HIVR4P 2020 Frequently Asked Questions
What are the new dates for HIVR4P?
HIVR4P will be held on 17-21 January 2021.
Why is HIVR4P being postponed?
Our first commitment is to the safety of all HIVR4P participants. Currently available information indicates that the global COVID-19 situation may not be sufficiently controlled by October to allow conference participants from all parts of the world to travel safely to Cape Town. In addition, we know that many researchers and research organizations with important studies to submit to HIVR4P are also heavily engaged now in the COVID-19 response. Our hope is that holding the conference on 17-21 January will provide the additional time needed to ensure broad participation in the meeting, in accordance with public health guidelines.
Could the conference be postponed from January to a still later date?
No. At this time, we are considering holding either an in-person conference in Cape Town, a virtual conference or a combination event featuring both in-person and virtual elements. We will hold the conference on 17-21 January 2021, and this date will remain unchanged.
What format will the conference take?
Depending on the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic, the final format of the meeting may be an in-person conference in Cape Town, a virtual conference or a combination event featuring both in-person and virtual elements.
Will the conference be held in the same venue?
Yes. If an in-person HIVR4P conference is possible, it will be held 17-21 January 2021 at the Cape Town International Conference Centre, the same venue chosen for the original HIVR4P dates.
When will a final decision be made about the conference format?
A final decision about the conference format will be announced by September 2020, to allow all attendees sufficient time to plan for their participation.
How will the decision on the final conference format be made?
The final format for HIVR4P will be announced in September 2020, and will be guided by the latest available recommendations from leading global and local health authorities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of conference participants.
Will all aspects of the conference programme take place?
At this time we anticipate that, regardless of the final format of HIVR4P, all previously announced sessions including plenary sessions, symposia, oral and poster presentation sessions, satellite sessions and community programming will take place. More details on the conference programme will be available later in 2020.
What is happening with abstract, scholarship and satellite deadlines?
In light of the postponement, deadlines for abstract submission, research and community scholarship, journalist fellowship and satellite session applications have been extended until 23 July 2020, 23:59 Central European Summer Time (CEST).
If I have already submitted an abstract, what happens now?
All conference abstracts will be reviewed as previously announced by a peer-review panel and the conference Programme Organizing Committee. Abstracts already submitted can be withdrawn and resubmitted with updated data before 23 July 2020, 23:59 CEST if required.
If I am registered already, is my registration still valid?
If you have already paid for your HIVR4P 2020 registration, your registration will be automatically transferred to the conference taking place from 17 – 21 January 2021. Once the format of the conference is confirmed, and if a renewed fee structure is developed, you will be refunded appropriately.
What will happen with hotel reservations?
All hotel reservations that have been made through the official channel will be transferred to the new dates and an updated confirmation will be sent. Should a cancellation be required, this will be processed with a cancellation fee being imposed.
The accommodation booking portal will shortly be updated with revised options for the new dates.
The 4th HIV Research for Prevention conference (HIVR4P) welcomes abstracts for original contribution to the field in the following categories:
- Behavioural and social science research
- Broadly neutralizing antibodies
- Cellular immunity
- Clinical trial results
- Community engagement in prevention research
- Contraception, pregnancy and HIV prevention (incl. PMTCT)
- Delivery technologies: novel approaches, formulation and multi-purpose
- Demand creation, market research, human-centred design
- Discovery and evaluation of biomedical agents
- Epidemiology of HIV
- Ethics in HIV prevention research
- High-throughput datasets in prevention science
- HIV sequencing insights including viral diversity and antiretroviral resistance
- Humoral immunity
- Implementation science, including structural interventions, PrEP & VMMC
- Innate and trained immunity
- Mathematical modelling: impact and effectiveness
- Microbiome & STI: impact on prevention
- Mucosal immunity
- Novel vaccine and other prevention approaches
- Pharmacology/PK and PD studies
- Policy and advocacy
- Preclinical studies for HIV prevention
- Product acceptability and adherence
- Therapeutic vaccines, viral reservoirs and eradication/remission
- Testing: technology, coverage, viral load, point of care and CD4 count
- Transmission of HIV
All abstract authors are asked to choose one category during the submission process.
By submitting an abstract to the conference, you agree to adhere to the conference embargo policy. The policy specifies that while authors may publish the fact that their abstract has been selected for inclusion in the conference programme, data from the abstract may NOT be shared in any form (print, broadcast or online publication, media release or conference presentation) prior to its official presentation at HIVR4P.
Call for abstracts
We encourage work that introduces new ideas, concepts and research and deepens understanding in the field, as well as analyses of both successes and failures. Please read the following guidelines carefully before submitting your abstract:
- Abstracts can be submitted only online via the conference account on our website, hivr4p.org. Submissions by fax, post or email will not be considered.
- All abstracts must be written in English.
- It is the author’s responsibility to submit an abstract with the correct wording. Any errors in spelling, grammar or scientific fact in the abstract text will be reproduced exactly as typed by the author. Abstract titles will be subject to a spellcheck if the abstract is selected for presentation.
Policies for abstract submission
Copyright policy
Abstracts should not include libellous or defamatory content. Material presented in abstracts should not violate any copyright laws. If figures, graphics and/or images have been taken from sources not copyrighted by the author, it is the author’s sole responsibility to secure the rights from the copyright holder in writing to reproduce those figures, graphics and/or images for both worldwide print and web publication. The author must bear all reproduction costs charged by the copyright holder.
Resubmission policy
Plagiarism
Co-submission
Ethical research declaration
Abstract submission process
Conference account
Authors must create a conference account to submit an abstract. More than one abstract can be submitted through a conference account. After an abstract has been created, modifications can be made until 23 July 2020, 23:59 Central European Summer Time (CEST).
Choosing an abstract category
The abstract category is the general heading under which the abstract will be reviewed and later published in the conference materials, if accepted. The category that best describes the subject of the abstract should be chosen.
Abstract structure
Abstracts should contain concise statements of:
- Background: Indicate the purpose and objective of the research, the hypothesis that was tested, or a description of the problem being analysed or evaluated.
- Methods: Describe the study period, setting and location, study design, study population, data collection and methods of analysis used.
- Results: Present as clearly and in as much detail as possible the findings and/or outcomes of the study. Please disaggregate data by age and gender where possible and summarize any specific results.
- Conclusions: Explain the significance of your study’s findings and/or outcomes and future implications of the results.
Font
A standard font, such as Arial, should be used when formatting the text. This helps prevent special characters from getting lost when copying the text to the online abstract submission form. Ensure that you check the final abstract with the system’s preview function before submission, and edit or replace as necessary.
Word limits
The abstract is limited to 350 words. Titles are limited to 30 words.
A maximum of two tables and/or graphs in total can be included. A graph/image (in JPG, GIF or PNG, ideally at least 600dpi) counts as 50 words and a table counts as five words per row (50 words maximum).
Submission confirmation
After submission of the abstract, a confirmation email will be sent to the abstract submitter. In order to receive confirmation, please ensure that emails from abstracts@hivr4p.org are not marked as spam by your email.
Questions
For technical questions regarding the abstract submission system, please contact the abstract support team at hivr4p@ctimeeting.com
For general questions regarding abstracts, please see the FAQ page.
Conference embargo policy
All research presented at HIVR4P is embargoed until the conclusion of the study’s presentation at the conference. Embargoes apply to all forms of dissemination of research news, including press releases, published media interviews, and social media dissemination. All HIVR4P participants, including research sponsors, presenters and attendees, are required to follow the conference embargo policy.
Please direct any inquiries about the HIVR4P embargo policy to media@hivr4p.org.