Submit an Abstract

Make Corrections

Retrieve and Modify an Abstract

Withdraw (Delete) a Paper

Transfer Abstract to Another Program

Troubleshooting, FAQs

Conventions used in the Online Abstract System

Submitting your abstract, one step at a time

The Online Abstract System divides the abstract submittal process into steps so that authors can enter information and confirm it is correct before moving to the next step. By following the buttons at the bottom of each page in the submittal process, you will automatically proceed through every step needed to submit an abstract. One page will follow another in the right frame of your screen until you are finished.

After clicking the submit button at each stage, you will see a growing set of information that you have entered. You should proof it each time it appears, clicking the "Next step" button at the bottom of the page if the information is correct. Once you have decided to which program you will submit your abstract, the steps involved in abstract submittal are:

1. Select a topic
2. Describe your paper -- the title, presentation preferences, etc..
3. Name the author(s) and enter their affiliations and complete contact information.
4. Disclosure (COI) form for presenting authors only.
5. Submit your abstract text
6. Submit a 2-page Summary if mentioned on the Call for Papers
7. Confirmation

The functions that are available to you at any phase in the submittal process are shown to the left of these instructions, as links on the Abstract Control Panel. These links let you easily return and make corrections at any step along the way. If, for example, you realize after entering the 7th author that you made a mistake in the abstract title, just click on the Title link in the left frame and change the title. If you made a mistake in an author's name, just click on the author's name in the Abstract Control Panel; the author information form will reappear in this space with the author's name on it, and you can change it right there. Select from the Abstract Control Panel when you want to go back to make revisions and don't want to back up all the way there, or if you encountered an "invalid record number" or "corrupt data" error after backing up.

Submit an Abstract

Step 1 -- Select Topic

After you have selected a program (Section, SPIG, or Caucus) into which you will submit an invited or contributed paper, you will select the topic where the paper will be presented.

On the Topic Selection page, select the appropriate topic. Then click the "Submit Topic Selection" button at the bottom of that page.

Within 60 seconds a confirmation page will appear in this frame, showing the information that you just entered or prompting you to provide missing information. Look over that information carefully. Then follow the instructions at the bottom of that page.

Note that the Abstract Control Panel, to the left of these instructions, is updated each time you submit new information. New links will appear in that panel, allowing you to return to a previous submission form at any time without backing up through every page.

If the Abstract Control Panel is not updated with each submission, or if the buttons at the bottom of a page do not work, then your browser is probably not set up to support JavaScript. To enable JavaScript, see our , JavaScript help file.

Does nothing happen? If you wait for a full minute and nothing happens after clicking a button or hyperlink, then either:

• the Internet, or your connection to it, is very busy (Try later.)
• you are behind a firewall, and some combination of browser and firewall settings is blocking receipt of the form (Ask your systems administrator to contact us.)
• or our server is down. (And that almost never happens. But let us know if you think it is.)

Step 2 -- Enter Title

Enter the information requested on the Paper Information sheet:

• Title of your presentation
• Submitter's e-mail address
• Your preferred method of presentation
• Learning Objectives
• Target Audience
• References (please use Comments To Organizers box on the Title page)
• Two keywords (if applicable)
• Presenting author and Award submission information (if applicable)
• Related WEB Page (if applicable)
• Technology Theater considerations (if applicable)

Click the "Submit Information" button at the bottom of the page.

Within a few seconds you will receive confirmation of the information submitted and instructions on what to do next.  Soon thereafter the "Abstract Control Panel" in the left frame will be updated to show new actions now available.

If you don't see a confirmation appear in your web browser, then you might have lost your connection to the Internet. Take note of your ID number and password. (They're at the top of the Abstract Control Panel.) Re-establish your connection, and try again.

Rarely, authors will see a "Server Error" message after submitting information to us. This usually occurs because some of the information has been corrupted in transit. Just hit your browser's "Back" button, and try submitting again. If you still get an error message, please let us know. If you encounter an "invalid record number" or "corrupt data" error after backing up, try the links in the Abstract Control Panel instead.

Step 3 -- Name Author(s)

If you are satisfied with the confirmation of the abstract title, click the "Next Step" button at the bottom of the page. Or click the "Add New Author" link that now appears under the NAME AUTHOR(S) heading of the Abstract Control Panel. Fill in the requested information on the Author Information Sheet. Then click the "Submit Information" button at the bottom of that sheet.

Repeat the process if there is more than a single author. Make sure that you identify at least one author who will present the paper at the meeting. Without a presenting author identified, you will not be able to complete your submission.

• Complete contact information is required for all authors.
• Unless the comment to the organizer requests otherwise (on the "ENTER TITLE" page), authors with identical affiliations will be listed in the published abstract as sharing the same affiliation and address.
• The presenting author MUST complete the disclosure statement.

Step 4 -- Submit COI Disclosure

Submitting a disclosure (for presenters ONLY) is the APHA requirement. You won't be able to proceed to the next step (Abstract Text submission) until the COI form is filled out.

Step 5 -- Submit Abstract Text

After the last author has been entered, click the Submit Abstract Text button that appears at the bottom of the confirmation page, or click the "Abstract Text" link that now appears in the Abstract Control Panel.

Answer Question 1: "Does your abstract contain an image?"

