2013 ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract Submission Guidelines

2013 ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract Submission GuidelinesThe Annual Meeting Program Committee (AMPC) is seeking high-quality abstracts that contain a clear statement ofhypothesis, an explanation of methods, a report of data that unequivocally test the hypothesis, and a brief discussion oftheir implications. Studies should use newer technologies when possible, and include original results that will advancethe field. Abstracts should be free of spelling and grammatical errors.The AMPC includes elected representatives of each Scientific Section and Cross-sectional Group and is responsible forthe content of the scientific portion of the ARVO Annual Meeting. The AMPC reviews abstract submissions andschedules them into paper (oral) and poster sessions.One (1) Reviewing Code that best describes the content of your abstract must be selected during abstract submission.The two- or three-letter identifier listed with each code indicates which Section or Cross–sectional Group will review theabstracts with that selected Reviewing Code.NEW THIS YEAR – A new abstract site system is being used for 2013. ARVO stronglyrecommends that you refer to the Abstract Submission Tutorial that provides step-bystepinstructions and screen shots for the abstract submission site. The tutorialincludes important details and information to guide you through all steps of the submissionprocess. Access the tutorial from the left navigation bar on the Abstracts Submission webpage.Look for NEW THIS YEAR throughout this document for submission updates that are new for 2013.Abstract Submission EligibilityAll First (submitting) Authors must be ARVO members with membership dues paid through 2013 to access the abstractsubmission site. 2013 membership dues may be paid Online prior to abstract submission.Note: Membership dues do NOT include the Annual Meeting registration fee. Payment of the Annual Meetingregistration fee is also required for First Authors of accepted abstracts prior to presentation at the meeting.WARNING: First (submitting) Authors who submit an abstract using another member's Login will be disqualified fromsubmission.Abstract Submission PoliciesAbstracts must be previously unpublished work at the time of submission and remain unpublished until after the AnnualMeeting.An individual may be the First (submitting) Author of only one abstract.The Presenting Author must be the First (submitting) Author, and the individual whose name appears first on theabstract.An abstract must be submitted with the intention that, if accepted, it will be presented by the First Author.There is no limit to the number of times an individual may appear as a Co-author on abstracts.Note: Multiple abstract submissions from the same institution on similar research will be subject to rejection. See theRejection Guidelines, 4.3.1

Abstracts must be submitted with the intention that the research described in the abstract will be the work that ispresented. If the abstract is accepted for presentation, the First Author must present the same work described in theabstract, with the same title and content.As part of their presentation, First Authors must reveal the essential structures (DNA sequences, molecules, etc.), theelements of a novel compound and/or the sufficient identification of new gene compounds, if applicable.An author whose abstract has been accepted is required to register and pay the full Annual Meeting registration fee,attend the Annual Meeting and make the presentation of the abstract. A full-meeting complimentary exhibitor registrationdoes not qualify as a paid registration for a Presenting Author.Abstracts may be scheduled for presentation on any day of the 2013 ARVO Annual Meeting, i.e., Sunday, May 5 throughThursday, May 9. Check the Annual Meeting’s Program Schedule and mark your calendar now! Notification of individualabstract presentation scheduling will be sent to First Authors of accepted abstracts on Tuesday February 19 th , 2013.Changes to the presentation schedule as determined by the AMPC cannot be accommodated.NEW THIS YEAR – Commercial Relationship Disclosures Procedures- First Authors and Co-authors must submit their full disclosure of all commercial relationships within the last twelve (12)months.- Commercial relationship disclosures are submitted by each individual into their unique abstract management account.Co-author disclosures are not submitted by the First Author during abstract submission.- First Authors will submit their own disclosure(s) into their individual account prior to starting their abstract submission.- Co-authors are responsible for submitting their own disclosure(s) via a disclosure submission email that they willreceive when an abstract is submitted by its First Author.- A First Author is responsible for follow-up to ensure that all Co-authors of the abstract have received theirdisclosure submission emails and that they have submitted their disclosures within one week of email receipt.- Abstracts without disclosures from all authors will be disqualified and not forwarded to the Annual MeetingProgram Committee for review.- Refer to the 2013 Commercial Relationship Disclosure Procedures and the ARVO Commercial Relationships Policy forcomplete details.Note:– Disclosing ‘Employment’ is not sufficient; the company name must be identified in the disclosure selection’s text box.– Disclosure of patent, patent application, copyright, or trade secret requires selection of Code P and the identification ofthe patent/company name or patent ID# in the disclosure selection’s text box.Copyright Transfer: The required acknowledgement of the First Author, acting as the authorized agent for all authors,certifies: a) that each contributing author has provided to the First Author a written transfer of copyright for thecontributions he/she has made to the abstract. *Such Copyright Transfer assigns copyright ownership for allcontributions to this abstract to the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO); or b) that thisabstract is a work of authorship prepared as part of the author's official duties as an officer or employee of the U.S.Government, and is, therefore, in the public domain. Should the abstract be determined as copyrightable, all copyrightownership of this abstract shall be conveyed to ARVO. *The signed copyright transfers from each co-author should beretained and not mailed to the ARVO Office. Suggested wording for such a document is: I [author's name], an authorwho has contributed to the abstract entitled [title of abstract], hereby transfer all my rights, title and interest in suchcontribution (including the copyright) to ARVO [author's signature and date]. You can also use ARVO’s CopyrightTransfer Document for each of your co-authors.Animals or Human Subjects Used in Research: The required acknowledgement of the First Author, acting as theauthorized agent for all authors, certifies that any research reported was conducted in compliance with the “ARVOStatement of the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Visual Research” and/or the “Declaration of Helsinki”.Clinical Trials Registration: The required acknowledgement of the First Author, acting as the authorized agent for allauthors, certifies that any research presented in the abstract that reports on a clinical trial has been registered. Theregistration site and number, date trial was registered and date trial began must be included in the abstract's submission,in compliance with the ARVO Statement on Registering Clinical Trials. If there are multiple Clinical Trial registrations forone abstract, you only need to list one.Abstract Rejection: The AMPC reserves the right to reject abstracts according to the Abstract Rejection Guidelines.Failure to comply with all policies and guidelines will result in rejection of your abstract, at the sole discretion of theAMPC.2

