U.S. Association for the Study of Pain
Replaced spreadsheets with Fourwaves to run abstract submission and peer review for its annual meeting, coordinating 530 abstracts across 120 reviewers.
Read customer storyAbstract management software that eliminates chaos
Replace your scattered tools and spreadsheets with Fourwaves for a faster, easier and more efficient abstract submission management.
Trusted by top organizations 
Built to streamline academic and scientific events
Set up in minutes, not weeks
Your submission form comes pre-built. Adjust the fields and open your call for abstracts in 15 minutes. No setup project or onboarding wait.
Eliminate manual work
No more repetitive tasks and errors with a robust platform that facilitate the submission, peer-review and decision process.
Collaborate efficiently
Eliminate spreadsheets and make everyone happy with a modern and easy to use interface that will delight everyone.
Flexible forms, total control
Our highly flexible online submission forms let you collect all speaker and author data without compromise. Capture all that's needed with custom fields, conditional logic, and multi-format uploads.
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Streamline reviews and decisions
Coordinate reviewers, score submissions against your own criteria, and keep feedback organized. Run single or double-blind review with conflict-of-interest safeguards that keep reviewers off their own submissions, collect comments and track-changed files, let authors revise across review rounds, and finalize acceptances faster than ever.
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Publish a dynamic event agenda
Convert accepted submissions into a dynamic conference program with ease. Publish it online to ensure participants arrive prepared and fully engaged.
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Distribute presenter certificates
Customize and distribute presenter certificates that contain the event information, the presenter name and presentation title, your logo and more.
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Something for everyone
No more impossible puzzles
Save precious time and work efficiently with tools specialized to academic conferences that piece together seamlessly and create synergies.
- Build dynamic, customizable submission forms
- Assign reviewers based on your criteria
- Send acceptance notifications
- Publish accepted abstracts
- Effortlessly generate a polished program
Review without the hassle
Say goodbye to outdated interfaces and chasing deadlines. Fourwaves makes reviewing submissions simple and organized.
- Focus on reviews, not admin work
- Easily access your assigned submissions
- Score, comment, and upload track-changed files
- Collaborate with team members seamlessly
- Monitor review progress in real time
Submit without the stress
Submitting an abstract shouldn’t be a headache. Fourwaves makes the process fast, clear, and stress-free.
- Easily submit abstracts in minutes
- Upload multiple file formats (Word, PPT, PDF, etc.)
- Track submission status with ease
- See reviewer comments and revise across rounds
- Receive updates on submission status
Maximize your event experience
Arrive well-prepared, attend the most valuable sessions, and engage with other participants to develop long-lasting collaborations.
- Explore the complete event program
- Build your personal event agenda
- Engage with the most relevant participants and speakers
- Meet new collaborators
- Share your favorite content with others
Core tools for effortless abstract management
Streamline your entire abstract management system, from the call for papers to peer review and the final book of abstracts.
Highly flexible forms
Drag-and-drop custom fields or use existing ones to build a form that's perfectly tailored to your needs. Set deadlines, submission types, word limits and more.
Smart form logic
Dynamic forms adapt to responses, gathering precise data without overwhelming submitters.
Versatile file uploads
Collect abstracts, author details, posters, slides, and presentation materials in the formats you specify.
Custom email notifications
Keep presenters informed with customizable mass emails for deadlines, decisions, and updates.
Reviewer portal
Equip reviewers with an intuitive portal for scoring, feedback, and progress tracking.
Streamlined decision management
Easily manage submission statuses (accepted, rejected) with custom presentation types.
Author autonomy
Authors update submissions independently, minimizing admin work and email exchanges.
Effortless program creation
Place accepted submissions into your program for attendees to browse online and build their personal schedule.
Custom abstract booklets
Download a .docx book of abstracts grouped and sorted by any form field, with an author index. Choose which fields appear, from titles and affiliations to the figures you collected.
Excel data export
Export every submission to Excel, with a dedicated author sheet that lists each author and whether they have registered.
