AAPA's 17th Annual
Clinical and Professional Poster
Session Guidelines
The American Academy of Physician Assistants is committed to presenting
high quality posters that reflect the diversity of interests and talents
of the physician assistant community. To continue to achieve this goal,
we ask each participant to pay close attention to these guidelines.
The primary reason abstracts are rejected is because they do not adhere
to all the guidelines. Please read all the guidelines before
submitting your abstract.
Abstracts are categorized as original research, case studies or clinical
reports, and posters which have been previously presented at other medical
or scientific conferences. Posters are presented in three different
galleries: a Student Gallery for PA student research, a Clinical and
Professional Gallery for clinical and PA-related research, and an Education
Gallery for educational research.
Literature reviews are not acceptable for poster presentation.
Pharmaceutical or medical device trials sponsored by the manufacturer
are generally discouraged unless the PA author has been an integral
part of the research. Results of such trials without integral PA participation
should be presented in the scientific poster area of the Exhibit Hall.
For more information on presenting in the Exhibit Hall go to www.aapa.org/annual-conf
or contact Patricia Swift at 703/836-2272 ext 3405, pswift@aapa.org.
Multiple submissions of similar abstracts from the same investigator
are strongly discouraged.
General Requirements
All abstracts must be submitted by a PA or PA student who
is an active fellow or student member of the AAPA, and can claim authorship
in the project. Authorship is defined as substantial participation,
which includes involvement in the conception and design, or analysis
and interpretation of data; drafting the article or revising it critically
for important intellectual content; and final approval of the version
to be published. Authorship is not acceptable if the author only provides
encouragement, physical facilities, financial support, critiques, or
editorial contributions.
An individual may be the submitting author on up to two abstracts,
but cannot be included as an author on more than three.
Presenters must pay the registration fee
for attendance at the annual conference. Authors of posters selected
for presentation are reminded to pre-register by April 18, 2008. For
more information on registration, contact the American Academy of Physician
Assistants at 703/836-2272 or visit our Web site, www.aapa.org/annual-conf.
Expenses associated with the submission, preparation, and presentation
of posters are the responsibility of the presenter.
Individuals or companies who are interested in presenting scientific
information but did not have substantial participation by a physician
assistant are encouraged to either present their information at the
scientific poster session in the annual conference Exhibit Hall or submit
a presentation proposal. For more information on the scientific poster
session and the application to present visit our Web site, www.aapa.org/annual-conf.
Abstract General Information
All author(s) must read the Disclosure Policy and Declaration Statements.
Abstract submitters must disclose any known or potential conflicts of
interest. Any source of funding must be disclosed at the time of on-line
submission.
Physician assistants, PA faculty, and PA students are encouraged to
submit abstracts describing original research.
Authors must submit abstracts electronically through AAPA's Web site
no later than Friday, January 11, 2008, 11:59
p.m. EST.
Selection for participation in the poster session will be based on
quality of research, clarity of the abstract and adherence to the guidelines.
Accepted abstracts will be published in the annual conference's Final
Program and on the AAPA Web site.
Abstract Submission and
Formatting Guidelines
Authors must submit abstracts electronically through our on-line submission
process. Go to AAPA's Web site at www.aapa.org/annual-conf,
select Posters from the pull-down menu. If you have a question or technical
problem contact Cheryl Holmes, Assistant Director, Professional Education
and Alliance Development at cholmes@aapa.org;
or 703/836-2272, ext. 3419.
All abstracts must be received on-line by Friday, January 11,
2008, 11:59 p.m. EST. Abstracts received after this deadline
will not be accepted. After completely filling out the on-line submission
form, attach the abstract by one of the following methods:
- Type the abstract into the space provided.
- Copy and paste the abstract from a word processing program.
- Attach a Word document to the form.
The abstract text should not exceed 500 words (not including
the title and author information).
Titles should be brief and clearly indicate the content of the abstract.
Capitalize the first letter of each word, except prepositions. No abbreviations
should be used in the title.
Only abstracts for papers that have not been published in a peer-reviewed
journal may be submitted; however, research presented within the past
year at another organization's poster session is allowed in the previously
presented category.
Only standard abbreviations will be accepted. Special or unusual abbreviations
should be placed in parentheses after the full word appears the first
time. Arabic numerals should be used to indicate numbers, except when
used in the beginning of a paragraph. Non-proprietary (generic) names
of drugs should be used.
