Each submitted abstract must include the following and adhere to these guidelines:
Please also see the example below at the bottom of this page.
- Format: Develop the abstract in Microsoft Word in a Windows format (only doc. and docx. files accepted), using the Normal page margin settings (2.54 cm) and Arial, 10-point font. All spacing within the title/author area, abstract body and conference topic should be single-spaced and separated from each other by a single space.
- Title: The title must be in sentence case, centered and bold.
- Author/s: List the full first name followed by initials and last names of each author. Underline the presenting author. This is to be centered and bold.
- Affiliation information of each author: Use numeric superscript to identify multiple authors with different affiliations (follow format below). Do not use superscripts for single authors or multiples from the same affiliation. This is to be centered and in italics.
- Presenter's contact information: Name, address, phone number, email. This is to be centered.
- Body of Abstract: Abstracts must not exceed 250 words. Abstracts longer than 250 words will be rejected. If there is more than one paragraph, single space between paragraphs and do not indent. This is to be justified.
ORAL PRESENTATION CONTENT:
Microsoft PowerPoint is preferred for oral presentations. Presentations should be highly visual with limited text and brief (preferably no more than 15 slides), as time limits will be strictly adhered to. Video and or sound links must preferably be in .mp4 format and links must be checked and working prior to receiving the presentation.
POSTER PRESENTATION CONTENT:
Posters should be highly illustrative and visual and not contain too much text. The poster should contain self-explanatory material in logical sequence so that the viewer can easily grasp the central theme of the poster. The conclusion should be simple and concise. The poster author is still the key to the transfer of information.
- Size: The preferred size for posters is A0 (i.e. 1189 x 841 mm) and they should be no smaller than A1 (841 x 594 mm). Poster may be vertically or horizontally orientated.
- Title and author/s: The title of the paper and the presenter(s) name(s) and organisation(s) should appear in a 10 cm high strip across the top of the poster.
- Abstract Content: The abstract should be included on the poster.
Posters will be displayed at a designated site within the conference venue.
EXAMPLE OF ABSTRACT SUBMISSION:
How to write a paper abstract: Implications for acceptance to the SAWMA conference.
John S. Doe1, Jane P. Doe1 & Joe Bloggs2
1 Animal Unit, Department of Zoology, Open University, South Africa
2 Some Institute, Some province, Some country
Presenter: John Doe, Animal Unit, Department of Zoology, Open University, PO Box 0000, Suburb, 0028. +27 (012) 555 1234/ +27 (0)71 352 3226. john.doe@ou.ac.global
Abstract preparation forms a critical part in the success of conferences and symposia. This is an extremely important issue that requires urgent attention to prevent any further loss in sanity of organisational staff. If this contentious issue is not addressed before 15 June 2017, the attendance of any delegate will be severely hampered or prohibited. Therefore, we followed the protocol for abstract presentation to the letter, with specific focus on the 250 word limit.
We found that 86% of potential attendees conformed to Abstract-Preparation-Laws (APL). This was positively correlated with Time-To-Deadline (TTD). Individuals that employed longer TTDs displayed a significantly (p <0.05) greater chance of conforming to APLs. This relationship was however augmented by individual dominance. The presence of dominant individuals resulted in subordinates employing longer TTD times, which significantly (p <0.05) improved the application of APLs in subordinates. Conversely, the presence of more subordinates reduced the TTDs for dominant individuals. However, this did not reduce the application of APLs for dominant individuals. Outlier analysis showed that abstracts falling beyond APLs skewed the results. Therefore these individuals were excluded from further participation in the 2019 ACLIE conference. After outlier removal, 100% of actual attendees conformed to the APLs (R2 = 1, p <0.05). Although, the removal of outliers is an extremely laborious operation, it provides for much improved conference operation irrespective of TTDs.
Therefore, the application of outlier elimination will be crucial to the survival of organisational staff which in turn will increase the fitness of conferences and symposia.
Sub theme: Pick relevant subtheme