2026 Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts

Abstract Submission Instructions

PLEASE NOTE: Submissions will only be accepted from people practicing as MR Technologists, Radiographers or equivalent. A current CV/resume is required as part of the submission process (For example, the CV should include details such as your qualifications, employment history with corresponding dates and locations, and a summary of responsibilities held in each role. It should also outline your professional registration relevant to MRI practice, as well as any publications you have authored. Additionally, some individuals choose to include awards, accolades, research grants, professional society memberships, and personal interests or hobbies). Acceptance notices are emailed in February 2026. Detailed design and presentation guidelines will be available on this website after acceptance notices are sent.

Failure to Present: All accepted works that are not withdrawn before the 27 February 2026 withdrawal deadline must be presented, in person, by the author or their designee. During the submission process, authors are required to acknowledge that one of the authors will be on site at the Annual Meeting to present this work. If an author or other representative is not present, and the accepted abstract was not withdrawn, the author or co-authors may be prohibited from submitting abstracts to this conference in the following three (3) years.

All copyrights to accepted abstracts become the property of the ISMRT. No proprietary information may be withheld by the authors.

Submission Steps

Please read through the ALL submission instructions listed below before preparing your abstract.

Step 1: Read the General Policies and Requirements for the submission of abstracts. Step 2: Review the Abstract General Guidelines Step 3: Read Abstract Submission Process

Step 1 of 4: General Policies and Requirements

• Abstracts received after the deadline will not be accepted. The organizers will not be held responsible for abstract submission errors caused by internet service outages, hardware or software delays, power outages or unforeseen events.
• Submissions will only be accepted from people practicing as MR Technologists, Radiographers or equivalent. A current resume/CV is required as part of the submission process.
• Abstracts must be the author’s own original work that has not been previously published or presented.
• All abstracts must be submitted electronically. Paper abstracts will not be considered for review.
• Abstracts must be submitted using ECHO, our new submission site. Authors are required to read the Abstract Format & Layout Guidelines carefully. The reviewing committee reserves the right to change the category of submission (Clinical Practice Focus or Research Focus or Sustainability Focus) if deemed appropriate.

Abstract Review Process:

All abstracts will be peer reviewed. Abstracts will be blind reviewed (reviewers will be blind to the author details and institution(s) of origin).

Abstracts will be reviewed using the following criteria:

1. Clinical Practice Focus category
   • Clarity and organization of information
   • Background justification and purpose
   • Soundness of teaching point
   • Originality and importance of the topic to the profession
2. Research Focus category
   • Clarity and organization of information
   • Background justification and purpose
   • Soundness of methods used (study design)
   • Originality and importance of the topic to the profession

Digital Poster “Teaser” Previews ISMRT poster award winners, for research and clinical focus, will need to provide both a digital (single slide) and a traditional version of their poster.

Abstract Acceptance and Notification:

The seven (7) top scoring abstracts will be selected for oral presentation at the 2026 ISMRT Annual Meeting and will receive a Proffered Paper Award. Notifications of acceptance will be sent via e-mail to the submitting author the end of January 2026. Authors of the remaining abstracts will be considered and reviewed for a poster presentation. If your abstract is accepted for presentation as a traditional/digital poster you will receive detailed instructions on requirements for both the traditional and digital poster submissions.

NOTE: Authors of abstracts accepted for oral or poster or power pitch presentation MUST register and attend the meeting, either virtually or in person.

Proffered Paper Awards:

The ISMRT is offering Annual Meeting Stipends to the 2026 Annual Meeting. Please click the link for more information. Preference is given to those who have an accepted abstract. In addition, the ISMRM Research & Education Fund is supporting all ISMRT Proffered Paper Awards with a special grant!

Proffered Paper Awards are determined by abstract submission, NOT the oral presentation.

The President’s Award: Awarded to the most outstanding abstract submitted for oral presentation in either the Clinical Practice Focus or Research Focus categories. The honoree will receive an educational stipend to support the presentation of the award-winning abstract at the 2026 ISMRT Annual Meeting.

Proffered Paper Awards: 3 additional awards are presented to the next highest scoring abstracts in each category:

• Oral Presentation – Research Focus: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place
• Oral Presentation – Clinical Practice Focus: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place

Poster Awards: Three awards are presented in each category:

• Poster Presentation – Research Focus: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place
• Poster Presentation – Clinical Practice Focus: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place

Authors of abstracts accepted for oral, or poster presentation MUST register and attend the meeting either virtually or in-person. Authors who are selected to receive an Award are required to present their abstract in-person at the meeting. Oral and poster presenters will receive detailed instructions and information pertaining to their presentation at the 2026 ISMRT Annual Meeting with their acceptance letters. Award winners are required to attend the award ceremony on Sunday.

