Abstract Submission Guidelines & Instructions

Deadline:  Wednesday, November 1, 2006

• The abstract submission system has been optimized for current browsers.
  We recommend Internet Explorer 5.5 or above.
  Downloads for latest browsers: Internet Explorer Windows; IE MAC; Netscape
• All abstracts must be submitted through the web-based submission site.
• Please review the guidelines and instructions below before accessing the site.

ABSTRACT QUICKLINKS

General Guidelines
Content and Formatting
Abstract Category Codes & Titles
Special Formatting
Abstract Submission

Overview
Preparation
Access & Login to the Submission Site
Submission Steps

Replacements and Corrections
Withdrawal
Notification of Programming
Publication

 General Guidelines

• All abstracts must be submitted electronically
• Abstract submission is open to any scientist or student.
• The person presenting the poster should be first author on the abstract.
• An individual may be first author of and present only one volunteered scientific paper.Co-authorship of additional abstracts is permitted.
• An author who is invited to present extended talks at plenary lectures, symposia, panel discussions, workshops does not lose the privilege of being first author on an abstract for a poster session, provided that each presentation is substantially and recognizably different from the other in concept and idea.
• The first author acknowledges (1) adherence to the rules and scientific validity of the presentation; (2) that all reported investigations involving humans and animals have been reported in the abstracts has been conducted in conformance with guidelines for experimental procedures as set forth in the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki and NIH "Guidelines for the Care and Use of Animals," and (3) that this work will not be presented at a national or international meeting prior to this meeting.
• Complete information on the abstract form.  Indicate the topic of the Poster Session in the space marked "Topic Category."  Select from the list of topic categories supplied.

 Content and Formatting

Each abstract should contain a sentence stating the study's objective (unless given in the title); a brief statement of methods, if pertinent; a summary of the results obtained; and a statement of the conclusions. It is not satisfactory to say, "the results will be discussed." Use a short, specific title. Capitalize initial letters of trade names. Use standard abbreviations for units of measure. Other abbreviations should be spelled out in full at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Exceptions: DNA, RNA, etc.

Abstract Submission

Overview

The abstract submission system has been optimized for current browsers.
We recommend Internet Explorer 5.5 or above.
Downloads for latest browsers: Internet Explorer Windows; IE MAC; Netscape

Your abstract may be uploaded (strongly recommended), cut and pasted, or typed directly at the web site. If your abstract is uploaded as a word processing file, there is no need to use HTML coding in order to indicate special formatting or special characters.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Preparation

• Write your abstract in a word processing document following the criteria under "Content and Formatting". If you are uploading your abstract, supported file formats are MS Word 97 or 2000 or Corel Word Perfect.
• Do not include tables, graphics, or charts.
• The standard Times New Roman font for text is recommended (10 or 12 point).
• Set all text as flush left, and unjustified. Do not indent paragraphs and do not skip lines between paragraphs.
• Use the Symbol font for special characters (Greek, scientific, mathematical, etc.). Do not use a third-party symbol font (e.g., Adobe Type Manager), since they may not convert properly.
• Do not include the title in the abstract file. The title will be collected from the online form in the Title Section.
• Do not include authors and affiliations. This data will be collected from the online form in the Author Section.
• The abstract title and text combined should not exceed 300 words. Most word processing programs have built-in word count utilities.
• Please proofread carefully.

Access & Login to the Submission Site

• Remember to always use the same login and password each time you use this system. This will ensure you have only one account and will avoid future confusion.
• To access the abstract submission site go to www.abrf2007.org and click on the "Submit/Revise Abstract" link. 
• If you are a first time user, create your login name and password by clicking on the link titled "Click here to create a new user account."  Enter your contact information, password and a hint question and answer in case you forget your password. Click on the Continue button to save your work and enter the submission system.
• Select "New Submission" to begin the abstract submission process.
• If you have previously accessed the site, then you are a "Returning User."  Simply enter your login and password.

Submission Steps

The web-based submission site will take you through the following steps:

I.          Affirmation Statements and Abstract Title
II.          Author Block
III.         Abstract Text Entry
IV.        General Information
V.         Category (poster placement)
VI.        Review Work

 As each step is completed, click on the "Continue" button to save your work. You will automatically be moved to the next step. You can return to a previous step by selecting that section on the left-hand margin of the submission site.

 I. Affirmation Statements and Abstract Title
Affirmation Statements
You must check each required affirmation statement to confirm that you understand and agree to any requirements set forth in order to have your submission considered for presentation. The affirmations are:

• I acknowledge adherence to the rules and scientific validity of the presentation.
• I acknowledge that all reported investigations involving humans and animals have been reported in the abstracts has been conducted in conformance with guidelines for experimental procedures as set forth in the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki and NIH "Guidelines for the Care and Use of Animals".
• I acknowledge that this work will not be presented at a national or international meeting prior to this meeting.
• I acknowledge the contents of my abstract cannot be perceived as marketing a specific product.
• I acknowledge that if my abstract is perceived by the ABRF Executive Board or Program Committee as product marketing the abstract can be withdrawn without prior consent.
  
  Abstract Title

• Capitalize only the first letter of each word except prepositions, articles, and species names.
• DO NOT Bold the title or use all UPPERCASE characters.
• Italicize scientific names of organisms.
• Do not use a period at the end of the title.
• IE 5.5 users:  A tool bar will be available to format your title (e.g. italics, sub/superscript, etc.). If you need to add special characters (e.g., Greek), cut and paste from your word processor directly into the title box.
• If you are not using IE 5.5 or greater, click here for formatting and special character codes.
• Note that this is the only time you will need to enter your title. 