Submitting Your AbstractNEW ABSTRACT SUBMISSION SITE - ARVO strongly recommends that you use the AbstractSubmission Tutorial that provides step-by-step instructions and screen shots. The tutorial includesimportant details and information to guide you through all steps of the submission process. Access the tutorial from theleft navigation bar on the Abstracts Submission web page.Abstracts may only be submitted online. Abstracts may not be submitted by mail or email.The online Abstract Submission site is available Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, through Friday, Dec. 7, 11:59pm U.S. ET, 2012.After the Dec. 7 deadline, the start of any new abstracts will not be allowed; no exceptions.You may revise a draft abstract and submit it for review at any time through Sunday, Dec. 9, 11:59pm U.S. ET 2012,using the same Abstract Submission link and your ARVO membership email and password. Abstracts may not berevised after Dec. 9; no exceptions.Only abstracts with a “Submission” status as of 11:59pm U.S., ET on Dec. 9, 2012 will be sent forward to the AMPC forreview. Authors of abstracts with only “Draft” status will receive a reminder email prior to the deadline. Abstracts with a“Draft” status as of 11:59pm EST on Dec. 9, 2012, will be disqualified.NEW THIS YEAR – You can enter multiple abstract drafts into the abstract submission system, but only one abstract canbe submitted for AMPC review (“Submission” status). You can return your submission to Draft status, edit it andresubmit it to Submission status at any time prior to the modification deadline. An edited abstract MUST BERESUBMITTED prior to the December 9 deadline or it will not be reviewed by the AMPC for presentation.All authors involved in an abstract, one (1) First Author and up to nine (9) Co-authors/Study Group, must be includedduring the submission process. Authors cannot be added or changed after the modification deadline, Dec. 9, 2012,11:59pm EST.Multiple abstract submissions from the same institution on similar research will be subject to rejection. See the RejectionGuidelines.- DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DEADLINES TO BEGIN A DRAFT ABSTRACT, MAKE REVISIONS TO A DRAFT, ORTO SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT FOR REVIEW. YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RECEIVE ASSISTANCE WITH YOURSUBMISSION, IF NEEDED.- ONLY LIMITED ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE OUTSIDE THE NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS OF 8:30AM – 5:00PM,U.S. ET, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.- Abstracts accepted for presentation will be published as submitted by Dec. 9; no additions or revisions will bepublished.- ARVO will not make any changes to abstracts; no exceptions.- Abstracts will be published in ARVO’s 2013 Online Planner, e-Book, Mobile Application and Annual Meeting CD-ROMas well as Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science (IOVS) online as the ARVO version of record.- All abstracts not withdrawn by February 1 st , 2013, will be published.Reviewing CodeOne (1) Reviewing Code that best describes the content of your abstract must be selected during abstract submission.The two- or three-letter identifier listed with each code indicates which Section or Cross–sectional Group will review theabstracts with that reviewing code.KeywordsOne (1) Keyword is required; you may select up to three (3) keywords. Keywords will be used by meeting participants tosearch the online Program Planner.Presentation TypeDuring abstract submission, you must select your presentation type preference from one of the following options:#1 Poster (first choice), #2 Paper (oral, second choice)#1 Paper (oral, first choice), #2 Poster (second choice)Poster onlyNewsworthyYou will be asked if your research is newsworthy (new breakthrough, significant example of translational research, ofhuman interest, etc.) and if it would be of interest to clinicians, researchers in other disciplines and/or the public.3

