Retina Subspecialty Day Late Breaking Developments: Submission Instructions

The Academy accepts Late Breaking Developments-submissions for the Retina Subspecialty Day program.

The online abstract submitter will open May 9 and close Aug. 6 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, notifications will go out the week of Aug. 26.

General Information

Abstract Submission

Complete all the required fields on the three sections of the abstract submission tool by the deadline. Changes can be made at any time before the deadline by logging back into the online submitter, selecting the title and navigating to the section to be updated. Failure to complete the required fields will result in the abstract being “incomplete”. Submissions that remain incomplete at the time of the deadline cannot be reviewed.

Completed submissions will be anonymously graded by the Retina Subspecialty Day Planning Group. Name(s) of author(s) and statements of affiliation are not allowed in the title or abstract text.

Prepare the abstract components in advance. Submissions are assessed for overall submission presentation and the quality of the abstract. Review the Frequently Asked Questions and Submission Policies for more information.

The online application will not work well with Firefox, Safari or older versions of Internet Explorer. For the best results, use the most recent version of Chrome. You can download Chrome for free.

Timing Out: The submission system saves the abstract when the author selects “Continue” at the end of each page. The system will time out after 20 minutes and will not save ANY of the text entered unless the save feature is activated. To keep edits, save frequently and click back to the section you are working on using the navigation on the left.

Once the submission is complete, a PDF is generated. Download and save this document for your records. Re-save an updated PDF if changes are made.

Keeping a record and backup of the submission is advised. Abstracts can be accessed and edited until the deadline; there is no "Submit" button. Make sure revisions do not inadvertently clear data from required fields. Before the deadline, double-check that all required fields are complete. Incomplete submissions will not be passed through for review.

Abstract Types

Paper: The Retina Subspecialty Day planning group chooses submissions to be presented as in-person papers on the basis of originality, clinical relevance and comprehensiveness.

All abstracts are reviewed as possible paper presentations with the Retina Subspecialty Day planning group making the final decision.

Submission

There is no "Submit" button. Abstracts that are completed by the deadline will be forwarded for review. Authors can return to abstracts as often as needed to edit before the deadline but should be sure the status remains "Complete" when closing out for the final time.

Title

The title of an abstract may not exceed 120 characters.

Use title case when entering the abstract (capitalize the initial letter of all but minor words, like “and” and “or.”)

No special formatting is needed.

Ensure that the title is descriptive of the abstract. Avoid gratuitous statements and irrelevant information in the title. Name(s) of author(s) and statements of affiliation are not allowed in either the title or the abstract.

Overview

Topic Selection

Please refer to the list of main subject classifications. More specific topics are listed under these main classifications. Be as specific as possible when making your selection ( Late Breaking Developments); you may only select one topic.

Abstract Body

The title should NOT be added to the abstract body text field; it is redundant and will use up valuable space. The following headings are required for paper/poster abstract submissions and are pre-populated in the online application:

Purpose: / Methods: / Results: / Conclusion:

The final abstract body should appear as one full paragraph, with NO hard returns after each section.

If the abstract reports on a single case study or is a video abstract, the headings are not required in the abstract text. Case reports are accepted for review.

Make the abstract as specific as possible. Make sure to include key details, such as: sample size, study duration and follow-up, and descriptions of the novel and non-standard techniques used. Abstracts with future-focused statements, such as “will be done,” “will be studied,” “will be under way,” “will be analyzed” will not be selected. Abstracts cannot be changed past the April deadline.

The character count for the abstract body is 1000 characters. This is approximately 250 words. The built-in character-counting feature will indicate when the limit has been reached.

The online submitter application will automatically recognize and count any hidden formatting embedded within the abstract. Text that is pasted into the abstract body field from a rich text document, PDF, or online source often has this issue. To avoid exceeding the character limits, paste only simple text. Use the formatting features above the text box to add needed symbols and formatting. Remember to save often by clicking “Continue” at the bottom of the page. Once saved, use the left navigation to select the Overview page and continue to edit. NOTE: The page will time out after 20 minutes. Authors frequently lose work when typing/editing directly into the Abstract Text box and forgetting to save.

Reminders

• Have the abstract proofread. Concise and clear abstracts are graded well. Misspellings and typographical errors reflect badly on the research.

• When using abbreviations within the abstract text, include the complete term at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Example: vitreous loss (VL).

Study Design

A pop-up list of study design descriptions is provided on the submitter. Read through the descriptions and select the one that applies to your abstract. If the relevant study design is not on the list, select “Other” and enter the design description in the space provided. Note: Animal studies tend to be rejected.

Précis

Paper/poster submissions require a précis (460 characters) as part of the application. The précis is a concise summary of the abstract and should not duplicate the conclusion. This text will not be published and is for the use of the selection committee.

Background Statement

Paper/poster submissions require a background statement (250 characters) as part of the application. This is an opportunity to relay additional information to the selection committee and should not be an exact duplication of the abstract text. The background statement is a succinct statement explaining why this study was undertaken or reported. This text will not be published and is for the use of the selection committee.

Authors

Presenter/ Co-author(s)

Each author is limited to two paper/poster submissions as Presenting Author, and inclusion on up to four total abstracts per meeting. The author listed first is considered by the Academy to be the Presenter.

Exception: These author limits do not apply to videos, but they are encouraged

• Changes to author lists will not be allowed after the submission if the change would result in the limits being exceeded.

• The Academy reserves the right to disqualify submissions that exceed these limits.

• If a presenter change is requested, financial disclosures for the proposed presenter will be evaluated by the Retina Subspecialty Day Planning Group before the change is approved. Presentation limits apply to the new presenter.

• Prior to review, presenter changes are accepted from the Submitting and Presenting Author only. Once an abstract is accepted, presenter changes can only be made by the presenting author. Third party or coauthor requests for changes are directed to the person listed as presenter.

Submitting Authors are required to provide contact information for all coauthors. Use the lookup feature in the online application to find authors by user/member accounts. If an author cannot be found in the Academy database, provide their full, professional name, as well as an accurate and unique email address. The Academy will contact the author using the email address provided and request that the author create an Academy user account. Please note that an author’s name can only be listed as a coauthor if the author has an Academy user account.

Submission policy requires that at least one of the authors is a current member of the Academy. The submission system can recognize individuals located through the lookup feature and will indicate if a member is included. Green “Satisfied” text will display at the top of the Author Page when this requirement is met.

Other Information

Submitters should be prepared to enter the following information into the application:

• Do any of the authors have relevant financial interest? (YES/NO)

• Are any of the Presenting Authors industry employed? (YES/NO)

• Is the research approved by an IRB or equivalent body? (YES/NO/NO, NOT REQUIRED)

• Is the Presenting Author in a residency program or subspecialty training for ophthalmology? (YES/NO)

• Was artificial intelligence (AI)/large language model (LLM) used in the research methodology or design? (YES/NO). If yes, please describe.

• Was any content (i.e., text, images, videos, etc.) created by an individual (or entity) that was input, used, or in any way analyzed by AI/LLM? (YES/NO). If yes, please list the materials used, and if permission was obtained by the institution or individual author.

• I have read the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Statement on Artificial Intelligence and Use of Academy Materials. (YES/NO

• I verify that the abstract follows submission policy regarding copyright as described in the submission guidelines. (YES/NO)

I understand that submission of an abstract is an agreement to present as accepted. If my abstract is scheduled as a paper, I will prepare a condensed manuscript four weeks before the annual meeting for the panel and will travel to the meeting to present my paper.

Copyright Policy

The Academy holds copyright on all scientific material presented at its Retina Subspecialty Day meeting.