Step 2 of 4: Abstract Format & Layout Guidelines

Abstract Presentation Categories

There are two options for the focus of the submitted work:

1. Clinical Practice Focus: This category is for the presentation of work which demonstrates an improvement in patient care or diagnosis through the application of existing MR techniques. This is an opportunity to share your innovative ideas with your colleagues. The category does not require a formal study to have been undertaken.
2. Research Focus: This category is for the presentation of work which describes novel or innovative MRI investigations or developments which have been tested by standard research methodology, i.e. a hypothesis is tested, results are obtained and analyzed and a conclusion is drawn as to whether or not the hypothesis was correct.

Options for the presentation may include:

• Describing a technique and its applications that you currently employ.
• Presenting innovative ways to improve professional practice.
• Undertaking a literature review to research a topic/technique that is new or uncommon for the purpose of presenting your colleagues with an overview of current practice or standard of care.
• Conducting your own research into a new technique or application.

Abstract Elements

The purpose of the abstract is to define the precise subject of the presentation to an audience. The abstract title should be short, informative and contain the major key words. An abstract must contain sufficient information so that if published it would be a complete report independent of presentation. The text should not contain statements alluding to results or conclusions not presented within the text.

The following word limits will apply:

• Title: 125 characters
• Synopsis: 100 words (combined 4 sections)
• Impact: 40 words
• Body of the Abstract: 750 words (references not included)
• Preview Figure: one figure, no caption, legible at the width of a mobile smartphone
• Figures: up to 5 only for abstract
• Figure Captions: 500 characters per caption

A properly submitted abstract will have the following suggested section titles:

Clinical Practice Focus

• Background or Introduction
• Teaching Point
• Summary or Conclusions
• References

Research Focus

• Background or Purpose
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions
• References

Impact & Synopsis

Each abstract is accompanied by a 40-word impact statement and 100-word synopsis. These should be written in simple, clear language, at a higher level than the main abstract, to be broadly understandable to members who may not be in your direct field. The impact and synopsis must include text only, without equations or images, and be without references or citations to items described in the full abstract. We suggest the use of abstract keywords in the synopsis to improve the searchability of your abstract after publication.

We all pursue research in order to have an impact. But in the day-to-day work, and especially as we come together as a group to exchange our research results, it’s easy to lose sight of the specific end goal. The impact statement allows us to explicitly consider our end goal. We want to convey to each other what motivated our projects, what we did, and why it will matter. Not only will this enhance our conversations together, but thinking this way will also help in any networking situation, framing manuscripts and proposals, and design of future studies for impact.

Keep in mind that “impact” can take many forms; it can be, for example, that other scientists might now think about a problem differently, opening new questions or lines of investigations to be answered; it can be specific applications of the advances in technological capabilities; or new clinical information that can be disseminated and implemented more widely.

The impact of your study might affect several people, or several million people, with both scenarios being important. The question is, what will be different because of the results of your study? Who will care (other than the next post-doc in the lab), and why? Your results do not need to “change the world,” although small changes together do change the world! Beware the positive impact bias! Impact does not mean that something had a positive or expected result. “Why the work will matter” might be that it shows that a pivot or new direction is needed.

The 40-word Impact section will precede the Synopsis in the abstract and will also appear alone in the program. Therefore it should be a stand-alone statement of the potential impact of this work. The Impact section must include text only, without equations or images, and be without references or citations to items described in the full abstract.

• Impact: State how the results might affect other scientists/clinicians/patients. What new questions might now be investigated? What can be done that was not possible before and why does it matter? Try to avoid vague statements and focus on specific potential impact of the results.

The Synopsis section is specific to each abstract type. For ISMRT abstracts, the Synopsis should be entered in the following sections, with a 100-word total limit applied to the 4 sections:

• Motivation: State specifically what motivates the research study; for example, what new knowledge is being sought, what specific step in a clinical problem your research is addressing, and/or for what reason some technical development is needed. Try to avoid broad statements such as “early detection of x disease is important.”
• Goal(s): The goal of this particular study. What specific question is being asked, what technical goal or specific advancement in capability is being sought?
• Approach: The overall approach taken to address the goal, such as the study design to test a hypothesis or type of methodology to advance imaging tools. May include animal model, clinical trial, technology development, or other.
• Results: Core results of the study that show how well you achieved the goals. Note that the Impact section will appear below the synopsis when printed, so you do not need to duplicate text from the Impact section here.

Please view examples of Impact and Synopsis here.

Step 3 of 4: Read “A Guide to ISMRT’s New ECHO Abstract Submission Process”

ISMRT abstracts will be submitted using ECHO, our new submission website. We strongly recommend you read our guide to this system before proceeding.

Read the Guide Here

Step 4 of 4: Abstract Submission Site