Call for Abstracts / Abstract Guidelines - Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, Inc.

19th SLS Annual Meeting and Endo Expo 2010
September 1-4, 2010
Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers
New York, New York, USA

Scientific Papers, Open Forum, Original Videos,
Scientific Posters, and Cyber Café Presentations

Deadline for Abstract Submission for Publication:
February 1, 2010

IMPORTANT!
PLEASE READ GUIDELINES BEFORE SUBMITTING

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE FOLLOWING REVIEW

GENERAL INFORMATION

The SLS Program Committee invites the submission of abstracts for presentation at its meetings. Authors need not be members of the Society in order to qualify for submission. The program will include scientific papers, open forums, original videos, scientific posters, and other electronic media from all specialists who are in some way involved with the use of minimally invasive surgical techniques. Specialists include general, gynecologic, urologic, plastic, orthopedic, osteopathic, pediatric, thoracic, vascular, veterinary, trauma surgeons, residents, and nurses, as well as many other fields. These submissions will contribute to the educational mission of SLS: to increase the practitioner's comprehension of the use of both Standard-of-Care and State-of-the-Art minimally invasive surgical techniques and to increase efficacy and effectiveness of medical care and research through development and utilization of these new methods and systems.

Evaluation will be based on quality, clarity and relevance for our members, as well as the significance of the material, as judged by the Abstract Review Committee. Awards will be given for the best scientific papers, posters, and videos in various categories.

Please note:
These requirements apply to all categories of submissions.

All work must be original and unpublished. No materials should be submitted that have been previously presented or previously published.
All persons whose papers are accepted by the Abstract Review Committee for presentation must be paid registrants and be present at the conference. In the event a substitute will take the place of the original presenter, SLS must be notified at least 4 weeks prior to the meeting.
Each author is limited to the submission of TWO ABSTRACTS as the primary author.
Any copyrighted material must be accompanied by a release authorizing duplication and display for educational purposes at meetings of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. Any identifiable individuals in videos must have signed releases permitting medical videography. Provide assurance that releases are available, if relevant.
Your submission may not be reviewed or considered in the event that:
- it exceeds the guidelines, or
- is of inappropriate format, or
- is not accompanied by the Abstract Submission Form, or
- is not provided electronically by e-mail, or
- is commerical in nature, or
- the disclosure affidavit is not completed and signed

PUBLICATION OF YOUR SUBMISSION

The submission deadline to have an abstract published is February 1, 2010. Abstracts received after this date will not be published but may be accepted for presentation.

Please do not send manuscripts with your abstract. Publication of complete manuscripts is the responsibility of the author, and not SLS. Complete manuscripts for abstracts accepted for presentation may be submitted for review for publication of the full study in JSLS, Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. To have your complete manuscript considered for publication, please submit the manuscript to JSLS according to the "Guidelines for Authors".

TYPES OF SUBMISSIONS

Scientific Paper (oral presentations)
10 minutes for presentation plus 5 minutes for discussion. This is a category for clinical retrospective or prospective studies, a clinical series, or experimental studies with clinical results of a non-commercial nature.

Open Forum (oral presentations)
5 minutes for presentation. This category is appropriate for case studies, or a small series without statistics, with emphasis on new techniques and innovative procedures of a non-commercial nature.

Original Video (video presentations)
No longer than 8 minutes in length plus 5 minutes for discussion. Please see details for formatting located below. Videos selected will be shown in a group situation. Subject matter is restricted to new materials which offer insights into relevant ideas and techniques in minimally invasive surgical and diagnostic procedures, all of a non-commercial nature.

Scientific E-Poster
Posters must be submitted using the SLS E-Poster Template in PowerPoint. The purpose of these scientific displays is to provide summaries of findings of a non-commerical nature. For accepted submissions, SLS will enlarge the materials submitted on the template for display at the Annual Meeting and Endo Expo. Presenters do not need to bring any additional materials for exhibit.

Cyber Café Presentation
This category is for presentations that are about educational CDs, informational CDs, websites, software, or other computer-related materials. No longer than 8 minutes in length plus 5 minutes for discussion. Subject matter should be educational or practice-management based, all of a non-commercial nature. New technologies are encouraged and questions regarding this type of submission can be directed to the SLS office.

ABSTRACT CONTENT

The title should be short and succinct; the body of the abstract should follow logically from the title. Abstracts should contain four sections:

objective of the study;
methods and procedures used in the study;
results of the study; and
conclusions based on these results.

The first part(s) must be an introduction, stating the hypothesis, purpose, or specific objective of the study.