Organized file export
Download every uploaded file in one structured zip, with a separate folder per submission for posters, slides, and PDFs.
Presentation certificates
Automatically create and distribute certificates including all presentation information.
Free public API
Pull your form fields, submission data, and full program through a free public API.
Multilingual submissions
Collect and review abstracts in multiple languages, with English and French built in.
Checked by the Event Assistant
AI checks flag misconfigured fields, missing translations, and typos in your submission form.
Abstract management software that keeps you organized
Fourwaves is abstract management software that connects every step of the process, from your call for abstracts and online submissions to blind peer review, acceptance decisions, and the final book of abstracts, all in one platform built for academic and scientific events. That keeps you focused on delivering an impactful event.
Single source, total clarity
Access the latest data instantly and make decisions with confidence, without digging through external files.
For events of any size
Run events smoothly, from a 30-submission student symposium to a 2,000-submission, multi-track conference for a scientific society or medical meeting.
All-in-one academic solution
Go beyond submissions with connected tools for academic and research conferences, medical societies, and associations.
Security and compliance for sensitive research data
Abstract submissions hold unpublished research and personal author data. Fourwaves protects it with strong privacy practices, secure payments, and the documentation your institution's review process asks for.
Data privacy
Submission and author data is handled under strict practices aligned with GDPR, FERPA, and Quebec's Law 25.
Compliance documentation
Request our data processing agreement, subprocessor list, and security documentation for your institutional review.
Payment security
Registration payments are processed through PCI-certified providers like Stripe.
Accessibility
Submission forms follow modern accessibility standards and work with leading assistive technologies.
Transforming complexity into simplicity
Without Fourwaves
- Data scattered in shared inboxes or spreadsheets
- Manual and repetitive data entry
- Confusing process for submitters
- Chaotic reviewer coordination
- Hard-to-build conference programs
- Endless formatting of abstract booklets
- Increased stress
- Enormous waste of time
With Fourwaves
- Centralized and up-to-date data
- Automated workflows
- Simple interface for submitters
- Intuitive reviewer portal
- Easy to generate event agendas
- Auto-generated abstract booklet
- Less stress and more teamwork
- Increased efficiency and time saving
Abstract management trusted by research societies and universities
From society annual meetings to university research days, organizers run their abstract submission and peer review on Fourwaves.
Geological Association of Canada
Managed up to 500 abstract submissions for its national geoscience conference, with registration and payments handled on the same platform.
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Canadian Society of Microbiologists
Moved from manually collected PDFs and abstract chaos to structured online abstract submission and review for over 400 submissions.
Read customer story University of Florida, College of Medicine
Collected and reviewed 500+ research poster abstracts for its annual Celebration of Research, with no restrictive abstract length limits.
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Quebec Extracellular Vesicle Workshop
Centralized abstract submissions and scientific programming for a growing research community, cutting the administrative work behind every event.
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UT Austin, College of Natural Sciences
Simplified student abstract submissions for its Undergraduate Research Forum, replacing scattered survey tools and spreadsheets with one workflow.
Read customer storyWhat researchers say about managing abstracts
From student symposiums to 2,000-submission society meetings, research teams run their abstract management on Fourwaves.
We decided to return MXR to Fourwaves, and I recommended it for Meaningful Play, because it's the only one-stop-shop for conference organizing with a reasonable price tag. It helps us avoid needing a separate paper competition management system and registration system.
Rabindra Ratan
Professor and AT&T Endowed Chair, Department of Media & Information, Michigan State University
The review module cut my time down so much. We had over 120 reviewers and 530 abstracts. It went smoothly, no chaos, thanks to Fourwaves.
Brittany Knight, PhD
USASP
Fourwaves was amazing to help manage abstract submissions, registrations, the booklet, name tags and to promote the event. It helped us be very efficient in our communications.
Claudia Larochelle
Université Laval
Fourwaves streamlined everything from abstract management to registration — saving us time and improving the participant experience.
