AAPA Poster Session Guidelines - American Academy of Physician ...

AAPA Poster Session GuidelinesMake an IMPACT by showcasing your high-quality posters reflecting the diverse interests andtalents of the physician assistant community.The American Academy of Physician Assistants is committed to presenting high-quality postersreflecting the diverse interests and talents of the physician assistant community. To achieve thisgoal, participants must follow these guidelines. The primary reason abstracts are rejected isbecause they do not adhere to all guidelines. Please read all guidelines before submitting yourabstract.Abstracts are categorized into four galleries:A clinical gallery for clinical and PA-related researchAn education gallery for educational researchA professional outreach and advocacy gallery for projects and programs promoting theprofession or serving patients and communities in ways not particularly clinical orresearch-basedA student gallery exclusive to current students of PA programsPosters previously presented at other organizations’ poster sessions are welcome.Pharmaceutical or medical device trials sponsored by the manufacturer are generally discouragedfrom the Poster Session and often better suited for the IMPACT conference’s Exhibit Hall. If aspecifically branded pharmaceutical product or medical device is an integral part of the research,the author is strongly encouraged to consider the Exhibit Hall as a more appropriate venue. If aIMPACT 2013 WASHINGTON, D.C. WWW.AAPA.ORG/IMPACT

specific brand, consumer product name or similar distracts viewers from the research value orcompromises the Poster Session’s spirit of integrity, the abstract will be rejected.Multiple submissions of similar abstracts from the same investigator are discouraged, andliterature reviews are not acceptable for poster presentation.There is a submission fee for every abstract submitted. The fee is $25 for AAPA members and$50 for nonmembers. This fee must be paid at time of submission.IMPACT 2013 WASHINGTON, D.C. WWW.AAPA.ORG/IMPACT 2

General RequirementsAll abstracts must be submitted by a medical professional who can claim authorship for theproject. Authorship includes involvement in the conception and design, or analysis andinterpretation of data; drafting the article or revising it critically for intellectual content; and finalapproval of the version to be published. Authorship is not acceptable if the author only providesencouragement, physical facilities, financial support, critiques or editorial contributions.An individual may be the submitting author on no more than two abstracts, but cannot beincluded as an author on more than three. Authorship limitations may be waived for facultysponsoring students.The presenter is responsible for expenses associated with the submission, preparation andpresentation of posters.Presenters are required to pay the registration fee for attendance at the Annual Conference. Formore information on registration, please visit the Annual Conference Web page.Abstract General InformationAuthors must submit abstracts electronically through AAPA's websitewww.aapa.org/postersession no later than January 16, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern StandardTime.Selection for participation in the poster session will be based on quality of research, clarity of theabstract and adherence to the guidelines.PAs, PA faculty and PA students are encouraged to submit abstracts describing original research.All author(s) must read the Disclosure Policy and Declaration Statementswww.aapa.org/postersession. Those submitting abstracts must disclose any known or potentialconflicts of interest, and any source of funding must be disclosed at the time of onlinesubmission.Accepted abstracts will be published in the IMPACT 2013 Annual Conference final program andon the AAPA website.Abstract Submission and Formatting GuidelinesAuthors must submit abstracts electronically through the online submission process. VisitAAPA's Annual Conference Web page, select "Poster Session," and then select “Onlinesubmission form.” If you have a question or experience technical difficulties, e-mailIMPACT 2013 WASHINGTON, D.C. WWW.AAPA.ORG/IMPACT 3

PosterSession@aapa.org. All abstracts must be received online by January 16, 2013, at 11:59p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Abstracts received after this deadline will not be accepted. Afterfilling out the online submission form, attach the abstract by one of the following methods:Type the abstract into the space providedCopy and paste the abstract from a word processing programAttach a Microsoft Office Word document to the formThe abstract text should not exceed 500 words (not including the title and author information).Titles should be brief and clearly indicate the abstract’s content. Capitalize the first letter of eachword, except prepositions. No abbreviations should be used in the title.Only standard abbreviations will be accepted. Special or unusual abbreviations should be placedin parentheses after the full word appears the first time. Arabic numerals should be used toindicate numbers, except when used in the beginning of a paragraph. Nonproprietary (generic)names of drugs should be used.Do not include tables, graphs, algorithms, pictures or references in the abstract. Abstracts thatinclude these will not be accepted.Accepted abstracts will be printed as submitted. Changes to abstracts will not be acceptedafter online submission. Abstracts should be edited and carefully reviewed prior tosubmission. A common reason abstracts are not accepted is significant typographical orgrammatical errors.Only the abstract’s author will receive all correspondence via e-mail from AAPA.Clinical Gallery GuidelinesClinical abstract presentations are divided into the following categories:Original research - study findings or other research projects not previously presented orpublishedClinical report/case studies - clinical case reports or clinical vignettes highlightingunusual cases or innovative approaches to clinical problems/techniquesPreviously presented - abstracts presented at another national or international medicalmeeting, scientific session, etc.Original research abstracts should be informative and include the following sections:Purpose - a brief statement explaining why the research was conducted, preferablylimited to one sentenceIMPACT 2013 WASHINGTON, D.C. WWW.AAPA.ORG/IMPACT 4

