How to use the online abstract submission system This document contains instructions for how to submit abstracts using the online abstract submission system for consideration for the 27th International Symposium on ALS/MND to be held in Dublin, Ireland 7-9 December 2016.

Deadlines: Submission: 27 May 2016 Amendments and alterations: 8 July 2016 Withdrawal: 1 August 2016 Published online: w/c 14 November 2016 We advise you to enter the submission site and begin your submission well in advance of the deadline of 27 May 2016. Back to top This document contains information on: 

Preparing your abstract

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Submitting your abstract

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Overview of submission process

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Amending your abstract

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Software requirements



Withdrawing an abstract



Conditions of acceptance for Abstracts

Preparing your abstract 

The title should be as brief as possible but long enough to indicate clearly the nature of the study.

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Do not include author names in the title or body of your abstract because a ‘blind’ reviewing process will be used. You will be asked to enter the names online during the submission process.

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Abstract must be in English, and be no longer than 450 words.

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Avoid starting abstracts with very basic descriptions of ALS/MND e.g. ‘ALS is an adultonset, rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease’ as an opening sentence.

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Abstracts containing figures or tables will not be accepted.

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All subheadings should be in bold font.

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SI units should be used and non-standard abbreviations must be fully defined when first used.

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Please ensure that the text of your abstract is spellchecked before it is submitted. There is no spellchecker available within the submission system.

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Please note that it is the author’s responsibility to ensure that the content of the abstract is grammatically correct and comprehensible. Abstracts will not be routinely proof-read before publication.

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References in the text should be cited as numbers in brackets.

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Where possible all abstracts should follow the structure below, using the headings indicated: Background

Give a brief background to the work described.

Objectives

State clearly the objectives of the work.

*Case Study

Clearly state the nature of the case study to be presented.

*Please note case studies will be treated as Work in Progress/Care Practice Poster Presentations unless, in the opinion of the Programme Committee, they add significant new knowledge to the field.

Methods

Describe your selection of observations or experimental subjects clearly.

Results

Present your results in a logical sequence. Please ensure that data presented are statistically robust, clearly stating P and N values where necessary.

Discussion and

Emphasise new and important aspects of the study and conclusions that are drawn from them.

conclusions References

References should be listed in order of citation at the end of the text and should be of the following style: Cereda C, Gabanti E, Corato M et al ALS 2006; 7:227-234. All authors should be quoted for papers with up to three authors; for papers with more than three authors the first three should be quoted followed by ‘et al’. Incomplete references will be removed at the editor’s discretion.

Acknowledgements

Authors are strongly encouraged to enter the source(s) of contributed support to the research conducted within the abstract. This should include any financial support together with any resources provided, such as DNA samples, tissue or cell lines.

Back to top Submitting your abstract Log in  All abstracts must be submitted online, via a link on the MND Association’s website www.mndassociation.org/symposium. To log into the submission system you will need to register your details by following the onscreen instructions. You will then receive an automatic confirmation email.

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 If you are submitting more than one abstract and will be the primary contact for these abstracts, use the same login details to submit each abstract.  After logging in, you will be taken to a screen from which the submission process starts. Please read the instructions on this screen carefully. If you want to submit a new abstract you should click on ‘Click here to submit a new abstract’. Back to top Overview of submission process 

Submitting an abstract is a multi-step process. Each step asks several questions: 

Step 1: insert abstract title and text.

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Step 2: choose a subject theme, insert 3 keywords, insert an alternative email address and choose a presentation type.

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Step 3: list author affiliations and authors, identify an author to present, confirm an author will register to attend the conference and answer yes or no to participating in the poster prize.

All steps: Some questions are marked ‘Required’. We cannot accept your abstract until these questions have been answered. All steps: If you do not know the answer to a question, for example you may not be sure in which theme your abstract should be presented; you can skip the question and return on a later occasion to complete it. o Step 1: You can copy the abstract text into the abstract textbox using the paste buttons of the abstract textbox. Please note that any previous formatting will be lost if you do not use the paste buttons of the textbox. In order to insert symbols, superscript or subscript characters please use the buttons provided. o Step 2: Please refer to the subject index from previous symposia as a guide to which keywords could be used. Please do not use ‘ALS’ or ‘MND’ as keywords. o Step 3: Please take care when entering author names and affiliations. The presenting author should have their full first name and all other author names only require the first initial and surname such as ‘J Bloggs’ instead of ‘Joe Bloggs’. Please ensure the correct initials are used. We cannot take responsibility for errors that appear in the final publication. o Step 3: If you would like your abstract to be included in the Poster Prize Competition please check the relevant box. Poster prize entry is restricted to early career researchers (see conditions of acceptance below for full details). o Step 3: Once you have completed this step, click the ‘Finish’ button. If you have answered all of the required questions, your abstract will be given a serial number and you will receive an email confirmation. o If you have to stop part way through the submission process, or have not answered all of the required questions, your abstract will be held in temporary storage until you return later and complete all the questions. When you log in again you can click on your incomplete abstract and resume submission. o Summary step: Please ensure that you carefully check all of the details of your submission and print a copy of this page for your records. Back to top Version 1.1 updated 24 May 2016

Amending your abstract 

You may wish to change your answers to some of the questions on the submission form, or even to change the abstract itself.

