Information for Authors

The Community of Science (COS) website will be managing our abstract submissions this year. The COS site will be available for submissions beginning Monday, August 25, 2008. To facilitate reviews and scheduling, all abstracts will be submitted via the website. Click here for detailed submission instructions and click here for the link to the COS website. Special arrangements may be worked out through the SPR administrative office for those unable to access the Internet.

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Deadline for Submission

The online abstract submission site is now open. Submission deadline is October 20, 2008.
Presenting Author Acceptance notifications will be e-mailed in mid-February 2009.
Presenting Author Schedule notifications will be e-mailed late-March 2009.
The complete schedule will be available April 2009.

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Author Instructions

Please note that abstract text cannot exceed approximately 400 words, or 2800 characters including spaces.

Abstracts to SPR should focus on the theme of the SPR Annual Meeting and the mission of SPR and may consist of reports of empirical findings, discussions of theoretical, conceptual or methodological issues, and presentations of innovative work in the field of prevention science. Research conducted at all phases of the prevention research cycle are welcomed, including studies of epidemiology, etiology, preventive intervention trials, demonstration projects, policy research, natural experiments, program evaluations, clinical trials, prevention-related basic research, pre-intervention studies, efficacy and effectiveness trials, population trials, and studies of the diffusion/dissemination of science-based prevention.

Researchers, practitioners, and advocates within all content areas of public health, education, human services, criminal justice, and medical science that focus on preventive behavioral interventions, prophylactics, or health policy strategies are welcome to submit on relevant topics, including, but not limited to health promotion, maternal health, infant and child health, mental health/mental disorders, family conflict, substance abuse and addiction (alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs), suicide, violence, delinquency, crime, academic failure, dropping-out of school, cardiovascular disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease, unintended pregnancy, unemployment, occupation safety, auto accidents, unintended injury, poverty, welfare, and managed care.

Further, SPR strongly encourages submissions by early career prevention scientists, including graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and researchers who have recently begun to work independently.

One of SPR’s missions is to facilitate the development of more junior prevention scientists. We encourage senior researchers to collaborate with early career researchers and submit linked abstracts for presentations on specific themes or individual projects. These need not be limited to organized paper or poster forum presentations.

Given the limited time and rooms for oral presentations, we are especially interested in organized paper symposia and poster forums that include authors from a variety of research groups and from more than one project. The Program Committee also encourages organized paper symposia and poster forums consisting of several authors from single research studies, such as multi-site and/or longitudinal studies.

We are continuing to accept submissions for organized poster symposia which was a new format introduced at the 2004 annual meeting. The organized poster forum combines the individual interactions of a poster presentation and the extended group discussion opportunities of an organized symposium.

We encourage authors to consider submitting an individual poster presentation. We seek broad participation in the conference, and many individual poster presentations can be accommodated. We will again combine the two evening poster sessions with receptions to enhance camaraderie.

Please note that all submissions must be in English as all presentations will be in English.

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Abstract Types

Individual Paper Presentation
Abstracts of individual research papers may be submitted for a 15-minute oral presentation. A maximum of three individual papers will be grouped together based on a theme within a 90-minute concurrent session. A volunteer chair will facilitate an extended period of open discussion following the three oral paper presentations.

Individual Poster Presentation
Poster displays allow presenters to discuss their research with interested colleagues during a two-hour block of time. The poster sessions will be held in the early evening along with a reception, and will not compete with any other sessions.

Organized Paper Symposium
An organized paper symposium provides for multiple oral research presentations to be made on a single theme involving a brief introduction by the chair, 3 (maximum) presenters, with one discussant (encouraged, though optional) and open discussion from the floor. Presenters have 15 minutes to present the core content and the discussant has 15 minutes to comment upon the presentations with 30 minutes reserved for interactive discussion, facilitated by the chair, between the presenters and the session audience. An abstract should be submitted that describes the overall symposium, and separate abstracts should be submitted for each proposed presentation (that is, 4 abstracts should be submitted for a symposium with 3 presenters).

Organized Poster Forum
An organized poster forum provides for multiple, 4-8 (maximum), poster research presentations to be made on a single theme. Posters will be displayed for a 45-minute period allowing time for presenters to individually discuss their research with the session audience as they move through the posters. 15 minutes is allocated for comments from a discussant (encouraged, though optional) and 30 to 45 minutes (if no discussant) of general discussion, moderated by the chair, between the presenters and the session audience.

Roundtable Discussion/Scientific Dialogue
A roundtable discussion/scientific dialogue (RD/SD) does not present research findings, but rather addresses an area or issue of fundamental importance to the field, in a format that encourages a lively exchange of different points of views. Examples include training and funding opportunities in prevention, priorities in prevention, and advocacy for the use of scientific approaches to prevention. The RD/SD chair and the panel of 3-6 discussants often include members/people outside the research community. The 90-minute RD/SD should include a brief introduction clearly outlining the issues presented by the chair followed by each of the discussants elaborating on their different viewpoints and perspectives on the issue. Then the chair facilitates extended open discussion with the session audience and the discussants. The RD/SD abstract submission should include only one abstract (unlike an organized symposium), which should include the names of the chair and the discussants, an outline of the issue and varying viewpoints and indicate which discussant will be elaborating on each viewpoint.

Technology Demonstration
Abstracts are encouraged that describe prevention-related technology and science-based prevention program materials. A technology demonstration session will be presented during the conference for "hands-on" presentations of technology, such as statistical analysis programs, data collection instruments and techniques, literature search techniques, or science-based prevention curricula. The technology demonstration session will be held in the early evening along with a reception concurrently with the poster sessions.

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Author Roles

All persons associated with an abstract submission shall be included in the abstract author information. Please select author roles carefully. To maximize participation in oral presentations a limit on a Presenting Author’s abstract submissions has been instituted. Oral presentations are limited to TWO per person, therefore when inviting your presenters for an organized symposium, confirm that they have not already committed to more than one other organized symposium presentation, an individual oral presentation, or a poster forum presentation. Chairing a symposium or being a discussant does not count as an oral presentation.

Entered By – This individual is responsible for accurate entering of all abstract information and may or may not be an author or presenter. There is a minimum and maximum of one “Entered By.”

Primary Author – This individual is the primary author of the abstract and/or research paper. The primary author may or may not be a presenting author and may or may not attend the meeting. There is a minimum and maximum of one “Primary Author.”

Presenting Author – This individual is the presenter for oral (both individual papers or within an organized symposium) and poster presentations and technology demonstrations. This individual must attend the meeting. There is a minimum and maximum of one “Presenting Author.” A presenting author is limited to TWO oral presentations in the meeting.

Co-Author – This individual(s) is a co-author on the abstract and/or research paper. Co-authors may or may not attend the meeting. There is no minimum or maximum requirement for “Co-Authors.”

Chair – This individual organizes the symposium, roundtable/scientific discussion or poster forum. The chair is responsible for coordinating the presenters’ abstracts, selecting the theme for the submission and that the presenters and discussant attend the meeting. The Chair acts as moderator to ensure presenters keep to the 15-minute time limit and to facilitate the open discussion segment of the session. The Chair must attend the meeting. There is a minimum and maximum of one Chair for an organized symposium, roundtable/scientific dialogue and poster forum.

Discussant – This is an optional role in organized symposia and a role in roundtable discussions/scientific dialogues. Discussants are not expected to give presentations. In an organized symposium a discussant’s role/goal is to identify common themes among the presentations, clarify the “big-picture,” and integrate the research presentations. In a roundtable/scientific discussion a discussant’s role is to elaborate on varying perspectives within the specified area or issue. Discussants are not limited to the number of organized symposia or roundtable/scientific dialogues in which they participate.

Note to all Presenting Authors, Chairs and Discussants – If your abstract(s) and session(s) are accepted you are required to register for the meeting.

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Basic COS Abstract Submission Rules

The direct URL for the Society for Prevention (SPR) COS abstract submission site is http://ams.cos.com/cgi-bin/login?groupId=32607&meetingId=300 or you can click here to go to the COS Log in Page. Note: you must activate cookies to use the COS site. When you are on the COS site each abstract submission step has its own set of instructions displayed.

It is important to note that throughout the abstract submission process you MUST press the "Acknowledge and Continue" button at the bottom of the page.

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Step by Step Abstract Submission Guidelines

The direct URL is http://ams.cos.com/cgi-bin/login?groupId=32607&meetingId=300 OR click here to link to the COS Log In Page.

Enter your COS username and password.
New to the COS System? Click on the link “Create a New Account”

o Another screen will appear, asking you for some information.
o COS will then email you your username and password.

After you log in, you will be taken to the Electronic Submission page.

Click Create/Edit an Abstract to begin the submission process or to edit an abstract that you’ve already started.

The next page, Status of Current Documents page, lists all the abstracts associated with your name. This page will be blank (you will not see any abstracts associated with your name) when you log in for the first time unless someone else has entered an abstract with you as one of the authors.

