---
title: Symposia overview
description: When you want submitters to be able to group abstracts together, add our Symposium bolt-on. We offer different ways of controlling who can submit a symposium and who can attach abstracts to symposia.
---

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1. [Oxford Abstracts Knowledge Base](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge?hsLang=en)
2. [Symposia](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/symposia?hsLang=en)
3. [Preparing for symposia submission](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/symposia?hsLang=en#preparing-for-symposia-submission)

# Symposia overview

## When you want submitters to be able to group abstracts together, add our Symposium bolt-on. We offer different ways of controlling who can submit a symposium and who can attach abstracts to symposia.

The guidance below is for event administrators/ organisers. If you are an end user (eg. submitter, reviewer, delegate etc), please click [here](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/support?hsLang=en).

The first step is to decide which type of symposium set up you require. Symposia can be: 

#### Public 

Anyone can submit a symposium suggestion and anyone can attach their abstract submission to a symposium. Useful if you want to get ideas for symposia from the submitters in general, and see what emerges. Some symposia may end up being very large and you can easily rearrange the composition with the administration functions.

#### Private 

Anyone can submit a symposium but they can only attach an abstract to one of their own symposia, or a symposium to which they have been invited. Invitees receive an email from the system with instructions on how to proceed and view the symposia to which they have been invited when they log onto the system. This is the most common type of setup and allows those setting up symposia to control who contributes.

#### Admin only

Only the administrators can create a symposium, to which anyone can attach an abstract. Useful if you have a list of symposia to which you want people to submit abstracts. To add administrators, see [Managing users](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/manage-users?hsLang=en)

To get started, go to **Event dashboard → Symposium → Dashboard.** 

![](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/hubfs/undefined-Apr-29-2021-01-46-22-22-PM.jpeg)

 The rest of the symposia overview dashboard works in the same way as the [event dashboard](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/event-dashboard?hsLang=en)

The only difference is you will see the extra switches below:

1\) Determines whether attachments - ie abstracts attached to symposia - are being accepted. The switch works independently of the top one - ie submitting a symposium - and can be switched on and off as required.

Please note: Admins are still able to view the attachments functionality even if the toggle is disabled. If you would like to test this then you need to use a non-admin account.

2\) This will only appear if you have selected a **Private symposium**, and also works independently of the top one and can be switched on and off as required. It permits submitters of symposia to invite contributors/attachments.

![](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/hs-fs/hubfs/undefined-Apr-29-2021-01-33-37-03-PM.jpeg?width=550&name=undefined-Apr-29-2021-01-33-37-03-PM.jpeg)

 

If you have **Multi-stage + Symposia, **you will also see the **SYMPOSIUM STAGES **button below.

[![](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Import/s3.amazonaws.comcdn.freshdesk.comdatahelpdeskattachmentsproduction8060309549original4UENSvRBi8hI0lEG9p-a0RtGfgpyN9SWAw.png?width=550&name=s3.amazonaws.comcdn.freshdesk.comdatahelpdeskattachmentsproduction8060309549original4UENSvRBi8hI0lEG9p-a0RtGfgpyN9SWAw.png)](https://bra-fit-calculator.marksandspencer.com/)

 

Click to reveal the stages. Check the box(es) next to the stages that you would like the symposium module to apply to.

![](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Import/s3.amazonaws.comcdn.freshdesk.comdatahelpdeskattachmentsproduction8060309733originalCAH2jRty_JccQLFgF9IM8YujWOd0iCOXbw.png)

![](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/hubfs/Knowledge%20Base%20Import/oxfordabstracts.freshdesk.comsupportsolutionsarticles8000072966-setting-up-symposiahit.gif)

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    - [Guidance for committee members](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/support?hsLang=en#guidance-for-committee-members)
    - [Guidance for symposia submitters](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/support?hsLang=en#guidance-for-symposia-submitters)
    - [Guidance for the conference platform](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/support?hsLang=en#guidance-for-the-conference-platform)
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- [Getting Started With Your Event](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/getting-started-with-your-event?hsLang=en)
- [The Submission Stage](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/the-submission-stage?hsLang=en#main-content)

    - [Preparing for the submission stage](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/the-submission-stage?hsLang=en#preparing-for-the-submission-stage)
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    - [Setting up your conference platform](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/the-conference-platform?hsLang=en#setting-up-your-conference-platform)
    - [The Professional Conference features](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/the-conference-platform?hsLang=en#the-professional-conference-features)
    - [Publishing and managing your conference](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/the-conference-platform?hsLang=en#publishing-and-managing-your-conference)
    - [Downloading event timetable](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/the-conference-platform?hsLang=en#downloading-event-timetable)
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- [Multi-Stage](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/multi-stage?hsLang=en)
- [Symposia](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/symposia?hsLang=en#main-content)

    - [Preparing for symposia submission](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/symposia?hsLang=en#preparing-for-symposia-submission)
    - [Collecting and reviewing symposia](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/symposia?hsLang=en#collecting-and-reviewing-symposia)
    - [Managing symposia](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/symposia?hsLang=en#managing-symposia)
- [Guidance For Reviewers](https://help.oxfordabstracts.com/knowledge/guidance-for-reviewers?hsLang=en#main-content)

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