SupportIf you have grant support, you must identify the support (example: NH Grant EY01234).Abstract FormatYour abstract text must be submitted in ARVO’s required format to include four distinct parts (text boxes) with thefollowing pre-populated headers. Authors should be careful to ensure that text is entered appropriately in itscorresponding text box.PurposeMethodsResultsConclusions• DO NOT include the headers in the abstract text as they are pre-populated and will automatically appear inyour abstract.• Do not include author names in the abstract text. Author names are not permitted in the Abstract fields andwill be deleted. Each author's name must be entered in an individual author field in the Author submissionstep.• All four text boxes must be completed for your abstract to be submitted.• Review your abstract title and body for unsupported characters, using the Special Characters link provided tomake corrections, if applicable.Technical Requirements* If you are using Internet Explorer to login to the abstract submission site, it MUST be IE Version 8.0 or greater. If youare unable to login using your current browser, use a different web browser. Compatible browsers include InternetExplorer (IE) 8.0 or greater, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.The online abstract submission site is supported by the following operating systems and browsers.4

Images and Image CaptionsAbstracts may include up to two images (tables, graphs, figures, etc.). Images must be high-resolution JPEG or GIF fileswith a minimum resolution of 600 dpi, maximum file size of 1 MB, maximum image width of 3.25" and maximum imageheight of 6". Only JPEG or GIF files can be submitted. It is important to upload an image with enough detail to beacceptable for both online viewing and print. Note: Tables must be submitted as JPEG files; a table tool is not provided.NEW THIS YEAR - A caption can be added to an image. The characters and spaces of the caption will be included inthe character count. The image will NOT be included in the character count.Character CountThere is a limit of 2500 characters and spaces for the title, abstract body text, and image captions of your submission.The submission program will automatically calculate the number of characters and indicate if you are over the limit in theupper right corner of the page.Travel Grant, MIT Poster Award and ARVO/Alcon Award ApplicationsNEW THIS YEAR – Applications for a Travel Grant and the ARVO/Alcon Award are to be completed and submitted aspart of the abstract submission process.Email Addresses for NotificationsThe First Author and Co-author email addresses provided in the abstract submission must be correct or notifications andother abstract-related correspondence cannot be delivered. Add ts.acsupport@thomson.com andarvoabstracts@arvo.org to your address book to facilitate delivery and avoid firewalls and spam filters.Warning: NEW THIS YEAR – If you update your name or email in your abstract account, you must also submit yourupdate(s) to arvo@arvo.org to update your membership record as well. If you log out on the abstract submission site andreturn to your abstract at a later date, your name and email from your membership record will overwrite any abstractaccount updates you have made.Abstract Submission Assistance- For Technical Support during abstract submission, send your request to ts.acsupport@thomson.com orcontact by phone at +1.434.964.4100 or Toll Free (US Only) at 888.503.1050, Monday 12:00am – Friday5:30pm (U.S. ET).- Policy and procedure questions should be directed to ARVO at arvoabstracts@arvo.org or contact by phone at+1.240.221.2900, Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm U.S. ET.Confirmation of Abstract SubmissionIn the View Submissions left navigation tab, an abstract listed under the Submissions section is complete and will beforwarded to the AMPC for review. Select the View Proof button to print a copy of your abstract for your records. Youwill also receive a system-generated confirmation email.On Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, the First Authors of Submitted Abstracts will be notified by email, confirming their abstractwas submitted successfully and will be reviewed by the AMPC. Note: The First Author email address provided in theabstract must be correct or notifications and other abstract-related correspondence cannot be delivered. Addts.acsupport@thomson.com and arvoabstracts@arvo.org to your address book to facilitate delivery and avoid firewallsand spam filters.Warning: NEW THIS YEAR – If you update your name or email in your abstract account, you must also submit yourupdate(s) to arvo@arvo.org to update your membership record as well. If you log out on the abstract submission site andreturn to your abstract at a later date, your name and email from your membership record will overwrite any abstractaccount updates you have made.Only abstracts with a Submitted status as of 11:59pm U.S. ET on Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, and with disclosures for allauthors will be sent forward to the AMPC for review. Abstracts with a Draft status will be disqualified.Abstract Review/SchedulingAll abstracts with a Submitted status are reviewed by the AMPC. The reviewing process is strictly confidential and allreviewers have agreed to the following: "I understand the confidential nature of the abstracts, and I will not discuss theircontents with any individual, nor will I make copies of abstracts for my own or others' use. In addition, I will not reviewany abstracts where conflict of interest may be perceived, i.e., work on which I have authored or co-authored or workcompleted in laboratories where I work."5

