Regulations

1.1. ISC 2026  will take place at Riga Stradins University on March 26-27, 2026.

1.2. Application for participation in the ISC is announced by the ISC organising committee.

1.3. The decision on amendments to the ISC regulations is made by the RSU SU board.

1.4. ISC regulations are published on the RSU SU (sp.rsu.lv) and ISC homepages (isc.rsu.lv).

1.5. Acceptance and supervision of ISC theses is provided by the RSU SU and the ISC organizing committee. The evaluation of the theses is ensured by an independent jury committee consisting of at least two members selected by the ISC organizing committee – two to three specialists in the field, where one of them may be a representative of the statistical laboratory. Where necessary, additional members may be engaged for the commission in order to ensure an adequate coverage of competencies or to enable the assessment of a larger number of theses.

1.6. The working language of the ISC is English.

1.7. ISC shall have the opportunity to present presentations in the following health sciences sections: Internal Medicine I (cardiology, pulmonology); Internal Medicine II (gastroenterology, nephrology, endocrinology, rheumatology); Surgery I (Cardiac-, thoracic-, vascular surgery); Surgery II (General-, visceral-, endocrine-, paediatric surgery, urology); Oncology & Haematology; Basic & Preclinical science (Morphology, Pathology, Genetics); Dentistry, Maxillofacial surgery & Otorhinolaryngology, Otorhinolaryngologic surgery; Ophthalmology; Gynaecology, Gynaecological surgery, Obstetrics, Perinatology; Paediatrics; Public & Global Health, Occupational Medicine, Nutrition, Digital Medicine; Traumatology, Orthopedics, Trauma & Orthopedic surgery, Radiology; Emergency Medicine, Anaesthesiology, Reanimatology; Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, Physiology; Infectious diseases, Microbiology, Immunology, Allergology, Dermatology & Venereology; Neurology, Neurosurgery; Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics; Psychology;Sports Medicine, Sports Science, Rehabilitology, Medical Simulations; Case reports, Small case series: Internal Medicine I (cardiology, pulmonology); Internal Medicine II (gastroenterology, nephrology, endocrinology, rheumatology); Surgery (traumatology, urology, gynaecology, otorhinolaryngology etc.); Paediatrics; Oncology & Haematology; Neurology, Psychiatry, Psychoterapy, Psychosomatics.

1.8. The ISC shall have the opportunity to participate in the following social sciences sections: Law; Economics; Political Science (International relations, European studies); Communication.

1.9. In the event that fewer than six theses are approved for participation in the ISC within a single section, the ISC Organising Committee shall have the right to merge sections or to reassign the submitted theses to another section.

1.10. In the event that more than fifteen theses are approved for participation in the ISC within a single section, the ISC Organising Committee shall have the right to divide the section or to reassign the submitted theses to another section.

1.11. In the event that fewer than five theses are presented in a section on the day of the ISC, the number of prize places shall be determined as follows: 4–5 theses – two prize places (1st and 2nd) shall be awarded; 2–3 theses – one prize place (1st) shall be awarded; 1 thesis – the section may be merged with a related section and, if this is not possible, the work shall be presented out of competition and the participant shall be issued a certificate of presentation, but no prize place shall be awarded; Having assessed the quality of the respective section, the ISC jury may decide not to award the full number of prize places provided for.

1.12. In the event that one participant obtains prize places in several sections as the first author, the participant shall be awarded only for the highest place obtained. If the places obtained are the same, the participant shall have the right to indicate in writing for which work they wish to be awarded. The remaining works in the respective section shall be awarded in accordance with the assessment obtained, while maintaining the prescribed number of prize places.

5.1. The criterion for evaluating applications is the compliance of the applicants, the submitted documents, and the submitted theses with the requirements set out in these Regulations.

5.2. Theses submitted to the ISC in the previous year, as well as theses presented at other conferences, shall not be accepted.

5.3. The theses shall be evaluated by an independent jury committee.

5.4. The jury committee shall submit its decision on the evaluation of the theses to the ISC Organising Committee within two weeks after the conclusion of the thesis submission deadline.

5.4.1. In its recommendation, the jury committee shall indicate the preferred presentation format for the research studies at the ISC.

5.5. The ISC Organising Committee shall notify the results of the evaluation within four weeks after the conclusion of the thesis submission deadline, by sending an email of approval or rejection to the first author, except in cases and within the deadlines specified in Clause 4.11 of these Regulations.

5.6. Confirmation of passive participation in the ISC shall be issued within three working days after registration, provided that registration is completed within the timeframe and according to the procedure established by the ISC Organising Committee.

6.1. The research shall be presented by the first author indicated.

6.2. A co-author may present the research in place of the first author, provided that the ISC Organising Committee is notified in writing at least 10 working days in advance.

6.3. The PowerPoint presentation for the oral presentation and the poster for the poster presentation must be submitted within the timeframe established by the ISC Organising Committee. Presentations or corrections submitted after the deadline shall not be accepted.

6.4. The duration of an oral presentation is 7 minutes, followed by a 3-minute discussion.

6.5. The duration of a case report/small case series presentation is 5 minutes, followed by a 3-minute discussion.

6.6. The duration of a poster presentation is 3 minutes, followed by a 2-minute discussion.

6.7. After the presentation, a discussion shall follow, during which the jury shall ask no fewer than one question. After the jury’s questions, other participants present may also take part in the discussion, subject to the established time limits.

6.8. Co-authors of the research who are present may also take part in the discussion and answer questions.

7.1. Oral presentations, poster presentations, and case report presentations shall be evaluated by a jury composed of no fewer than three local and/or international experts in the relevant field.

7.2. For all sections except the Case Report sections, the evaluation criteria for the presented research include (each category is assessed on a scale from 1 to 5 points):

7.2.1. the relevance of the chosen topic and the coherence of the content with the topic;

7.2.2. clearly defined research objectives;

7.2.3. the appropriateness of the described methodology in relation to the research objectives;

7.2.4. the alignment of the obtained results, conclusions, and recommendations with the research objectives;

7.2.5. a refined and constructive presentation style;

7.2.6. the discussion – responses to questions from the jury or audience.

7.3. The evaluation criteria for Case Report section presentations include (each category is assessed on a scale from 1 to 5 points):

7.3.1. the relevance of the chosen topic;

7.3.2. a clearly presented description of the clinical case;

7.3.3. the alignment of the conclusions and recommendations with the clinical case;

7.3.4. a refined and constructive presentation style;

7.3.5. the discussion – responses to questions from the jury or audience.

7.4. The ISC Organising Committee may make amendments to the criteria described in Clauses 7.2 and 7.3 prior to the announcement of the thesis evaluation results, provided that participants and the jury are informed in advance.

8.1. The prize-winning works from each Case Report section shall be nominated for the Case Report Final, as decided by the jury. The presenting author, upon confirming their participation, shall deliver the presentation again.

8.2. The results regarding nominations for the Final shall be published on the ISC website (isc.rsu.lv) and announced on social media no later than 12:00 (GMT+2) on the second day of the ISC.

8.3. The presentation shall last no longer than five minutes, followed by a three-minute discussion.

8.4. During the discussion, the jury shall ask at least one question. After the jury’s questions, other participants present may also take part in the discussion, subject to the established time limits.

8.5. Presentations in the Case Report Final shall be evaluated by a jury composed of no fewer than three specialists from different fields.

8.6. The results of the Case Report Final shall be announced at the ISC closing event.

The ISC Organising Committee may make changes to the venue, time, and/or presentation format of the Case Report Final, provided that the finalists and the jury are informed in advance.

9.1. The first-place winners of the oral presentations in each health sciences section, except the Case Report sections, shall be nominated for participation in the Grand Prix Final. If the first-place winner declines to present or is unable to attend, the second-place winner of the respective section shall be nominated. The presenting author, upon confirming their participation, shall deliver the presentation again.

9.2. The results regarding nominations for the Final shall be published on the ISC website (isc.rsu.lv) and announced on social media no later than 13:00 (GMT+2) on the second day of the ISC.

9.3. The presentation shall last no longer than seven minutes, followed by a three-minute discussion.

9.4. During the discussion, the jury shall ask at least one question. After the jury’s questions, other participants present may also take part in the discussion, subject to the established time limits.

9.5. Presentations in the Grand Prix Final shall be evaluated by a jury composed of no fewer than three specialists from different fields, one of whom may be a representative of a statistics laboratory.

9.6. The results of the Grand Prix Final shall be announced at the ISC closing event.

9.7. The ISC Organising Committee may make changes to the venue, time, and/or presentation format of the Grand Prix Final, provided that the finalists and the jury are informed in advance.

10.1. The first-place winners of the oral presentations in each Social Sciences section shall be nominated for participation in the Social Sciences Final. If the first-place winner declines to present or is unable to attend, the second-place winner of the respective section shall be nominated. The presenting author, upon confirming their participation, shall deliver the presentation again.

10.2. The results regarding nominations for the Final shall be published on the ISC website (isc.rsu.lv) and announced on social media no later than 13:00 (GMT+2) on the second day of the ISC.

10.3. The presentation shall last no longer than seven minutes, followed by a three-minute discussion. During the discussion, the jury shall ask at least one question. After the jury’s questions, other participants present may also take part in the discussion, subject to the established time limits.

10.4. Presentations in the Social Sciences Final shall be evaluated by a jury composed of no fewer than three specialists from various social science and humanities fields, ensuring representation of diverse perspectives and objective assessment. If necessary, a methodology or statistics expert may be included in the jury.

10.5. Only one winner shall be selected in the Social Sciences Final, who shall receive the Social Sciences Final main prize.

10.6. The results of the Social Sciences Final shall be announced at the ISC closing event.

10.7. The ISC Organising Committee may make changes to the venue, time, and/or presentation format of the Final, provided that the finalists and the jury are informed in advance.

11.1. During the ISC, participation in Mastershop workshops will be offered, providing an opportunity to enhance practical and theoretical knowledge in various thematic areas.

11.2. Registration for participation in the Mastershop workshops shall be announced by the ISC Organising Committee.

11.3. Participants shall receive certificates confirming their participation in a Mastershop workshop.

11.4. Each participant may take part in each Mastershop workshop only once, and regardless of participant status, a participation fee must be paid in the amount determined by the ISC Organising Committee. Information regarding the fee shall be provided together with the Mastershop registration announcement.

11.5. The participation fee for a Mastershop workshop must be paid within three working days after receipt of the confirmation email regarding registration for the respective workshop.

11.6. If the participation fee is not paid within the timeframe established by the ISC Organising Committee, the participant shall be informed that their Mastershop application has been cancelled, and the workshop place shall be offered to other conference participants.

11.7. For the purposes of registration, the date of the participation fee transfer shall be determined based on the payment order.

The participation fee shall be refunded only in cases where the Mastershop workshop is cancelled.

12.1. The announcement of prize places for oral presentations and poster presentations in all sections, as well as the results of the Case Report and Grand Prix Finals, shall take place during the closing ceremony, in accordance with the time and procedure established by the ISC Organising Committee.

12.2. Winners shall receive certificates and prizes in the amount determined by the ISC Organising Committee. The ISC Organising Committee shall not assume responsibility for lost prizes.

12.3. Additional awards from associations, companies, and other partners may be presented during the closing ceremony.

12.4. Certificates and prizes not collected within 20 working days after the closing ceremony shall not be retained. Arrangements for collecting certificates and prizes may be made by emailing info.isc@rsu.lv. If it is not possible to collect certificates or prizes within the 20 working days, the participant must inform the organisers via the aforementioned email.

12.5. All winners shall be published on the ISC website (isc.rsu.lv) no later than five working days after the conclusion of the ISC.

12.6. Certificates for conference participation and Mastershop workshops shall be issued within 30 days after the ISC.

13.1. Participants shall have the right to submit an appeal regarding a jury decision or the evaluation process if there are reasonable doubts concerning objectivity, procedural errors, or violations of these Regulations during the evaluation.

13.2. Appeals must be submitted in writing by sending a substantiated application to info.isc@rsu.lv no later than five working days after the official announcement of results.

13.3. The appeal must include:

13.3.1. the participant’s name, surname, and the section in which the work was presented;

13.3.2. a brief description of the situation;

13.3.3. the specific aspect being appealed (e.g., inconsistency in evaluation, breach of the Regulations, etc.);

13.3.4. factual justification and, where possible, supporting evidence.

13.4. Appeals shall be reviewed by the ISC Appeals Committee established by the ISC Organising Committee. The Committee shall consist of the project manager, one jury member from the relevant section, and one jury member from another section, thereby ensuring an independent and objective review process. If necessary, additional members may be engaged to ensure appropriate expertise and prevent conflicts of interest.

13.5. The Appeals Committee shall review the submission and adopt a decision within ten working days after receiving the appeal. The decision of the Committee shall be final and not subject to further appeal.

If the appeal is found to be justified, the ISC Organising Committee may decide to adjust or annul the evaluation, amend the distribution of prize places, or publish an official correction notice on the ISC website.