The Call for Papers is now closed. Please see the instructions below for uploading your final paper.

Presenting a paper at PharmaSUG is a great way to deepen your own technical skills, gain recognition for yourself and your company, and connect with the larger community of statistical programmers, statisticians, data analysts, and researchers in the life sciences. No matter how long you've been in the industry, you've probably learned something that could benefit others. Come and share that learning at PharmaSUG 2021!

In addition, since the conference will be held online, no travel will be required. Presentations will be recorded in advance, and then played back during the conference, followed by a live Q&A session between the authors and conference attendees. Instructions for recording will be provided.

If you're a bit unsure about presenting at PharmaSUG, please consider taking advantage of our Presenter Coaching Program. We'll help you every step of the way!

Below is some essential information to guide you as you create your paper and prepare your presentation or e-poster. Before submitting a paper proposal, please review the information below carefully. Please note that we have received reports about the Call for Papers not working properly with Internet Explorer 11- we suggest using Chrome or Firefox instead, if possible. If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Brucken, Academic Chair, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Submission Basics

Your proposal will need to include a paper title of no more than 25 words and a summary (abstract) of no more than 250 words. You will also be asked to provide the name of each author along with each author's affiliation (company, etc.), email address, and a short biography of no more than 75 words per author.

To improve the chances of your paper being selected for the conference, it is strongly recommended that you include a working draft or outline. This will give the conference committee a better idea of the content, style, and quality of your paper.

Presentation Options and Sections

There are several presentation formats: a regular 20-minute paper, a 50-minute long paper, a 10-minute quick tip, and an e-poster. When you submit your paper, you will need to specify the submission section you think your paper best fits, and also specify a second choice. If the conference committee feels your paper fits better elsewhere, your paper may be assigned to another section. If we are in doubt as to the best choice, we will talk to you.

Submission sections may be further sub-divided and/or combined as needed, depending on the content received, to arrive at the final set of conference sections. Several conference sections will run concurrently at the conference.

Click here to review the list of submission sections and their descriptions.

Paper Guidelines

Every presentation and e-poster requires submission of a companion paper. These papers will be published as part of the official Conference Proceedings at the PharmaSUG website. (We no longer produce printed proceedings.) To meet the expectations for publication in the Proceedings, please refer to the PharmaSUG 2021 Paper Guidelines, Paper Template, and other tools found with our Presenter Resources.

Presenter Obligations

If the proposed paper is accepted for presentation at PharmaSUG 2021, the author(s) agree to:

  1. Submit the Copyright Grant Form signed by all authors on or before April 5, 2021;
  2. Submit a final paper in PDF format consistent with the PharmaSUG 2021 Paper Guidelines on or before April 5, 2021;
  3. Register for the conference on or before the early registration deadline of April 19, 2021. Registration opens February 8, 2021.
  4. Record your presentation in advance and upload the recording to the PharmaSUG Google Drive by April 19, 2021.
  5. Be available to present your paper at any point during the conference from 10:00 AM ET Monday (May 24, 2021) through 3:00 PM ET Thursday (May 27, 2021). Due to the complexity of the scheduling process, special scheduling requests cannot be honored.

If any of the above terms and conditions is not met, PharmaSUG reserves the right to remove the presentation from the Conference Schedule and exclude the paper from the Conference Proceedings.

Presenter Timetable

Item Date Details
Paper Proposals Jan. 18, 2021 All paper proposals must be submitted through the PharmaSUG Paper Submission System.
Notification Feb. 12, 2021 Section Chairs will notify paper proposers whether their paper has been accepted.
Copyright Grant Form Apr. 5, 2021 The Copyright Grant Form must be signed by ALL authors (digitally, or via print and scan) and submitted electronically through the PharmaSUG Paper Submission System.
Papers Due Apr. 5, 2021 The final PDF version of each paper must follow the PharmaSUG 2021 Paper Guidelines and be submitted to the PharmaSUG Paper Submission System. Early submissions are encouraged and appreciated by the conference committee. The conference committee will review the paper and provide any necessary feedback to each presenter. Any revisions will be required on a timely basis
Registration Deadline Apr. 19, 2021 Presenters must register by the early registration deadline to receive the presenter rate. We reserve the right to cancel presentations by unregistered presenters.
Recordings Due Apr. 19, 2021 All presentations must be recorded and the recordings uploaded to the PharmaSUG Google Drive by this date.
e-Posters Due Apr. 26, 2021 e-Posters must be uploaded to the PharmaSUG Google Drive by this date.