Abstract Submissions

The Abstract an Proposal Review Committee (APRC) is soliciting quality abstract submissions for posters for the 2023 Joint Annual Meeting in Providence, Rhode Island (all posters will be presented in a digital format). Poster authors will have the opportunity to present their posters in-person or virtually. Select accepted submissions may also be asked to make oral presentations. Please review the following information and guidelines carefully.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Presenter Categories

1. Professionals
2. Graduate students
   1. Must be enrolled in an approved graduate program in the field of laboratory medicine, with a genetic topic of focus at the time of abstract submission
   2. Must be an active member of AGT by the abstract submission deadline
3. Undergraduate Students
   1. Must be enrolled in an approved undergraduate program in the field of laboratory medicine, with a genetic topic of focus at the time of abstract submission
   2. Must be an active member of AGT by the abstract submission deadline

Content Categories – Professionals

Abstracts are evaluated based on their content and categorized into the following content areas. No literature reviews will be accepted. Professional and Graduate Student submitters will be asked to identify their submissions as one of the following three categories:

1. Clinical Case Study
   1. A clinical case study describes a clinical problem and the means used to resolve it. The case may involve a patient or patients with unusual clinical disease presentations, complications or outcomes. The clinical diagnosis requires a battery of relevant laboratory tests to confirm.
   2. Abstracts for a clinical case study should include:
      1. A short description of the patient history/presentation/problem
      2. Significant diagnostic laboratory tests results
      3. Patient outcome
      4. Brief description of the disease/condition
2. Management or Education Case Study
   1. A management case study could involve an ethical dilemma, patient safety, improved patient outcome, creative scheduling, compliance or personnel issues. An education case study could involve academic issues such as student admission/dismissal policy, competency testing, recruitment and retention, or a description of an innovative education model. The case should present strategies used to resolve the dilemma or to place the education model in practice and describe the significance and implication of the issue to clinical laboratory practice.
   2. Abstracts for a management or education case study should include:
      1. A short description of the issue
      2. Underlying principle for resolving the issue
      3. Brief description of the strategies used
      4. Relevant statistical findings whether qualitative or quantitative
      5. Outcome or resolution
3. Research (Qualitative or Quantitative)
   1. When submitting abstracts in either the Quantitative or Qualitative Research Category, the research study should be complete; however, abstracts with significant preliminary results from which preliminary conclusions/inferences can be drawn will be considered.  Research presentations characterize original structured investigations of specific problems relevant to clinical laboratory science.
   2. Quantitative research is used to assess the problem by way of generating data that can be transformed into usable statistics.   In quantitative studies, the research methods are set before observation begins and specify the methods of observation which may be used and the type of data which may be collected. Observations are collected before analysis begins. After analysis is complete, no more observations are taken. The quantitative research abstract must include all of the following:
      1. Study’s objective
      2. Research hypothesis
      3. Brief description of methods
      4. Relevant statistical evidence
      5. Results summary
      6. Statement of conclusion
   3. Qualitative research is exploratory research used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons opinions, or motivations. In qualitative studies, research methods are set up which suggest the type of methods of observation which may be used and the type of data which may be collected. Analysis begins as soon as data begin to be collected. Analysis and data collection proceed in a cyclical fashion, where preliminary analysis informs subsequent data collection and so forth. The qualitative research abstract must include all of the following:
      1. Context of the research topic
      2. Description of the specific research problem
      3. Methodology
      4. Significant findings
      5. If appropriate, conclusions or recommendations

Content Category – Students  Undergraduate students (who meet qualifications outlined above) are invited to submit abstracts of their research (Quantitative or Qualitative, and case studies and literature reaviews are not accepted).

Abstract Format Guidelines

• Title: Use a concise title (five or six words, if possible) that reflects abstract content. Capitalize the first letter of each word except for prepositions, conjunctions, and articles. Underline or italicize scientific genus and species names of organisms. Do not use acronyms, abbreviations, or initials in the title.
• Author/Institution: List the presenting author(s), in boldface type. Limit academic degrees to highest degree earned. List author institution affiliation (excluding department or division information) below each author’s name, followed by the city and state of the institution (no address or zip code), except when authors share the same institutional affiliation. When multiple authors submit an abstract, clearly identify one contact author and provide complete contact information on the submission.
• Abstract: Line spacing of abstract must be double-spaced. Recommended font and size is Times New Roman 12 pt. in Word format. Abstract text format is flush left. Text length (not including title and author information) must be at least 100 but not to exceed 300 words. Use a single-space-return to separate title and author information. Do not use headers, charts, figures, tables or references in the abstract. Abstract text should include the information outlined above for the respective content category.
• File Format: Authors will need to upload their abstract within the submission portal. This file should be a Microsoft Word file. The file name cannot include the author’s name. It is recommended that the file name include at least two keywords from the title.
• Example of Acceptable Abstract Formatting Example Abstract

