To submit an abstract click on the SUBMIT ABSTRACT button at the bottom of the page (Deadline has passed) and follow the step-by-step directions, which will enable you to provide the presenting author contact information, answer a few questions, and then upload the file containing your abstract from the computer system that you are using to access this website. To ensure your abstract retains any special characters or formatting, the abstract must be in MICROSOFT WORD or RTF format.

Multiple submissions from the same data set will jeopardize abstract acceptance. The Organizing Committee urges submission of a single abstract from the entire group involved in the study.

Each applicant may submit a MAXIMUM of two (2) abstracts. If more than two (2) abstracts are submitted, only the first 2 submissions will be evaluated.

The deadline for abstract submission is Friday, April 11, 2003.

For each accepted abstract, one registration slot will be awarded to the presenting author. Co-authors of abstracts must complete an application to be considered for admittance into the Workshop.

Notifications of acceptance and format of presentation (oral or poster presentation) will be sent out on May 5, 2003, via fax. Guidelines for preparing your poster presentations will be sent if your abstract is accepted.

Upon notification of acceptance of abstract, the presenting author must REGISTER for the Workshop by May 16, 2003. Failure to register on or before the deadline may result in the loss of your acceptance in the Workshop.

Abstract presenters MAY NOT be changed after acceptance, without consent of the Organizing Committee.

SAMPLE ABSTRACT
To view a sample abstract, click here. The sample form is an Adobe Acrobat document. If your computer cannot read the sample, please click here to download Adobe's free Acrobat Reader.

ABSTRACT GUIDELINES

Format
The body of the uploaded abstract submission should not exceed 450 words, this limit excludes the title, authors and affiliations. Clearly define all concepts and abbreviations at first use. If English is not your primary language, attempt to have your abstract reviewed by a native English speaker.
To be acceptable, abstracts shall contain a concise statement of the research. It is recommended that the author follow the structured format below:

Title (not included in 450 word limit)
Use a short and concise title that indicates the content of the abstract. Capitalize the first letter of each word except prepositions, articles, and species names. Species names should be spelled out at first use. Italicize scientific names of organisms (example: Staphylococcus aureus). For therapeutic agents, only generic names may be used (no trade names are permitted in abstract titles).

Authors (not included in 450 word limit)
Authors' names should be entered using intial(s) for the first and middle names followed by the full last name, with presenting author underlined (e.g. PM Coker, J Ballard, and AP Deutsch).

Affiliations (not included in 450 word limit)
All affiliations should follow the last author's name and be referenced with superscript numbers. Each author should be listed by institution, city, and state (2 letter postal abbreviation) or country.

Background
State the problem under investigation or a hypothesis.

Methods
Explain the experimental methods used.

Results
List the essential results obtained in summary form, with enough quantitative data to permit evaluation by reviewers.

Conclusion
Summarize the findings. It is unacceptable to use statements such as "the results will be discussed".

ADDITIONAL ABSTRACT INFORMATION

In addition to the uploaded abstract, the following additional information will be collected on the abstract submission form:

Abstract Category
For purposes of review and programming, abstracts are divided into topical categories. Selection of the most appropriate category is important as it determines who reviews your abstract. The Organizing Committee reserves the right to reassign your abstract to a more appropriate category.