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International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders ®

Congress
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Abstract Submissions

2025 abstract submissions will open January 8, 2025 and will close March 15, 2025.

Submission Guidelines

Permission is required for each use of the MDS Clinical Outcome Assessments on a per study, per protocol basis.
Review the terms and request permission: View permission request form »

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Submission and Eligibility

Abstract submission deadline: March 15, 2025

All submitted abstracts become the property of MDS.

All accepted abstracts are published by MDS.

An individual may be the first author on a maximum of three (3) abstracts.

An individual may be a contributing author on an unlimited number of abstracts.

MDS Members and non-members are welcome to submit abstracts.

There is no fee to submit an abstract.

*If your abstract includes a rating scale or other resources, please make sure permission has been granted and all applicable fees have been paid.

Abstract presenters are encouraged to attend the International Congress to present their abstract in person. In-person abstract presenters are required to register for the International Congress and pay applicable registration fees.

Abstracts must be submitted in their final form on March 15, 2025. Requests to edit abstract data and/or outcomes after the submission deadline will not be granted. All other abstract edits are not guaranteed.

Presentation Formats

The 2025 International Congress will take place in Honolulu, HI, and will feature in-person presentations for all accepted abstracts.

  • Accepted abstract presenters should plan to attend the Congress in full to present their abstract during the scheduled session(s). 

  • Please plan to attend from October 5-October 9, in case of any schedule changes. 

Publication

All accepted abstracts will be published in an e-supplement to the Movement Disorders journal online edition. All submitted abstracts become the property of MDS.

All accepted abstracts will be published on October 5, 2025, and available for viewing on the MDS Congress platform.

Accepted MDS abstracts are embargoed until 8:00 am GMT-10 (local Honolulu time) on October 5, 2025.

Previously Published Abstracts & Plagiarism

MDS only accepts original work. By submitting your abstract, you affirm that your abstract is your own, either individually or as a group. Should plagiarism be detected, the abstract will be rejected.

Abstracts that have been presented at other meetings may be submitted if they have not been previously published. Submitted abstracts that have been presented at other meetings must include the previous meeting name and presentation date cited accordingly in the abstract body, after the Conclusion.

Abstracts that have been previously published will not be accepted by MDS.

If the abstract submission is scheduled for publication after the submission deadline but prior to the MDS publication date, October 5, 2025, then the abstract must be withdrawn.

MDS does not accept abstracts that have been previously published by MDS (encore abstracts).

If the abstract is found to have been previously published in another MDS publication or a previous edition of the Movement Disorders journal, the submitter will be notified and the abstract will be rejected.

All abstracts presented at a previous MDS International Congress or MDS Regional Congress (PAS Congress or AOPMC) have been published by MDS.

Abstract Edits

Edits to abstracts after submission are highly discouraged.

If edits to a submitted abstract are required, login to the online submission portal, https://catalyst.omnipress.com, and edit as needed. Click “submit” when you are finished. All edits must be submitted by the abstract submission deadline, March 15, 2025.

December 15 – March 15, 2025
You may edit a submitted abstract while submission is still open (before March 15, 2025).

March 16 – July 1, 2025
Requests to edit a submitted abstract after the submission deadline (March 15, 2025) must be received in writing by July 1, 2025, to congress@movementdisorders.org and are not guaranteed. Requests to edit data and/or outcomes of a submitted abstract will not be granted.

July 1, 2025 – Onward
After July 1, 2025, your abstract cannot be edited or withdrawn and will remain a part of the 2025 MDS published abstracts. All submitted abstracts become the property of MDS.

Format

Ther is a text limit of 2,500 characters (including spaces) for the body of the abstract. The size limit includes characters and spaces in the Abstract Title and Abstract Body. Please note that spaces are included in the overall character count. The size limit does not include author information or reference sections.

All abstract submissions must be written and presented in English.

