Abstract Submission Guideline

Read all of the following guidelines before abstract submission.
The pre-submission agreement is required before abstract submission.

Important Dates:

• November 30, 2007 (Midnight CST)- Deadline for Submitting Abstracts. No late submissions will be accepted.
• December 3, 2007- Podium and Poster Presenters will be notified.
• December 7, 2007- All USUHS CME Paperwork must be received from Poster Presenters (does not apply to Podium Presenters).
• Poster Presenters: Make Posters 4'X6' and have 8.5"X11" (letter) sized copies of your posters available to hand out. Poster presentations will be shown Monday-Wednesday. The presenters are requested to be at their Posters during the Poster Sessions to discuss their findings.
• Podium Presenters: Each Podium presentation will be approximately 5-7 minutes in length. Standard audiovisual equipment in the scientific session room includes an LCD projector and Windows Computer. Personal laptops cannot be used for presentations. By December 15, 2007, the primary author of podium presentations will be required to submit a manuscript, via e-mail, to the Laurie Cobb at l.cobb@trueresearch.org. This is an absolute requirement to allow presentation of any study. Those that fail to submit by the published deadline will not be allowed to present their study.
• All accepted submissions for poster abstracts will be distributed in the program book. By submitting an abstract you consent to the distribution and use of your material. Podium presenters will be asked to post their presentations online after the conference.

INTRODUCTION

The members of the Program Committee and Panel Reviewers will grade abstracts for the Annual Meeting. These abstracts are blinded to the reviewer. Approximately 20 Podium Presentations and 20 Poster Presentations are accepted. The Program Chair/Committee exercises some discretion in final paper selection in an attempt to balance the program. Abstracts are graded on a 0 to 10 rating, and a paper accepted generally will have an average weighted score of 7.0.
The Symposium Reserves the right to withdraw an Abstract at any time.

ABSTRACT CONTENT

Abstracts must adequately describe the objectives and results of the work so that the quality, originality, and thoroughness can be evaluated by the Program Committee.

Each abstract MUST be less than 650 words and include the following components:

• Title of Abstract
• Author's Name- Include rank and/or credentials
• Institution (Ex: University or Duty Base with City and State)
• Co-Author's Name- Include rank and/or credentials
• Objectives - An introductory sentence indicating the purpose of the study
• Methods - A brief description of pertinent experimental procedures
• Results - A summary of the NEW, UNPUBLISHED DATA
• Conclusion - A statement of the conclusions

Abstracts missing any of the above items (with the exception of Co-Authors) WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED
Graphs, Pictures, Ect. Are not permitted. Abstracts must be copied and pasted into the web form.

CRITERIA TO CONSIDER WHEN SUBMITTING AN ABSTRACT

• Use title and key words appropriately
• Indicate any potential conflict(s) of interest
• Represent original research
• Represent a significant issue
• Be well organized and include Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions
  • Include an Objective that:
    • Is simple and clear
    • Clarifies the importance of the study
  • Include a Method that:
    • Is reproducible
    • Avoids irrelevant data
    • Describes sample with sufficient detail so that it is clear what population(s) the sample represents
    • Describes how the sample is of adequate size
    • Describes how sample was formed to avoid biases
    • Describes pretested unambiguous instruments and materials, including all surveys, tests, questionnaires, interview forms, and other tools used to provide data
    • Includes controls and clarifies them, with evidence of reliability and validity
    • Includes well-defined criteria for evaluation of variables.
    • Describes procedures, whether or not the study is prospective randomized, and researcher activities
  • Include Results that:
    • Summarize, including techniques and analysis used, including appropriate power analysis
    • Include complications or missing data, if applicable
    • Include validated outcomes
  • Include a Conclusion that:
    • Follows from methods
    • Includes discussion of limitations, if applicable
    • Recognizes limitations of study and suggests new research needed to extend current findings

ACCEPTED ABSTRACTS

Abstracts previously published as papers are NOT ELIGIBLE for presentation. Preference will be given to those abstracts that have not been accepted or presented at other meetings. Each abstract may only be submitted once. Duplicate abstracts will not be considered.
All accepted submissions for poster abstracts will be distributed in the program book. By submitting an abstract you consent to the distribution and use of your material. Podium presenters will be asked to post their presentations online after the conference.

CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

By December 7, 2007: USUHS-Continuing Education for Health Professionals (CHE) require that Poster Presenters and Select Speakers provide a DISCLOSURE FORM, BIOGRAPHIC DATA FORM and a PRESENTATION WORKSHEET. Forms can be obtained online. If you are unable to provide an electronic copy of the Disclosure Form with original signature, you may fax it to 210-829-5513 Attn: Refractive Surgery Symposium.

PRE-SUBMISSION AGREEMENT