Methodology - materials, methodology and any analytical procedures applied, preferablylimited to two sentencesResults - should be presented in sufficient detail to support the conclusions(It is inadequate to state: "The results will be discussed" or "The data will be presented.")Conclusions - the authors' opinion about the meaning of the studyAbstracts submitted without final conclusions or results will not be accepted.Education Gallery GuidelinesThese guidelines should be followed in addition to those listed under the Abstract Submissionand Formatting Guidelines.Educational abstract presentations are divided into the following categories:Educational research - original research conducted in PA education including resultsfrom a grant-funded projectCurricular innovation - a descriptive poster about a new teaching method, learningopportunity or other innovative educational modality introduced into the clinical ordidactic phase of a PA programPreviously presented - abstracts presented at the Physician Assistants EducationAssociation's Annual Education Forum or other health professions education venueEducational abstracts should clearly and completely describe the project. The format of theabstract should include a general description of the objective(s), rationale, methodology,evaluation, results and conclusions. It is desirable to highlight objectives that are uniquelyinnovative, have impact on special populations or have value to other PA educators. It is mostimportant to discuss measurable outcomes and data that support them. Abstracts that highlightcommunity-campus linkages, especially those that improve the health of underserved and diversepopulations, are particularly valued.Educational research abstracts will be peer-reviewed by PA educators and PAs familiar with PAeducation. PA education abstracts will be evaluated based on their overall quality, the level ofinnovation, inclusion of measurable outcomes and value to other PA educators.Posters previously presented at the Physician Assistant Education Association Annual EducationForum can be submitted for the AAPA Poster Session. Authors should follow AAPA'ssubmission guidelines.IMPACT 2013 WASHINGTON, D.C. WWW.AAPA.ORG/IMPACT 5

Professional Outreach and Advocacy Gallery GuidelinesParticipants should follow these guidelines in addition to those listed under the AbstractSubmission and Formatting Guidelines.Professional outreach and advocacy abstract presentations are listed as follows:Outreach and advocacy activities designed to serve a community or patient populationOutreach and advocacy activities intended to promote the PA professionOutreach and advocacy activities designed to demonstrate innovation in delivery ofpatient careProfessional outreach and advocacy abstracts should be informative and include the followingsections:Purpose: a brief statement explaining why the project or program was conducted.Description: a description of the objectives and steps taken to achieve them. Highlightaspects of the project that are innovative, impact special populations or communities,build partnerships, are sustainable, add value to the PA profession and/or are particularlytimely. Describe the plan to evaluate the success of the project or program.Results: should be presented in sufficient detail to support the conclusions.(It is inadequate to state: "The results will be discussed.")Conclusions: the authors' opinion about the impact of the project or program.Abstract AcknowledgementAfter you have successfully completed the submission application, you will receive an e-mailnotification confirming receipt of your abstract. If you have not received confirmation within 24hours, please contact PosterSession@aapa.org.Poster GuidelinesPosters should be no more than 4’ x 8’ (48” X 96”) and no less than 3’ x 4’ (36” X 48”). Postersmust include a title, author or authors’ names, abstract, purpose, methodology, results andconclusions. All subtitles and texts should be readable from two to three feet away. Avoid theuse of script fonts that are difficult to read.The poster should have the title placed at the top with the authors' names and affiliations(optional) beneath it. The title should match that submitted with the abstract. The poster shouldalso include a copy of the abstract and expanded sections of the purpose, methodology, resultsand conclusions as appropriate to the type of abstract.IMPACT 2013 WASHINGTON, D.C. WWW.AAPA.ORG/IMPACT 6