CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

SMHR 2025 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS IS NOW OPEN

Abstract submissions for the Society for Mental Health Research (SMHR) 2025 Conference are now open.

The theme for SMHR 2025 is “Pathways for Diversity, Equity and Personalisation in Mental Health Care”. In this year’s conference we hope to showcase a broad range of forward-thinking, dynamic approaches that not only embrace the latest advancements in our field but also ensure these innovations are accessible, relevant, and inclusive to diverse communities and individuals.

If you wish to submit an abstract for consideration by the Scientific Program Committee, you must also intend to register for the Conference. Online submission is the only method of receipt of abstracts.

Event	Date
Abstract submissions open	Monday 28 April 2025
Abstract submissions close	Friday 4 July 2025
Authors notified of abstract acceptance	Wednesday 3 September 2025
Authors acceptance deadline	Wednesday 17 September 2025
Early-bird registration close/Presenter registration deadline	Tuesday 7 October 2025
SMHR 2025 Conference	Wednesday 19 – Friday 21 November 2025

Presentation Types

Authors will be required to indicate their preferred presentation type when submitting an abstract.

Please select Symposium if you wish to submit a complete Symposium session. Please have the lead researcher submit all of the abstracts under the one profile.
Please select Oral Presentation if you wish for your abstract to be considered for a regular Oral Presentation.
Please select Rapid Oral Presentation if you wish for your abstract to be considered for a 5-minute Rapid Oral Presentation.
Please select Poster if you wish to be considered for a Poster Presentation.
Please select New Ideas if you wish to be considered for a New Ideas Presentation.

Presentation Formats At The Conference

There will be five types of presentation formats at the Conference.

Combined submission of 4 – 6 individual presentations submitted by one author on behalf of the group and under one common theme. Preference is generally given to symposia that include diverse presenters (i.e. not all speakers from the same research team), ideally comprising speakers from at least two States/Territories/Nations. The time allocated per symposium is generally 60-90 minutes; session time will be confirmed in the acceptance letters.

Oral Presentations will be notified of their length of presentation time in the acceptance letters. Generally, 10–15 minutes including Q&A.

Abstracts not selected for Oral Presentations may be eligible for a Rapid Oral Presentation or Poster Presentation.

Each Rapid Oral Presentation will be 5 mins in duration, with a brief Q&A following all presentations within the session. Abstracts not selected for Rapid Oral Presentations may be eligible for a Poster Presentation.

A Poster Presentation constitutes a visual display of research projects. The poster must not extend beyond the boundaries of your display board – one display board will be allocated per poster. The poster display will be an integral part of the program with dedicated times for delegates to interact with poster authors and ask questions. Full details of the format and display of Posters will be detailed within acceptance notifications sent to nominated presenting authors.

We welcome short presentations discussing new ideas for innovative and inclusive mental health research that is still in development. For example, presentations might include discussions of study protocols that are still under development or research ideas that are yet to be funded. Presenters can use this format to ask the audience for feedback to develop the idea further. Presenters will be notified of the length of presentation time in the acceptance letters, likely 10–15 minutes including Q&A and feedback from a senior researcher.

Themes

The SMHR 2025 Conference’s overarching themes are Personalisation, Diversity and Equity. The Conference also offers the following subthemes:

Discipline

Basic Science
Clinical
Cognition
Epidemiology
Health Economics
Implementation science
Public Health
Artificial intelligence / machine learning
Personalised health/medicine
Digital and wearables
Trial / intervention
Genetic/Epigenetics
Neuroimaging
Other

Psychopathology

Anxiety
Eating Disorders
Mood Disorders
Personality Disorders
Psychosis
Sleep
Substance use
Suicidal behaviour & self-harm
Trauma & stress
Other

Interventions

Alternative/complementary
Biological
Physical health
Prevention
Psychopharmacology
Psychosocial
Other

Diversity & Equity

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
Culturally and linguistically diverse
Disability
Family
Homeless
LGBTQIA+
Population-level
Refugee
Lived experience
Accessibility and usability
Codesign and consumer-centred research
Other

Lifespan

Adult
Child
Infant
Older adult
Perinatal
Youth
Across the lifespan
Other

Call For Abstracts

Abstract submission is a three-step process.

Step 1

Abstract template: Download the relevant abstract template, save to your desktop and complete it. Use the template to present your abstract in the required format. Abstracts submitted not using the correct template will be returned for correction.

Symposium Template Oral/Rapid Oral/Poster Template New Ideas Template

Text must be in Arial, 10pt font, single-spaced and justified.
Your abstract text should follow the specified word limits within the template; excluding references, title and affiliations.
There is to be a maximum of two references.
Use standard abbreviations only. Within the body of the abstract, when using abbreviations spell out the name in full at the first mention and follow with the abbreviation in parenthesis. Abbreviations may be used in the title, provided the name in full is outlined in the body of the abstract.
Your abstract should clearly, and where applicable, concisely outline the Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions.
After completing the template, move onto step 2.

Step 2

Creating an account/logging into the abstract portal:

Click Here to Submit Abstract

Firstly, you must create an account in order to upload an abstract. To begin, please click on the submission button above.
If you have not previously submitted an abstract, please click “Create New Account”. Your contact details will be required to create the account. You will then be automatically logged in.
Once your account is created you can upload the abstract, review the presenter briefing notes when available, register for the Conference once open and review presenter terms and condition.

Step 3

Submitting your Abstract: Once you have completed Step 2, you are now ready to submit an abstract. Please note you will be required to provide the following details to complete your submission:

The title of your abstract
Presentation type (preference only)
Theme
Overarching theme
Name and organisation of all co-presenters and co-authors
A brief biography of the presenting author; individual biographies should be no more than 100 words
Your completed abstract

Please note:

All abstracts must be prepared according to the guidelines provided. Incomplete or incorrect submissions will be returned to the author and must be re-submitted.
All fields on the online abstract submission form must be completed; you will not be able to submit an abstract until all areas are complete.
Abstracts that do not include results or state that “results will be presented” may be subject to rejection.
If you wish to make changes, edit or replace your existing submitted abstracts you are able to do so until Friday 4 July 2025 by contacting the Program Coordinator via email hannah@wsm.com.au. After this date, abstracts will be published exactly as they are submitted; there will be no opportunity for amendments.
Abstracts must be submitted by the presenting author who should complete all fields on the online submission form.
Submission of your abstract/s implies you have read, understood and comply with the terms and conditions as outlined in the abstract portal.

Abstract Awards

The following awards will be available to presenters at the Conference:

SMHR Best Student/EMCR* Rapid Fire Presentation Award
SMHR Best Consumer or Community-Led Research Presentation Award
SMHR Best Student/EMCR* Oral Presentation Award
SMHR Best Student/EMCR* Poster Presentation Award

*Within 5 years post PhD (adjusted for career disruptions)

If you wish to be considered in any of the above award categories, you will be asked to do so during the submission process. The judge’s decision is final and winners will be announced at the end of the Conference program.

Notification to Authors

Please note the details provided as the author contact should be for the nominated main contact for your abstract. All correspondence relating to the submission will be directed to this person, and they should in turn distribute to all co-presenters.

Abstract Speaker Registration

All presenters are required register and pay for the Conference by Tuesday 7 October 2025 in order for the presentation to be included in the Conference Program.

The invitation to submit an abstract does not constitute an offer to pay travel, accommodation or registration costs associated with the Conference. Similarly, no presenter fee is paid to successful participants.

Further Enquiries

For any enquiries regarding abstract submission please contact the Conference Office:

Society for Mental Health Research (SMHR) 2025 Conference Office: