Submit an Abstract

Please take time to read the guidelines below. The submission form can be found at the bottom of this page.

Abstract Guidance Notes

The below requirements must be met when the abstracts are submitted. Failure to adhere to abstract requirements will result in the abstract being rejected.

SUBMISSION FORMAT

• Abstracts should be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word.
• The abstracts should be in their final form at the point of submission.
• Any boxes/key lines surrounding the abstracts should be removed.
• Check that there are no conversion errors in the Word files, especially foreign characters and mathematical symbols.
• Although it is not a requirement to include figures or tables, please note, abstracts are limited to either one figure or one table.

ABSTRACT NAMING

• The abstract file should be saved as the surname and initial of the lead author followed by the submission data in the following format:

SURNAME INITIAL DAY MONTH YEAR

For example: Smith T 01 05 2022

If you are submitting more than one abstract than please number files consecutively i.e., Smith T 01 07 2022 01, Smith T 01 07 2022 02.

ABSTRACT CONTENT

Abstract title

• Needs to give the reader everything they need to know. Consider including the study design or type of project in the title.
• Try to include the true subject of the paper.
• Avoid overly long titles.

Author names* First name(s) and last name(s). Full names are preferred because if only initials are used this can cause confusion if authors have common last names. Please do not include prefixes such as job titles or qualifications.

Author affiliations* Give full postal address, including country, of each author. Author affiliations should be indicated by superscript numbers, e.g. ¹John Smith, ²John Bradley.
¹University Hospitals Bristol, Marlborough St, Bristol BS1 3NU, UK; ² Department of Physiology, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK.

Please give the email address of the lead author

 *Missing/incomplete details will not be queried and will be published as is.

 CONTENT

• Abstracts must not be longer than 300 words (including section headings). Word count does not include title, tables and figure headings.

LAYOUT

• Use 11-point arial with 2 cm margins for all sections, except the authors addresses, which should use 10-point arial. Tables and figures can also be 10 point.
• The body of the abstract must be structured using the headings Background, Aim, Methods, Results, Conclusion.
• Any abbreviations should be defined where first mentioned.

Background

• Do not try and summarise the whole field in this section. Remember the focus of the abstract is your results!
• Two or three sentences max should be sufficient to give context to your work.

 Aim

• Should be a separate subheading and clearly state what you were trying to achieve.
• One or two sentences as a maximum.

 Methods

• Important as this is the core detail of the study/project and helps the reader understand what you did.
• Include details of sample size/number of people (n) in various groups/populations (if applicable), any detail of what the intervention was, what measurements were made, what timeframe etc.
• These same points apply to a RCT, service evaluation, or service development work. Detail here will help your reader make sense of the results.

 Results

• Often the part people read first, so spend some time to make sure that they are clear.
• Can someone easily see how your conclusions are supported by your findings?
• Give as much detail as you can (within the required limits).
• Avoid being vague. This will likely lead to comments back from us regarding clarity.
• Showing data clearly is important (if applicable).
• P values and significance are important if you are discussing differences between groups. If you have 2 values (pre and post intervention) then performing some analysis greatly improves the validity of the conclusions being made. You can perform simple analysis on Microsoft Excel, and there are some excellent tutorials online. If you are unsure what tests to perform then speak with your trust research team, or email education@bacpr.com and we’d be happy to help.
• If you are submitting work that relates to service development, in the results section describe what you anticipate the outcomes of this new service to be, what impact it may have, who will benefit etc.

Conclusion

• You are not able to discuss everything in detail in the abstract (save for the poster or oral).
• Focus on what your data show (if applicable), and the potential impact of the findings.
• Be factual.
• Avoid being sensationalist and using woolly endings.

Authors are permitted 1 figure or 1 table as appropriate for their abstract. Note that it is not a requirement to include a figure or table.

FIGURES

We accept most figure formats: .jpeg, .tif, .gif, .eps, powerpoint, etc. and these should be

• embedded within the Word document.
• All figures should be cited in the abstract to which they belong.
• Figures should be numbered clearly (for example: Figure 1).
• Figures will be published as per the resolution of the figure provided (minimum 300 dpi is recommended).
• Figures should be prepared and submitted in monochrome (preferably black and white or shades of).
• Figure legends should be editable and appear in the abstract text under the figure.

 TABLES

• Tables should be embedded in the Word document containing the abstracts.
• Tables should be cited in the abstract to which they belong.
• Tables must be numbered clearly (for example: Table 2).
• Tables must be free from colour.
• Table legends should be editable and appear in the abstract text under the table.

Please note: Authors are permitted one figure or one table as appropriate for their abstract. Note that it is not a requirement to include a figure or table.

MARKING WILL BE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING:

• Clarity – How clearly has the abstract been written?
• Novelty – Does the research address a topic that hasn’t already been extensively explored?
• Methodological quality – Are the methods used in the research robust and appropriate?
• Clinical Significance – Does the research have an application in clinical practice?

For abstracts accepted for oral / moderated poster presentation, the lead author should be available to present the work.  If he/she is unavailable, the abstract should be presented as a poster.

All conflicts of interest should be declared.

OUTCOME

• The lead author will be notified if their abstract has been:
  • Accepted as submitted (ACCEPT),
  • ACCEPT PENDING REVISIONS (2 weeks to make required changes), or
  • REJECTED.
• Adhering to the abstract requirements listed above will minimise the risk of the abstract being rejected.

ABSTRACT AWARDS

• There are two awards available for abstracts:
  • Best Oral Abstract 
  • Best Moderated Poster
  • Delegate’s Pick (from unmoderated posters)