
  All abstracts must be accepted and the presenting author (author or co-author) must be selected.
• March 5, 2027 (11:59 pm PT) Poster Presentation Upload Deadline
  A poster presentation upload link will be emailed to all Presenting Authors from no-reply@pheedloop.com. All posters must be uploaded.
• March 24, 2027 Poster Session Notification
  Special requests must be made before the Poster Session Notification deadline.
  Poster Session Notifications will be emailed to all Presenting Authors.
• April 10, 2027 Abstract Award Notifications
  The top 5 abstracts for each award are adjudicated at the Annual Scientific Meeting and awards are presented at the Gala Dinner. Award winners will be notified via email on Saturday afternoon.

Abstract Submission Eligibility

• Case reports or case series are acceptable.
• Project proposals without data or results will not be accepted.
• Abstracts may be presented at one meeting prior to the CRA ASM but data cannot be published before the CRA ASM.
• Abstracts cannot be submitted on data that has already been accepted for publication as a manuscript (publication in abstract form from a conference presentation is acceptable).

Instructions to Submitters

• During the online submission process, you will be asked to enter the first author, the first author's contact information, and the names and e-mail addresses of all co-authors (as well as the email of an optional additional correspondent, i.e. Submitter).
• Please ensure the e-mail address of the corresponding author is accurate, as this will be the sole method of communication regarding acceptance.
• For technical assistance, please click on the "Support Form" icon located on the top right hand of each page for support. Support requests are answered within a 24 hour period.
• Please use one of the following browsers:
  • Mozilla Firefox 4+
  • Safari (5+)
  • Chrome (14+)
  • Opera (11.5+)
• Inactivity of more than 90 minutes on system pages will result in a session time out.
• Please save your pages intermittently to avoid loss of data by pressing the "save and submit" button at the bottom of the page.
• Please note: In order to successfully receive emails regarding your abstract submission, you must add 'cra@owpm2.com' as safe senders. Click here for help adding a safe sender.

Guidelines

• An author submitting an abstract or case report MUST be prepared to present their work at the meeting or to assign a co-author to do so; otherwise, the abstract will not be presented or published in The Journal of Rheumatology.
• The presenting author must be an author listed on the abstract.
• The presenting author will receive detailed instructions as well as the date and time for the assigned session, via email (see Important Dates).
• The First Author and Presenting Author of an investigator- or industry-initiated abstract must be one of the following:
  • Non-industry based, or
  • CRA corporate sponsor or exhibitor (must adhere to the Industry Representative restrictions outlined in the CRA Industry Guidelines).
  * Industry includes all for-profit medical organizations.
• The CMA Policy specifies that generic, rather than trade names, should be used wherever possible.
• An acceptance/rejection will be sent via email to all authors marked as correspondents (see Important Dates).
• The CRA will allow abstract submissions to be submitted by the CRAF Education Bursary deadline under the following condition (see Important Dates):
  • Ministry of Health (MOH) PGY 4 and 5 rheumatology residents that are CRA members and the First Author on the abstract (instructions will be emailed to eligible participants).
• The CRAF Education Bursary abstract deadline was introduced to allow MOH-funded PGY 4 and 5 CRA members the opportunity to qualify for a bursary.
• All CRAF Education Bursary abstract submissions are eligible for poster, poster tour, abstract workshop, and podium presentations, and are reviewed by the same abstract review committee and with the same review criteria as abstracts submitted by the abstract submission deadline.
• Abstracts submitted to ACR are not affected by the embargo (this has been confirmed with the ACR) and must be submitted by the abstract submission deadline (see Important Dates).
• By submitting an abstract for consideration, all authors agree to abide by the rules outlined above, and the conditions, deadlines, policies, and decisions of the CRA organizing committee.

Review

• Abstracts will be blindly reviewed and graded by members of the CRA Abstract Review Sub-Committee.

