Thank you for your interest in submitting your abstract to American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2010. We will be reviewing your submission to be sure it falls within the requirements for this special submission. During our original submissions period which closed on June 7, 2010, employees of a commercial interest entity were affected by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) rules we follow and were unable to be the presenting author on an abstract. Since that time, we have conducted in-depth discussions with the ACCME related to this and the ACCME has agreed that AHA’s extensive internal controls and peer review assure independence from industry and are appropriate for CME accreditation for a scientific meeting. Therefore, we have opened this new submission period only for those who were affected by the previous rule. This current call for abstracts is not a resubmission/update opportunity for those abstracts already submitted by the June 7 deadline nor a new submission period for those who were eligible during that prior period.

• Sessions Abstract Category List 
• ReSS Abstract Category List 
  

• Accepted abstracts are published in the No. 1 ranked cardiovascular journal, Circulation (Impact Factor: 14.595).
• More than 300 media attend: their articles create 1 billion impressions.
• Global leaders in cardiovascular research and practice will see your science, so you can discuss your work with them.
• Early career awards and travel stipends are available for qualified healthcare professionals
  
  General Information
• The American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions is a forum for presentation of novel research findings. The work covered by the abstract must not have been published (manuscript or abstract) before the date and time of presentation (Nov. 13-17, 2010).
• There is a non-refundable processing fee of $30 for each abstract submitted.
• To ensure that your abstract receives proper scientific consideration, be sure to submit to the appropriate abstract category in one of the seven multidisciplinary cardiovascular cores.
• After the August 2, 2010, 12 p.m. CDT deadline, abstracts may not be revised in any way or resubmitted. Proofread abstracts carefully to avoid errors before submission. If accepted, your abstract will be published as submitted.
• Abstract grading is blinded and abstracts are selected on the basis of scientific merit.
• Abstract acceptance/non-acceptance status will be available in mid-August.  Please ensure that the e-mail provided is accurate as all correspondence will be sent via e-mail.
• Accepted abstracts will be published exactly as it has been submitted in the online version of the Supplement to Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. 
• All abstract withdrawal requests must be received in writing by Aug. 31, 2010, to avoid publication.
• All accepted abstracts will be scheduled either in an oral or poster presentation.  All presentations and question-and-answer sessions will be conducted in English. Presenters may request assistance from the moderator who will repeat or rephrase questions from the audience or may ask a colleague in the audience to assist with translation.
• The presenting author of an accepted abstract must register for the meeting.  Abstract presenters need to register in the appropriate category (AHA member, nonmember, etc.) and pay the appropriate fees under each category.  To receive member rates, you must Join/Renew Membership by Sept. 30.
• All other expenses (e.g., airfare, lodging) associated with the submission and presentation of an abstract are the responsibility of the presenter.

Rules for Submitting an Abstract

• Abstract data may not be presented at a national or international meeting or world congress before the date and time of presentation (Nov. 13-17, 2010).  If identical abstracts are accepted for two meetings, then one must be withdrawn and AHA staff must be notified. If acceptance of a previously presented abstract is discovered prior to presentation, it will be withdrawn and acceptance of future abstracts will be jeopardized. If dual presentation of identical abstracts is discovered after presentation, the acceptance of future abstracts may be jeopardized and any award associated with the abstract will be withdrawn.
  Exception: If early career investigators feel compelled to increase their opportunity of scientific interaction, then the abstract submission to the AHA must have incremental information from the abstract submitted elsewhere to justify submission and presentation at the AHA, should the investigator’s work be accepted at both meetings. Each investigator will determine, in good conscience, what constitutes incremental information and should notify AHA staff.
• Submission of an abstract constitutes a commitment by the author(s) to present it if accepted. Failure to present, if not justified, will jeopardize future acceptance of abstracts for the American Heart Association.
• There is no limit to the number of abstracts an investigator may submit. If selected, the presenter must be one of the co-authors listed.
• Embargo Policy
  Abstracts and presentations are embargoed for release at date and time of presentation or time of AHA news event. Information may not be released before then. Failure to honor embargo policies will result in the abstract being withdrawn and barred from presentation.

Preparing an Abstract

Abstract Title

An abstract must have a short, specific title (containing no abbreviations) that indicates the nature of the investigation.

