NEW for 2024 Annual Meeting Abstract Submissions: Plain Language Summary

October is Health Literacy Awareness Month, and ASGCT is taking action to share with the broader GCT community of patients and advocates the latest scientific discoveries that will be presented at the 27th Annual Meeting in May 2024.  

Every year, over 1,000 abstracts are submitted to the ASGCT Annual Meeting, showcasing the diligent and groundbreaking efforts our members contribute to the field of gene and cell therapy. There’s a caveat though: Most of this information is aimed at a professional audience, assumed to have a strong background in science and medicine. However, that still leaves a portion of stakeholders who may be missing important and beneficial information when it’s presented in this complex way.   

To make the 2024 Annual Meeting research findings more accessible to patients, advocates, and those seeking brief and meaningful updates, we have reserved a spot in the abstract submission process for investigators to include a Plain Language Summary. Plain language is defined as “writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience.” 

The plain language summary will be optional and will not affect the overall abstract score, but it will challenge authors to simplify their findings to encourage collective understanding. This will not only benefit the broader GCT community but will also serve as professional development for those who may work with patients and families during their career. Being able to communicate a complex message in a simple way often shows a greater level of understanding as well.  

A few tips we share in the submission guidelines are: 

• Imagine you are excited to share this information with a family member, friend or neighbor who does not have your scientific expertise.  

• Skip the details and jump straight to how the methods or findings may impact the disease community or the field.   

• Be wary of including details and scientific jargon that may cloud the main message. 

We will compile and review the submitted summaries, then prepare a format to release and publish this information for the community. As an incentive, the Patient Outreach Committee will select the top 10 plain language summaries that will receive a special highlight on our social media platforms. We are hoping to receive an abundance of Plain Language abstract summaries and look forward to making the 2024 Annual Meeting research more accessible!  

If you have any questions or insight, please reach out to Alexis Starosta, ASGCT’s Patient Outreach Manager at astarosta@asgct.org. 

Abstract submissions for the 27th Annual Meeting open on Nov. 13, 2023. We hope to see your research and plain language summaries!

Submit an abstract

Alison Kujawski, MPH, is ASGCT's senior outreach manager. 

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