Podium Presentations

• The CRA Abstract Review Sub-Committee will choose outstanding abstracts suitable for podium presentation.
• Applicants must select podium presentation preferences during the abstract submission process to be considered.
• All accepted podium submissions will automatically be accepted as poster presentations if they are not selected for a podium presentation.
• One CIORA-funded abstract will be selected to be presented during a podium presentation session at the CRA ASM.
• Top original investigator-initiated abstracts will be selected to be presented during a podium presentation session at the CRA ASM.
• Top trainee abstracts will be selected to be presented during a podium presentation session at the CRA ASM. Applicants must apply for the trainee abstract awards during the abstract submission process to be considered.
• One industry-initiated abstract will be selected to be presented during a podium presentation session at the CRA ASM.
• The following conditions apply:
  • Must be original research that has not been presented at another meeting.
  • A maximum of 1 industry-initiated abstract will be selected.
  • The First Author must be non-industry based.
  • The Presenting Author must be a CRA member and be an author listed in the abstract.
  • The Presenting Author must disclose the presentation is industry-initiated.
• Podium presenters will be notified of the time and date via email (see Important Dates).

Poster Session, Poster Tours, and Abstract Workshops

• The CRA Abstract Review Sub-Committee will choose outstanding abstracts suitable for 2 poster sessions, 8 poster tours, and 4 abstract workshop sessions.
• All accepted poster and podium submissions will be considered for the poster tours and abstract workshops except for case reports or case series.
• Systemic reviews will be considered, but original studies with primary data will be prioritized for podium presentations.
• Abstract Workshop, Poster Tour, and Poster Session presenters will be notified of the session type, time, and date via email (see Important Dates).
• Abstract Workshops will consist of a short overview of the session followed by 4 abstract presentations relevant to the main topic presented in the same session.
• Poster Tours will consist of 3-4 highly rated abstracts grouped by topic hosted by a moderator.
• *The number of poster tours may vary based on scores and topics.

Presentation Format

• The abstracts presented at the Podium, Abstract Workshops, Poster Tours, and Poster sessions will be published in The Journal of Rheumatology following their rules regarding publication rights.
• Submitting an abstract to the CRA meeting obliges the submitter to allow the abstract to be printed according to The Journal of Rheumatology (JREHUM) rules. Click here to review JREHUM Guide for Authors which includes copyright and publication policies.
• All abstracts will be available for downloading on the CRAASM website prior to the meeting.
• Disclosures must be listed at the bottom of the poster and on the 2nd side of podium presentations.
• The CMA Policy specifies that generic, rather than trade names, should be used wherever possible in presentation materials.
• All abstracts must be submitted and presented in English.
• Presenters will have the option to present exclusively in person.
• All poster presenters will be required to submit a PDF of their poster (see Important Dates). Instructions will be provided in the acceptance email.
• The maximum poster size is 4' high x 8' wide for the in-person presentation.
• Please ensure that it is a one-piece poster presentation or that you bring fasteners for a multi-page presentation.
• QR Codes will be allowed on posters to enable participants to view the poster online.
• Additional research information may be added; however, advertisements or promotional material are prohibited.
• Company branding/logos are allowed on the poster (for example: Company X can have its logo on the poster).

Abstract Awards

The Abstract Awards have been established to recognize exceptional research presented at the podium, abstract workshops, poster tours or poster sessions and to encourage the participation of early career faculty and trainees at the CRA ASM. The First Author must be eligible for the award and must apply for the award during the abstract submission process. Applicants that do not apply will not be considered for an award.

The First Author must be the Presenting Author for all trainee awards to be eligible for adjudication at the CRA ASM. The top 5 abstracts for each award are adjudicated during their designated session and awards will be presented during the Gala Dinner. Award winners will be notified via email on Saturday afternoon. Case reports and case series will not be considered for awards. Click here for more information on the following awards:

Disclosures and conflict of interest

A conflict of interest may exist if an author or co- author has a financial interest in, or is otherwise affiliated with, a commercial organization that may have a direct or indirect interest in the content of his/her submission. The CRA requires that all authors disclose such pertinent relationships and inform participants of these relationships at the time of submission. The presence of a potential conflict of interest does not preclude participation in the submission or presentation process but the declaration informs participants of the affiliation so that they may be aware of possible bias in the content.

A “financial interest” may include but is not limited to:

• Being a shareholder
• Receiving research funding or other support
• Receiving fees or other benefits for any role (including speaking at CPD activities)
• Being a paid employee or consultant

An "affiliation" may include but is not limited to:

• Holding a position in the organization
• Sitting on an advisory committee
• Playing some other role of benefit to the organization

Abstract Categories

Submitters can choose up to three of the following topics for their abstract: