Academic Poster Session

The Academic Poster Session is a joint venture between JCEMS and the National Collegiate EMS Foundation (NCEMSF). Established in 2018 at the 25th Annual NCEMSF Conference, the Academic Poster Session is held annually at the NCEMSF conference. The session provides a forum for collegiate EMS leaders and scholars to share research findings and innovative and novel collegiate EMS programs and initiatives. Presented abstracts and posters are published in JCEMS to promote open access scholarship.

At the annual NCEMSF Conference, the College EMS Research Poster of the Year Award is announced at the NCEMSF Awards Ceremony. This award recognizes excellence in campus-based EMS research and advances the field through academic research. Winners are selected from among the submitted posters for the JCEMS poster competition at the annual conference. 

Congratulations to all of our recipients from previous years! 

2027 Academic Poster Session

This application is for abstract submission only. You do not need to prepare or submit a poster at this time. If your abstract is accepted, you will receive an email directly from JCEMS with your acceptance decision, poster guidelines, submission instructions, and information about the next steps.

Important Dates

  • January 15, 2027: Abstract submission deadline
  • January 18, 2027: Final acceptance decisions released
  • January 31, 2027: Draft poster deadline for JCEMS feedback and award eligibility
  • February 5, 2027: JCEMS poster feedback returned
  • February 10, 2027: Final poster deadline

Abstracts will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their abstracts early. Authors may receive an acceptance decision before January 18, providing additional time for poster development.

Abstract Submission

At this stage, you are applying for acceptance to the Academic Poster Session by submitting an abstract. A completed poster is not required with your application.

Abstracts are accepted in one of two tracks:

Original Research

This track is intended for original academic research relevant to collegiate EMS, prehospital medicine, emergency medical services, or related areas.

Extended abstracts should be structured using the following sections:

  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion/Conclusion

Development and Evaluation of Novel Programs

This track is intended for projects describing the development, implementation, and/or evaluation of a novel program, intervention, initiative, or practice relevant to collegiate EMS.

Extended abstracts should be structured using the following sections:

  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion/Conclusion

Submission Requirements

To submit an abstract, please use the NCEMSF online abstract submission system. You must be logged in to the NCEMSF website to submit. If you do not yet have an account, you will need to create one before continuing.

When submitting, select “Poster Session” under Submission Type. Following the designated Poster Session submission link should automatically select this option.

Please have the following information available:

  • Author(s) full name(s), including any academic degrees and clinical certifications 
  • Institutional affiliation(s), including school and/or campus-based EMS organization
  • Applicable organizational or leadership titles
  • Email address(es) and telephone number
  • A brief biography of no more than 100 words suitable for publication
  • Proposed poster title
  • An abbreviated abstract of no more than 200 words suitable for inclusion in the conference program
  • An extended abstract of no more than 300 words for scientific review and publication with JCEMS
  • Funding sources and potential conflicts of interest
  • Any previous presentations of the same work
  • Confirmation of compliance with JCEMS ethical guidelines
  • Whether one or more authors anticipate attending the NCEMSF Conference

The final deadline to submit an abstract is January 15, 2027.

Abstract Review & Acceptance

Abstracts will be reviewed for:

  • Relevance and significance
  • Quality and accuracy
  • Methodological rigor
  • Depth of research or program evaluation
  • Originality or novelty
  • Appropriateness of results and conclusions
  • Organization and clarity

Abstracts will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit early. Submitting early does not change the criteria used to evaluate an abstract; however, authors whose abstracts are accepted earlier will have additional time to prepare their posters.

Authors may be asked to respond to reviewer recommendations or revise their abstract before acceptance.

The JCEMS editorial team makes final selection for the Academic Poster Session.

If your abstract is accepted, JCEMS will contact you directly by email with your acceptance decision and instructions for the next stage of the Academic Poster Session. All remaining acceptance decisions will be released by January 18, 2027.

After Abstract Acceptance

If your submitted abstract is accepted, you will receive an email from JCEMS inviting you to prepare a poster for the Academic Poster Session. The acceptance email will include poster guidelines, a track-specific template, and information about the poster review process.

All authors of accepted posters will have until January 31, 2027, to submit a draft poster to JCEMS. Posters submitted by January 31st will receive feedback from the JCEMS editorial team and will be eligible for competitive judging for the College EMS Research of the Year Awards.

JCEMS will return poster feedback by February 5, 2027, allowing authors to revise their work before the February 10, 2027 final poster deadline.

The developmental poster review is intended to help authors strengthen the readability, organization, visual presentation, and communication of their work. This feedback process is separate from competitive judging and does not contribute to award scoring.

Posters submitted after January 31 may still be considered for presentation. However, they will not receive developmental feedback and will not be eligible for the College EMS Research of the Year Awards.

College EMS Research of the Year Awards

Two awards are presented annually:

  • College EMS Research of the Year Award: Original Research
  • College EMS Research of the Year Award: Development and Evaluation of Novel Programs

Competitive judging evaluates the scientific or scholarly quality of the work and the quality of the final poster. Author attendance or an oral presentation is not included in award scoring and is not required for award eligibility.

Award recipients from each track are announced during the NCEMSF Awards Ceremony.

Attendance at NCEMSF

Attendance at the NCEMSF Conference is not required for an abstract to be accepted or for a poster to be considered for an award. 

Acceptance of a poster does not include complimentary conference registration unless an author is separately presenting a conference session that qualifies for complimentary registration under NCEMSF policies.

Publication & Dissemination

Accepted abstracts and posters are published online through JCEMS to promote open access to collegiate EMS scholarship.

The winning abstract from each Research of the Year track will additionally be published in the applicable hard-copy JCEMS conference edition.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all submitted and published materials comply with JCEMS policies regarding research ethics, authorship, conflicts of interest, funding disclosures, patient privacy, and other applicable requirements.