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Amending an abstract is just the same as the original submission process except that the online form will be automatically filled in with the answers that you gave previously. You do not have to change an answer if you do not want to.

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When you reach the final step and press ‘Finish’ you will be sent an email confirming that your abstract has been amended, provided you have answered all required questions.

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Submitted abstracts may be amended up until the deadline of 08 July 2016.

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Although abstracts can be amended after the submission deadline, the Programme Committee will assess them as they stand at 27 May 2016. Abstracts with very little content at this time may be rejected. Back to top

Software requirements 

The system is entirely web based so it requires only that the user should have an adequate web browser - Internet Explorer 9 onwards, or equivalent. This means that anyone who has a PC or Mac that is no more than 5 years old should be able to submit an abstract, and in practice we have had successful submissions from systems that are much older than this.

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The system does not use ‘cookies’ or rely on fixed IP addresses, so it can be used in high security academic environments. However, in common with many websites, problems may arise if users have set their browser or firewall security levels so high that normal functioning of web pages is disrupted.

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We advise you to enter the submission site and begin your submission well in advance of the deadline of 27 May 2016. This will ensure that any difficulties can be resolved before the deadline. Back to top

Withdrawing an abstract 

If you wish to withdraw an abstract please contact the MND Association by email as soon as possible using the following email address: [email protected]

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Due to publishing deadlines, abstracts withdrawn after 1 August 2016 will still be published as stated in the conditions of acceptance (see Appendix 1). Back to top

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Appendix 1: Conditions of Acceptance for Abstracts

Conditions of Acceptance for Abstracts This document contains important information on the conditions of acceptance for abstracts submitted for consideration for the 27th International Symposium on ALS/MND to be held in Dublin, Ireland 7-9 December 2016. The conference is organized as two parallel sessions, the biomedical research meeting and clinical research and management meeting. The poster themes are organized to broadly match the topic areas in these two sessions.

Deadlines: Submission: 27 May 2016 Amendments and alterations: Friday 8 July 2016 Withdrawal: Monday 1 August 2016 Published online: week commencing Monday 14 November 2016 Back to top

This document contains information on: 

Corresponding and presenting author

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Correspondence

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Abstract content

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Presentation types

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Poster Prize Competition

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Commitments of accepting the decision of your abstract

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Withdrawing

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Queries

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1. Corresponding and presenting author 1.1.

Abstracts should be submitted by the corresponding author of the abstract. The corresponding author is the ONLY person that will receive information about the abstract and its presentation at the conference.

1.2.

A presenting author should be identified in the abstract submission process. This will be the person presenting the poster or talk at the conference.

1.3.

Changes to presenting author may be made on the system up to the abstracts amendment deadline (8 July 2016). After this date, all changes must be sent to [email protected] quoting your abstract serial number in all correspondence.

2. Correspondence 2.1

The email address and contact details used to register as a user on the online abstract submission system should relate to the corresponding author.

2.2

The email address of the corresponding author will be published with any accepted abstracts.

2.3

Only the corresponding author will receive notification of the Programme Committee’s decision. This information will be sent in two e-mails: 

The first notification in late July will include the presentation format. This preliminary information is provided to you prior to the close of the early-bird registration deadline (to enable presenting authors to register at the best rate).

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A second email sent towards the start of October will include specific presentation theme/session, time and date.

2.4

The corresponding author should be contactable by email over the summer months (July– Sept) to confirm acceptance of their presentation. Alternative contact details can be added in Step 3 of the abstract submission / abstract amendment process. This will be accessible until the amendment deadline of 8 July 2016.

2.5

If an incorrect email address is given, information will not reach you. Contact the MND Association at [email protected] to change contact information.

2.6

To ensure you receive all symposium correspondence, add [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] to your e-mail ‘safe senders’ list. Back to top

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3. Abstract content 3.1

Abstracts may be submitted if previously presented at a national/international meeting.

3.2

Abstracts must be in English, and be no longer than 450 words. Please ensure that your abstract is proof read for grammar and understanding as they will not be routinely proof-read before publishing.

3.3

Abstracts must be presented using the following format: Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, Discussion and conclusions, References, Acknowledgements.

3.4

A maximum of 3 keywords for each abstract should be provided. Keywords will be used to compile the subject index of the symposium journal supplement (please refer to the subject index of previous symposia as a guide). Previous abstract publications can be found on the MND Association website www.mndassociation.org/symposium.

3.5

If you use ‘ALS’ or ‘MND’ as keywords, these will be removed.

