2012 CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Abstract Submission

36th Annual Meeting - April 1-3, 2012

** Abstract Deadline Extended - January 9, 2012 at 5:00 PM PST**

New online submission: Click here to get started

The Call for Abstracts is now open. Please click on the link above to sumbit your abstracts online.

Abstracts should be a maximum of 300 words. Abstracts should be formatted using the following four sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Once the abstract is submitted, an email will be sent to confirm receipt of your abstract within 48 hours. If you do not receive a confirmation, please contact Sue Lentz at (425) 354-3230.

RESIDENT AND MEDICAL STUDENT COMPETITION
Abstracts with a first author who is a resident or medical student in good standing at an accredited institution are eligible for the resident and medical student competition. The abstract must be sponsored by an Association of VA Surgeons member, preferably one who is a co-author on the abstract. The resident or medical student must have had a primary role in the design, data collection, analysis, and preparation of the final presentation. It is expected that abstracts that are selected will be presented by the resident or medical student. Cash prizes will be awarded.

MANUSCRIPTS
Authors whose abstracts are accepted for the program are encouraged to submit a manuscript for consideration of publication in the American Journal of Surgery. The AVAS has had a high success rate of manuscripts presented at the AVAS being accepted for publication in the American Journal of Surgery. An author checklist for manuscript submission is available on our website.

Manuscripts should be submitted to the American Journal of Surgery at: http://ees.elsevier.com/ajs/

Author Instructions for the American Journal of Surgery can be found at: http://americanjournalofsurgery.com/authorinfo

Please also refer to the specific Manuscript Instructions from AVAS below.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the abstract submission and/or resident competition, please contact the Program Chair:

George Sarosi, M.D.
Email: george.sarosi@surgery.ufl.edu

MANUSCRIPT INSTRUCTIONS

Authors of abstracts accepted for AVAS presentation are encouraged to submit a manuscript for consideration for publication in the American Journal of Surgery through the AVAS as part of the AVAS annual meeting issue.

Manuscripts that exceed the page limits or do not conform to the length or formatting restrictions described below will be rejected.

Specific instructions for AVAS manuscripts are as follows:

• Manuscripts should be typed, doubled-spaced, on 8½ × 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins.
• The type font should be 12 point Arial.
• All pages should be numbered, beginning with the title page.
• For all manuscripts, the total page limit is 16 pages. This includes (in this order) the: 1) title page, 2) abstract, 3) introduction, 4) methods, 5) results, 6) discussion, 7) references, 8) figure legends, and 9) tables and figures.
• The title page, abstract, references, and figure legends MUST start on separate pages, using page breaks. Each figure or table must also start on a separate page using page breaks, with a limit of ONE figure or table to each page.
• Tables must have a title, and must be typed double spaced, without horizontal or vertical lines on an 8½ x 11-inch paper. Tables should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals in the order of first mention in the text. Define all abbreviations in a footnote.
• No more than 5 tables, figures, or combination thereof, will be allowed.
• Figure legends must be typed double spaced, on a separate page.
• References must also be typed double-spaced, not just double-spaced between references, and begin on a separate page. The reference style should conform to Am J Surg format.
• There must be no more than 40 references.
• Manuscripts should be submitted electronically through the website of the American Journal of Surgery with a cover letter that indicates that they should be considered as part of the AVAS annual meeting issue. A footnote on each manuscript should indicate that the paper was presented at the AVAS annual meeting, giving the date of presentation.

Specific instruction for submission of AVAS manuscripts through the Elsevier Editorial System for the The American Journal of Surgery:

1. To submit a manuscript, please use the username and password provided in the AVAS abstract acceptance notice.
2. Submit manuscripts at http://ees.elsevier.com/ajs/
3. Select “Submit New Manuscript”
4. For Article Type, select “AVAS Manuscript”
5. Follow the rest of the instructions as indicated.

Additional important issues:

1. Manuscripts that exceed the page limits or do not conform to length or formatting restrictions will be rejected. Manuscripts that exceed a combination of 5 figures and tables will be rejected. It is imperative that we maintain these page limitations in order to maximize the number of papers that can be accepted. Questions about the page limits can be directed in advance to the AVAS Recorder, Dr. Melina Kibbe at mkibbe@nmh.org.

2. Senior authors are strongly encouraged to review these limitations and formatting instructions with those responsible for formatting the manuscript to ensure compliance. First authors should review them with the senior author for guidance.

3. In unusual cases in which the nature of the material being discussed makes it impossible to comply with length restrictions, there may be an opportunity for the senior author to reimburse the AVAS for the cost of additional pages of publication. The current cost is quoted by the Journal at $110 / printed page (as opposed to typed manuscript page). The equation between manuscript pages, figures, etc., and printed pages is not exact and not negotiable, and the Journal’s cost may change in the future. Any manuscript being submitted that exceeds the page limit with intent to reimburse the AVAS for additional page costs must be discussed with the Recorder in advance and must be accompanied at the time of submission and then again at the time of submission of any revised manuscript by a letter from the senior author to the Recorder indicating willingness to reimburse the AVAS for such charges if the manuscript is accepted for publication. Such exceptions will only be made if the senior author contacts the Recorder IN ADVANCE of manuscript submission. Overly long or incorrectly formatted manuscripts will not be accepted for review without such discussion and will not be sent back for revision or discussion of these issues but will simply be rejected.

4. All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the Am J Surgery website by 11:59 PM EST, April 4th, 2012. However, authors are strongly encouraged to submit their manuscripts prior to this time.

5. Authors are encouraged to submit the names and contact information (including email) of at least four potential reviewers, although we cannot guarantee that these reviewers will actually be asked to or consent to review the manuscript. Note that it is not acceptable to suggest reviewers with conflicts of interest. Reviewers from the same institution as one or more of the authors are automatically considered to have conflicts of interest, as are reviewers with a history of recent collaboration or who have recently moved from one of the authors’ institutions.

6. Submission of a manuscript for consideration for publication as part of this process implies as well a willingness by the senior author of the manuscript to review 1-3 other manuscripts in a timely fashion if requested to do so. For the peer review process to function well, it is imperative that all senior authors be willing to participate in the process as reviewers in addition to functioning as authors. Refusal to participate in the peer review process or to submit requested reviews in a timely fashion may result in rejection of the senior authors’ own manuscript.

For information about the 2012 Meeting, please call (425) 354-3230 or send an email to vasurgeons@gmail.com.