Contents:
What is the submission deadline for e-poster abstracts?
When will I be notified about the status of my abstract?
I do not have an Academy account, how can I submit my abstract?
Do I need to be a member of the Academy to submit an abstract?
I’m an optometrist, can I submit an abstract?
Can optometrists attend Subspecialty Day?
If my abstract is accepted as an ePoster Only, do I have to attend the meeting?
Is there a maximum length for the abstract?
Is there a maximum length for titles?
What do I need to do regarding financial interest disclosure?
Do co-authors need to submit financial interest disclosures?
I’m employed by a commercial interest. May I submit an abstract?
If my abstract is accepted, how do I follow the disclosure policy at Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day?
I want to publish my abstract and also present at the Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day, what should I do?
Can I submit my research if it has already been published somewhere else?
Can I submit research that I have presented elsewhere?
I cannot find an answer to my question on this list. Who do I contact?
What is the submission deadline for e-poster abstracts?
The online submitter closes June 6, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
When will I be notified about the status of my abstract?
ePoster abstract status (accepted or rejected) will be sent by email to Presenting Authors the week of July 10.
It is the responsibility of the Presenting Author to contact the Academy in the event that notification is not received within two weeks of the published notification date.
I do not have an Academy account, how can I submit my abstract?
All submissions are accepted through the Academy's website; submitting authors need to use an existing account or create one. All Academy members (present and past), past program participants and those who have ever attended an AAO meeting already have an Academy account.
Do I need to be a member of the Academy to submit an abstract?
No, the Presenting Author does not need to be a member of the Academy.
I’m an optometrist, can I submit an abstract?
The Academy does not permit attendance by optometrists or participation as a presenting author of an abstract for Subspecialty Day. An optometrist may be listed as a co-author on a e-poster abstract.
Can optometrists attend Subspecialty Day?
The Academy does not permit attendance by optometrists to Subspecialty Day.
If my abstract is accepted as an ePoster Only, do I have to attend the meeting?
ePoster Only: Accepted posters that are not scheduled for an in-person. Authors are NOT required to attend the meeting. Posters must be submitted prior to the meeting.
Is there a maximum length for the abstract?
Yes, 1000 characters - including spaces. This is approximately 120-150 words. The online submission application will keep track of and display the used character count in the text box.
Preparation Tips:
- Avoid “falsely” exceeding the character limits when you copy and paste your abstract from a prepared document – documents frequently contain RICH TEXT which means they have hidden formatting. Hidden formatting characters, HTML, will count against the total character limit. You may type directly into the abstract text box but should save the page frequently.
- Keep a backup copy of your abstract as PLAIN TEXT: Sticky notes, Notepad or save your source document as a plain text file.
- TIMING OUT: There is a “time-out” after 20 minutes. If you do not select “Continue” at the bottom, nothing will be saved. You can return to the overview page as often as needed to make updates – they will only be applied to your submission when you select “Continue” at the bottom of the page. When you attempt to save after the time expires, a Critical Error warning will appear; Academy staff cannot retrieve the text as it was NOT saved.
- Do not add special formatting (underlining, unnecessary bolding, bullet points, hard returns after main headings) when preparing the submission. Only the main headings should be bolded.
Is there a maximum length for titles?
Yes, 120 characters. Do not repeat the title in the abstract body field.
What do I need to do regarding financial interest disclosure?
Program participants are required to disclose whether they have entered into any ophthalmology-related financial interests over the past 24 months. Each submitter is prompted to enter financial interest disclosure information at the initial login to the abstract system. The Academy requires all program presenters to complete disclosures online before their presentations.
Do co-authors need to submit financial interest disclosures?
The Academy considers senior instructors/authors, not associate instructors/co-authors, to be in control of the educational content. Though they are acknowledged, co-authors do not have control of content and their disclosures are not published or resolved.
I’m employed by a commercial interest. May I submit an abstract?
Presenters who are employed by a commercial interest may be permitted to present under limited circumstances:
- When the content is not related to the business lines or products of their employer;
- When the content is limited to basic science research (e.g., pre-clinical research, drug discovery) or the processes/methodologies of research, themselves unrelated to a specific disease or compound/drug;
- As technicians in Skills Transfer Labs limited to demonstrating the safe and proper use of medical devices.
Academy presentations may not be used for commercial promotion.
If my abstract is accepted, how do I follow the disclosure policy at Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day?
Presenters are required to display financial relationships on the first slide of their electronic poster. This is required even if the presenter has no financial interest. The presenter should also verbally disclose any financial interest relevant to the presentation.
Even with disclosure, presentations should never promote the use of any commercial product.
Learn more about Your Role in CME.
I want to publish my abstract and also present at the Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day, what should I do?
Academy submission policy states that Journal of Refractive Surgery has the first right of refusal on all Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day presentations. To meet the requirements of this policy, your manuscript should first be submitted to the Journal of Refractive Surgery for review. This can be done at any time, even before the July notification of the status of the submission. If Journal of Refractive Surgery does not wish to publish the manuscript, the copyright is considered RELEASED and authors are free to submit to other publications. Even with the rejection from Journal of Refractive Surgery, the selection committee could still accept the submission for presentation at Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day.
If the manuscript has already been rejected by the Journal of Refractive Surgery, authors are already in compliance with the Academy submission policy. If the research is rejected by Journal of Refractive Surgery and then approved for publication elsewhere, the material should not appear online or in print until after Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day.
Can I submit my research if it has already been published somewhere else?
Was it submitted to Journal of Refractive Surgery before this other publication? The Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day Planning Group gives greater priority to original work. Abstracts that have been published can only be submitted to 2023 Refractive Surgery Subspecialty Day if they were rejected by Journal of Refractive Surgery prior to their publication in another journal.
Authors should ask themselves if they can give first right of refusal to the Journal of Refractive Surgery. If they cannot, the abstract should NOT be submitted to the Academy.
Can I submit research that I have presented elsewhere?
Yes, previously presented material may be submitted for review but ONLY when the presentation given is not bound by the copyright of another organization. It is the responsibility of the submitting author(s) to clarify if their work is under copyright with another organization.
I cannot find an answer to my question on this list. Who do I contact?
If you are unable to locate the information you need, contact presentercentral@aao.org.