Do not include tables, graphs, algorithms, pictures or references in
the abstract. Abstracts that include tables, graphs, algorithms, pictures,
or references will not be accepted.
Accepted abstracts will be printed as submitted. Changes to abstracts
will not be accepted after on-line submission. Abstracts should
be edited and carefully reviewed prior to submission. A common reason
abstracts are not accepted is significant typographical or grammatical
errors.
Only the submitting author of the abstract will receive all correspondence
by e-mail from the AAPA national office.
Clinical and Professional
Gallery Guidelines
Clinical abstract
presentations are divided into the following categories:
- Original Research - report of study findings or other research
project that has not been previously presented or published.
- Clinical Report/Case Studies - clinical case reports or clinical
vignettes highlighting unusual cases or innovative approaches to clinical
problems/techniques.
- Previously Presented - abstracts that have been presented
at another national or international medical meeting, scientific session,
etc.
Clinical abstracts should be informative and include the following
sections:
- Purpose: a brief statement explaining why the abstract was
done, preferably limited to one sentence
- Methods: materials, methods, and any analytical procedures
used, preferably limited to two sentences
- Results: need to be presented in sufficient detail to support
the conclusions
- It is inadequate to state: "The results will be discussed"
or "The data will be presented."
- Conclusions: the authors' opinion about the meaning of the
study
With the exception of the abstracts submitted in the Student Research
Gallery, all abstracts submitted without final conclusions or results
will be disqualified.
Education Gallery Guidelines
These guidelines should
be followed in addition to those listed under Abstract Submission and
Formatting Guidelines.
Educational abstract
presentations are divided into the following categories:
- Educational research - original research done in PA education
including results from a grant funded project.
- Curricular innovation - a descriptive poster about a new
teaching method, learning opportunity or other innovative educational
modality introduced into the clinical or didactic phase of a PA program
- Previously presented - abstracts that have been presented
at PAEA's Education Forum or other health professions education venue
Educational abstracts should clearly and completely describe the project.
The format of the abstract should include a general description of the
objective(s), rationale, methodology, evaluation, results and conclusions.
It is desirable to highlight objectives that are uniquely innovative,
have impact on special populations, or have value to other PA educators.
It is most important to discuss measurable outcomes and data that supports
them. Abstracts that highlight community-campus linkages especially
those that improve the health of underserved and diverse populations
are particularly valued.
Project directors of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded
PA programs are strongly encouraged to submit abstracts. HRSA will not
be sponsoring travel stipends for the 2008 poster session; however,
AAPA recognizes the value of training grants in generating innovative
techniques for PA education and strongly encourages their participation.
Educational research abstracts will be peer-reviewed by PA educators
and PAs familiar with PA education.
PA education abstracts will be evaluated based on their overall quality,
the level of innovation, inclusion of measurable outcomes, and value
to other PA educators.
Posters that were previously presented at a PAEA Education Forum can
be submitted for the AAPA poster session. Authors should follow AAPA's
submission guidelines.
Student Research Gallery
Guidelines
These guidelines should be followed in addition to those listed under
Abstract Submission and Formatting Guidelines.
Students may submit abstracts for consideration in the Student Research
Gallery to include original research, clinical reports/case studies,
and previously presented posters.
All student submissions must meet the following criteria:
- Abstract submissions must be original work by PA student author(s),
originating from research projects and/or assignments in physician
assistant education courses.
- A faculty member must serve as one of the co-authors.
- The primary and submitting authors with the exception of the faculty
co-author must be students at the time of abstract submission.
- Original research projects should be completed at the time of abstract
submission; however, well-designed research studies will be considered
without the completion of the Results or Conclusions sections. In
this case, the selection will be based on the quality of the study
design and the question(s) being asked. If available, the anticipated
results and outcomes should be adequately addressed in the abstract.
- Clinical reports/case studies highlighting unusual cases or innovative
approaches to clinical problems/techniques and previously presented
posters may be submitted for the Student Gallery. The information
must originate from research projects or assignments in physician
assistant education courses.
- Literature reviews will not be accepted.
Abstracts should be informative and include the following sections
in the abstract:
- Purpose: a brief statement explaining why the abstract was
done
- Methods: materials, methods, and any analytical procedures
used
- Results: should be presented in sufficient detail to support
the conclusions
- If results are not yet available, then anticipated results
should be included.
