Call for Abstracts - Preparing and Submitting Your Abstract

The abstract is a short description of your work and should contain all the elements necessary to define your goals and results to the reader. However it is not meant to be a complete and lengthy report of your work.

Submitted abstracts will not be edited for content in any way. Thus, typographic and grammatical errors that appear in the submission will still appear in the printed abstract in the Meeting Abstracts Book and in the Abstracts on CD-ROM product. Abstracts will be formatted to fit publication requirements only.

• Preparing the Abstract
• Sample Abstract
• Submitting the Abstract
  The submission site in the OASIS system will open on November 14, 2007.

 

Preparing the Abstract

Key Elements

The use of an electronic submission process requires that each abstract submission includes the following discrete elements:

• Title - The title should clearly identify the contents of the abstract. Be sure to use title casing.  Capitalize the first letter of each word except prepositions, articles, and species names. Italicize scientific names of organisms (e.g., Candida albicans).
• Authors and Affiliations - Each Author is entered separately. Each name is entered by completing fields for first (given), middle initial(s) and last (family) name. First names should be complete and not just given as an initial. You should provide information on each author's institution/affiliation. Do not give department, division, branch, street address, etc. when completing the institution information. Enter the City and State/Province (if from the United States or Canada) and zip/postal code. If an author is from a country other than the United States, be sure to provide this information. Use abbreviations whenever possible. You will be able to designate the presenting author, add additional affiliations, and modify the order of the authors using the appropriate tools in the submission area. Please note that it is a General Meeting policy to list authors using all initials and last name regardless of how entered. The submission system will insert affiliation superscripts and show the presenting author in bold face type. Therefore, if the following authors were listed for an abstract,
  

  George E. F. Brown (CDC, Atlanta, GA)
  Paul J. Smith (Bournemouth Univ., Poole, United Kingdom)
  Richard B. Jones (CDC, Atlanta, GA and Bournemouth Univ., Poole, United Kingdom) - Preseting Author

  
  would be displayed for publication as:
  

  G. E. F. Brown, Jr.¹, P. J. Smith², and R. B. Jones^1,2, ¹CDC, Atlanta, GA; ²Bournemouth Univ., Poole, UNITED KINGDOM

• Abstract Text - Because of the large number of abstracts presented at the meeting, the text of each abstract should consist of no more than 1,850 characters (excluding spaces). Do not include your title and author information as part of the abstract body. The abstract text may be typed in any standard word processing program. Insert sub or superscripts, boldface, italics, or other required symbols as necessary. Tables, if presented, should be as simple as possible since they will be reduced in size in the final product to fit in a column approximately 2.5" (6.4 cm) in width. Graphics (graphs, pictures, etc.) are not recommended as (1) they are very difficult to properly size in the space available and (2) will be printed in black and white. Files should be saved either as a standard word-processed file or as a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) file that is viewable on the internet.

Other Information

The following information must be provided with your submitted abstract:

• Contact Information

Regardless of who submits the abstract, ASM will correspond with the presenting author. Therefore, complete mailing address information, telephone number, e-mail address and facsimile number for the presenter must be given in the abstract submission. Please be sure that the address you provide is complete in order for either standard mail or e-mail to reach the presenter. (NOTE: be sure to include mail-stops or box numbers in the address.) If the presenting author should relocate before the 108^th General Meeting, he/she should provide the ASM Meetings Department with the address change. Please note that the database supporting the abstract submission system is not connected to the ASM Membership database. Therefore, changing an address in the Membership database does not cause a corresponding change in the abstract submission database.

 

The presenting author must be available at the General Meeting for the poster session in which the paper is scheduled. If the author becomes unavailable, a co-author must be ready to substitute and present the poster.

• Subject Categories

After the abstract is prepared, you must choose a subject category designation from the Subject Category List and indicate that designation with your abstract submission. The category you choose will determine which division review committee initially reviews your abstract and may determine the session to which your paper may be assigned after acceptance. Remember the reviewers may reassign an abstract to another subject category or division because the nature of the abstract indicates a better fit. These changes are solely at the discretion of the reviewers and are irrevocable.

• Student Travel Grants

If the presenting author is both a student and a member of ASM, he/she is eligible to submit an application for a Student Travel Grant. Two types of student travel grants are available. The Corporate Activities Program Student Travel Grant is a $500 grant given to approximately 160 students who are presenting a poster. The Richard and Mary Finkelstein Travel Grant also is a $500 grant given to 6 students whose research is in the area of microbial pathogenesis.

• Key Word Designation

Provide up to three key words to aid others in searching for your abstract in the index or a searchable database. Try to select key words in common usage, such as those used in Medline or Index Medicus. Each key word should be able to stand alone in the index and should be typed in lowercase (e.g., sterilization) unless it is a proper noun or a genus name (e.g., Pseudomonas).

Content

With the exception of meetings designated by the General Meeting Program Committee as an Allied Meeting, abstracts must be based on results that have not presented at any public scientific conference, nationally or internationally, or or before June 5, 2008. In addition, when submitted the abstract must not have been scheduled for publication in any journal.  