Author Name(s)

• The submitting author is designated as the primary/presenting author. You may rearrange the order of the authors; however, always list the senior author last.
• If an author's name appears on more than one abstract, it must be identical on each abstract.
• Additions or deletions of author names are not permitted after June 7, 2010, 9 a.m. CDT. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Abstract Data

• Submit all abstracts in English.
• Authors should not "split" data to create several abstracts from one. If splitting is judged to have occurred, priority scores of related abstracts will be reduced.
• Abstracts containing identical or nearly identical data submitted from the same institution and/or individuals will be disqualified.
• To ensure that the abstract receives proper scientific consideration, please make sure that the abstract is submitted to the appropriate category.
• Proofread abstracts carefully to avoid errors before submission. The abstract will be published exactly as it has been submitted – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Abstract Text

• Describe briefly the objectives of the study unless they are contained in the title. Include a brief statement of methods if pertinent. State findings in detail sufficient to support conclusions. Abstracts should not describe research in which the chemical identity or source of the reagent is proprietary or cannot be revealed.
• Use generic drug names.
• Do not begin sentences with numerals.
• Standard abbreviations may be used without definition. Nonstandard abbreviations (kept to a minimum) must be placed in parentheses after the first use of the word or phrase abbreviated.
• Do not include references, credits or grant support.
• Do not include the names or personal information of any patient participating in the study or trial.
• Abstracts are limited to 1,950 characters (about 300-350 words). This includes the text plus any graphics, but not the title or authors. New this year, all figure graphics (figures) and text-based graphics (tables) should be provided as 72 dpi, pre-sized jpg images, with a maximum width of 450 pixels.  Only .jpg images should be submitted.  Black-and-white digital images should be in grayscale mode.  Color images should be saved in RGB color mode.  Addition of an image whether a figure or a table deducts 250 characters. Spaces do not count as characters.
• The format for the Circulation supplement allows graphics to be placed anywhere within the abstract. Do not add paragraph breaks within the body of the abstract.

Writing Good Abstracts

Below are a few suggestions that may improve the chances of your work being selected:

Title: To the extent the data permit, make the title dynamic and conclusive, rather than descriptive.  For example, “Hypoxia Inhibits Kv1.5 Channels in Rat Pulmonary Artery Smooth Muscle Cells” is preferable to “Effects of Hypoxia on Kv1.5 Channels.”

Structure: A good abstract should have the following identifiable sections: Introduction, Hypothesis, Methods, Results and Conclusions.

Category:  Be sure to select the correct abstract category.  While selecting a category is often an afterthought, this determines which team grades the abstract.  If you select the appropriate category, you’re more likely to be graded by peers with similar interests and who are familiar with you or your work.

Prizes and Awards: For students and junior investigators, check for possible Council Awards.  For Scientific Sessions, submit a separate application to the sponsoring council of a Young Investigator or Student Travel Award.

Common Mistakes

1. Failure to state the hypothesis.  We advise a formal statement such as, “We assessed the hypothesis that…”
2. Failure to state a conclusion.  We encourage a final sentence that says: “In conclusion, …”
3. Failure to state sample size.  The reviewers want to assess the quality of the data – they need a mean SEM and a sample size.
4. Excessive use of abbreviations.  All but the most standard abbreviations should be defined and most abstracts should have < 3 abbreviations.

Traps to Avoid

1. Typographical errors are extremely irritating to most reviewers.
2. Don’t cite references in the abstract.
3. Provide some context/statement of relevance that provides the rationale for your study.
4. Don’t use complex graphics.  Simple line or bar graphs work best.  Make sure the font is adequate on each axis to be seen.  Check a printed version of the abstract before submitting.
5. Don’t leave abstract writing until the 11^th hour – this increases stress and leads to errors.
6. Work that is duplicative is not well received.

How to Avoid Rejection: Show your abstract to a colleague prior to submission – incorporate their suggestions. 

Additional Information

Presentation

• Guidelines for abstract presentation will be provided to the presenting author of accepted abstracts in mid-August.
• All oral presentations must be in electronic format. Submit electronic presentations to the American Heart Association six hours in advance of the session start time. Instructions for presentation upload will be provided upon acceptance.
• No person may record any portion of the AHA Scientific Sessions, Scientific Conferences and ASA Stroke Conference, whether by video, still or digital photography; audio; or any other recording or reproduction mechanism. This includes recording of presentations and supporting A/V materials and of poster presentations and supporting poster materials.  
• Additionally, science information shared by investigators at the time of a meeting is confidential and often unpublished data.  Taking photos of or recording the content of meeting room slides is also prohibited, and is considered intellectual piracy and unethical.  Attendees who ignore this policy will be asked to leave the educational session and are at risk of losing their badge credentials. The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association reserve the rights to all recordings or reproductions of presentations at AHA/ASA scientific conferences and meetings.
• The AHA reserves the right to all video or audio recordings of presentations at the 2010 Scientific Sessions.

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