The second part should be a description of the study design, the subjects and the evaluation procedures used. Documentation of statistical methodology should be included in this section.

The third part of the abstract should be devoted to a summary of the results of the study, which should support the final conclusion of the paper, and these must be stated in the abstract. Please do not include qualitative statements such as "supporting evidence will be provided at presentation," etc.

The abstract should be closed with a brief statement of the conculsions of the study. Any data provided must either support, confirm, modify, or refute the purpose of the objectives of the particular study.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

No more than two submissions as a first author will be accepted. Registration brochures for the conference will be sent approximately 3 months prior to the conference, and conference fees will need to be paid by the discounted early bird registration deadline for members and presenters if your materials are accepted 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 Abstracts@SLS.org.

All Types of Submissions (Note: poster presenters must also follow the Scientific E-Poster submission instructions; video presenters must also follow the Video Submission Instructions)

An online Abstract Submission Form must be completed for each Abstract submitted. No more than two submissions as a first author will be accepted.
Once you have completed the online form, paste the abstract text - 250 words or less - into the body of an email (no document attachments please) addressed to Abstracts@SLS.org with the subject line to read Abstract: Your Last Name, Your First Name.
Send a separate email for each abstract. Your abstract will not be accepted for consideration until both the Abstract Submission Form and abstract text are received.
Include the following in the body of the email along with the 250 word or less abstract: abstract title, authors' names with degrees, hospital or institution affiliation.
Do not include tables, diagrams or graphics with the text. All data must be in narrative form.
All text should use upper and lower case letters.
Do not use abbreviations in the title or body of the abstract.
Provide authors' names, first name followed by the last name, and degrees. The first author will be considered the presenter unless otherwise noted.

Scientific E-Poster Submission
In addition to submitting the plain text of your abstract according to the Submission Instructions for all types of submissions, poster presenters must also submit the SLS E-Poster Template in PowerPoint. For accepted submissions, SLS will enlarge the materials submitted on the template for display at the Annual Meeting and Endo Expo. Presenters do not need to bring any additional materials for exhibit.

Submit your e-poster as follows:

Download the SLS E-Poster PowerPoint Template
Complete each section of the template (5 slides): Title, Authors, Abstract, and Affiliation; Detailed Background and Objectives; Detailed Methods and Procedures; Detailed Results and Conclusions; Disclosure
Embed figures (pictures or charts; do not include video) in any available blank space. Slides will be re-formatted, if necessary, for clarity
Name the file with Your Last Name, Your First Name
Email the completed PowerPoint template along with the plain text of your abstract, as outlined in the instructions for all types of submissions, to Abstracts@SLS.org
Abstracts must still adhere to 250 words or less guideline. Please do not make modifications to the slide other than those requested or required for accurate submission of your materials.

Video Submission
In addition to submitting the text of your abstract according to the Submission Instructions for all types of submissions, mail five (5) copies of your video on CD or DVD, in MPEG or Quicktime format, along with a printed copy of the abstract and a printed copy of your completed Abstract Submission Form to: SLS, 7330 SW 62 Place, Suite 410, Miami, Florida, 33143, USA, Attn: Abstract Coordinator.

All productions should:

be no longer than 8 minutes
file size no larger than 2GB
include titles and a spoken narrative explaining the objectives of the procedure and the methods used during the procedure.
conclude with the results or purpose of the procedure
be in preferred format of MPEG or Quicktime (wmv, avi, and mov files are also acceptable)
recommended resolution: 1280x720 (16x9 HD) and 640x480 (4:3 SD); frame rate of 24 fps or higher
mp3 audio recommended

Commercial advertising or promotion of products will not be acceptable. All or any industrial sponsors should be tastefully acknowledged in an appropriate manner at the beginning or end of the production tape.

NO COMMERCIAL VIDEOS, CDS, SOFTWARE, OR OTHER ELECTRONIC MEDIA WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR EVALUATION.

Unless we have written notification otherwise, your video, CD, or DVD will be retained for use at SLS conferences, including internet and other media for educational purposes, and will be added to the SLS Video Lending Library. If you wish to have your video CD/DVDs returned to you, please include a self-addressed mailing container and $15.00 for postage and handling charges.

SLS reserves the right to use submitted materials for educational purposes.

GO TO ONLINE ABSTRACT SUBMISSION FORM

E-mail Abstracts to the Abstract Coordinator by clicking on this link.

Questions? Call SLS at (305) 665-9959 or Fax your inquiry to (305) 667-4123 or E-mail to: Abstracts@SLS.org

Updated 10/26/09 www.SLS.org | www.Laparoscopy.org The Laparoscopic Surgery Information Source