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Abstracts

In total, a record 5,325 abstracts have been submitted for the ERS Berlin 2008 Congress, of which more than 4,200 have been accepted for Oral Presentations, Thematic Poster sessions and E-communications. The authors of abstracts accepted for Free Communication sessions are responsible for the spelling and syntax of their abstracts. All selected abstracts will be published in the official Abstract Book, which is a supplement to the European Respiratory Journal.

The traditional Abstract Book is no longer available. Abstracts will be available in full on the ERS website from September 26, 2008. 

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Oral Presentations

Abstracts accepted for Oral Presentation sessions will be presented from Sunday to Wednesday during the Scientific Programme. There will be three Oral Presentation sessions per day, from Sunday, October 5 to Tuesday, October 7 and two on Wednesday morning, October 8. Oral Presentation sessions consist of eight PowerPoint presentations of 10 minutes, each followed by five minutes of discussion.

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Thematic Posters

From Sunday to Tuesday, posters accepted for Thematic Poster sessions will be presented, for one day each, in Hall 6.2 of Messe Berlin. Posters should be set up between 08:30 and 09:30 and should be removed by 17:00. Posters not removed by the author at the end of the day will be removed by staff and may be thrown away. Poster boards will be 1.90 m wide x 1.00 m high. There will be a help desk in the Thematic Poster area, which will be able to provide display materials and information.

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E-communication sessions

E-communication sessions were introduced successfully at the ERS 2006 Munich Congress and they will feature again this year in Berlin as a flexible alternative to paper posters. All abstracts accepted for E-communication sessions will be presented in an electronic format. Web pages including the data to be presented (video files, animations, text and pictures) will be prepared and uploaded by the authors in advance of the Congress. The electronic presentations will be displayed on terminals around the room, and will be manned by the authors for the first hour of the session. During the second hour, the chairs will lead a general discussion of specific issues related to the session. Sessions will run from Sunday, October 5 to the morning of Wednesday, October 8. Authors should arrive at the session venue 15 minutes before the session is due to begin in order to ensure that their poster is correctly displayed on the allocated computer. Authors do not need to bring hard copies of their posters.

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Electronic Poster Area

 (sponsored by Laboratorios Almirall S.A.)

The Electronic Poster Area provides an electronic platform for all Free Communication sessions. In addition to their assigned type of presentation, all authors of an accepted abstract will be encouraged to create an electronic version of their work before the Congress. These will be available on site throughout the congress from the workstations available in the Electronic Poster Area. Delegates, authors and chairs will be able to communicate and post comments on the data presented during the congress via a chat forum during and after the congress.

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Further information

Like Thematic Posters, E-communications are not regarded as publications. They are a medium for presenting work during a live event. They are not considered a prepublication, nor are they reviewed or citable. Electronic data cannot be copied or downloaded from the system.With the acceptance of the authors, the data will be made available online after the Congress. The copyright remains with the author.