- Conclusions: the authors' opinion about the meaning of the
study even if results are not yet available.
A note on timing: It is very difficult for reviewers to judge
the merits of a research project that has no results or conclusions,
therefore it is not uncommon for these abstracts to be rejected. If
your abstract is rejected or you feel you will not have adequate results
in time for the conference we urge you to consider resubmitting next
year for the Clinical and Professional Gallery.
As an added enticement, AAPA's Clinical and Scientific Affairs Council
will award up to three $500 travel stipends to the outstanding student
abstracts. The stipend has been named in honor of the late Karen Brich,
a Chatham College faculty member who mentored dozens of PA students
and encouraged them to present posters at the annual conference.
Abstract Acknowledgement
After you have successfully completed the submission application, you
will receive an e-mail notification confirming receipt of your abstract.
If you have not received confirmation within 24 hours, please contact
Cheryl Holmes at cholmes@aapa.org.
Poster Guidelines
The typical poster surface provided by convention centers is approximately
4 feet high and 8 feet wide. A neutral color fabric is surrounded by
the metal frame. We will provide push pins or hook-and-loop tape for
mounting.
A sample layout has been provided below. The poster should have the
title placed at the top with the authors' names and affiliations (optional)
beneath it. We recommend lettering of at least 1.5 inches high for easy
readability. The title should match that submitted with the abstract.
The poster should also include a copy of the abstract, and expanded
sections of the purpose, methods, results and conclusions as appropriate
to the type of abstract. Use large enough fonts for subtitles and text
so that the poster can be read from approximately 2-3 feet away. Avoid
the use of script fonts that are difficult to read.
A popular technique is to produce a single sheet poster using PowerPoint.
When creating a single sheet, the dimensions of the poster should be
less than 4 feet by 8 feet to account for the 2-inch metal frame surrounding
the poster surface and variations in its size.
All illustrations (graphs, pictures, figures, tables) should be large
enough for easy observation. Matte finish on graphs or pictures gives
better visibility due to reduction of glare. All figures and tables
should have brief captions.
Authors are responsible for the transportation of their presentations.
Roll poster materials in a large mailing tube or place in a large portfolio
for travel to the meeting. Do not mail posters to the conference headquarters.
See the Frequently
Asked Questions on the Poster Session Web page for more information
and resources on designing and presenting posters.
Sample Poster Presentation Layout
Abstract and Poster Timeline
- January 11: Abstracts deadline; all abstracts must
be received by 11:59 p.m., EST
- January 18: Abstracts distributed to reviewers
- February 8: Abstract reviews completed
- February 22: E-mail of notification sent to submitting authors
- March 7: Deadline for authors to confirm participation
- April 18: Pre-registration deadline for the annual conference
- May 25: Poster set-up begins
- May 27: Presenters at posters (From Noon to 1:00
p.m.)
- May 28: Final poster removal
Notification
Decisions regarding acceptance will be made by late February 2008.
The submitting author will be notified by e-mail of the final results.
Authors of accepted abstracts are required to make their own travel
arrangements to present and discuss their research at the annual conference.
Reminder: Presenting authors must register for the
conference by April 18, 2008 in order to benefit from the pre-registration
rate. Nonmembers will have to pay the nonmember rate.
Attendance Policy
Authors of accepted posters are required to be present at their posters
for discussion at the specified time during the annual conference. Authors
are also encouraged to attend and participate in the other annual conference
activities. If your poster includes more than one author, at least one
of the presenters at the annual conference must be a PA or PA student
and a current member of AAPA.
Blue Ribbons
In 2007, the Clinical and Scientific Affairs Council awarded "blue
ribbons" to posters for the first time in the sessions 16 year
history. Because of popular demand CSAC has decided to bring the "blue
ribbons" back again in 2008. One blue ribbon will be award for
the best poster in each gallery, and a "best in show" will
be awarded to the poster CSAC deems to be the best overall poster in
the session. Poster judging will be based on the poster's visual quality
and professionalism, originality and innovativeness, and the clarity
of research.
Continuing Medical Education
Eligibility
Clinical and professional research is eligible for Category II (Elective)
CME toward NCCPA certificate maintenance. Category II (Elective) CME
is earned on an hour-per-hour basis.
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