Abstracts should be arranged as follows:

  • Objective
  • Background
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusions

*You may submit a case report using the standard abstract format

When compiling your submission please note the following:

  • Do not include any identifying information directly on the abstract.
  • Do not include branded product names in the abstract. If the abstract is found to contain marketing, rather than scientific content, the abstract will be rejected.
  • Only nonproprietary (generic) drug names should be used and should be written without capitals.
  • Select one (1) category under which the abstract should be reviewed. If the abstract covers more than one topic, please choose the most appropriate category.
    • If it is determined that the abstract should be re-categorized, MDS will ensure that the new category placement is in the best interest of the work and easily searchable by International Congress attendees as well as online researchers.
  • The use of standard abbreviations is desirable. A special or unusual abbreviation should be placed in parentheses after the first appearance of the full word for which it stands.
Uploading Images (Tables/Graphs)

Please note there is a separate upload field for tables and graphs. All images, tables, graphs, etc., will appear at the end of the abstract text in the final publication. When referencing an uploaded image within the abstract, enter the appropriate ID tag, as shown here; - [table1] for your first table; [table2] for your second table; [figure1] for your first figure; [figure2] for your second figure.

To list references, enter the appropriate ID tag. [1] for your first reference, [2] for your second reference, [3] for your third reference, etc.

Abstract Review

The MDS Congress Scientific Program Committee will review all abstracts in March of 2025. The Committee shall be directed to reject abstracts for the following reasons:

  • Plagiarism detected
  • Marketing detected
  • Subject not related to the field of Movement Disorders
  • Does not meet basic requirements

All submitted abstracts will undergo plagiarism review through an online plagiarism detection software. Should plagiarism be detected, the abstract will be rejected.

If it is determined by the Congress Scientific Program Committee that a submitted abstract is not entered in the optimal abstract category listing, MDS reserves the right to re-categorize the abstract on behalf of the author(s) without prior notification. The new category placement will be confirmed in the official abstract notification letter. If it is determined that the abstract should be re-categorized, MDS will ensure that the new category placement is in the best interest of the work and easily searchable by International Congress attendees as well as online researchers.

Notification & Correspondence

All abstract notification e-mails and correspondence will be communicated to the submitter of the abstract. Abstract acceptance notifications will be sent to the submitter via e-mail in May 2025.

All submitted abstracts will receive a confirmation e-mail to the submitter.

If the confirmation e-mail has not been received within 24-hours of submitting the abstract, please log in to the abstract submission site, https://catalyst.omnipress.com, to verify the status of the submission.

 

After abstract notifications have been sent via e-mail, an official abstract notification letter will be available through the submission site and can be downloaded and printed at any time.

All confirmed abstract submissions will be reviewed for acceptance by MDS.

Abstracts with a status of ‘saved’ are not confirmed submissions and will not be reviewed by MDS.

Please ensure that noreply@omnipress.com and congress@movementdisorders.org are designated as a “safe senders” to ensure timely correspondence regarding the abstract submission.

Please check your spam and junk e-mail folders before contacting MDS regarding the status of your abstract. Abstract notices will be sent from noreply@omnipress.com. Abstract status can also be checked directly on the submission site in May 2025.

Withdrawing a Submitted Abstract

December 15 – March 15, 2025
You may withdraw a submitted abstract at any time while submission is still open (before March 15, 2025). To withdraw an abstract, login to your submission and click on 'Withdraw'. There is no penalty to withdraw your abstract.

March 16 – July 1, 2025
Requests to withdraw a submitted abstract after the submission deadline (March 15, 2025) must be received in writing by July 1, 2025, to congress@movementdisorders.org.

July 1, 2025 – Onward
After July 1, 2025, your abstract cannot be withdrawn and will remain a part of the 2025 MDS published abstracts. All submitted abstracts become the property of MDS.

Here are some helpful Abstract Preparation Tips and FAQ’s to help prepare for abstract submission. 

Support for Abstract Presenters

Travel Grant Awards 

MDS offers Travel Grant Awards to support delegates in financial need to attend International Congress.  

