Call for Abstracts
139th Anniversary International Medical Congress
Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA)
The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) invites all medical professionals and students to submit their research for the 139th Anniversary International Medical Congress. This prestigious event serves as a platform for disseminating high-quality scientific research within the medical community.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 15th May 2026, 23:59 (Sri Lankan Time)
No amendments to abstracts or author lists will be allowed after this deadline.
No amendments to abstracts or author lists will be allowed after this deadline.
General Regulations
- Submission Portal: All abstracts must be submitted via https://www.slma.lk/abstracts. Hard copies are not accepted.
- Eligibility:
- Mandatory Membership: Any author meeting the criteria for local SLMA membership must hold an active membership or secure it prior to the congress. You can Apply for abstracts and apply for memebership after the fact.
- Exempt Categories: The membership requirement is waived for authors who are not eligible for SLMA membership, specifically including non-medical professionals and foreign medical practitioners.
- Limit: An author may submit a maximum of three (03) abstracts.
- Ethical Standards: Research studies must have ERC approval (letter must be attached as a PDF). Clinical trials must be registered with a recognized registry.
- Plagiarism: Considered serious misconduct; detection results in the rejection of all abstracts submitted by that author.
Instructions for Submission
Step 1: Online Portal Entry
- Login/Register: Create an account on the SLMA Abstract Submission Portal.
- Fields: Enter the Title and Abstract Body directly into the portal fields.
- Word Limit: The abstract body must not exceed 250 words.
- Author Details: Enter surnames with initials, Affiliation, and the SLMA Registration Number for each author.
- All medical authors who are eligible for Local SLMA membership should enter their SLMA membership number. For non medical authors, please leave that field empty.
- For medical student authors, enter the year of initial registration for student membership
- Apply for SLMA mebership here.
- If you have applied membership but have not yet recieved a membership number, please enter 'APPLIED' in place of the membership number.
- If you a foreign medical author, Obtaining SLMA membership is not necessary. Please enter 'Foreign' in that field.
- If you are planning to obtain membership after abstract submission, leave this field empty.
Step 2: Mandatory Attachments Required
You must upload two separate files:
- Abstract Document: A Microsoft Word (.docx) file named with the Title of the Abstract.
- ERC Approval Letter: A PDF version of your ethics clearance.
Formatting the Word Document (1 Page Only):
- Typography: Times New Roman, Size 12, single line spacing.
- Title: Bold sentence case.
- Authors: Last name followed by initial(s) (e.g., Perera AB). Underline the presenting author. Use superscript numbers for affiliations. Do not use prefixes (Dr/Prof/Mr).
- Affiliations: List institutions below the authors (e.g., 'Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo). Do not include designations.
- Metadata: State the Word Count and select a Subject Category (e.g., Cardiology, Surgery, etc.).
Abstract Body Structure
The body must use these four subheadings[cite: 36, 37]:
1. Introduction and Objectives | 2. Method | 3. Results | 4. Conclusions
Important Restriction: To ensure anonymous review, the body of the abstract in the portal must not contain author names, institutions, tables, graphs, or references.
Review and Selection
- Abstracts will be reviewed anonymously by a scientific panel.
- Successful applicants will be notified via email; the presenting author must register for the congress to present.
- The decision of the Scientific Committee is final.