Call for Abstracts: ASP 2026

Present your research at the annual ASP meeting!

The 48th annual ASP meeting will be held in Arlington, VA

The Program Committee encourages a variety of contributions from attendees in any area of primatology for inclusion in this year’s program, including abstracts for podium (oral) or poster presentations and proposals for symposia, roundtables, and workshops. Refer to sections on each type of submission for more information.

Submission opens for symposia/workshop/roundtable proposals: January 9 2026

Deadline for symposia/workshop/roundtable proposals: January 23 2026

Submission opens for abstracts: January 26 2026

Deadline for abstracts: February 13 2026

Information about abstracts for oral and poster presentations, proposals for symposia/workshops/roundtables, authorship and attendance, registration requirements, presentation guidelines, instructions for students who wish to apply for presentation awards, and exhibits and displays are available below.

Scientific presentations at annual ASP meetings are to be based on high quality research that has generated interesting data relevant to current issues in primatology. Abstracts will be peer reviewed by the Program Committee and decisions will be emailed to submitting authors. Accepted abstracts will be organized into sessions based on topic and type of presentation.

Abstract titles should be as concise as possible while providing details such as the purpose, variables, species, housing/condition (corral-living, zoo living, free-ranging, etc.), and, for field studies, location of the study. For non-experimental research, avoid titles that imply causation.

The body of the abstract is limited to 250 words. Below are recommendations for what should be included in an abstract, but remember that not all of these recommended elements will apply to all types of studies/abstracts. Please include all relevant and appropriate components.

The first 1-2 sentences of the abstract form should indicate the theoretical rationale or practical purpose for the work. The research question(s) or hypothesis(es) being studied should be stated clearly.
The common and scientific name for the species studied should appear in the body of the abstract, and the scientific name should be italicized.
Methods should include basic design of the study, sample sizes, data collection and/or sampling techniques, and size of the data set (e.g., number of hours observed, duration of study, number of samples, etc.).
Results must be included for abstracts presenting on empirical results (i.e., do not state “results will be discussed”). Provide explicit statements of results relevant to the stated purpose, including some indication of the statistical strategy used (e.g., linear regression, ANOVA) and/or relevant descriptive statistics. If the study uses inferential statistics, provide level of significance, measures of effect size, etc., as appropriate.
- Helpful tip: If you need to reduce word count, try removing spaces from your statistical results. For example, “p = 0.03” is counted as 3 separate words, whereas “p=0.03” is counted as 1 word.
End abstracts with conclusions or implications of the results, linking the interpretations with the purpose, whether theoretical or applied.
Acknowledgement of funding sources may be included if desired and if space allows.

Accepted abstracts will be published in the American Journal of Primatology and may be cited, so prepare a complete summary of your work that can be understood without any supporting or additional information. Please check spelling and grammar carefully, use metric units of measurement, and define all acronyms and non-standard abbreviations.

Click here to see examples of two quality abstracts

To submit an abstract: login to your ASP account, click on “My Profile,” and click on the “Submit an Abstract” button.

In-person Podium (oral) Presentations

In-person podium (oral) presentations are scheduled in 15-minute intervals. We strongly encourage presenters to plan for a 12-minute presentation with 3 minutes for questions and discussion. The computers used for presentations will be IBM PC-based (not Mac); please make sure your presentation is formatted for a PC when preparing your PowerPoint slides. You may not use your own laptop. Case studies, preliminary data, pilot studies, and descriptions of apparatus, equipment, or habitats are usually not appropriate for the podium (oral) format and should instead be submitted as posters. Descriptions of commercial products are welcome as exhibits but are not appropriate for the scientific program.

*If your presentation contains sensitive information and/or it is against your company/organization policy, please select the option to opt out of the recording of your talk for virtual attendees when you submit your abstract.

Live Virtual Podium (Oral) Presentations

Live virtual podium (oral) presentations are scheduled in 15-minute intervals interspersed with in-person podium presentations. Presenters will virtually attend the session in which they are speaking synchronously via Zoom. The presenter will share their screen and control their own slides. We strongly encourage presenters to plan for a 12-minute presentation with 3 minutes for questions and discussion. In addition, a video recording of your presentation (slides with a voice-over) will be required at least one week in advance of the conference start date. This will be used in place of your live Zoom presentation in case of technical difficulties and will be viewable in the virtual conference platform. Specific details on file uploads will be available closer to the meeting.

Pre-recorded Virtual Podium (Oral) Presentations

Pre-recorded virtual podium (oral) presentations are scheduled in 15-minute intervals interspersed with in-person and live virtual podium presentations. Presenters are welcome (but not required) to virtually attend (via Zoom) the session of their presentation video; if pre-recorded virtual presenters are available on Zoom, they will be able to answer audience questions (if time permits). We strongly encourage presenters to plan for a 12-minute presentation with 3 minutes for questions. Virtual pre-recorded presentations should be recorded as slides with a voice-over. If the presentation recording exceeds 15 minutes, the recording will be cut off at the end of your allotted presentation time to ensure the program stays on schedule. This video recording will be viewable in the virtual conference platform. The video file will need to be uploaded to the conference website at least one week in advance of the conference start date. Specific details on file uploads will be available closer to the meeting.