Awards for 2024 are now closed

Learn more 

Junior Awards 

Junior Award recipients are selected for significant contribution to the field will present their abstract at the Presidential Lectures Plenary Session. 

Awards for 2024 are now closed

Learn more

 

Preparing to Submit an Abstract

Planning to submit an abstract? Here are some helpful submission tips and FAQs to help you prepare.

Abstract Submission FAQs

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Is there a submission fee to submit my abstract?

There is no fee to submit an abstract. However, if your abstract is accepted, all abstract presenters are responsible for their own registration and other fees associated with attending the International Congress.

Do I have to have an active membership with MDS to submit an abstract?

You do not have to be an MDS Member to submit an abstract, however current members receive additional points when submitting a Juniot Award or Travel Grant application on their cumulative application score. Apply for or renew your MDS Membership. 

How should authors be listed on my submission, and on how many abstracts may an author be listed?

The order in which you arrange author names on the submission website is how they will be published upon acceptance.

You may be the first author on a maximum of three (3) submitted abstracts; there is no limit to how many abstracts you may be a contributing author.

May I submit a case report?

Yes, if you use the standard abstract format.

May I submit an abstract that has been previously presented?

Yes, if the presentation information is included in your citation. See submission guidelines for further information

May I submit an abstract that has been previously published?

You may NOT submit an abstract that has been previously published, even if it was published by MDS. Abstracts determined to have been previously published will be rejected

Submission Tips

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1. Prepare your author listing
  • For the first author of your abstract, you will need: 
    • First and last name
    • Email address 
    • Current institution and country 
    • Indicate if the first author is an owner or employee of a commercial interest (any entity producing, marketing, reselling or distributing health care goods and services consumed by or used on patients) 
  • For each author listed, you will need:
    • First and last name
    • Email address
    • Current institution and country 
  • The first author is not presumed to be the contact person — only the designated contact person will receive notifications and updates regarding your submitted abstract; it is expected that the contact person will disseminate information as needed
2. Determine the main contact
  • All abstract correspondence (including acceptance/rejection notifications) will be directed solely to the contact person indicated on the submission site
     
  • The first author is not presumed to be the contact person — only the designated contact person will receive notifications and updates regarding your submitted abstract; it is expected that the contact person will disseminate information as needed
3. Proofread your data
  • Be sure to review spelling and grammar before submitting (including the accurate spelling of all contributing author names) – after the submission deadline, you will not be permitted to make any changes to your submitted work
     
  • Character limit is 2,500 (including spaces) for the title and body of the abstract; there is no character limit on the other sections of the abstract
4. Determine if an MDS-owned Rating Scale has been used
  • If so, be prepared to indicate which scale(s) were used
     
  • Be prepared to indicate the study protocol or identification number associated with your approval to utilize the scale
5. Determine if you will apply for a Travel Grant or Junior Award
  • Only the first author of an accepted abstract is eligible for a Travel Grant or Junior Award
     
  • The first author must fulfill all eligibility criteria to qualify, please see guidelines included on the submission website for further information
     
  • The sole means of applying for an International Congress Travel Grant or Junior Award is in conjunction with the abstract submission process
     
  • Travel Grants and Junior Awards are not transferrable – if the intended recipient is unable to attend the International Congress, then the award/grant is forfeit and will be reallocated by MDS to the next qualified candidate
6. Ensure that your abstract has been submitted
  • By clicking ‘Save’ you may return to edit / proof-read your abstract at any time prior to the submission deadline 
     
  • By clicking ‘Submit’ you are confirming that your work is finished and ready for review
     
  • Abstracts that are saved will not be submitted for review until they have been submitted

International Congress Abstract Publication

International Congress abstracts are published in a supplement to Movement Disorders, the official Journal of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society (MDS). 

Visit the searchable MDS abstracts website to view full text of abstracts from previous years.  

Browse abstracts

Questions? Feel free to contact the MDS International Secretariat at congress@movementdisorders.org. 

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