In This Section

General Information and FAQs

Assistance for Registrants with Disabilities

The AACR’s meetings, conferences, and workshops are accessible to all investigators. Registrants with special requirements for transportation, hotel accommodations, or other facilities connected with a program should inform the AACR when registering or by contacting the AACR Meetings Department at 215-440-9300 or [email protected].

Registration

Accommodations, Meals, and Travel

Abstracts

Financial Support for Attendance

Miscellaneous

Registration

Do I have to be an AACR member to register for a conference?
No. AACR meetings, conferences, and workshops are open to both members and nonmembers. AACR members will pay a lower registration rate, upwards of several hundred dollars less than nonmembers. For information on membership benefits and how to join, please visit the Membership section of the AACR website.

How do I register?
Visit the homepage of the program you are interested in attending and follow the link for registration. Registration for in-person and virtual meetings may be completed online. Space permitting, onsite registration for in-person meetings is also available. Please note that most workshops are by application; those selected will be provided with instruction on registration following acceptance.

Are there daily or partial registration fees?
No. Daily or partial registration fees are not available.

Are there lower registration rates for students or postdocs?
Yes. Student members receive substantial discounts for most AACR meetings and conferences. New in 2018: AACR Associate Members have no annual dues. Associate membership is open to graduate students, medical students and residents, and clinical and postdoctoral fellows who are enrolled in educational or training programs that could lead to careers in cancer research. Nonmember students and postdocs are also afforded lower registration rates for most programs, but are encouraged to visit the Membership section of the AACR website before registering.

How can I confirm my registration?
Online registrations are confirmed by email immediately. Registrations completed by mail or fax will be confirmed by email shortly after they are received. Registrations may also be confirmed by contacting the AACR Meetings Department at 215-440-9300 or [email protected].

Are registration receipts available before the conference?
Registration receipts will be sent by email. Receipts are sent immediately for online registrations. Receipts for registrations completed by mail or fax will be sent by email shortly after they are received. If a duplicate receipt is needed, it can be obtained online through myAACR or by contacting the AACR Meetings Department at 215-440-9300 or [email protected].

Accommodations, Meals, and Travel

Does the AACR provide assistance with obtaining visas for travel?
Contact the AACR Program Development Department at 215-440-9300 or [email protected] to request an official letter of invitation. If you plan to attend an AACR Special Conference, contact the American consulate in your country to review the current regulations for travel to the United States. If you are attending the AACR Annual Meeting, a visa letter may be requested when you complete your online registration. Please begin the visa application process as early as possible. Information is available on the U.S. Department of State website.

Are discounted room rates available for attendees?
Yes. The AACR has negotiated reduced room rates for attendees at the official conference hotel(s). Visit the home page for your conference of interest and click on the “Accommodations and Travel” link for details.

Is there a preferred travel service?
Yes. The AACR has chosen Corporate Traveler (CT) as its exclusive travel management partner. To leverage AACR’s partnership with CT and utilize their services to make your travel arrangements, please email your initial travel requests to our dedicated Travel Manager, Garry Staegemann, or dial 215-825-3650. AACR’s CT office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Are meals included in either the registration or room rate?
Some meals and refreshments are provided with registration. Please visit the home page for your conference of interest and then refer to the conference registration link for details.

What ground transportation options are available?
Information on ground transportation is available using the “Accommodations and Travel” link for each conference home page.

Abstracts

How do I submit an abstract?
All abstracts must be submitted online. Instructions are available on the abstracts webpage for each conference. Most AACR conferences have a limit of 2,600 characters, excluding spaces, for abstract submissions. Author and institution information is not included in this limit.

What are the abstract submission guidelines?
Submission Guidelines link

May I present more than one abstract?
Individuals are typically permitted to submit two (2) abstracts per conference. Please review the guidelines for each conference as space limitations may only permit one (1) abstract per conference.

Do I have to pay an abstract submission fee?
As of June 1, 2014, the only meeting requiring a submission fee is the AACR Annual Meeting. No other meeting or conference requires an abstract submission fee.