Dr. Denice Bay
University of Manitoba and the Canadian Society of Microbiologists
I was the only person managing our Conference on Fourwaves. I’m very detail-oriented, and Fourwaves helped me stay organized and on top of the abstract submissions, registrations, and program planning details. Our event was a great success thanks to the Fourwaves platform and support provided by their team!
Sherry Fox
Canadian Sociological Association
Fourwaves is intuitive and easy to use. It streamlines meeting organization, saving you time and effort. It comprises all you may need to succeed, including the website, registrations and payment management, abstract collection and abstract book assembly, name tags management and much more, with all the hybrid conference modalities for streaming and a great Zoom embed utility.
Peter Sebo
Institute of Microbiology of the CAS
Thanks for all the help with the AUGC conference, it was a huge success. Registration and abstracts submissions were seamless!
Dr. Deanne van Rooyen
Acadia University
Fourwaves covered everything we needed from registration to abstract management, and the support was phenomenal. The platform helped make our event a great success, and we are very pleased with the experience.
Kristopher Warren
Boston Medical Center
Fourwaves was the perfect platform for our event. It was exactly what we needed and within budget as well. Participants felt registration and submission of their abstracts was very easy without any complicated steps.
Julie Amato
University of Toronto
The platform is easy to use, reasonably priced and the support team is very helpful. We faced no technical challenges at all. Fourwaves is a pleasure to work with!
Randy Gollub, MD, PhD
Harvard Medical School
Fourwaves is a great interactive easy to use platform for small or large conferences. The team is prompt, friendly and very helpful.
Lani Hearn
University of Queensland
I appreciate the amazing support you and your team have given to this project. Thank you for your perseverance and for successfully executing the project within the tight timeframe we had!
Roger Goncalves
Science.org
Fourwaves is a fantastic platform with great value for the money. The customizable forms and advanced reviewing module make the submission and review process seamless and efficient.
Georges Watson
Marshall University
Manually formatting abstracts was by far the most time-consuming and frustrating part. This heavy burden diverted energy away from more meaningful aspects of event planning.
Inga Murawski
The Institute (RI-MUHC)
With hundreds of submissions, having everything in one place was essential to staying organized and avoiding mistakes.
Dr. Courtney Marsh-Rosseel
University of Antwerp
Fourwaves completely transformed our approach to managing proposals. Our review committee, 45 people strong, praised its simplicity and effectiveness. It was so seamless, our team wishes they could use it for grant submissions and award nominations too.
Abbie Gill
Virginia Tech
Fourwaves was a lifesaver. I was incredibly grateful we had this, the scientific committee found the reviews very easy to go through, and it was well worth the price point.
Carren Dujela
University of Victoria
The customer support is fantastic. We regularly recommend Fourwaves to others. Fourwaves is a must for organizers of scientific events and symposia.
Nadim Tawil, Ph.D
Center for Applied Nanomedicine, RI-MUHC
It was a really successful experience, we were very happy with how everything turned out. The review form was excellent and made a huge difference. I’ve never felt so prepared for an event.
Michelle Scribner
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Our prior system was highly manual and time-consuming. Students frequently needed updates to their submissions, forcing us to manage spreadsheets and complicated databases constantly.
Maggie Rigney
College of Natural Sciences, UT Austin
Fourwaves is perfectly suited for scientific events. It saves a lot of time, and receives praise from both participants and the scientific committee for its reliability and quick support. Excellent service and an indispensable tool!
Marie-Louise Tremblay
Aluminum Research Center (REGAL)
It shows that Fourwaves has been developed for scientific conferences, it answers our needs perfectly. We love having all our events in one place.
Viki Rivière
CHU Sainte-Justine
The Fourwaves platform is perfectly designed for a researcher who wants to organize an in-person or virtual scientific event. Everything you need is just there.
Bettina Rausch-Malina
University of Zurich
I can only praise Fourwaves for their professionalism in developing this turn-key solution for conference management that allows academics to focus on the science of the event. I definitely encourage you to use Fourwaves.