Submission Eligibility and Information

1. Abstracts must be submitted according to instructions (failure to do so will result in rejection).
2. Abstracts must be submitted by March 19, 2023.
3. All abstracts must be original. Please perform appropriate literature searches to avoid issues with plagiarism. No abstract should be submitted for presentation at any other meeting(s) or submitted for publication in any format prior to November 30, 2021. (Abstract reviewers will perform literature searches to confirm that a submitted abstract has not been previously published.) This exclusion includes abstracts that have been presented at previous ASCLS national meetings. The only exception is for those posters that have been presented at ASCLS constituent society or regional meetings; these are acceptable to submit. The author must include this information on the abstract submission.
4. Faculty members may be co-authors of undergraduate or graduate student submissions, but the student must be the person who submits the abstract for consideration. Faculty members are not allowed to present on the student’s behalf and are not eligible for any awards or discounts associated with the student’s submission.
5. An individual may not submit more than two abstracts for consideration.
6. A nonmember may submit an abstract for consideration; however, an ASCLS, AGT or SAFMLS member must be listed as coauthor. Membership status will be verified by March 19, 2023.
7. All presenting authors must register for and attend the meeting. Presenting authors must be available thirty minutes before and after scheduled presentation times.
8. Notification is by email only so a valid email address is a requirement for communication. Notify ASCLS of any email changes.
9. Accepted Professional and Graduate Student abstracts will be published in the corresponding member-organization’s journal – either Clinical Laboratory Science or The Journal of the Association of Genetic Technologists
   1.  Accepted AGT undergraduate abstracts will be published in the Journal of the Association of Genetic Technologists.
   2. Accepted undergraduate poster authors are encouraged to submit their project as a manuscript to Clinical Laboratory Science, the official journal of ASCLS, or The Journal of the Association of Genetic Technologists. Significant editorial changes may be necessary before publication and the respective editorial staff reserves the right to reject any submission.

Review, Acceptance and Notification

Members of the ASCLS Abstract and Proposal Review Committee (which includes representatives from ASCLS, AGT and SAFMLS) will perform a blind review all Professional,  Graduate Student and Undergraduate abstract submissions (note: ASCLS Education Scientific Assembly (ESA) and the Education and Research (E&R) Fund will review the ASCLS Undergraduate Student submissions). Authors will receive written notification of abstract acceptance/rejection in mid-April.  The letter of acceptance will include information on the date and time of the presentation. A registration discount is included for accepted abstract presentations.

Select accepted submission authors may be invited to provide oral presentations at the Annual Meeting. This invitation will be included in the written notification letter.

Submission Portal Instructions

Abstract submissions will be made electronically, via the portal accessible below. Once accessing the portal, submitters will need to create an account (by providing your full name and email address). Once the account has been created, authors will be able to create their submissions. Submissions may be edited and saved prior to submission. All submissions must be made by March 19, 2023.

Authors are required to attach a Microsoft Word version of their abstract (title, author and abstract) within the submission portal. Remember – the file name must not include the author’s name (to preserve the integrity of the blind review process). Submissions made with the author’s name(s) on the abstract file will be disqualified.

The submission portal also includes a financial disclosure section (required) and copyright transfer information:

Copyright Transfer

Topics & Disciplines

During the submission process, authors will be asked to identify up to 2 topics/disciplines from the list below. If additional keywords are needed, submitters may access the NIH US National Library of Medicine’s Medical Subject Headings.

After the submission has been made, the author will receive a confirmation number and email (from info@labjam.org). The author may check on the status of their submission(s) by logging into the submission portal.

Questions about the submission portal may be directed to ASCLS Director of Professional Development and Project Management Melanie Giusti at melanieg@ascls.org or AGT Executive Director Denis Juroske Short at agtinfonow@gmail.com.

Questions about the review process, etc., may be directed to speakers@ascls.org.