Do I have to be an AACR member to submit an abstract?
Nonmembers may submit abstracts to any AACR meeting or conference. However, each abstract submitted for presentation at the AACR Annual Meeting must be sponsored by an Active, Emeritus, Honorary, Affiliate, or Associate AACR Member in good standing. (Student members are not eligible to sponsor an abstract.) Complete abstract sponsorship regulations can be found in the Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts.

When will I find out if my abstract has been accepted for presentation?
For the AACR Annual Meeting, abstract presenters will be notified approximately 10-11 weeks prior to the start of the meeting. For all other meetings and conferences, please reference the “Abstracts” link on each conference’s home page.

If my abstract is accepted, what is the presentation format?
Authors who are selected as the presenter of an abstract (at the time of submission) will be provided with instructions regarding the type of presentation to be made and the date and time of the presentation. For abstracts selected to be presented as posters, the AACR will provide poster numbers and pushpins. For abstracts that are selected for short talks, slides must in 16:9 format and developed in PowerPoint or Keynote.

Are there poster printing services available onsite?
For most conferences, no, unless otherwise noted on the abstracts link on the conference home page. Poster printing services are available for the AACR Annual Meeting. For more information, visit the AACR Annual Meeting home page and reference the “Information for Presenters” link.

How do I reference an abstract in the conference proceedings?
Abstracts that are printed in an AACR conference proceedings should be referenced as follows:

Author(s) of abstract. Title of abstract [abstract]. In: Name of conference or title of publication.; conference dates; place of conference. Place of publication: publisher; date of publication. Abstract number

Example:
Li TW, Jones PA. Methylation changes in early embryonic genes in cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2006 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2006. Abstract nr 30.

Since I transferred copyright to AACR when I submitted my abstract for publication in a conference Proceedings, can I re-use the text of my abstract that I submitted to AACR?
You must contact [email protected] to request permission to reuse the text of the abstract.

Financial Support for Attendance

Is financial support available?
Yes. The AACR and our supporters provide several types of awards for attendees. Information on requirements, deadlines, etc., is available on the conference home page, by clicking the “Financial Support for Attendance” link.

Do I have to be an AACR member to apply for financial support?
No, but some awards are open only to AACR Associate Members, please review the financial support webpage for each conference. New in 2018: AACR Associate Members have no annual dues. Associate membership is open to graduate students, medical students and residents, and clinical and postdoctoral fellows who are enrolled in educational or training programs that could lead to careers in cancer research. For more information about membership, visit the Membership section of the AACR website.

May I apply for more than one type of award?
Yes. You may apply for as many awards for which you qualify, but if you are selected for multiple awards, the AACR will determine which award you will receive. Applicants may receive a maximum of one award per conference.

When will I be notified if I am selected to receive an award?
For most conferences, award applicants will be notified by email of their award status approximately three (3) weeks after the award application deadline. For the AACR Annual Meeting, every effort is made to notify those that applied for a Scholar-in-Training Award prior to the Advance Registration Deadline.

If I am not selected for an award, how do I request a refund of my registration and room reservation?
Award applicants who are not selected to receive an award and, therefore, cannot attend the conference may contact the AACR Meetings Department by email at [email protected] for a full refund of their registration fee. Information on refunds for room reservations is available on the “Accommodations and Travel” link for each conference.

Miscellaneous

Will Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits be available?
CME credits are available at many AACR meeting and conferences. Visit the conference home page for information. Questions regarding CME credit availability may be directed to the AACR Office of CME at 215-440-9300 or [email protected].

Are certificates of attendance available?
Yes. Certificates of attendance may be obtained at the conference or by logging into your myAACR account, clicking on Events at the top, and locate the meeting under Events I Attended tab. There will be an option to download a certificate of attendance.

How can I obtain a copy of the Proceedings if I cannot attend a meeting or conference?
If quantities are available, conference Proceedings may be obtained for a fee by downloading and completing this order form. Abstracts from conferences are available as online supplements to AACR journals after the completion of the conference and are archived here. Content from virtual meetings will be available after the meeting. Visit the meeting webpages for specific information. For questions, please contact [email protected].

