Abstract Guidelines – Virtual SLS MIS 2021 - Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons

Abstract Guidelines – Virtual SLS MIS 2021

Deadline for Abstract Submission: February 1, 2021

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION HAS CLOSED

 

Download E-Poster Template

Complete Disclosure Affidavit      Virtual SLS MIS2021 Website

Questions? Contact Abstracts@SLS.org     Receive Updates on Virtual SLS MIS 2021

Download the Abstract Guidelines (PDF)     Download Online Submission Form Instructions (PDF)

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

We invite the submission of abstracts for presentation at Virtual SLS MIS 2021. Authors need not be members of the Society in order to submit material. The program will include scientific papers, videos, and poster presentations on all topics and specialties on the use of minimally invasive and robotic surgical techniques and technologies including laparoscopy, endoscopy, robotic surgery, education, and simulation, among others.

Selection of material for presentation will be based on quality, clarity and relevance, as well as the significance of the material, as judged by evaluation of the content by the Abstract Review Committee. Awards will be given for the best presentations in various categories:

The SLS 2021 program will be held in multiple sessions using a virtual platform. ALL Scientific Paper and Poster submissions that have been accepted and are invited for presentation must be recorded and uploaded for inclusion and presentation during Virtual SLS MIS 2021. Instructions for recording and uploading content will be provided when presentation invitations are sent. Video submissions that are accepted and invited for presentation will use the video as uploaded on the Abstract Submission Form for presentation during Virtual SLS MIS 2021.

SLS reserves the right to use submitted materials for educational purposes. ALL recorded presentations, videos, and posters will be retained for use by SLS for educational purposes, including but not limited to conferences, including internet and other media, unless there is written notification otherwise.

No submissions containing commercial advertising or product promotion will be accepted.

Presentations must not contain commercial product names or corporate names and/or logos. Trade names or names of ineligible companies are not permissible in educational activities. Only generic terms may be used. According to ACCME & SLS Guidelines and Resolution of Conflict of Interest Policies, educational materials that are part of a CME activity, including slides, videos, abstracts and handouts, cannot contain any advertising, corporate logo, trade name or product-group message of an ACCME-defined ineligible company. Presentations must give a balanced view of therapeutic options. Use of generic names will contribute to this impartiality. The ACCME defines an ineligible company as “any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients.”

AWARDS

All awards include a certificate in addition to the cash award.

  • The Medical Educator Consortium Award for Best Scientific Paper: $1200
  • Michael S. Kavic Award for Best Scientific Paper by a Resident: $1000
  • Paul Alan Wetter Award for Best Multispecialty Scientific Paper: $500
  • Harrith M. Hasson Award for Best Presentation Promoting Education or Training: $500
  • Carl J. Levinson Award for Best Video: $500
  • Gustavo Stringel Award for Best Pediatric Surgery Presentation: $500
  • Gustavo Stringel Award for Best Poster: $500
  • Gustavo Stringel Award for Best Poster by a Resident: $250
  • Gustavo Stringel Award for Best Poster by a Student: $250

REQUIREMENTS

The following requirements apply to all categories of submission.

  • All work must be original and unpublished. DO NOT submit material that has been previously presented or published.
  • All persons whose submissions are accepted and invited for presentation must be paid registrants. Presenting authors must attend the virtual conference on the day their submission is presented and participate in the Q&A discussion.
  • Each author is limited to the submission of TWO ABSTRACTS as the primary author and/or presenter.
  • ONE disclosure affidavit is required PER PERSON participating in any role at Virtual SLS MIS 2021, including presenting authors. Please note: Each person only needs to submit ONE disclosure affidavit, even if participating in multiple roles at Virtual SLS MIS 2021.
  • Owners or employees of an ACCME-defined ineligible company may not participate as authors or presenters during an accredited CME session. 
  • According to ACCME and SLS Guidelines and Resolution of Conflict of Interest policies, educational materials that are part of a CME activity, such as slides, videos, abstracts, and handouts, cannot contain any advertising, corporate logos, trade names or product-group messages of an ACCME-defined ineligible company.
  • Any copyrighted material must be accompanied by a release authorizing duplication and display for educational purposes at meetings of the Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons. Any identifiable individuals in videos, slides or other graphic materials must have signed releases permitting medical videography. Please provide assurance that releases have been obtained, if required, and are available upon request.

