In television and radio programming, breaking means a story that has occurred so urgently that the network interrupts regular programs to report it. Breaking news is often displayed with special graphics, including lower thirds and live-breaking news tickers. Until the advent of 24-hour news networks, such interruptions were restricted to highly urgent events, such as the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy in 1963. In recent years, major network news stations have reduced the number of breaks for breaking news by employing specialized graphic cut-ins for certain stories during regular broadcasts, and using special lower-thirds to highlight key breaking stories.

SfN offers a late-breaking opportunity to present research with results that may not be ready in time for the regular abstract submission deadline. The purpose of the late-breaking abstract deadline is to capture abstracts reporting novel and substantive studies of high impact. The selection process will be highly competitive; no more than six to ten abstracts will be selected for presentation in the Late-Breaking Science sessions.

Whether an abstract is presented in a late-breaking session or as a scientific or Theme K poster, the information must be original and scientifically align with the conference’s interest areas. If a researcher has an accepted scientific or Theme K abstract, they are permitted to submit one additional late-breaking abstract as the presenting author, but the presentation at SfN must be substantially different than that described in the abstract.

Submitted Late-Breaking Science must not be under simultaneous review by any journal or online publication and may not have been presented at any other congress. During the submission process, the submitting author is required to indicate whether their research meets these criteria.