II. Author Block
Author Block

• The profile of the person submitting will default as the presenting author.
• The ABRF will correspond with the presenting author only.  It is the responsibility of the presenting author to contact all co-authors with the disposition and scheduling of the abstract.
• Be sure that you give a current e-mail address for the presenting author. All abstract related correspondence is done via e-mail, so an incorrect e-mail address could cause a delay in the receipt of important information.
• The order that the authors are listed may be changed. The presenting author may also be changed.
• The presenting author will be displayed in bold type in the author block.
• Enter required information for each author: name, published affiliation, city, state, and country.
• Always type common affiliations in exactly the same way each time. Even a slight variation will cause the institution to be listed more than once in the author block, which is not correct.

  III. Abstract Text Entry
  The use of Internet Explorer (IE) 5.5 or above is recommended for the following reasons:

1. If cutting and pasting text from your word processor Greek and other special characters will be retained (although you are encouraged to upload your file).

2. Text can be reformatted without entering special codes online. Users will have access to a tool bar that allows for basic text formatting as you enter it (bold, italic, underline, superscript, subscript). 

If you do not have IE 5.5, there are two ways to enter text for your abstract. You can either upload your abstract text or type your text directly into the submission form. Both methods are described below:

1. Uploading a word processing document is strongly recommended. All formatting will be retained and codes will not need to be entered. You will still be able to edit the resulting text to ensure your abstract is submitted correctly.

2. Type the content, or cut and paste it from a word processing document into the abstract block. We do not recommend this method, as you will need to add special codes for formatting and special characters. The instructions for the codes are found on the submission site under the "Help" button. 

• The abstract title and abstract text combined will be limited to 300 words. If your abstract exceeds this limit, a message will appear in red indicating you have gone over the maximum word limit. You will have the option to correct your abstract prior to the submission deadline. If your abstract is not corrected prior to the submission deadline, the abstract will be recognized by the submission site as incomplete and rejected.
• Do not include the title and author block in the abstract text box. They must be entered separately in the title and author sections.
• If you need to make any corrections to the abstract text after you have uploaded your document, we suggest you delete the text on the abstract submission site, edit your abstract text in the word processing document, and upload the text again. 

IV. Category (Poster Placement)

• All submitters must select their Poster Placement Category. Indicate both a first and a second poster topic choice.  Every effort will be made to accommodate your request, however, we reserve the right to move your abstract to a different topic area. See "Abstract Category Codes and Titles" for the list. 

V. Review Work

• The final summary page will allow you to review the information you input during the submission process. Review it carefully. To make changes and corrections, select the appropriate section on the left-hand margin to return to that portion of the submission site.
• A message will appear that states, "This submission is complete" if all the steps have been completed.
• Print/Save the summary page for a record of your submission.  If you would also like an e-mail confirmation sent to you, click on the email link on the bottom of the summary page.
• To make changes prior to the submission deadline, return to the submission site, login, and edit your abstract. 

*****COMMON ERRORS TO LOOK FOR*****

• Duplicate title and/or author block. If this occurs, it is most likely caused by the title and/or author block being uploaded into the abstract text box. These must be entered separately in the title and author sections. Delete the duplicate title and author block from the abstract text box.
• The title is in all caps or bold. Only the first letter of each word should be capitalized. Do not use bold text or ALL UPPERCASE characters.
• The same affiliation is listed more than once in the author block. This is due to the same institution being entered differently. Double check that common affiliations are typed in exactly the same manner each time. 

Replacements and Corrections

• You can make changes or corrections to an abstract submission until the abstract submission deadline.
• If you make any changes to your submission, check the summary page for the statement "This submission is complete" to ensure that required information was not deleted during the correction process.
• Do not resubmit your abstract. You may end up with a duplicate submission.
• No modifications, including author and affiliation changes are allowed after Friday, November 17, 2006. 

Withdrawal

• Prior to the abstract submission deadline of Wednesday, November 1, 2006, you can return to the submission site and withdraw your abstract.
• Abstracts not withdrawn by Wednesday, November 1, 2006 may appear in the meeting publications.

Notification

• Print/Save the final page of your submission. This will serve as acknowledgement that your abstract has been submitted. If you would also like an e-mail confirmation sent to you, click on the email link on the summary page. You will not receive further confirmation that your abstract has been received or a copy of your abstract.All presenting authors will receive e-mail notification of abstract acceptance and scheduling no later than Friday, December 15. Notices will be sent to presenting authors only.It is the responsibility of the presenting author to inform all co-authors of acceptance status and abstract scheduling information (if accepted).
• All acceptance notices will be sent as a bulk e-mail. Many times web-based e-mail accounts (e.g., Hotmail, AOL and Yahoo) automatically send bulk e-mail messages into the junk mail folder. Please check both your inbox and your junk mail folder for your acceptance notice.
• If you have not received your acceptance by Friday, December 15, 2006, please contact the ABRF by e-mail at ncopen@faseb.org.
• It is the responsibility of the presenting author to ensure that the ABRF has a valid and current e-mail address. This will ensure timely disbursement of your abstract acceptance notice. 

PublicationAccepted abstracts will be published in the ABRF Program and Abstract Book as well as the Journal of Biomolecular Techniques. Abstracts will be standardized in font and presentation. Abstracts will not be edited. Thus, any error that appears in the submitted abstract will appear in the printed abstract. 

NOTE: ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE MEETING REGISTRATION.