In-person Poster Presentations

Presenting authors are expected to be in attendance at their poster during the scheduled poster session. Poster dimensions will be sent to poster presenters before the meeting. In addition to a physical version of the poster displayed during the poster session, poster presenters must upload a PDF copy of their poster to the conference website at least one week in advance of the conference start date for access by virtual conference attendees. In-person poster presenters are also welcome to record a short video presentation (maximum: 5 minutes, recorded as a slide presentation with a voice-over) to upload for virtual conference attendees. Specific details on file uploads will be available closer to the meeting.

Virtual Poster Presentations

Virtual conference attendees may present their research through an entirely virtual poster presentation. This poster presentation has two required components: 1) a PDF copy of the poster, and 2) a short video presentation (maximum: 5 minutes, recorded as a slide presentation with a voice-over). Both the PDF copy and short video presentation of the poster need to be uploaded to the conference website at least one week in advance of the conference start date. Specific details on file uploads will be available closer to the meeting.

If you are interested in organizing a symposium, workshop, or roundtable discussion at an ASP meeting, a proposal (maximum: 250 words) giving a brief overview of the purpose and content is required. Symposia, workshops, and roundtables should address topics that are timely, of interest to the general membership, and include participants from several institutions. For more information about each type of session, see details below.

To submit a proposal: login to your account, click on “My Profile,” and click on the “Submit a Symposium/Workshop/Roundtable Proposal” button.

Abstracts for accepted symposia, workshops, and roundtable discussions will be published in the American Journal of Primatology alongside abstracts for podium and poster presentations.

Symposia

We accept two types of symposia: podium and poster. To propose a symposium, use the online form to submit: 1) title, 2) format (podium or poster), 3) proposal giving a brief overview of the symposium content (max: 250 words), and 4) list of participants. Please note: all presenters should agree to participate prior to submitting the proposal. If accepted, all individual participants in the symposium must: 1) register for the conference (either in-person or virtual), and 2) submit an abstract for their presentation by the abstract submission deadline. They should select your symposium from a dropdown list of accepted symposia when they submit their abstract.

Oral symposia should not exceed a total time of 2.5 hours. Presentations in an oral symposium should be either 15 or 30 minutes in length. If speakers are allocated 15 minutes, up to 10 presentations could fit into the time limit; if speakers are allocated 30 minutes, up to 5 presentations could fit into the time limit.

Poster symposia should consist of 5-10 poster presentations. The start of a poster symposium begins with each participant providing a 3-5 minute oral summary of their poster. Time is then provided for attendees to view all posters. Poster symposia may conclude with a chaired discussion.

For some meetings, the ASP Program Committee selects one symposium as the interdisciplinary symposium. This prestigious symposium runs unopposed by other sessions. If you are interested in your symposium idea being selected as the interdisciplinary symposium, please indicate this on the form when you submit your proposal. Your proposal overview should clearly highlight the integrative scope of the proposed topic.

Workshops and Roundtable Discussions

Workshops and roundtable discussions are less formal than symposia, may be applied or broadly theoretical, involve audience participation and/or discussion, and should address a defined goal. To propose a workshop or roundtable discussion, use the online form to submit: 1) title, 2) proposal giving a brief overview, including the defined goal and how it will be met (max: 250 words), and 3) list of participants using the online form. All workshop/roundtable participants must register for the conference (either in-person or virtual) but do not need to submit their own abstract.

Submitting an abstract for an in-person presentation implies that at least one of the authors (typically the first author, but not always) will attend the meeting to present the work described in the abstract. Each individual can give up to two presentations as first author in any combination of podium and/or poster presentation as either an in-person or virtual attendee; individuals cannot present both in-person and virtually at the same meeting. There is no limit on how many abstracts individuals may be on as a co-author for either in-person or virtual presentations.

Submission of an abstract implies that authors support the mission and by-laws of the American Society of Primatologists, have complied with current legal and ethical guidelines regarding the use and well-being of nonhuman primates and, if necessary, have obtained IACUC and/or IRB approval of the research contained in the abstract. The submitting author will be required to acknowledge, before submitting the abstract, that each author of the submitted abstract has seen and approved the final version of the abstract and has given consent to appear as an author.

Presenting authors, organizers of symposia/workshops/roundtables, and symposia participants must register for the meeting and pay the registration fee prior to submission of an abstract. Abstracts may be submitted at the same time as conference registration or can be added at a later time (up until the abstract submission deadline). If you are participating in an accepted symposium, you must submit your own abstract and indicate it is part of an accepted symposium. Workshop and roundtable participants also must register for the meeting, but are not required to submit an individual abstract to participate in the workshop/roundtable.

For tips on how to make presentations accessible, please check out the following:

Presentation Competition

Students are highly encouraged to participate in the ASP Education Committee’s Student Presentation Competition. Graduate and undergraduate students may enter their work for consideration in the podium (oral) or poster competitions. Criteria and guidelines for the competition are available here.

Travel Awards

All current, active student members are eligible to apply for the Ruppenthal Student Travel Award to help offset the cost of travel and accommodation for the meeting. Click here for more information.

Space and facilities for the exhibition and display of merchandise are available. In addition, a number of events are available for sponsorship. For information and exhibitor registration forms, see our Supporter and Exhibitor Prospectus.