3.6

Abstracts must not include tables or figures.

3.7

Data presented must be statistically robust and authors are requested to clearly state P and N values where necessary. Where the research involves the use of animals, presenters should consider the points raised in the ARRIVE guidelines when writing their abstracts (https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/arrive-guidelines ).

3.8

All abstracts must be submitted online, via a link on the MND Association’s website www.mndassociation.org/symposium. Abstracts cannot be accepted via fax or email.

3.9

Where several abstracts on a similar subject are submitted by the same author or research group, only one presentation may be offered.

3.10

Although abstracts can be amended after the submission deadline, the Programme Committee will assess them as they stand at 27 May 2016. Abstracts with very little content at this time may be rejected. Back to top

4. Presentation types 4.1

Authors must stipulate the preferred presentation format 

Oral Communication

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Poster Presentation

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Work In Progress / Care Practice Poster Presentation

4.2

Authors may submit for consideration abstracts outlining preliminary work, but they must be submitted in the Work in Progress / Care Practice Poster category. Unless so submitted, abstracts may be rejected if they do not contain sufficient data and conclusions.

4.3

Case studies will be treated as a Work in Progress / Care Practice Poster Presentations unless, in the opinion of the Programme Committee, they add significant new knowledge to the field.

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4.4

Abstracts describing the development and promotion of resources to assist researchers such as repositories or databases will not be published in the journal supplement, but will be published on the website alongside the Work in Progress / Care Practice abstracts, unless in the opinion of the Programme Committee, they add significant new knowledge to the field. Back to top

5. Poster Prize Competition The International Symposium on ALS/MND poster prize celebrates early-stage career MND/ALS researchers’ outstanding work, presented at the conference poster session. 5.1

Prizes will be awarded for the best clinical and for the best biomedical posters presented at the conference.

5.2

Early career researchers are eligible to enter if they are aged 35 years or under on the abstracts submission deadline date OR if they were awarded their PhD within the last three years.

5.3

ALL eligible presenters should select the box to indicate that they wish to be considered for the prize within the abstract submission system. Please note, eligibility criteria must be met by the presenter.

5.4

Indicating that you are eligible for a poster prize will not affect your likelihood of being chosen for an oral communication.

5.5

Only those who confirm their eligibility at the abstract submission stage will be considered for prizes.

5.6

Only abstracts accepted for publication in the online symposium journal supplement will be eligible for consideration for the prizes.

5.7

The eligibility criteria apply to the person presenting the poster during the poster prize judging at the conference. If the presenter does not qualify, the poster will not be considered for the prize.

5.8

The presenter must be available at an allocated time to answer questions from the award committee (for example, a poster attended by a senior author describing the work of the presenter, will not be eligible for consideration).

5.9

The initial stage of judging will be based on the abstracts, as submitted by the abstract submission deadline of 27 May 2016. Final judging of shortlisted posters will take place at the conference.

5.10

Late abstracts will not be eligible for the poster prizes.

5.11

Full terms and conditions for the poster prize will be available on the website (www.mndassociation.org/symposium) following the opening of the submission system in mid-March 2016. Back to top

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6 Commitments of accepting the decision of your abstract 6.1

If an abstract is accepted, at least one author must register to attend the conference to present it in person. If this requires a change to the original presenting author, please inform us by contacting [email protected]. No reduced fees are available for abstract presenters.

6.2

Authors accepting the offer of a poster presentation must ensure that their poster is on display at the conference venue at the designated time. This time will be confirmed by email to corresponding authors and must be abided to (see ‘Correspondence’ above).

6.3

Abstracts will be published in an open access supplement of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration journal. Abstracts accepted as ‘Work in Progress / Care Practice Poster Presentations’ will not be published in the journal, but will be available on the MND Association website.

6.4

Abstracts for the International Symposium will be published online the week commencing 14 November 2016.

6.5

Failure to register for the symposium after you have accepted a presentation allocation could lead to your presentation being withdrawn.

6.6

By submitting an abstract you consent to give us the license to act on your behalf with the Taylor & Francis group to publish your abstract in the symposium supplement of the journal ALS and Frontotemporal Degeneration. You also confirm that your abstract is:    

your own work; does not infringe any intellectual property rights of any other person or entity; cannot be construed as plagiarizing any other published work; contains no content that is abusive, defamatory, libellous, obscene, fraudulent, nor in any way infringes the rights of others, nor is in any other way unlawful or in violation of applicable laws. Back to top

7 Withdrawing your abstract 7.1

If you wish to withdraw an abstract please contact the MND Association by email at [email protected] as soon as possible stating the serial number of your abstract. Please note that the serial number is assigned to an abstract on initial submission.

7.2

Due to publishing deadlines, abstracts withdrawn after 1 August 2016 will still be published in the journal supplement (as previously advised, see above). Back to top

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Queries Any queries regarding the submission of abstracts should be sent to [email protected]. Back to top

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