You can “Create a New Abstract” or “Edit” an existing abstract.

The status (draft, submitted, accepted, rejected) of all your abstracts (if you have already started some) is listed in the table as well.

Step 1: Identify the type of abstract you are submitting. You must select one type of submission, and you cannot change the submission from one type to another once you have made that choice. i.e., you cannot change a submission from a poster to a paper once you have begun.

From here you are taken to the actual submission process. The submission steps are listed on the left-hand side of the screen, and they will automatically be checked off as you complete each step of the submission process. You can go to any step by clicking on it.

Step 2: Author Identification:

Identify authors for each submission.

The screen will allow you to see up to three authors at one time, although you may have to scroll down the screen to see all the information on each author.
You should identify which person listed may edit the submission, and you should identify each person as one of the following:
• Entered By (the person doing the actual submission)
• Primary Author
• Presenting Author
• Co-author
• Chair (organized paper and poster forums and roundtable discussion/scientific dialogue)
• Discussant (organized paper and poster forums and roundtable discussion/scientific dialogue. Each added person must be identified as one of these author types.

To identify additional authors, you may select to:
• Find New Author to Add from the SPR/COS Database (information will be entered for you). USE THIS SELECTION TO AVOID ENTERING DUPLICATE RECORDS WITH A MINOR NAME VARIANT FOR AN AUTHOR ALREADY IN THE DATABASE.
• Add New Author Without Searching (you need to enter author information)
• Add New Author Without Searching using Address Information from an already identified Author – this option will allow you to automatically fill the affiliation information using one of the already entered author information.
• Note that additional authors will appear in new columns that appear towards the bottom of the page. After you have clicked to add a new author, scroll down if you cannot see the new author information.

When you are finished adding authors, click on “Save and Close.”

Step 3: Title and Abstract Text: We strongly urge you to compose your abstract submission electronically before you begin this process, so you may cut and paste text into the appropriate fields. However, please be aware of the following:
• TEXT CANNOT EXCEED APPROXIMATELY 400 WORDS, OR 2800 CHARACTERS INCLUDING SPACES.
• Special characters, including mathematical operators such as FIND THESE=, = and ˜, will not be transmitted over the Internet. After you have placed text in the appropriate fields, use the “Special Character” key above the title field to insert special characters. These will be inserted wherever your cursor was on the screen before you selected your special character. You may cut and paste these to anywhere in the text. Be sure to move the following semi-colon as well.
• You can view your abstract in the format it will appear in the SPR annual meeting printed program by clicking on the "View Program Format" button, right next to the Title field.

Step 4 Abstract Theme: You must select an abstract theme. Only one theme per abstract submission.

Step 5 Key Words: Select as appropriate.

Step 6 AudioVisual Equipment Requests
.
Step 7 Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement (required). Please complete as appropriate for each author.

Step 8 Proofread: You must proofread your submission

Step 9 (optional): Co-author Editing: You may choose to have co-author(s) edit the abstract, to the extent you identified who have the right to do so. Provide co-authors with the tracking ID number to facilitate access.

Step 10 Submit: After proofreading, and editing if necessary, please hit the submit button. Your submission will remain in “draft” status until you, as the entering author, click the “Submit” button. The deadline for submitting is Monday, October 20, 2008, at 11:59 PM ET.

How to Enter and Save Data

Open "Submit an Abstract" section on the left by pressing the section title which will change it to bold red text.
• Enter data and press the "Save" or "Save and Continue" button at the bottom which will save the data for that section
• Open the next section
• The abstract will be marked "Draft" if you exit before completing the process
Press the "Submit" button in the last section if a check mark exists in every section which will change the status of the abstract from "Draft" to "Submitted for Review"
• All abstracts on which you are an author will be listed and marked either "Draft" or "Submitted for Review" if you login at a later time
• All abstracts in "Draft" may be edited at any time through 11:59 PM (ET), October 20, 2008.
• After October 20, 2008, you may review your abstracts but not edit them
• After October 20, 2008, abstracts marked "Draft" will not be considered for inclusion in the program

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Questions

Please don’t hesitate to contact the administrative office with submission questions. Jennifer Lewis will gladly walk you through any of the submission steps. In particular you may benefit from a few minutes of explanation as to how to start the organized symposia submission process.
Society for Prevention Research
11240 Waples Mill Road Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030
Tel: (703)–934-4850
Fax: (703)–359-7562
Email: info@preventionresearch.org
Website: www.preventionresearch.org

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