Abstracts – 2026

Key dates

Further questions

If you have any questions regarding abstract submissions, please refer to the FAQs page before contacting the APLAR Program Manager.

Abstract submissions for the 28th Asia-Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology congress are now open. All details you need to submit your work are outlined on this page – ensure you have your chance to present your work at APLAR 2026 and submit before the deadline.

Before submitting your abstract, ensure you read the below guidelines carefully. All the information that you require is included below.

Important note: Please ensure that you add “wearemci.com” and “aplarcongress.com” to your white list / accepted email lists. This will ensure that you receive all necessary communications from us regarding your congress participation.

Abstract Submission Guidelines

We have prepared abstract guidelines to assist you with preparing your abstract for the congress.

It is important to read these carefully when preparing for your submission.

To read detailed information below please click on “+” buttons below.

Abstract submission guidelines

Outlined below are the guidelines that must be followed when submitting your work to APLAR 2026.

All submissions must be in English. English is the official congress language and all presentations must also be in English
Submission titles must not be longer than 20 words and must clearly indicate the nature of the presentation
Submissions must not exceed 400 words, be clear and concise, highlight relevant aspects, findings and conclusions
Only standard abbreviations may be used within submissions
References are not required for submissions
The abstract title, section headings and references are not included in the overall word count
Abstracts should follow the following format
- Background/Purpose: background or statement of purpose
- Methods: methods, materials and analytical procedure used
- Results: summary of the results in sufficient detail to support conclusion (we do not recommend including “results will be discussed”)
- Conclusion: conclusions reached
- Tables, graphs and images are permitted within submissions (maximum 2)
What is an encore presentation?
An encore presentation is one where you have already presented the submitted work before. For example if you have presented the work at another rheumatology event.
Does APLAR 2026 accept encore presentations?
- Yes we do accept encore presentations
- Encore presentations are permitted as long as work has been presented after APLAR 2025 (3 – 7 September 2025)
- Encore presentations are permitted as long as work has not previously been published prior to submission
- Encore submissions are required to disclose the name and date of the event where it has been presented
Original abstracts are strongly recommended

IMPORTANT

Please enter submission information carefully, information will be published exactly as submitted.
All abstract submissions must be received online through the abstract submission portal.

Abstract submission topics

Advances in pain management
Allied health: alternative medicine
Allied health: case report
Allied health: COVID-19
Allied health: nursing
Allied health: physiotherapy
Allied health: psychological intervention and miscellaneous forms of care
Antiphospholipid syndrome
Autoinflammatory diseases
Basic science related to rheumatic diseases
Behcet’s disease and miscellaneous rheumatic conditions
Big data
Case report
Clinical immunology related to rheumatic diseases
COVID-19
Crystal-induced diseases
Epidemiology, COPCORD, health care system and pharmacoeconomics
Fibromyalgia
Genetics
IgG4-related disease
Imaging techniques and diagnosis
Infection-related rheumatic diseases
Medical technologies and innovation (including AI)
Metabolic bone diseases
Osteoarthritis
Paediatric rheumatology
Precision medicine
Psoriatic arthritis
Rehabilitation for rheumatic diseases
Rheumatoid arthritis anti-TNF therapy
Rheumatoid arthritis bDMARDs
Rheumatoid arthritis clinical aspects and co-morbidity
Rheumatoid arthritis csDMARDs
Rheumatoid arthritis non biological treatment
Rheumatoid arthritis non-TNF biological therapies
Rheumatoid arthritis tsDMARDs
Scleroderma, myositis and related syndromes
Sjogren syndrome
Soft tissue rheumatism
Spondylarthropathies biological and non-biological therapies
Spondylarthropathies clinical aspects and co-morbidity
Systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogrens and antiphospholipid syndrome clinical aspects, comorbidities and complications
Systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjogrens and antiphospholipid syndrome therapies
Systemic vasculitis related to rheumatic diseases
Telemedicine

Presentation Formats

Abstracts can be submitted for either oral or poster presentations.

Oral presentations

Oral presentations will be asked to present an oral presentation at the congress including a PowerPoint presentation and Q&A with the audience.

Poster presentations

Poster presentations will be asked to present a traditional physical poster display.

Congress Travel Grants

The APLAR Congress Travel Grants are once again available to support APLAR Young Rheumatologists (AYR) members presenting accepted oral or poster abstracts at the 2026 Congress. APLAR will award 50 need-based travel stipends to AYR members, covering part of their travel and lodging expenses along with complimentary conference registration. Priority will be given to those with oral presentations and first-time Congress attendees.

