Abstract Submission

Enquiries

Please don’t hesitate to contact our conference managers at mail@conferencedesign.com.au if you have any questions.

Abstract Types

Authors will need to nominate an abstract type when submitting an abstract.

Practice and Policy

Abstracts submitted under practice/policy must have a clear problem/issue identified, what was done to rectify the problem/issue, the results, conclusions, and lessons learnt.

Research

Abstracts submitted under research must use the Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusion format.

Submit an Abstract

Important Dates

  • Call for Abstracts Close
    29 May 2026
  • Notification of Acceptance
    Week of 29 July 2026
  • Presenter Registration Closes
    1 October 2026
  • Conference Starts 
    8 November 2026
  • Conference Closes
    11 November 2026

Abstract Details

Presentation Formats

Authors need to nominate a preferred presentation format when submitting an abstract.

As there are limited places, particularly for oral presentations, the committee may request authors consider an alternative format. Authors will be advised and asked to confirm if they wish to present in the new format.

Oral Presentations

Oral presentations will be allocated 15 minutes, plus 3 minutes for question time.

Lightning Talks

Lightning talks will be allocated 5 minutes, plus 3 minutes for question time.

Posters

Posters will be presented in A0-size portrait for the duration of the conference.

A meet the poster presenters session will be held during the lunch break on the Tuesday of the conference and some poster presenters may be invited to give a short talk.

Poster PDF’s will be included in the conference app and online portal.

AO Poster Dimensions

  • AO Portrait
  • 841 mm wide x 1189 mm high
  • 33.1 inches wide x 46.8 inches high

Presentation Themes

Select one of the following theme options when submitting your abstracts.

  • Antimicrobial stewardship
  • Consumers
  • Environmental cleaning and disinfection
  • Essentials of IPC
  • High Consequence Infectious Diseases (HCID)
  • Immunisation
  • Innovation, practice change, and quality improvement
  • IPC and economics
  • IPC in non-hospital settings
  • IPC in resource limited settings
  • IPC in specialised populations
  • Leadership and capacity building
  • Medical devices and technology
  • One health
  • Paediatrics
  • Reprocessing of medical devices
  • Significant organisms
  • Staff health
  • Surveillance

Abstract Guidelines

  • Abstracts must be no longer than 250 words
  • Abstracts need to be written in English
  • Abstracts must be original and unpublished
  • You must declare a potential conflict of interest
  • Ensure that your abstract is grammatically correct and free of other errors
  • Use single spacing for all text
  • Do not use abbreviations in the title of the abstract
  • When using abbreviations in the abstract, spell them out in full at the first mention
  • Capitalise the first letter in trade names
  • Abstracts should NOT contain references, tables, or figures
  • Accepted abstracts will appear exactly as submitted

Writing an Abstract

An abstract is a short document that captures the interest of potential attendees of your presentation. Your abstract should engage the reader by telling them what your presentation is about. The title of the proposed presentation is also important; short attention-catching titles are the most effective, however, it is also important to ensure that the title describes the subject.

These are questions to consider when writing your abstract.

  • Does the title succinctly describe the topic?
  • Does the abstract clearly state the topic of the presentation?
  • Does the abstract say how the research or project was or is being undertaken?
  • Does the abstract give a concise summary of the findings?
  • Does the abstract indicate the value of the findings and whom the findings will benefit?
  • Does the abstract engage the reader by telling them why they should attend the presentation?
  • Is the abstract well written in terms of conciseness, language, and grammar?
  • Does the abstract conform to the structure outlined and the word limit?

Abstract Submission Instructions

All abstracts are submitted online via the portal above.

1. Prepare your Abstract

Use the template to prepare your abstract, then copy and paste it into the submission portal.

  • Title: Use a descriptive title of up to twenty words that indicates the content of the abstract
  • Abstract: Prepare a 250-word abstract for all presentation types.
    • Research abstracts must be formatted as Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusion
    • Practice and Policy abstracts must have a clear problem/issue identified, what was done to rectify the problem/issue, the results, conclusions, and lessons learnt

2. Corresponding Author

Open the submission portal and enter the contact details of the corresponding author.

