Abstract Mentor Programme

The submissions for AIDS 2022 AMP are now closed. Mentors can still access the platform to review abstracts. Submitters can access their submissions/reviews but cannot submit new ones

The IAS offers this programme to support professional development for young and less experienced HIV researchers. The programme enables participants to submit higher quality abstracts, which increases the chance of them being accepted into the conference programme. The aim is to build capacity for a new generation of young researchers and increase the diversity of speakers and presenters at the conference.

The AMP for IAS 2021, the 11th IAS Conference on HIV Science, for example involved 122 mentors and 54 abstracts where reviewed; 82% of which were submitted to the conference and 30% selected for presentation.

The AMP is open to anyone with a proficient level of English, and who is willing to improve their scientific abstract writing skills.

We welcome scientists with experience in HIV research who have had at least two abstracts accepted for an international conference (IAS-convened or other) and who have co-authored at least one manuscript accepted by a peer-reviewed scientific journal within the past five years.

Mentors will be asked to anonymously review up to four abstracts. Each abstract review can take up to two hours to complete. The peak period for review will be between 4 and 20 January 2022. Mentors will receive a mentoring certificate from the IAS in recognition of their support.

Yes. Each participant can submit up to two draft abstracts.

No. Neither mentors nor mentees need to be registered for the conference to participate in the AMP. However, should your abstract be selected for presentation at the conference, you will be required to register as a regular delegate or apply for a scholarship. The same applies to mentors who wish to participate in the conference.

You can ask mentors questions on practical issues, such as clarity of writing style and general abstract requirements, as well as any methodological or scientific questions that may arise from the abstract content. Their answers should guide subsequent edits and improvements to the abstract before you officially submit it to the conference.

Here are some examples of previously asked questions:

• Is my introduction extensive enough?
• Are my conclusions clear and well supported by the data?
• Have I described the method well enough?
• What part of the abstract could I edit to shorten the text?
• Would a graph or table be useful?
• What other conclusions/lessons learned should I include?

Note: Mentors do not write, translate or make changes to the draft abstract on your behalf.

Mentors will not answer questions related to:

• Whether or not they think your abstract will be accepted for the conference
• Grammar issues
• Other conference programmes, such as scholarships.

We match your abstract with a mentor specialized in your field of research and you will receive feedback within 10 working days.

Mentors review abstracts based on guidelines and provide feedback within 10 working days, at the latest by 20 January 2022 (excluding the end-of-year holiday period: 24 December 2021 to 1 January 2022).

Yes. Abstracts submitted to AIDS 2022 must be written in English, and so the AMP is also only available in English.

No. Mentoring is completely independent of the abstract review and selection process. Once you have finalized your abstract, you need to submit it to the conference through your conference account.

Before your first submission, you will be able to consult the online abstract writing module, developed by JIAS, to help you develop your abstract. The module will be available on the AMP platform.