Abstract Awards

The Best Abstract Award will once again be available in 2026!

The shortlisted abstract award nominees will be notified the week prior to the congress. There will be a total of ten (10) Best Abstract Awards.

Winners will be announced during the closing ceremony and nominees are requested to attend this ceremony.

Eligibility criteria

Submit abstract via the online submission portal
Submit abstract prior to the advertised deadline
Only standard abstract submissions are considered (late breaking submissions are ineligible)
Abstract accepted as an oral presentation
Oral presentation completed during the congress

Best Abstract Award prize
The winner of the Best Abstract Award will receive an award certificate and financial prize.

Abstract review

All submitted abstracts will be peer reviewed (blind review) by a subsection of the APLAR 2026 Scientific Committee
Incomplete abstracts or abstracts not written in English cannot be processed and will not be reviewed
No revisions are possible after the submission deadline – no exceptions.

Conditions of acceptance

If accepted into the official program; the following conditions will apply:

Oral presentations can only be presented by one author
Presenters must be a listed author on the submission
Accepted presenters must register, pay and attend the congress (in-person), otherwise the abstract will not be included in the official program or published in the IJRD supplement
Abstract submissions remain the property of APLAR and the Scientific Committee reserves the right to publish and distribute

Terms and conditions

All abstract submitters are required to agree to the below terms and conditions prior to submitting their work:

Submitting author hereby commits with the present data protection and privacy policy
Submitting authors declare that the submission is the original work of at least one author/presenter
No funding is provided to accepted presenters. Accepted presenters acknowledge they must register, pay and attend the congress for their work to be included in the official program.
Submitting authors must declare the work described in the abstract has appropriate approval under local, ethical and animal experimentation rules
Submitting authors must declare that their work does not conflict with any existing copyright agreements with alternate publishers
Submitting authors provide consent for their presentation materials to be used to assist APLAR 2026, future congresses and on-demand content

FAQs

Q: How do I submit?

A: All abstract submissions are required to be completed online. To submit your abstract click the submit abstract tab above. Please read the abstract submission guidelines prior to commencing your submission as this document contains important information. Please note, emailed submissions will not be accepted.

Q: What type of presentations are available?

A: Oral presentations and poster presentations.

Q: Do you accept encore presentations?

A: Yes we do accept encore presentations with the below conditions:

Encore presentations are permitted as long as work has been presented after APLAR 2025 (3-7 September 2025)
Encore presentations are permitted as long as work has not previously been published
Encore submissions are required to disclose the name and date of the event where it has been presented

It is important to note that original abstracts are strongly recommended.

Q: What is an encore presentation?

A: An encore presentation is one where you have already presented the submitted work before. For example if you have presented the work at another rheumatology event.

Q: Can I use QR codes in my abstract submission?

A: No, QR codes are not permitted in submissions. However, they may be used in presentations.

Q: Can funding or disclaimer statements be included?

A: Yes, if applicable. They should be placed at the bottom of the abstract and are not included in the word count.

Q: When will authors be notified of submission acceptance or otherwise?

A: Authors will be notified of the outcome of their submission via email in June 2026.

Q: Are presenters required to register for the congress?

A: Yes, as a presenter you are required to register and pay for the congress. Any presenters not registered for the congress will not have their abstract included in the program or the International Journal of Rheumatic Disease (IJRD).

Q: Are accepted abstract presenters eligible for early bird registration rates?

A: If successful, your notification email will contain a special code which will allow you to register at the early bird rate. Please note that accepted late abstract submissions are not eligible for the early bird registration rate.

Q: Will submissions be published?

A: Only successful abstract submissions where the presenter has registered and paid to attend the congress will be published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases (IJRD).
Please note that late abstract submissions are not eligible for publication.

Q: What are the key dates that I need to be aware of?

A: Please note the key dates as follows:

Submission deadline 24 April 2026
Author notifications June 2026

About

Follow

Stay updated with APLAR Congress, and other related events.

From key date reminders, abstract closures, program release updates, and speaker announcements, the best place to stay across APLAR Congress information is with the official congress mailing list.

You can opt out at anytime.

If you are translating this website, phrase based translation is used and may not be completely accurate.

Designed and built by MCI Australia