3. Abstract Submission Details

You will need to enter the following details for each abstract you submit:

  • Presentation title (20 words)
  • Abstract (250 words – copy and paste your abstract into the portal)
  • Abstract type
  • Preferred presentation format
  • A theme most suitable for your abstract
  • Names of authors
  • Affiliations of authors
  • Indicate the presenter
  • Short biography of the presenter (maximum 50 words)
  • Any conflicts of interest(s)
  • Whether you would like your abstract to be excluded from publication in IDH

Correspondence

The submitting author will be the only point of contact for all communication regarding the abstract, including acceptance notification.

Presenter Registration

Abstract presenters will be required to fund their own attendance at the conference and should not submit an abstract if this is not possible.

All presenters will be required to register for the conference by the early-bird closing date. It will be assumed that any presenter not registered by this date has withdrawn from the program and their abstract will be removed from conference publications.

Presenters also need to meet their own travel and accommodation costs.

Review & Selection Process

Double-Blind Review

Authors and affiliations will be removed from each abstract and they will be reviewed by at least two reviewers using  the “Review Criteria and Scoring” criteria. Reviewers’ recommendations and scores will then be assessed by the Scientific Conference Organising Committee.

Selection Process

Abstracts will be favoured at review if they incorporate original data of high quality and/or an analysis that extends existing knowledge.

In balancing the program the committee may require authors to present their work in an alternate format (e.g. as a poster rather than oral presentation or as an oral presentation rather than a poster).

Review Criteria and Scoring

Reviewers are required to score each abstract on a scale of 1 to 5 in respect to the following criteria: (1 = Very Poor, 2 = Poor, 3 = Average, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent)

  1. the clarity of the background and aim/s of the research
  2. the appropriateness of the methods and analysis/research findings
  3. significance of contribution

Review Criteria – Practice/Policy

Background and aim/s of the practice/policy

  • Does the background address what the problem/issue is?
  • Is what is known about the problem/issue outlined and how has this been derived?
  • Is the project clear and well presented?

Appropriateness of the methods and analysis

  • Are the methods and analysis clearly presented?
  • Is what was done to address the problem/issue clearly outlined?
  • Are there flaws in underlying assumptions or inferences?
  • Is the information contemporary and relevant to the conference?

Results and future actions

  • Is there discussion of how the results were used in practice?
  • Is there discussion on lessons learnt?
  • Are the findings innovative and unique to knowledge and best practice?

Review Criteria – Research

Background and aim/s of the study

  • Does the background address what the problem/issue is?
  • Is what we know about the problem/issue outlined and how has this been derived?
  •  Are the objectives/aims clear and well presented?

Appropriateness of the methods and analysis/research findings

  • Are the methods and analysis/research findings clearly presented?
  • Is the study design appropriate to the hypothesis of the study?
  • Are there flaws in underlying assumptions or inferences?
  • Is the information contemporary and relevant to the conference?

Results and future actions

  • Is there discussion of how the results can be used in practice?
  • Is the translation to practice supported by the research findings?
  • Are the findings innovative and unique to knowledge and best practice?

Submission & Presentation Information

Authors’ Permission

By submitting an abstract all authors are deemed to have agreed to release the content to the conference organisers and give permission to publish the abstract and presentation in all conference publications including on the website, in the app and printed material.

Presenter Guidelines

A set of guidelines to assist presenters will be made available before the conference.

Cancellations or Change of Presenter

Please avoid late cancellations or changing the presenter as material will be pre-printed with the speaker’s name and organisation and cannot be changed at a later date. If you need to cancel or change the presenter, please advise Conference Design at mail@conferencedesign.com.au as early as possible.

Disclosure Of Interest Statement

We recognise the considerable contribution that industry partners make to professional and research activities. We also recognise the need for transparency and the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest by acknowledging these relationships in publications and presentations. Where relevant, all authors must include a disclosure of interest statement in their abstract and if accepted in their presentation. For example, The Melon Institute and Metabolism Corp are funded by the University of Oxbridge, UK. No pharmaceutical grants were received in the development of this study.

