Topics


On the “Topics” page you define which topics submitters can assign their abstract to. You can create, rename, number, sort and group topics, and deactivate them temporarily.


Navigate to
> Settings
> Topics

Quick access: What would you like to do?

Overview

The table lists all topics of the project in the same order in which they appear in the submission form:

  • Name (and Name EN in bilingual projects): the name of the topic.

  • Number: the topic number, e.g. “1” or “1.1”.

  • Active: switch that controls whether the topic is offered during submission.

  • Actions: pencil icon to edit, trash icon to delete.

grafik.png

Create a topic

1. Open the form: Click “+ Create new”.

grafik.png

2. Fill in the fields: Complete the required fields (marked with *).

  • Name: the name of the topic in the project's main language, as shown in the submission form and the review module.

  • Name EN: the English name. This field only appears in bilingual projects, where it is required as well.

  • Number: the topic number, e.g. “3” or, for a subtopic, “3.1”.

  • Active: see Activate or deactivate a topic. New topics are active by default.

grafik.png

3. Save: Click “Save”. The new topic is added at the end of the list.

Note: The “Save” button only becomes active once all required fields are filled in.

Edit a topic

1. Open the form: Click the pencil icon in the row of the topic.

grafik.png

2. Make your changes: Adjust the fields as needed.

3. Save: Click “Save”. Click “Cancel” to discard your changes.

Note: Changed names also apply to abstracts already assigned to this topic. Once abstracts have been submitted, avoid changing the meaning of a topic fundamentally.

Change the order

The order in the table is the order in the submission form.

1. Grab the entry: Click the handle (=) on the left of the row and hold down the mouse button.

2. Move it: Drag the entry to the desired position and release the mouse button.

grafik.png

The new order is saved automatically right away.

Tip: A topic's number is not updated automatically when you move it. After reordering, check that the numbers are still correct.

Group topics

You can place topics under a parent topic, e.g. “Interventional cardiology” and “Heart failure” under “Cardiology”. Up to two levels are possible.

grafik.pngTo do this this, drag an entry by its handle (=) slightly indented to the right below the desired parent topic. Subtopics are shown indented in the table. To move a topic back to the top level, drag it back into the main list.

As soon as you drag an entry, a grey area appears below every topic without subtopics. Drop the entry there to place it under that topic. The row highlighted in blue shows where the entry will land.

th-en-07a-dragging.png

Activate or deactivate a topic

Use the switch in the “Active” column to control whether a topic is offered during submission. The change is saved immediately. The same switch is also available in the edit form.

grafik.png

  • Active (green): submitters can select the topic.

  • Inactive (grey): the topic is no longer offered in the submission form and is greyed out in the table. Abstracts already assigned to it keep their assignment.

Tip: Deactivating is useful if a topic should only be hidden temporarily, or if it is already in use and therefore cannot be deleted.

Delete a topic

1. Select delete: Click the trash icon in the row of the topic.

2. Confirm: Confirm the prompt with “Delete”.

th-en-09-delete-confirm.png

Attention: If the trash icon is greyed out, the topic cannot be deleted. This is the case

  • if the topic is already assigned to abstracts,

  • if the topic contains subtopics,

  • if it is the last remaining topic (at least one topic is always required).

grafik.pngHover over the icon to see the reason. If a topic contains subtopics, move or delete them first.

Tip: If a topic that is already in use should no longer be offered for new submissions, deactivate it.

© Smart Abstract GmbH 2026