An International Symposium of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities

Invited Speaker Guidelines

Please use the checklist below to ensure that you have taken all of the necessary steps in preparing for your presentation at the ABRF 2014 Meeting.
 

(1) Register for the Conference

All Invited Speakers will receive complimentary registration for the ABRF 2014 Meeting.  If allotted a complimentary registration by your Session Organizer, you will receive a Registration Code via email from ABRF 2014 Meeting Management to register online.  If you do not receive this code, please contact Ashley Kesack at abrf@courtesyassoc.com.
 

(2) Submit an Abstract

Once registered, all Invited Speakers must submit an abstract for publication to ABRF 2014 Meeting attendees, as well as in the Journal of Biomolecular Techniques. Presenters at RoundTables will in general not need to submit an abstract, while speakers in Scientific sessions must submit an abstract. Speaker in Tutorial sessions should check with their session organizer to determine if one or multiple abstracts will be submitted for the session.

Speakers & Session Chairs, please click HERE to submit your session abstract.

All abstracts should have the following:

  • A sentence stating the study’s objective (unless given in the title).
  • A brief statement of methods, if pertinent.
  • A summary of the results obtained.
  • A statement of the conclusions.  It is not satisfactory to say “the results will be discussed.”

Other formatting guidelines:

  • Use short, specific title
  • Do Not CAPITALIZE ALL LETTERS IN THE TITLE OR SPEAKER INFORMATION.  Use Sentence Format.
  • Do Not bold letters in the title, unless necessary.
  • Capitalize initial letters of trade names.
  • Use standard abbreviations for units of measure.  Other abbreviations should be spelled out in full at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in perentheses.  Exceptions: DNA, RNA, etc.
  • Please submit text only.  Do not include tables, graphics, or charts.
  • Do not include title,  or authors and affiliations in the Abstract Text field of the online form.  Enter this information only in the Title, Primary Author, Secondary Author(s), and Affiliation(s) fields of the online form.
  • To associate authors and their institutional affiliations, please place number in parenthesis after each author’s name (if more than one author) and the corresponding number before each affiliated institution’s name (if more than one institution).
  • The abstract text should not exceed 300 words.
  • Please proofread carefully (abstracts submitted with errors may be published as submitted).  It is suggested that you use a word processing program to assist with checking for grammar and spelling errors, as well as word count. If you do use a word processing program, it is advised to save the document as a simple text (.txt) file.

Access & Log-in to the Submission Site

  • Enter all necessary information as directed.  When asked to select the Abstract Type, select “Speaker Abstract”

Abstract Submission Steps

To ensure that your abstract is submitted properly, please read through all of the submission instructions below.

The online abstract submission site will take you through the following steps:

I. Abstract Title & Author(s) Information
II. Abstract Category
III. Submit Your Abstract Text
IV. Review Work

I. Abstract Title & Author(s) Information

  • Abstract Title
    • Capitalize only the first letter of each word (do not capitalize prepositions, articles, and species names).
    • Do not bold the title or use all UPPERCASE characters.
    • Do not use a period at the end of the title.
  • Author(s) Information
    • Enter the presenting author in the Primary Author field.  Enter the complete first name and last name only.  Do not include any titles (i.e. Ph.D., MD, etc.).
    • Enter the Primary Author Affiliation.
    • Enter all other co-authors in the Additional Author field.  Enter first initial and last name only.
    • Enter all other co-author affiliations in the Additional Affiliation field.  If multiple institutions are represented, please list the affiliations in the order in which the authors are listed.  Assign each institution a number and place the assigned number in parentheses before each institution’s name.  Place the respective number in parentheses after each author’s name.
  • Important Information for the Presenting Author
    • The presenting author will be considered the contact person for a submitted abstract.  It is the responsibility of the presenting author to contact all co-authors with the acceptance status and scheduling of the poster or oral presentation of the abstract at the meeting.
    • Be sure to give a current e-mail address for the presenting author.  Abstract related correspondence is done via e-mail, so an incorrect e-mail address could cause a delay in the receipt of important information.
    • The presenting author will be displayed in bold type in the printed meeting program.

II. Abstract Category

An abstract category must be selected for all abstract submissions.  All Invited Speakers should choose “Speaker Abstract” as their abstract category.  Invited Speaker abstracts will not be peer-reviewed; however, you must submit an abstract that will be published.

III. Submit Your Abstract Text

Entering an abstract as text:

  • Type the content directly into the text field, or copy and paste your abstract text into the text field.  If you copy and paste, please paste from a simple text (.txt) file.  Copying and pasting directly from a word processing document may result in problems with text characters and formatting.

Please note:

  • Abstract text is limited to 300 words.  If your abstract exceeds this limit, a message will appear indicating that your abstract has gone over the maximum word limit.  Please correct this error before you hit “Submit”.
     
  • Do not include the title and author(s) in the abstract text box on the online form or in your simple text file.  They must be entered separately in the title and author fields of the abstract submission form.
     
  • Please be sure to review your submission before you hit “Submit”.  You will not be able to log-in and change your submission once you hit “Submit.”
     