1. The abstract must demonstrate scientific merit and significance.
2. While all abstracts may not exactly fit the following guidelines (e.g., a case study), abstracts should contain the following key points:
   • Background - The problem under investigation or a hypothesis.
   • Methods - The experimental methods or protocols used to accomplish the research.
   • Results - The key points derived from experiments. Data should be summarized and enough presented to allow the reviewers to judge the content. Generalizations such as "will be discussed" or "will be presented" are not acceptable.
   • Conclusion - A summary of your findings that are supported by the data presented
3. Be clear and concise. Avoid the use of jargon or catch phrases whenever possible.
4. If you and your team are submitting several abstracts for consideration, be certain that each abstract will stand on its own. If you submit several abstracts that vary only in the smallest details, most will be rejected.
5. Be sure to resolve all questions dealing with internal company or sponsor reviews as well as patent issues prior to submission.

 

Sample Abstract Submission

Key Element	Remarks	Displayed on Screen
Title	Title prepared with proper capitalization to the ASM standard. You may need to insert proper HTML coding for bold, intalics, super or subscripts, etc.	A Sample Abstract: Are You Using Title-Capitalization the Correct Way?
Authors and Affiliations	Do not code this entry for HTML. Enter data as plain text in form fields. System will insert superscripted numbers and automatically bold the designated presenting author.	P. J. Baum1 and J. F. Miller2, 1American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC; 2Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA
Abstract Text	Prepare the text of your abstract as a separate file which can be uploaded or copied and pasted into your submission on the web. Be prepared to use HTML coding as needed. (NOTE: The abstract text should be prepared as one continuous paragraph.)	Background: The problem under investigation or a hypothesis. Methods: The experimental methods or protocols used to accomplish the research. Results: The key points derived from the experiment. Data should be summarized and enough presented to allow the reviewers to judge the content. Generalizations such as "will be discussed" or "will be presented" are not acceptable. Conclusion: A summary of your findings that are supported by the data presented.
Topic	The topic category is selected from a dropdown list.	W04 - Microbiology for Pre-College Learning
Keywords	Enter keywords as lower case text. Be prepared to use HTML coding.	L. monocytogenes oral pathogens
ASM Membership	List the name of the ASM Member who is an author on the abstract.	J. F. Miller
Student Travel Grant	Be sure to check the appropriate boxes in this step. Even if you do not check a box, be sure to press the submit button or the step will not be completed.	Completed

 

Submitting the Abstract

Abstract submissions prepared and submitted through the ASM web site to the General Meeting allows you to create an abstract in finished form and get a reference number for future use and tracking during the acceptance process.

The General Meeting has been using a web-based abstract submission system since 1999. If you are a returning user of the system, you do not need to register again in order to submit your abstract.

Key Abstract Submission Dates
Submission Site Opens	November 14, 2007
Submission Due Dates
For Divisional Grp I (Subjects relating to Divisions C, F, L, U, Y)	Jan 7, 2008
For Divisional Grp II (Subjects relating to Divisions A, B, D, E, G, V, Z)	Jan 8, 2008
For Divisional Grp III (Subjects relating to Divisions I, N, O, P, Q, R, W)	Jan 9, 2008
For Divisional Grp IV (Subjects relating to Divisions H, J, K, M, S, T, X, AA)	Jan 10, 2008
Corrections to Abstracts Completed	January 16, 2008
Abstract Disposition Notifications Emailed to Presenting Authors	February 20, 2008

Submitting Your Abstract

1. Prepare and format your abstract title and text separately in the word processing program of your choice. Ensure you have all the information you need as indicated on the "Preparing Your Abstract" section of this web page.
2. To submit an abstract, click on Abstract Submission. Log in by either creating a new account (you have never been a submitter to an General Meeting since 1999) or a returning user as appropriate.
   • If you are a new submitter to this system, complete the submitter information form. Be sure to provide all required information as this will help us maintain contact with you.
   • If you are a returning user to the system, review and update your submitter information as necessary (click on the profile icon at the top of the page). Be sure to update your e-mail address if this has changed. Please note that the abstract submission system is not connected to the ASM membership database in any way.  If you are an ASM member and recently changed location or contact information in the ASM membership database, this change will not be reflected in the abstact submission contact data.
3. Use the link to "Create a New Abstract." Acknowledge the affirmations and enter your title as instructed. Note that this is the only time you will need to enter your title. Submitting (the continue button) this information will generate an abstract control number in the form 08-GM-A-#####-ASM.
4. Complete topic category, keywords, author information, and any other additional information as necessary.
5. Complete the ASM Member Step. List in the field provided the name of the author on the abstract who is a full, transitional or student ASM member. If no author is an ASM member, list the name of the person who has submitted an application to become one. Please note that this is a mandatory entry.
6. Complete the Travel Grant Selection Step.
   • You must indicate if you want to be considered for a student travel grant (either the Corporate Activities Program Student Travel Grant or the Richard and Mary Finkelstein Student Travel Grant).
   • Be sure to verify that you meet the eligibility criteria first.
   • Remember, if you are asking for consideration, you must be the submitter of the abstract.
   • Please note that, even if you are not requesting consideration, you must complete this step by leaving the checkboxes blank and submitting this answer.
7. Enter the actual text of your abstract. There are two primary methods of entry. You may select your previously prepared abstract file and "upload" it to the website, or you may "copy and paste" your text into the area provided. NOTE: Using the "copy and paste" method to transfer formatted text across a web interface may result in the loss of all special formatting and symbols. If you plan to use this method and are unsure of how to proceed, please contact customer service at 217-398-1792.