What support opportunities are available?
Contact the AACR Foundation at 215-440-9300 or [email protected] for information. Opportunities vary by conference and location.

What exhibiting opportunities are available?
Contact the Exhibits Team at 215-446-7183 or [email protected] for information. Opportunities vary by conference and location.

Is there a dress code for attendees?
No. Dress for AACR meetings, conferences, and workshops is casual.

Helpful Websites for Conference Attendees

AACR Meeting Policies and Procedures/Code of ConducT

Code of Conduct 
The AACR is committed to providing a safe and secure environment. Please review the following policies and procedures for conference participants. By registering for AACR conferences and meetings, you agree to the following terms

  • Conference attendees may take photographs during oral or poster presentations provided that the photographs are strictly for personal, noncommercial use and are not to be published in any form. Attendees are prohibited from using flash photography or otherwise distracting the presenters or members of the audience.
  • Conference attendees may share information from presentations on social media provided that they respect the wishes of presenters. Oral presenters may label any or all slides in their presentations with “DO NOT POST.” Similarly, poster presenters may label their posters with “DO NOT POST.” Attendees must respect the presenters’ requests in these instances and refrain from posting any images from these designated slides or posters on social media.
  • In accordance with the Resolution adopted at the 1968 Annual Meeting of the AACR, registrants must refrain from smoking in all meeting rooms. This regulation applies to all session rooms, including the poster area.
  • The AACR prohibits intimidating, threatening, or harassing conduct of any kind. This applies to all conference participants—attendees, presenters, exhibitors, staff, vendors, etc.
  • The AACR is committed to a safe, hospitable, and productive environment for all conference participants, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation.
  • The AACR expects all participants to communicate professionally and constructively, handling dissent and disagreement with courtesy, dignity, and an open mind, being respectful when providing feedback, and being open to alternate points of view. Furthermore, the AACR expects participants to share information about our programs responsibly and clearly distinguish individual opinion from fact.
  • Participants must obey all applicable laws and regulations of the relevant government authorities while attending our conferences. Participants must comply with all applicable safety guidelines related to the conference venues.
  • Children under 12 years of age are not permitted in any scientific session or poster session at any time. Children cannot be left unattended or unsupervised.
  • Cell phones, pagers, and other electronic devices must be turned off or placed on “silent” mode before entering a session. Participants should step out of session rooms to make calls or send emails or texts, as the back lighting on electronic devices is distracting to other participants.
  • Lost and found: Attendees may contact the AACR Registration Desk for any lost items.
  • Poster presenters are solely responsible for placing their posters on their assigned poster boards and removing their posters according to the schedule provided. The AACR cannot be responsible for any posters that are not removed at the designated time. Posters left in the Poster Hall after that time may be discarded. Poster presenters should not leave any items at their poster board unattended, including poster tubes, meeting bags, Programs, personal items, etc. The AACR is not responsible for any items left in the Poster Hall.
  • The AACR encourages responsible drinking for those drinking alcohol. Beer and wine will be offered at some official social events. Alcohol will not be served to anyone under the age of 21. Alcoholic beverages are allowed in specific areas and must not be taken out of these areas.

Health and Safety Policy and Procedures 
The health and safety of AACR meeting participants, as well as the patients and communities we serve, are among AACR’s highest priorities. If you are attending an AACR meeting or conference, the AACR strongly recommends that you take the following precautions: 

  • Follow all health and safety protocols as required by the meeting organizer, facility, and local and state health departments. 
  • Do not attend the meeting if you have symptoms of a respiratory infection and leave the meeting if you develop such symptoms. 
  • If you are registered to attend the meeting/conference, you will have virtual access to all of the scientific sessions in the event that you are unable to attend in person due to illness. In-person registrants can request a change to their registration status to online-only at any time before the meeting/conference by email to [email protected] and receive a refund for any differences in rates. 

Contact Information:

AACR Scientific Program Department
215-440-9300
[email protected]