Late-breaking abstracts submission guidelines

When we select late-breaking abstracts, we are looking for the most exciting, recent, and (ideally) unpublished findings on any aspect of neuromuscular disorders. There are no predefined topics for late-breaking abstracts.

Please note: This category is not for abstracts that were not submitted in the April submissions.

Key dates

• Submission opens: Saturday 1 August 2026
• Deadline: Monday 31 August 2026

Presentation format

We will select six abstracts from among those submitted in August 2026. Each will be invited to present a 10-minute oral presentation, followed by five minutes of questions on the final day of the Congress (Saturday 3 October 2026).

We will also invited some of those who submit late breaking abstracts to present posters at the Congress venue and/or as ePosters.

Submission guidelines

• Abstracts must be submitted via the official submission link, which will be sent to all registered delegates by email on 1 August 2026. The link will also be included in registration confirmation emails for those who register after this date;
• Abstracts must be submitted by 31 August 2026 (23:59 BST). Late submissions will not be considered; and
• Abstracts cannot be submitted by email, fax, or hard copy.

Eligibility requirements

• The presenting author must be registered to attend the Congress before submitting an abstract;
• Only the presenting author can submit the abstract. Abstracts submitted by anyone else will not be accepted;
• There is no fee to submit an abstract;
• WMS membership is not required unless applying for a fellowship. We will temporarily reopen fellowship applications for late-breaking abstract submissions; and 
• Delegates can submit more than one abstract.
• You will also be asked to describe how this abstract qualifies as a late-breaking abstract. Qualifying features might include emerging data, recently completed trials, unpublished status or novel findings. In all cases, we'll be looking for a good reason why this abstract could not have been submitted as part of our standard abstract submissions process. 

Submissions from companies working in the pharmaceutical and related industries

• Abstracts from sponsoring, exhibiting, or pharmaceutical and related industry organisations must be submitted by a presenter who is registered under the organisation’s allocated ticket allowance;
• To ensure scientific integrity, late-breaking abstracts from pharmaceutical and related industry organisations who also have a symposium on the same topic will not be selected; and
• During submission, the abstract submitter will need to declare if the abstract is submitted on behalf of, by, or in collaboration with the pharmaceutical or related industries.

Abstract content guidelines

• Language: English;
• Word limit: 250 words (excluding title and author contact details);
• Co-authors: Maximum 20 co-authors per abstract. If there are more contributors, they should be listed as a study group and acknowledged on the poster or during the oral presentation;
• Formatting rules:
  • Do not include references, credits, or subheadings (e.g., background, methods, results). These will be removed automatically by the Programme Committee;
  • Do not include keywords; and
  • The Programme Committee reserves the right to shorten titles for publication and edit content to remove acknowledgements and correct misspellings;
• Accuracy: the author is responsible for ensuring the abstract is free of errors in spelling, grammar, and scientific accuracy. Submitted abstracts will be published as received.

Submission confirmation and notifications

• The WMS will correspond with the submitting author. They are responsible for updating co-authors on the status of the submission;
• If an abstract is not accepted, the submitter will be informed promptly. Delegates can then choose to attend the Congress or cancel their registration and receive a full refund;
• Submitters of accepted abstracts will receive an email notification with further details, including deadlines for presentation uploads; and
• For full details on notifications and upload deadlines, please refer to the dates page of the Congress website. 

Publication of accepted abstracts

Accepted late-breaking abstracts will be displayed in an unindexed format as a single PDF file on the Neuromuscular Disorders journal website in time for the WMS 2026 Congress.

Important: If you cannot meet the submission deadlines, please do not submit a late-breaking abstract.

For any questions, contact the WMS Abstracts Manager at [email protected].