General Information
Abstract Submission
Complete all three required sections of the abstract submitter – in English. Failure to complete the required fields will result in an incomplete abstract. Incomplete abstracts will not be reviewed. All selected paper and e-poster abstracts for AAGL 2020 are to be presented in English.
Completed submissions will be anonymously graded by the Abstract and Video Review Committee. Name(s) of author(s) and statements of affiliation are not allowed in the title or abstract text.
Prepare the abstract components below in advance. Submissions are assessed for presentation and the quality of the abstract. Review the Frequently Asked Questions and Submission Policies for more information.
To access the online program to submit your abstract, you will need to use one of the following browsers, listed in order of recommendation:
- Google Chrome – all versions
- Mozilla Firefox – Version 4.0 or higher (download the newest version free at mozilla.org)
- Safari – Version 6.0 or higher
- Microsoft Internet Explorer/Edge – Version 7, 8, 9 or 10 (Compatibility mode only)
Abstract Types
The Scientific Program Committee chooses submissions to be presented as oral presentations based on relevance, significance, innovation and originality, scientific rigor, conclusion and clarity.
All abstracts are reviewed as possible paper or e-poster presentations with the Scientific Program Committee making the final decision. Submitting authors may wish to limit the abstract to oral presentation only or e-poster only or no preference.
- Oral Presentation: Original scientific paper presentations will be followed by audience discussion that may require author interaction. If an author has two scientific papers scheduled for presentation within conflicting sessions, an alternate speaker must present one of the papers.
- e-Poster Presentation: e-Poster presenters submit a digital version of their poster prior to the meeting. e-Posters will be available online during AAGL 2020. Selected e-posters will be invited to participate in Poster Theater presentations or Poster Discussions at e-poster stations.
Submission
Title
Use title case when entering your abstract (both upper-and lowercase letters as appropriate). No special formatting is needed. Do not bold, underline or italicize the title.
Is the title descriptive of the abstract? Does the title avoid gratuitous statements and irrelevant information? Name(s) of author(s) and statements of affiliation are not allowed in the title of the abstract. Abstract review is anonymous.
Signature Award Competitions
Please select which competitions you would like to enter. Please note that e-posters will NOT be eligible for competitions.
Overview
Category Selection
Please refer to the list of primary and secondary categories within the abstract management system. Please assign your abstract to both a primary and secondary category. This determines where the abstract will be assigned in the program, if accepted. You must select two categories for each abstract.
Abstract Body
The following headings with formatting are required for oral presentation/e-poster submissions and are pre-populated in the abstract management system:
- Study Objective: Begin with a clear, concise statement of the precise objective or question put forth in the study.
- Design: Describe the basic study design, and duration of any follow-up.
- Setting: Describe the OR setting, i.e., patient positioning, ergonomics.
- Patients or Participants: State the manner of selection and numbers of patients who were enrolled in a completed study.
- Interventions: Describe the exact treatment or intervention.
- Measurements and Main Results: Describe the methods of assessing patients and state the key results. This section must include data, even if preliminary.
- Conclusion: State clearly the conclusions and clinical applications that are supported by the data. Advise if additional study is required before this information should be used in clinical settings.
When you write your abstract, ask yourself: is the abstract as specific as possible? The following are frequently forgotten sample size, study duration and follow-up, and descriptions of novel and/or non-standard techniques used. Abstracts with statements such as “will be done,” “will be studied,” “will be underway,” “will be analyzed,” are not considered a strong abstract. Abstracts cannot be appended once the grading process has started.
300 Word Maximum – The overall limit for all segments is 300 words. Each segment must be completed before the abstract can be successfully submitted. If any segment does not apply to your abstract, please enter N/A for that segment’s heading. If the abstract is too long, it will not be successfully submitted.
Abbreviations used in abstracts must be defined. Abbreviations are permitted in titles if they immediately follow the term being abbreviated and are enclosed in parentheses. If used in the text, they should be defined at first mention if not already defined in the title.
ACCME guidelines require generic names be used for pharmaceuticals, biologics, and medical devices. The trade name of the particular product used in a study may be included in parentheses the first time the product is referenced. The trade name may be used if the product is the only one of its general type and use of the generic name would encumber the reader.
Before submitting, did you proofread your abstract? Concise and clear abstracts are graded well. Misspellings and typographical errors reflect badly on the research. Changes to abstracts cannot be made once the deadline passes. The AAGL will not review any abstract submitted as hard copies or via email.
Authors
Presenting Author / Co-author(s)
Each author for paper and video is limited to four submissions as Presenting Author, and inclusion on up to ten total abstracts per meeting. This allows for six co-authored papers and videos.
- The author listed first is considered to be the Presenter.
- Changes to author lists will not be allowed after the submission if the change would result in the limits being exceeded.
- If a presenter change is requested, financial disclosures for the proposed presenter will be evaluated by the Scientific Program Committee before the change is approved. Presentation limits apply to the new presenter.
- The AAGL reserves the right to disqualify submissions that exceed these limits.
Submitting authors are required to provide contact information for all co-authors. Use the lookup feature in the abstract management system to add authors by their email address. If an author cannot be found in the database, provide their full, professional name, as well as an accurate and unique email address. The AAGL will contact the author using the email address provided and request that the author create a user account.
Members of the AAGL are invited to submit paper/e-poster abstracts as an Author. Accepted abstracts must include at least one AAGL FMIGS Fellow, AAGL Member or Candidate for Membership.
Other Information
Submitters should be prepared to enter the following information into the application:
- Do any of the authors have any financial interest? (YES/NO)
- Is the Presenting Author industry employed? (YES/NO)
- I verify that the abstract follows submission policy regarding copyright as described in the submission guidelines. (YES/NO)
- I understand that submission of an abstract constitutes a commitment to present if selected. If my abstract is accepted, I will be required to prepare a presentation two weeks from the date of your acceptance notification.
Copyright Policy
The AAGL holds copyright on all scientific material presented at its annual meeting until and unless such material is found unsuitable for publication. Should an author wish to publish his or her material elsewhere, it may not be submitted for consideration until AAGL has released the presenter from any copyright obligations.
Professional Education Department Staff
If you are unable to locate the information you need, contact abstracts@aagl.org.