How has submitting an abstract to Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) benefitted you?

To start, it helped me improve my abstract-writing skills (which is an art in itself). I had an abstract selected for an oral presentation in DDW 2021, for which I am extremely proud. With the virtual format of DDW 2021, there was a great Q&A period with other presenters following my talk. The discussion was very engaging and has helped inspire further research endeavors.

How do you choose the best descriptor and society for your abstract?

This is a very important part of the abstract submission process, as you want to choose a sponsoring society and descriptor that best fit your abstract; otherwise, it may not be accepted. The full list of abstract submission categories is included on the DDW website and is divided based on society. The first step when you start the abstract submission process is to select the appropriate society, so it is especially important to review the submission categories for each society in advance. Note: you cannot make edits to the abstract or descriptor or presentation type after the Dec. 2 deadline has passed.

What’s your best advice for crafting an exceptional abstract?

First, brevity goes a long way when crafting an exceptional abstract. Second, make sure to review the guidelines and ensure your abstract meets all of the minimum submission requirements for DDW; otherwise, you run the risk of your abstract not being accepted based on a technicality. Don’t forget to also look at the requirements for DDW and sponsoring society awards in advance if you plan to apply!

Finally, make sure you start the writing process early. You want to give yourself plenty of time to edit (and avoid spelling or grammatical errors)! The abstract submission site is already open for 2022 (and closes on Dec. 2 at 21:00 Eastern time (UTC -5)), so you can start the process now by picking a society, saving your abstract title and uploading your list of authors. You don’t need to wait until you are done writing the abstract before starting the process![/three_fourth_last]