CRITERIA FOR ABSTRACT ACCEPTANCE

Presentations will be selected for the program on the basis of the scientific quality of the work as judged from the abstract. An impartial panel of reviewers (a minimum of two blinded scientific reviewers) will evaluate the content of each abstract.and determine whether the abstract should appear on the program. It is important that the content be scientifically sound and grammatically correct.

Word Limit Help

• Always hyphenate when possible (e.g., use “composite-resin restorations”, rather than “composite resin restorations”), and string together complicated phrases with hyphens.
• Abbreviate extensively [i.e., introduce abbreviations quickly and use them. Do not say hybrid zone but rather introduce hybrid zone (HZ) and then use HZ from that point onward].
• Always close spaces between numbers and units (e.g., instead of 30 mm, say 30-mm or 30mm; never leave spaces between numbers & standard deviations; and replace “30 ± 5” with “30±5”).
• Always use tables for the presentation of information when possible. Put units in headers and omit them from the rest of the matrix.
• Make sure that there is no inadvertent ‘dangling punctuation’ in the text, such as a comma or period that is not immediately adjacent to a word.
• Eliminate as many “articles” (a, an, the, …) as possible.
• String together all of the steps in the Materials & Methods section so that you are not starting and stopping individual sentences with separate subjects, verbs, and adjectives [e.g., “The samples (n=10/gp) were etched (37% H3POO4), washed (15s), stored (37°C, 7d), conditioned (25°C, 10m), tested (0.1mm/m), and statistically analysed (ANOVA, Tukey’s, p<0.05).”].
• Replace statements with equations [e.g., Instead of “10 samples were tested for each group” insert “(n=10)” into an appropriate sentence].
• Report all statistical differences with superscripts on results that can be attached rather than requiring separate statements.
• Construct tables to minimise the number of necessary cells

Common Abstract Submission Mistakes

• Failure to state objective and conclusion.
• Failure to state sample size and data.
• Excessive use of abbreviations.
• Excessive use of commercial product names.
• Typographical errors (authors can’t change any text after the abstract deadline).
• Writing your abstract at the last minute.
• Work that is duplicative is not well received and you will only be asked to combine with another abstract or your abstract may not be accepted.