  • If you need to make corrections to your abstract submission, after completing the online submission process, please contact Ashley Kesack at abrf@courtesyassoc.com.  Please note that requested changes must be submitted before the submission deadline.  It is not possible to implement changes that are requested after the submission deadline of January 10, 2014.

IV. Review Work

  • Once you have uploaded your abstract file or entered the text into the abstract text field, please be sure to review your submission.  Note: you are only reviewing the submission form, you will not be able to see the abstract as it is printed in the conference program.
  • Once you have ensured that the submission is complete, please click “Submit”.
  • Upon submission, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to the e-mail address provided.  Please keep this confirmation e-mail for your records.

Common errors to look for:

In reviewing your work, check for the following typical errors:

  • Duplicate title and/or author(s).  If this occurs, it is most likely caused by the title and/or author block being entered into the abstract text box.  These must be entered separately in the title and author text fields.  Remember to delete any titles and/or authors from the text box, or uploaded abstract file.
  • The title is in all caps.  Only the first letter of each word should be capitalized.  Do not use bold text or ALL UPPERCASE characters.
  • The same affiliation is listed more than once in the author block.  This is due to the same institution being entered differently.  Double check that common affiliations are typed in exactly the same manner each time.
  • If there is more than one organization represented, be sure to number the authors and their associated affiliation appropriately.

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(3) Reserve your Room

All speakers are required to reserve their hotel accommodations.  Please visit our Hotel & Travel page to reserve your room at one of the participating meeting hotels. Be sure to book your room by the cut-off date of February 1, 2014 in order to guarantee the discounted group rate and availability.

(4) Prepare your Presentation

Acceptable formats for Presentations:

MS Windows: Microsoft PowerPoint, Acrobat PDF
Macintosh: Microsoft PowerPoint, Acrobat PDF, Apple Keynote.

  • Graphics must be well designed, simple, and legible to everyone in the audience. Use as few graphics as possible for the time allotted. As a general rule, use one graphic for each 1 or 2 minutes of presentation time.
  • Presentations are most readable on a dark background (blue, for example) and bright lettering (yellow or white). It is helpful to step 8-10 feet back from your computer screen and make sure your slides are legible. Avoid using small fonts that will be illegible from the back of the room, and break up a complex slide into a series of slides.
  • Devote each graphic to a single fact, idea, or finding. Illustrate major points or trends, not detailed data.
  • Avoid long or complicated formulas or equations. Each graphic should remain on the screen for at least 20 seconds.
  • Use the minimum number of words possible in titles, subtitles, and captions. Standard abbreviations are acceptable.
  • Use bold characters instead of fancy fonts.
  • Table preparation: do not use more than three or four vertical columns or more than six or eight horizontal rows. Information is hard to read with more columns or rows. Avoid vertical or horizontal rules as they distract the eye and clutter the graphic. Whenever possible, present data using bar charts or graphs instead of tables.
  • Graph preparation: Avoid more two curves on one diagram -a maximum of three or four curves may be shown, but only if well separated. Label each curve; Avoid symbols and legends. Avoid data points unless scatter is important.
  • Colored graphs are very effective. Color adds attractiveness, interest, and clarity to slide and viewgraph illustrations and should be used whenever possible. Contrasting color schemes are easier to see.
  • Examine every graphic and view each under adverse light conditions before presenting at a meeting.
  • An introductory and a concluding graphic can greatly improve the focus of your talk.

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(5) Pre-submit your Presentation

All oral presenters are required to prepare PowerPoint slides for their visual presentations.  You do not need to submit a hard copy of your slides and you do not need to bring a computer onsite, as all presentations will be pre-loaded onto the session computers. Please submit your presentation by March 20, 2014. We ask that you also visit the Speaker Ready Room onsite in Albuquerque up to two hours prior to your session, in order to check that your presentation is working correctly.

Instructions to submit your presentations will be sent to you via email.  If you need a copy of these instructions re-sent, please contact Ashley Kesack at abrf@courtesyassoc.com.

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(6) Give your Presentation**

  • Be considerate of other speakers and the audience by staying within your allotted time.
  • Session Organizers will hold you to the allotted time. This is essential to ensure adequate time for questions and discussion as well as adherence to schedule.
  • Please discuss the material as reported in the abstract
  • Prepare your presentation in advance so that your ideas are logically organized and your points clear.
  • Take time to rehearse your presentation. If your presentation runs longer than the allotted time, eliminate the least essential material and rehearse again.
  • Give an opening statement to acquaint the audience with the nature and purpose of the study. Speak slowly and clearly. Word choice should be simple: use active words and short sentences.
  • Use the public address system, and speak into the microphone and toward the audience.
  • If using the microphone clipped to your lapel, it is difficult for the audience to hear if you turn your head away from the microphone. If you need to see what is on the screen, have copies at the podium.

**Please note, unless otherwise notified, a PDF version of your presentation will be posted to the organization website, www.abrf.org, after the completion of the conference.  If you do not wish to have your presentation posted or have an alternative version to make available, please contact ABRF Conference Management at abrf@courtesyassoc.com.

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