Submitting an abstract

A.Important information

The abstract template can be downloaded from the website. For instructions on how to log in please see the ‘Submission Process’ guidelines. The template is a Microsoft Word file designed to ensure that your abstract is prepared in the right way for publication. Please save this template file to your PC’s hard drive and use it when you prepare your abstract. You must use the template to submit your abstract.

If you are submitting more than one abstract you can use the same email address and password for each abstract. Please remember that each author may be named first on only two abstracts.

• Abstracts will only be accepted if submitted using the template form provided.
• The abstract must be no longer than 300 words (including numbers and symbols) and use the Arial font in size 11. If your abstract is longer than the template, your abstract will be truncated.
• You may include a small table, maximum 7 columns and 5 rows, anywhere in the abstract, but you must reduce text to accommodate this. ( Graphics and equations are not permitted ) .
• Open the template file and enter your abstract into it following the instructions above. Save it and make a note of its saved location.

Note: If you are using Word 97 to prepare your abstract you may not include tables.

B. Preparation of your abstract

1. A ‘blind’ selection process will be used. No identifying features such as names of hospitals, medical schools, clinics or cities may be listed in the title or text of the abstract. Do not include the names of authors either. The names of authors and their affiliations (institutions) will be entered on-line when you submit the abstract.
2. Abstracts may not be submitted if previously presented at a national/international meeting.
3. The title should be as brief as possible but long enough to indicate clearly the nature of the study.
4. Abstracts should be as informative as possible:

• State the specific objective of the study
• State the method used, if pertinent; state whether experiments were in vivo or in vitro; if in vivo, state whether animal was anaesthetised or unanaesthetised
• Summarise the results obtained
• State the conclusions reached
• When experiments are performed on human subjects and local Ethical Committee approval has therefore been obtained, this should be stated in the abstract.
• Statements such as ‘results will be discussed’, ‘data will be presented’ cannot be accepted.

1. Abstracts will be reproduced as submitted. If accepted your abstract will appear in Endocrine Abstracts exactly as submitted and any typing error will be visible.
2. The Programme Organising Committee reserves the right to decide on the form of presentation, oral or poster, in the interest of the programme.

C. The submission process

• Log in to the submission system when your abstract is completed and ready to send. To log in, enter your email address and the password you chose when you registered with the system.
• When you click the “log in” button you will be taken to a screen from which the submission process starts. Please read the instructions on this screen carefully. If you have not yet submitted an abstract to the system you should click the link that says “Click here to submit a new abstract”.
• Submitting an abstract is a multi-step process. Each step asks several questions:
• Step 1: click the “Browse” button and locate your abstract file on your PC’s hard disk. Fill in answers to any other questions on this screen and then click the “Next” button. Your abstract file will be sent to our system – this can take a few seconds if you have a fast internet connection, but may take longer if your connection is slow. Please be patient!
• Step 1: you can copy the abstract title from your Word document and paste it into the Title field on the submission form. Please note that because of web browser limitations some scientific symbols may not paste correctly into the form – you may have to correct this by writing the name of the symbol in full, for example “beta” instead of β. Your Word document will not be affected.
• All steps: some questions are marked “Mandatory”. We cannot accept your abstract until these questions have been answered.
• All steps: if you do not know the answer to a question, you can skip the question and return on a later occasion to complete it.
• Final step: once you have completed this step click the “Finish” button. If you have answered all the mandatory questions then your abstract will be assigned a reference number and you will receive email confirmation. If you have not answered all the mandatory questions your abstract will be held in temporary storage until you return later and complete all the questions.