Your submission will not be reviewed or considered in the event that any of the following:

  • It does not meet the guidelines
  • An online Abstract Submission Form is not completed
  • Abstract text is not provided electronically on the Abstract Submission Form
  • Poster submissions do not provide a PowerPoint slide of their poster via the Abstract Submission Form
  • Video submissions do not include the video uploaded to the Video Upload Dropbox
  • Submission is commercial in nature
  • The disclosure affidavit for the presenting author has not been completed

PUBLICATION OF YOUR SUBMISSION

Accepted/invited presentation abstracts will be listed in program materials and/or published if and only if the presenting authors have registered and paid required fees to attend Virtual SLS MIS 2021 by the May 1, 2021 deadline.

SLS strongly encourages authors of abstracts accepted for presentation to submit complete manuscripts of their work for consideration of publication in JSLS, Journal of the Society of Laparoscopic & Robotic Surgeons. Please submit your manuscript to JSLS according to the JSLS Guidelines for Authors if you wish to have the material considered for publication.

TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS

Please note: No commercial advertising or product promotion will be accepted. Submissions cannot promote a specific proprietary business interest of a commercial interest.

• SCIENTIFIC PAPER •
This category includes prospective or retrospective clinical studies, clinical series, experimental research with clinical results, or educational objectives that promote improvements or quality in healthcare. Material regarding techniques, technologies, simulation, outcomes assessment, medical economics, training, credentialing, and other topics are also welcome.  An abstract of 250 words or less must be provided on the online Abstract Submission Form.


• ORIGINAL VIDEO •
Subject matter is restricted to new materials that offer insights into relevant ideas and techniques in robotic and minimally invasive surgical and diagnostic procedures.

Productions must be:

  • A maximum of eight (8) minutes in length/run-time.
  • Have a file size no larger than 2GB.
  • Videos must include a spoken narrative explaining the procedure and methods used during the procedure, concluding with the results or purpose of the procedure.
  • Videos must be in the preferred format of MPEG or QuickTime (wmv, avi, mp4, and mov files are acceptable).
  • Recommended resolution is 1280 x 720 (16 x 9 HD) and 640 x 480 (4:3 SC); frame rate of 24 fps or higher.
  • MP3 audio is recommended.
  • Videos that do not comply with the format requirements will be returned for editing.
  • Video submissions are to be submitted in final form.

To upload your video:

  • Name your video file with your Last Name, First Name, and Submission ID# (ex. Smith, John ID #27).
  • Click on the video upload link provided on the online Abstract Submission Form and follow the screen instructions to upload your video to the SLS DropBox.
  • Click on the link provided on the Online Abstract Submission Form to complete the online Video Upload Notification Form to notify us that your video has been uploaded.
  • If you have any issues uploading your videos, please contact Abstracts@SLS.org for assistance.


• SCIENTIFIC POSTER •
The purpose of these scientific posters is to provide summaries of findings in a self-contained visual format.

Posters should be submitted using the SLS e-Poster Template in PowerPoint. Complete each section of the template (4 slides). Instructions are included on the template. Do not change the size/parameters of the template. Name the file with your Last Name, First Name (ex. Smith, John.pptx). Upload the poster slide to the online Abstract Submission Form where indicated.

Poster slides that do not comply with the required formatting will be returned for revision.

  • Slide 1: Title, Author(s) / Institute / Country, Summary
  • Slide 2: Expanded Data and Information
  • Slide 3: Expanded Data and Information
  • Slide 4: Expanded Data and Information

Sample Poster Slide: (Click to enlarge sample slide)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The poster slides must be submitted in addition to the abstract text via the online Abstract Submission Form.


ABSTRACT CONTENT

Abstracts must be 250 words or less and provided in structured format. The title should be short and succinct. The body of the abstract should follow logically from the title. Abstracts should contain four sections:

1. OBJECTIVE: An introduction, stating the hypothesis, purpose, or specific objective of the study.

2. METHODS & PROCEDURES: A description of the study design, the subject and the methods and evaluation procedures used. Documentation of statistical methodology should be included in this section.

