2026 Call for Abstracts Now Open!
2026 National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms
December 9-11, 2026 | Baltimore, MD
The 2026 National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm‑Related Harms is now accepting abstracts for symposia, workshops, oral presentations, lightning science presentations, and posters. All submissions are due June 21, 2026 at 11:59pm ET. Accepted presenters must attend the in‑person conference in Baltimore, MD, December 9–11, 2026.
Submission Deadline: Sunday, June 21 @ 11:59 PM ET
All abstracts must be submitted through the online submission system links. We cannot accept abstracts that are emailed or mailed to us. Abstracts must be written and presented in English.
Tips for Submitting: You will need to create an account prior to beginning your submission. After clicking the button to submit an abstract, you will be prompted to create an account by selecting "Need to create an account?". Provide your email address and create a password. This step will need to be done for each of the submission types as they are separate web pages. We suggest using the same login information each time.
Additionally, we suggest clicking "Save" to ensure you preserve your progress as you complete your submission.
If you login to submit another abstract, or make changes after an initial submission, you will be taken to the "My Submissions" page after logging back into this system. Your contact information will automatically populate as the primary contact details for the submission.
You may return to the online submission site to revise your abstract up until the deadlines. After this date/time, the submission site will close and no additional changes, edits, revisions, etc. can be made to the title, content, authors, or disclosure information.
Workshops
Deadline: Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
Workshops are 60-minute sessions with up to five (5) presenters providing instruction on a topic relevant to firearm-related harms prevention researchers. Workshops are often methodological and/or technical in nature.
Workshop sessions should be submitted by one contact person, who will identify all presenters to be involved in the proposed session.
Submissions must include: the workshop title, a brief summary of the workshop (maximum of 400 words), at least three (3) learning objectives, and presenters’ names, affiliations, and expertise or qualifications.
Accepted submissions must be presented in person during the 2026 meeting in Baltimore, Maryland at an assigned time and date (December 9-11, 2026). There will be no pre-recorded or virtual presentation options, and all presenters must be registered to attend (registration fee required and announced at a later date).
Symposia
Deadline: Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
Symposia are 60-minute sessions with up to five (5) presenters presenting a topic in depth and stimulating discussion. Presenters may present several studies on a related topic; summarize the state of the science on a topic (e.g., Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs, lethal means safety counseling, sources of data on firearm injury); or discuss an emerging, novel, or nuanced topic in firearm harm prevention research (e.g., the use of artificial intelligence in screening for future firearm risk factors). At least 15 minutes must be reserved in each session for Q&A or discussion time.
Symposium sessions should be submitted by one contact person, who will identify all presenters to be involved in the proposed session.
Submissions must include: the symposium title, a brief summary of the symposium (maximum of 400 words), at least three (3) learning objectives, and presenters’ names, affiliations, and expertise or qualifications.
Accepted submissions must be presented in person during the 2026 meeting in Baltimore, Maryland at an assigned time and date (December 9-11, 2026). There will be no pre-recorded or virtual presentation options, and all presenters must be registered to attend (registration fee required and announced at a later date).
Oral, Lightning Science, and Poster Presentations
Deadline: Sunday, June 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
Abstracts can be submitted for consideration for an oral presentation, a lightning science presentation, or a poster presentation.
Oral Presentation
A presentation, up to 12 minutes in length, highlighting a study’s research objectives, methods, major results, limitations, and implications. Presentations will be selected to fill a panel session of five (5) presentations organized around a specific topic. Abstracts on topics of broad interest, that use rigorous methods, and that include impactful results and clear conclusions are well suited to this presentation format
Note: You may have more than one presenter for an oral presentation as long as you stay within the allotted time. However, only one presenter per abstract may sit at the presenter table; any additional presenters will need to sit in the audience.
Lightning Science Presentation
A brief presentation limited to five (5) minutes and four (4) slides delivered by one author who highlights only the key points of a study in a quick, engaging format. Abstracts well-suited to this presentation format include those with: innovations in measurement, data, or research methods; preliminary or pilot data from research on programs, policies, or practice; or early‑stage or rapid‑response studies on emerging or urgent issues. Lightning Science Presentations will be grouped together in a dedicated session, with approximately eight (8) presentation slots per hour.
Poster Presentation
During a session with other posters, at least one author will display a visual summary of their study and discuss their work with attendees who browse, ask questions, and engage in one-on-one conversations. Abstracts focusing on a specialized topic or with results that are preliminary or exploratory are well-suited to this presentation format.
Presentation Guidelines
Authors submitting abstracts will indicate the presentation format(s) for which they would like their science to be considered. Authors may select more than one presentation format. Due to a limited number of presentation slots, all submissions will undergo a selective review process, with priority given to submissions demonstrating innovative, rigorous methodological approaches and impactful results.
Accepted submissions must be presented in person during the 2026 meeting in Baltimore, Maryland at an assigned time and date (December 9-11, 2026). There will be no pre-recorded or virtual presentation options, and all presenters must be registered to attend (registration fee required and announced at a later date).
All submissions for oral and poster abstracts are limited to 400 words, and must be organized around the following topic headings:
Background/Purpose
Methods/Approach
Results/Outcome
Conclusions/Implications
Generally, each section should include a concise description of the relevant points of the study, although exact content will vary by abstract topic. For example: Background/Purpose might include a sentence identifying the study rationale, and the main research questions or hypotheses; Methods/Approach might include study design, setting, and analytic approach; Results/Outcome might include key findings (e.g., qualitative themes or quantitative results); and Conclusions/Implications might include the significance of the findings and their implications for research, policy, practice, or future study.
Only submissions that follow the stated requirements will be considered. We understand that different fields may have different guidelines for writing abstracts, but to ensure fair scoring, all of the guidelines must be followed.
Abstracts should not be published or presented elsewhere prior to submission. We will not accept abstracts of proposed research or projects; abstracts must have, at a minimum, preliminary findings at the time of submission.
