Register for email updates     Download Final Announcement

Abstract deadline: 12 January 2009

Delegates, who would like to present their work at the conference, either orally or as a poster, are invited to submit an abstract for consideration by the Scientific Programme Committee. Please carefully read the guidelines/instructions below before submitting your abstract. Failure to observe these may result in disqualification of your paper.

Abstracts will be published as a supplement to the journal BONE

• No paper submission form exists and therefore submissions by fax, email or courier will not be accepted.
• Avoid submission within 72 hours of the deadline for best system performance.

INSTRUCTIONS - TECHNICAL

• Avoid using the Enter button when outside the text boxes.
• Always use the navigation buttons provided.
• Do NOT use the “BACK” button. If you accidentally use the “back” button please press the “forward” button to retrieve your work.
• Please note that an asterisk (*) indicates the mandatory fields. If you do not complete ALL the fields indicated with an asterisk, your abstract will not be accepted for submission.
• Please refer to the online abstract submission form for further details regarding abstract content and style, including submission of Greek characters, tables and figures.

INSTRUCTIONS - CONTENT

• The total length of the abstract should not exceed 2,500 printable characters (these include non-visible characters such as spaces; please note that counting in a word processing package will only count visible characters which will be incorrect).
• The abstract title should clearly define the content of the paper.
• Abstracts must be submitted in English and must be presented in that language.
• Use standard abbreviations where appropriate. Place special or unusual abbreviations in brackets after the full word the first time it appears.
• If there are multiple abstract submissions by the same authors, please maintain consistency in the authors' names in order to avoid incorrect duplication in the author index.
• Do not split data to create several abstracts from one data set.
• If your studies have been supported by a grant, please indicate the source of funding at the bottom of your abstract.
• An additional 200 characters are allocated to declare any conflict of interest which will be added to the total length of the abstract (i.e. 2,700).
• Proprietary names of drugs are not allowed - the generic names must be used.
• Number references (if any) in the order in which they appear in the abstract.
• Please refer to the online abstract submission form for further details regarding abstract content and style, including submission of Greek characters, tables and figures.

ABSTRACT EMBARGO

An embargo is in force for all abstracts to be presented at the ECTS conference and will be lifted on the first day of the conference. If study results are reported prior to the embargo date, the abstract is subject to penalties, including removal from the conference programme. This embargo policy covers all abstracts accepted as part of the ECTS annual conference, regardless of whether information is obtained from another source.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I SUBMIT MY ABSTRACT?

You will receive an email to confirm that your abstract has been received. After the abstract deadline (12 January 2009) all abstracts will be reviewed "blind" (without author information) by a panel of experts. Mean scores will be calculated for each abstract and based on this they will be allocated to oral or poster sessions, or they may be rejected. You will be informed about the acceptance or otherwise of your abstract, and the form of presentation, by the end of February 2009. Accepted abstracts will be published in the official abstract book, which will be distributed at the Conference.

HOW IS MY ABSTRACT SCORED?

Your abstract will be scored based on the following criteria:

• The scientific merit of the abstract
• Suitable sample size and proper statistical analysis
• Adherence to instructions
• Originality of work

WHAT IS MY COMMITMENT?

Submission of an abstract constitutes a commitment by the author(s) to present the abstract as accepted. Expenses associated with the preparation, submission and presentation of an abstract are the responsibility of the presenter(s)/author(s). No shows will be logged by the organisers. An author failing to present accepted material at two or more meetings will be asked to register in order for their abstract to be considered for acceptance by the scientific committee. If no registration is received their abstract(s) will be withdrawn prior to publication.

CAN I AMEND MY ABSTRACT AFTER SUBMISSION?

Yes – just log onto the abstract submission section of the website, enter your email address and password, then all your submission titles will be displayed. You can then select any abstract and press the “edit” button. This facility remains active until the abstract deadline, 12 January 2009. After that date it will not be possible to make further amendments.

CAN I WITHDRAW MY ABSTRACT AFTER SUBMISSION?

Abstracts may not be withdrawn after 12 January 2009, unless an acceptable explanation is received by the organisers. An example of an acceptable explanation would be the inability to reproduce the data described in the abstract. Requests to withdraw abstracts must be sent to ects2009abs@mci-group.com

CAN I SUBMIT PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED OR PRESENTED ABSTRACTS?

No abstract may be presented orally at the ECTS meeting if it has been published elsewhere prior to the meeting. In this case, please indicate that poster presentation is preferred. If your abstract has been previously presented, but not published, it may be submitted for both oral and poster presentation.

AWARDS AND PRIZES

A number of New Investigator/Travel Awards and Poster Prizes are available to submitters satisfying the following criteria.

1. The applicant must be the presenting author
   
2. The applicant must be within 3 years of attaining PhD or is a physician in training or is aged under 35
   
3. The applicant must be a member of ECTS. If you are applying for an award, your eligibility must be confirmed by your head of department or supervisor. You may download the Confirmation of Eligibility form directly from the online submission form. This form must be signed and faxed to us before the abstract deadline, 12 January 2009. Applications without a corresponding confirmation will not be considered. Award winners will be notified in February 2009.

Awards will be judged anonymously by the Scientific Programme Committee and will be awarded on quality of abstracts.

DISCLOSURE/CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The intent of ECTS is to provide high-quality sessions focused on educational content that is free from commercial influence or bias. We request all presenters to cooperate in this by:

1. Declaring any potential conflict of interest by completing the relevant section of the on-line submission form
   
2. Declaring any commercial role in your research on your slides or poster

- Please refer to the on-line abstract submission form for further details-

An additional 200 characters are allocated to declare any conflict of interest which will be added to the total length of the abstract (i.e. 2,700).

COPYRIGHT

Submission of an abstract implies that it has been approved by all listed authors and transfer of copyright to the European Calcified Tissue Society becomes effective when the abstract has been accepted for presentation.

The final programme will be published on the conference website by 1 May 2009.

The Scientific Programme Committee reserves the right to make the final decision concerning form of presentation but authors are asked to indicate their preference.

PROBLEMS

Please contact MCI.

INVITED SPEAKERS

Please contact MCI for guidance as to how to submit your abstract.

LATE BREAKING ABSTRACTS

ECTS will offer a late breaking abstracts service for new data which was not available at the time of the abstract submission deadline. For criteria and deadlines please see the conference website.

Submit an abstract using the on-line form

Download information for abstract submitters