The AMPC reserves the right to reject abstracts according to the Abstract Rejection Criteria. Failure to comply with theAbstract Rejection Criteria and the Abstract Submission Guidelines will result in rejection of your abstract, at the solediscretion of the AMPC.NOTE: Abstracts submitted without data or that state “results will be presented at a later time" will be rejected.Abstract notifications will be emailed to the First Authors on Tuesday, February 19 th 2013.Note: The First Author email address provided in the abstract must be correct or notifications and other abstract-relatedcorrespondence cannot be delivered. Add ts.acsupport@thomson.com and arvoabstracts@arvo.org to your addressbook to facilitate delivery and avoid firewalls and spam filters.All accepted abstracts are assigned to either a paper (oral) or poster presentation session at the discretion of the ARVOAnnual Meeting Program Committee.Abstracts may be scheduled for presentation on any day of the 2013 ARVO Annual Meeting, i.e., Sunday, May 5 throughThursday, May 9th. Mark your calendar! Changes to scheduled abstract presentation dates and times cannot bemade; no exceptions.Abstracts accepted and scheduled for poster presentation must be displayed all day on their scheduled day ofpresentation. First Authors must be present at their board during both their scheduled poster session time and the “AllPosters” time on the day of their scheduled presentation. Posters not displayed all day and not presented during the twopresentation times will be considered “no-show” and will result in rejection of the First Author's abstract submission to the2014 Annual Meeting. Refer to the Program Schedule for daily poster open/close and "All Posters" session times.NEW THIS YEAR – The daily “All Posters” sessions have been scheduled at the end of each day.Full text of all abstracts accepted for presentation and publication will be available on the ARVO website onMarch 21, 2013, via the Annual Meeting’s Online Planner.ARVO Abstract Withdrawal PolicyFailure to comply with the ARVO Abstract Withdrawal Policy will result in rejection of the First Author's abstractsubmission to the 2014 Annual Meeting (see Abstract Rejection Criteria 3.0).• There is no charge for withdrawal of an abstract.• If the First Author cannot attend and present, he/she must submit:o Notification of withdrawal oro A request for approval of a substitute presenterWithdrawals• Withdrawals must be received from the First Author by 2pm U.S. ET on the day prior to the scheduledpresentation. Send abstract withdrawal notification to arvoabstracts@arvo.org.• Abstracts withdrawn after 11:59pm U.S. ET, Sunday, February 1 st , 2013, will be published.Request for Approval of Substitute Presenter• Substitute presenters must be approved in advance.• Requests for approval of substitute presenters must be submitted by the First Author by 2pm U.S. ET on theday prior to the scheduled presentation.• Substitute presenter approval requests will only be considered in cases of illness, family emergency, change ofemployment or inability to obtain a visa.• Substitute presenters must be a co-author on the abstract, must be qualified to discuss all aspects of theabstract during its presentation, and must register for the Annual Meeting.• An individual may be a substitute presenter for only one presentation.6

• Requests must be submitted through an online Substitute Presenter Request link that will be included inabstract acceptances and will be posted on the ARVO Annual Meeting website/Presenter Information/AbstractWithdrawal Policy. Emails cannot be accepted.2014 Annual Meeting Abstract Submission IneligibilityFirst Authors will be ineligible for 2014 Annual Meeting abstract submission if:• They do not pay the registration fee to attend the Annual Meeting and present their abstract. (A complimentaryfull-meeting exhibitor badge is not an acceptable substitute.)• Their abstract is not withdrawn by 2pm U.S. ET on the day prior to scheduled presentation.• Substitute presenter approval request is not submitted through the online link by 2pm U.S. ET on the day priorto the scheduled presentation. Substitute presenters must be pre-approved.• Poster presenters do not present their abstract during the “All Posters” session on the same day of theirscheduled presentation, in addition to presenting during their scheduled abstract presentation day/time.• An abstract poster is not mounted for the entire day of the scheduled presentation.• If a Substitute Presenter is approved, both the First Author and the Substitute Presenter will be ineligible tosubmit an abstract for the 2014 Annual Meeting if the presentation is not made and/or a poster presentation isnot mounted for the entire day.7