• Images must be saved and uploaded as GIF or JPEG files. If necessary learn how to convert your image(s) to the appropriate format. The file size of the images must be less than 150 KBytes, and the images' display dimensions must be less than 2.4 inches high and 6.5 inches wide. You can submit images of larger dimensions, but you must reduce it's display dimensions by using height and width attributes in the img tag of your HTML code if the image is within your html file, or if you are submitting one image and pasting text, then you can reduce the display size by using the reduction box on the upload page.

Answer Question 2 with Type/Paste text if you want to:

• Type your abstract directly into a text box on a form (easiest)
• Write simple abstract text in a word processor and copy and paste it into the Web form (easiest if you've already got your abstract text written and it doesn't include special characters or multiple images.)

Answer Question 2 with Upload HTML file if:

• You want to use tables, include multiple images, or control image placement, or
• You are comfortable creating an HTML file using your word processor or HTML editor and you prefer the speed and control that is provided by such tools

You will now either be able to enter your text into the Web form (if you chose Type/Paste text) or upload a file.

For text that you enter directly into the Web form:

• Type or paste your abstract text into the text box.
• To include italics, subscripts, superscripts, or special characters in your abstract text, copy-and-paste from the special characters page directly into the abstract text box.
• If your abstract includes graphics, specify the location of your graphics file (GIF or JPEG only) and its scaling factor. You can change the scaling factor later if necessary to stay with the size limits allowed by APHA.
• Click the Submit button.

If you need to upload an HTML file:

• Specify the location of your HTML file.
• Specify the name(s) of your graphic(s) files, if necessary, and their locations.
• Click the Submit button.

We will ask you to Please check your submission one more time. You may correct any errors that you see by clicking on the appropriate link (Title, Author, etc.) in the Abstract Control Panel, making the desired changes, and be sure to click the Submit button at the bottom of each page changed to save your changes. If an error occurs during submission, please report this to our technical support and retrieve your abstract later and try resubmitting the text.

You only need to click once the button labeled "Things to Remember" to display a page with key information you will need if you wish to make modifications in the future.

Confirmation of your submission at each step will be displayed. Take note of the abstract ID number and password assigned to your submission. With that information you can return to this page if you lose your Internet connection, or if you must interrupt the submission process, or if you would like to modify your submission at any time prior to the deadline.

Look at the confirmations carefully. Most authors (and all editors) can find mistakes in the first submission of an abstract. If you see an error, just click the appropriate link in the Abstract Control Panel and correct it. After you have submitted all required information, including the text and any images, you should see all of that information in the confirmation on your screen; if you don't, it means that the information was not received and you should try again.

Abstracts that are too large will not be accepted or stored. If you receive an error message telling you to reduce the word count or the image size(s), please do so; otherwise, no text or images will be stored.

If the text was submitted as an HTML file and must be edited:

1. Locate the original file on your computer.
2. Edit the text in your word processor or HTML editor.
3. Save it again in HTML format.
4. Upload it again.
5. Repeat the process as required until you receive confirmation that the text has been accepted.

Retrieve and Modify an Existing Abstract

To retrieve and view or modify an existing abstract:

1. Return to http://apha.confex.com
2. Have your Abstract ID number and password handy when you return.
3. Click the link near the top of the page labeled Resume Submission or View/Modify/Withdraw Abstract.
4. Enter the Abstract ID number and password
5. Use the Abstract Control Panel to view or modify the desired part of the abstract. For instance, click Enter Title to change a title. Then click the Submit button to send your changes.
6. To correct abstract text that was submitted as an HTML file, see above.

Transfer a Paper to Another Program

The abstract can be moved from one division to another using the "Transfer" link in the Abstract Control Panel.

1. If the Abstract Control Panel is visible and the desired abstract ID appears at the top of it, then skip to #2 below. Otherwise:
   • Return to http://apha.confex.com
   • Click the link near the top of the page labeled Resume Submission or View/Modify/Withdraw Abstract.
   • Login using the ID and Password you were assigned.
2. Select Transfer from the Abstract Control Panel.
3. On the form that next appears in this space, the radio button in front of the current assignment will look different from the rest.
4. Click on the button in front of the new program to which this abstract should be moved. (The button in front of the old assignment will be automatically deselected.)
5. Click the Submit Information at the bottom of the page.
6. The display will flicker several times as the abstract is transported to the new program. The you will be prompted to select a topic from the new program. If you logged in with something other than the abstract password, and if your password does not allow access to the new program, then you will see a confirmation of the transfer but you will not be able to reverse it.

Withdraw a Paper

1. If the Abstract Control Panel is visible and the desired abstract ID appears at the top of it, then skip to #2 below. Otherwise:
   • Return to http://apha.confex.com
   • Click the link near the top of the page labeled Resume Submission or View/Modify/Withdraw Abstract.
   • Login using the ID and Password you were assigned.
2. Select Withdraw from the Abstract Control Panel.
3. In the right frame, find and select "Withdraw paper from program".
4. Under the Comments to Organizers section, type in your reason for withdrawing your paper.
5. Click the Submit Information at the bottom of the page.
6. You will see Paper withdrawn from meeting on the confirming page.

Reverse a Withdrawal

1. Retrieve your abstract as described above.
2. Select Withdraw from the Abstract Control Panel.
3. In the right frame, find and select the button that says "Include in program."
4. Click the Submit Information at the bottom of the page.
5. The Paper Withdrawn message should no longer appear on the confirming page.

Report a technical problem by clicking on that link in the abstract control panel. If you need help urgently, call (401) 334-0220 for assistance. Please specify the program to which you were submitting and, if you have already been issued it, your abstract ID number.

Troubleshooting, FAQs