Rafael Najmanovich
Université de Montréal
Extremely easy to set up and intuitive. The support team is responsive. Participants found it easy to register and submit. I recommend to all my colleagues without any hesitation.
Katrine Turgeon
UQO
I have been very impressed by the platform that meets the highest professional standards of academic events, and by the very personal support. I will undoubtedly use Fourwaves for our upcoming events.
Nathalie Grandvaux
Université de Montréal
Working with Fourwaves was a great experience from start to finish. The platform is modern and easy to navigate, and the team is incredibly responsive. I highly recommend.
Grant McKenzie
McGill University
Frequently asked questions
Abstract management software is an online platform that collects, reviews, and publishes the abstracts submitted to an academic or scientific conference. It replaces spreadsheets and shared inboxes with one abstract management system that handles the call for papers, custom submission forms, single or double-blind peer review, acceptance decisions, the conference program, and an automatically generated book of abstracts. Fourwaves is abstract management software built for research events, with a free tier, flat pricing, and no per-registrant fee.
Highly flexible! Our form builder offers maximum freedom. Add any field, including short text, long text, multiple choice (dropdowns, checkboxes, etc.).
Collect submission titles, authors, abstracts, poster files, PowerPoint files, videos, images, and more with specific fields.
Use conditional logic to display fields based on submission types.
You can even edit your form after you’ve started collecting submissions.
Absolutely. Build forms with conditional logic to support diverse submission flows using our drag-and-drop editor.
You can have, for example, separate deadlines for posters and oral submissions.
Create a custom review form, add reviewers, and pair them with submissions using our assignment engine.
Keep track of assignments and make decisions easily. Learn more on our Peer Review page here.
Yes. Fourwaves runs both single and double-blind peer review. You control exactly which author and submission details reviewers can see, assign reviewers by topic or expertise, score submissions against your own evaluation criteria, and manage author revision rounds, all from one reviewer portal.
Yes. Abstract fields support Greek letters and other special characters, subscript and superscript, and bold, italic, and underline formatting, all of which carry through to the book of abstracts and the online program. For equations, you can upload an image with a caption or attach a Word or LaTeX document to the submission.
Yes, easily export abstracts to Excel or a formatted Word document with your preferred order or grouping, including an author index, for proceedings.
Export all submission files into a single folder, with individual folders for each submission.
Yes. Universities, research institutes, scientific societies, and medical organizations use Fourwaves to run the call for abstracts and peer review for their meetings. It scales from a small student symposium to a large multi-track medical or scientific conference, and produces a formatted book of abstracts at the end. There is a free tier to start.
Fourwaves has a public API that lets you pull data from all your events: your form fields and their registration and submission data, plus your full program. The documentation is at api.fourwaves.com/documentation, and we add new endpoints over time. If you need something specific, our team can often build it for you.
Yes. Fourwaves follows strict data protection standards and complies with GDPR, FERPA-aligned practices, and major North American privacy laws. Payment data is processed through PCI-certified providers like Stripe.
Abstract management software ranges from free to several thousand dollars per event. Academic-focused tools like Fourwaves and Oxford Abstracts publish their plans and include free tiers, EasyChair charges per submission, and enterprise platforms such as Cvent, Ex Ordo, and OpenWater quote pricing based on event size. Watch for per-registrant fees, which can make a seemingly cheap platform expensive once attendance grows.
“Best” varies based on your context. If you only need to collect abstracts, a free form builder (Google Forms or Microsoft Forms) can work.
If you need peer review, reviewer assignments, scoring, and decision workflows, you’ll usually need either a self-hosted solution you maintain yourself or a real conference platform that offers a free tier like Fourwaves.
Fourwaves combines abstract management, peer review, registrations and your event website in one platform. See how it stacks up in our detailed comparisons: Fourwaves vs EasyChair, Fourwaves vs Ex Ordo and the best Oxford Abstracts alternative.