Medical Technology Association of Australia Code of Practice

If your presentation refers to medical devices, your abstract and presentation must comply with the Medical Technology Association of Australia Code of Practice.

Infection, Disease and Health

All accepted abstracts will be published in a special online edition of Infection, Disease and Health, the official journal of the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC).

For more information about the journal visit: https://www.idhjournal.com.au/

Prizes and Awards

  • Best Oral Presentation: The winner as judged by an appointed panel will be awarded the Elaine Graham Robertson award comprising a plaque and cheque to the value of $500.
  • Best Poster Award: There will be two best poster prizes awarded at the conference; one judged by an appointed panel and one delegates choice.

Speaker Biography

A brief biography of the presenter is to be provided when you submit your abstract. Biographies may include the presenter’s position, career details and major work achievements. Biographies should be written in the third person. If your abstract is accepted, your biography will be used when introducing you as a speaker at the conference.

Uploading Your Presentations and Posters

You will be sent links to upload your PowerPoint slides and posters via Drobox.

Publishing your Presentation in the Online Portal

Presentations will be made available to registered delegates for viewing in the online portal for three months unless you advise otherwise. Any additional files authors choose to share via the online portal, as well as live Q & A/panel discussions, will also be available to view during and after the presentation. Access to the portal will be password protected and limited to conference registrants. If presentations are to be used or published in any other format or forum, your specific consent will be requested.

Permission for Material Presented

Please ensure you have documented permission to use any images, music or other content in your abstract and presentation. Do not include any images copied from the internet. Getty Images and other image agencies crawl the internet looking for images that have been copied without the appropriate licenses. You are liable for all copyright infringements that arise from your presentation.

Copyright and Ownership of Material

All materials, including but not limited to presentations, slides, posters, abstracts, papers, and any other written or visual content presented at the event, are the intellectual property of us or the respective authors and presenters. The authors or presenters retain ownership rights to their materials.

Can People Record or Download My Presentation?

During the registration process, attendees agree to the conference Terms & Conditions, which include rules on unauthorised photography and recording of conference material. We cannot enforce this rule completely, so presenters should assume a participant may take unauthorised photographs, screenshots, audio, or video recordings. You may wish to adjust the content of your presentation accordingly. Presentations in the online portal and conference app are available only to view and cannot be downloaded.

Audio Visual Equipment

Each session room will be equipped with the following equipment:

  • A presentation laptop running Windows 10 or 11
  • Data projector
  • Screen
  • Lectern
  • Microphone, including sound for your presentation
  • A clicker to progress your slides
  • A laser pointer or mouse for pointing

All slides will be run from the presentation computer

If you use a Mac, have a complex presentation or require a specific or uncommon program, we suggest you bring your laptop as a backup in case of difficulties loading your presentation. You will need to arrange this in advance with the AV technicians. Please provide any specific audio-visual requirements to the Conference Secretariat at mail@conferencedesign.com.au.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips

  • All presentations should be in PowerPoint
  • PowerPoint should be in a 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Video and audio clips should be embedded in your slides rather than linked to external files
  • There should be no more than 5 x 1-line bullet points per slide
  • The optimum title text is 45 – 55 points and no smaller than 36 points
  • Body text should be at least 26 points
  • Avoid UPPERCASE letters as they are hard to read

Speaker Preparation Room

Please bring your presentation to the conference on a USB as a backup. Go to Speaker’s Preparation room at least 4 hours before or the day before your presentation. A technician will be available to load and check your presentation and to discuss any audio-visual queries you may have. If you are not providing slides for your presentation, please advise the AV technician in the Speaker’s Preparation room 4 hours before your session.

Online Oral Presentations

For online presenters, your presentation will be streamed live to delegates via Zoom meetings. Presenters can share their screens and present slides using the standard Zoom meetings functionality. Presenters will need to supply a copy of their slides before the conference as a backup in case of technical difficulty.

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