3. RESULTS: A summary of the results of the study, which must support the final conclusion of the paper must be included in the abstract. Results should include actual data. Do not include qualitative statements such as “supporting evidence will be provided” or “results will be presented”. Any data provided must either support, confirm, modify, or refute the objectives of the particular study.

4. CONCLUSION: A brief statement of the conclusions of the study.

Please note: Abstracts that do not comply with the required format will be returned for revision.

Abstracts will not be edited for language, grammar, spelling, readability, or punctuation. Be sure to review your text before submitting. Authors whose primary language is not English should have their papers checked for linguistic accuracy by a person skilled in the English language  and in medical terminology.

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS

Please review all submission instructions before submitting your abstract(s), video(s) or poster(s).

No more than TWO (2) submissions as first author/presenter will be accepted.

Registration for Virtual SLS MIS 2021 will open in March 2021. If your materials are accepted and you are invited to present at the conference, your conference registration fees must be paid by May 1, 2021 in order to be scheduled for presentation.

Abstracts that are not submitted in compliance with these instructions, are not in the requested format, or are not received prior to the deadline date may not be considered for evaluation. If you have any questions or difficulties with your submission, please contact the SLS office via email at Abstracts@SLS.org.

  • An online Abstract Submission Form must be completed for each abstract submitted. No more than two submissions as a first author/presenter will be accepted.
  • A Disclosure Affidavit must be completed for the presenting author. Please note: Only one disclosure affidavit is required per person participating in any role at Virtual SLS MIS 2021.
  • Abstract text (250 words or less) must be entered in the area provided on the online Abstract Submission Form.
  • The presenting author must be noted on the abstract submission form by clicking the box labeled “presenting author”. NOTE: The presenting author does not have to be listed as the first author.
  • All text should use both upper and lower case letters, including the titles. DO NOT type in all upper case or all lower case letters.
  • Do not use abbreviations in the title or body of the abstract.
  • Abstract text that does not comply with the required format will be returned for revision.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR ABSTRACT ONLINE

Go to http://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/2170/submitter to create your account and submit your abstract.

You will be required to enter an email address, create a password, and enter your name. Complete all fields and click on the button labeled Register. (Please note: If you used our system to submit an abstract for MISWeek 2019 or Virtual SLS MIS 2020 you can use the username/password previously created; it would not be necessary to create a new account.)

Once registered you can make your submission by completing the fields in the online submission form. Please note that required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

Click the button labeled Submit at the bottom of the page when you have completed the form.

Click here to view/download a detailed instruction guide for the online submission form.


Submission Tips:

• When completing the abstract text field, it is easiest to copy and paste straight from a Word document. If your word count is over the 250 word limit, your submission will automatically be marked as “Incomplete” until you edit your text to 250 words or less.

• You can save your partially completed submission by pressing Submit and return to complete it later.

• You will see a pop-up alert if any required fields are left incomplete and your submission will be marked as “Incomplete”. Be sure to return to finalize your submission before the deadline (February 1, 2021).

• Click Back (arrow located at the top left-hand side of screen) to return to your dashboard, where you can view/edit your submission(s) or make a new submission. (Remember-the maximum of two submissions per person and first author/presenter will be considered.)

You will receive an automatic email notification that your submission has been received. It will indicate whether the submission is complete or incomplete.

IMPORTANT – PLEASE NOTE:
All Scientific Paper, Video, and Poster submissions that are scheduled for presentation must upload their recorded presentation to SLS NO LATER THAN JULY 1, 2021 for review by the CME committee.

Questions? Contact Abstracts@SLS.org

 

Submit an Abstract     Download E-Poster Template

Complete Disclosure Affidavit      Virtual SLS MIS2021 Website

Questions? Contact Abstracts@SLS.org     Receive Updates on Virtual SLS MIS 2021

Download the Abstract Guidelines (PDF)     Download Online Submission Form Instructions (PDF)