Abstract Submission Details
Submission Deadline: 1 February 2013
Submitted abstracts must represent original work that has not been previously published. Abstracts will be selected for oral or poster presentation by the Review Committee unless the author indicates a specific preference for poster presentation. Authors should indicate if their work is eligible for one or other prize (see prize categories below).
Oral Presentations will be for 8 minutes.
Posters should be printed A0 portrait format (118.9cm high x 84.1cm wide)
Instructions to submit an abstract
- Abstracts should be submitted using the abstract sample as a guide for layout. Click here to download the sample.
- Must be 500 words or less, inclusive of title, author(s) names, and institutional affiliation(s)
- Abstracts must fit onto a single A4 page with margins of 2.54cm on all four sides
- Use 11pt Arial font
- Please do not use abbreviations unless defined in the abstract.
- Care should be taken to ensure high quality English expression and grammar.
- All submissions should be in Microsoft Word
- Abstract title should be in BLOCK CAPITALS
- Authors’ names should be on the next line
- In case of more than one author please place an asterix before the name of the presenting author
- Do not include degrees or titles
- Authors’ organizations/institutions should appear on the next line and should include the suburb/city, state and country of the organizations/institutions.
- Authors should note the word count at the end of the abstract
- Results may include a simple table or graph in black and white if they are clearly intelligible.
Abstracts must conform to the following layout.
Title
This should be succinct and descriptive of the study.
Introduction
Give a brief reason for the study. Provide a clear statement of the aims of the study
Methods
Give a short description of the study population or specimen preparation, data collection and processing.
Results
These may be presented in the form of text or a simple graph or table. Do not repeat information in text if provided in a table or graph. Important statistical results (such as confidence intervals, p values or correlation coefficients ) should be included.
Conclusions
Make simple statements that are supported by the evidence shown in your results.
All abstracts will be reviewed by the SSA Scientific Review Committee within two weeks of the closing date.
Some abstracts will need to be amended and you may be asked by the Review Committee to submit these changes. It is the intention of the Review Committee to use the amendment process to assist authors to improve the value of their abstract.
All presenters must register for a minimum of one day of the conference by the Early Bird Deadline for registration (1 March 2013) or the presentation will be withdrawn from the program
Disclosures
Authors must state any and all financial relationships that they or any of their collaborators have with commercial sponsors of the study presented. The sources of all funds used to conduct the study must be declared.
Awards
1. Spinal Research Award
Sponsored by
An award of $10,000 is given for the best spinal research paper submitted to the annual meeting. Applicants must submit their research in the format of a manuscript that is ready for publication. Research can be in any field (clinical or laboratory based) that is related to the spine. Manuscripts must be received by the submission deadline in order to be considered. Authors should also submit an Abstract of the same work by the submission deadline for oral presentation. It is a requirement that one of the authors present the work from the podium at the Annual Scientific Meeting and the winner will be announced at the end of the meeting.
2.The Rob Johnston Award
This $1,000 prize is awarded annually to the best paper presented at the Scientific Meeting by a surgical trainee or junior research scientist.
3. Best Paper Award
Sponsored by
An award of $2,000 is given for the best paper presented to the Annual Meeting. Presentations are judged on their scientific merit and usefulness to the research or clinical community.
4. Best Poster Award
Sponsored by
An award of $1,000 is given for the best poster presented to the Annual Meeting. Posters are judged on their clarity and scientific merit.
5. Alastair Robson Award
$1,000
This award is for the most outstanding contribution by a clinician or clinicians in clinical practice. This may take the form of high quality audit, case series or a prospective or retrospective study. This award is intended to recognise the important contribution that clinicians may make to the Society without use of control subjects or randomisation.
For any enquiries, please email the Conference Secretariat: ssa2013@dccam.com.au
Tel: +61 2 9954 4400