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Abstract Specifications and Review
To ensure maximum opportunity for placement in the program, abstracts should be well-written and submitted no later than the November 15 due date. Immediately after November 15, an intense multilevel review will begin. Program committee members will perform the initial review and make tentative assignments of abstracts to sessions; the session chairs will make the final decisions on which abstracts will be placed in the platform and poster sections of their sessions. Abstracts that do not adhere to the content and format specifications may be declined during the initial review. Please review the Content, Format, and File Name paragraphs below before submitting your abstract.
Content
See the program scope for an overview of the expected range of topics. Abstracts addressing bioremediation and sustainable environmental technologies as applied to any contaminant may be submitted for review. Submissions on fundamental research, treatability studies, and field applications are welcome. Abstracts with a pronounced commercial slant will not be accepted. Because several hundred abstracts will be received for review, each abstract must be well-written, clearly and concisely outlining the material being proposed for presentation and using the following required subject headings: Background/Objectives, Approach/Activities, and Results/Lessons Learned. Before writing your abstract, please review the example abstract for information about the content and format requirements. Any abstract that does not meet the requirements (including the specified subject headings) stated in the example abstract may be declined for review.
Format
Abstracts must be in English, cannot exceed one standard-size page, and are to be submitted as Microsoft Word® files. See the example abstract for format specification. The PDF version can be printed on any printer to illustrate the desired final appearance. The Word version can be used as a template—type each section of your abstract over the text in the corresponding section of the example abstract.
File name
Save your abstract in Microsoft Word®. The file name is to be constructed as follows:
Bio_[Presenter’s Last Name]Abs
For example an abstract submitted for a presentation to be given by someone who last name is Smith would have the following file name and extension:
Bio_SmithAbs.doc
If additional abstracts are submitted for the same presenter, use file names “Bio_SmithAbs2.docx”, “Bio_SmithAbs3.doc”, etc.
Submittal and Confirmation of Receipt
Use the online submittal form, which will require the information listed below. Receipt of the abstract will be acknowledged by e-mail within one week. Your abstract should be sent only once—please do not send a backup copy by mail or fax and do not resubmit the abstract electronically unless you have not received acknowledgment of receipt after more than one week.
Title of abstract. Should not exceed 15 significant words.
Corresponding/presenting author block. Name of the person expected to make the presentation at the Symposium (i.e., the name given in bold italics on the abstract). This is the person to whom all correspondence will be addressed. Include all contact information—employer, street address, city, state/ province and zip/postal code (as applicable), country, telephone, and e-mail address.
Coauthor address list. Full names of coauthors and contact information for each—employer, street address, city, state/province and zip/postal code as applicable, country, telephone, and e-mail address. This information is required for all coauthors.
Placement preference. Please indicate whether a platform (oral) or a poster presentation is preferred. To suggest the most pertinent subject areas, refer to the example topics listed in the program scope and select one or two codes (e.g., 1.2, 1.6, 6.8) or, if the abstract is being submitted at the request of a prospective session chair, state that person’s name. Note: the corresponding/presenting author’s preference will be taken into account by the reviewers, but placement cannot be guaranteed. Final decisions on placement will be based on best overall design of the Symposium program.
Notification of Acceptance/Placement
Abstracts received by the November 15 due date will be reviewed for technical merit, currency, and relevance to the Symposium. A letter will be mailed to the corresponding/ presenting author of each abstract in January, stating the placement decision. If the abstract was accepted, this letter will state the platform or poster session to which it was assigned and will provide information on preparing the presentation and submitting an updated abstract to replace the review abstract.
No financial assistance is available to support registration or other costs of attending the Symposium. All presenting authors and session chairs are expected to register and pay the standard technical-program registration fees. This policy is necessary because registration fees are the major source of funding for the Symposium, and a significant percentage of registrants will make presentations or chair sessions.
Inquiries
Questions about abstract submittal should be addressed to Gina Melaragno (biosymp@battelle.org; phone: 614-424-7866).