ABSTRACT INFORMATION

• Note: Peer reviewers will be using a rubric to review your abstract submission. See the abstract rubric for more information.
• Completed work or projects may be submitted for oral podium presentation, poster, or PechaKucha presentations. If the work or project is not yet complete at the time of submission, the abstract may only be submitted as a poster or PechaKucha presentation.
• If successfully reviewed, final abstract acceptance will be conditional upon registration by the presenting author.*

*Please see the Sigma Presenter Acceptance Policy regarding accepted presenters who do not present. Accepted presenters who do not attend will be sent a follow-up letter explaining the policy for “no-shows.”

• Presenters assume all costs related to travel, accommodations, and other expenses related to their presentation.
• The primary presenting author should be listed first in the order of authors. All communications will be directed to the primary presenting author only.
• In addition to the abstract, a profile for each author (contact and biographical information) and disclosure form is required.

Please remember to include any and all members of your team or anyone who you may wish to give credit to for the work you are submitting. Once the abstract submission deadline has passed, you may not be able to add authors/presenters to the abstract.

• Abstracts, presentation slides, and author information will be uploaded to the Sigma Repository with the author's permission.
• Sigma is committed to worldwide collaboration. Please include global implications as relevant to your work.

• Abstracts and references should only be submitted in English.
• Abstracts should be between 300-500 words. The title, presenter information, and references should not be included in the body of the abstract. In-text citations, however, are appropriate. These citations will be included in the overall word count. Full references are required in a subsequent submission step.
• The use of a word processing program, rather than the submission form, is recommended for composing the abstract. Please check spelling, word count, and conformation to the guidelines prior to copying the abstract onto the submission form.
• All abstract and presentation materials must be in compliance with international copyright laws. 
• Abstract title, abstract, and presentation focus should be original (not previously published or presented). We recognize that a study, project, or work may yield multiple findings and subsequently several original publications or presentations. To be eligible to present, submissions must contain an original title, abstract text, and subsequent presentation content (i.e., different view, perspective, or focus).
• Submission Due Date:  Submit all abstracts no later than 11:59 p.m. (2359) Eastern Time on 22 November 2023.
• An email with submission ID # and a password will automatically be sent to the email included on the first page of the submission once the first page has been submitted. The link within this email can be used to access the submission at any time prior to the submission deadline. The ID # will be used for uploading the PowerPoint presentation if the abstract is accepted for presentation.
• An individual may submit more than one abstract; however, if successfully reviewed, only one of each type of presentation (i.e., oral podium,  poster, PechaKucha) will be accepted for presentation.
• Abstract submissions that are incomplete after the submission deadline will not be eligible for presentation and will no longer be accessible by the authors.
• Email confirmation of completed abstract submissions will be sent to the primary presenting author only upon receipt of the completed submission.
• Email notification of abstract acceptance will be sent to the presenting author only by the end of January 2024.
• The intent to present form is required to maintain the submission as part of the presentation schedule. Only the primary presenting author is required to complete this form.
• The authors’ failure to return the “intent to present” information by the designated deadline will disqualify the abstract from presentation.
• Presentations must be uploaded by the identified deadline. No audiovisual (A/V) capability will be available for any presentation that is not uploaded by the deadline.

A complete presentation submission includes the following:

Title Step

• Title (Maximum of 15 words)
• Submitter's Email Address
• Abstract Describes (Select “Completed Work/Project” or “Ongoing Work/Project”)
• Preferred Presentation Format
  This is the format in which the author prefers to present.
• Poster
• Oral (only eligible completed work)
• No Preference (only eligible completed work)
• PechaKucha
• Preferred Presentation Platform
  This is the presentation platform in which the author prefers to present.
• In-Person
• Virtual
• No Preference
• Preferred Presentation Category
  This submission is applicable to the following category:
• Clinical
• Academic
• Students
• Leaders
• Researchers
• Abstract Summary (Please provide a brief description of the educational activity. This will be for use in promotional materials, such as event brochures or marketing materials, if the abstract is accepted. This should be a short [minimum of 25 words, maximum of 50 words], compelling description of the abstract that describes what participants should expect by attending the session.)

Subject Matter Step

• The abstract pertains to:
• Academic
• Non-Academic Education/Professional Development
• Patients
• Patient Families
• Clinical
• Other
• Depending on the response to the subject matter question, additional questions will be asked to clarify the abstract content.

Abstract Text Step

• The abstract should be a minimum of 300 words and not more than 500 words.
• We suggest that abstracts be developed in a word processing program before accessing the online submission form. Use the spell check and word count features of your word processor to check the text of the abstract before submitting it. There is no need to shorten lines so that they fit inside the box; the text will wrap automatically to fit.
• Please remove all references to the title and author information in the abstract text field before completing the submission.
• Authors should review the information submitted very carefully for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. It will not be possible to change any information in the abstract once it is uploaded and posted to the Sigma Repository.

Bibliographic References Step

• Provide a minimum of one scholarly reference (e.g., science journal articles, books). Refer to the grading rubric for scoring, as it is ideal to have at least five references with one being the minimum requirement. References should be recent and/or appropriate for the abstract (references should be no older than five years, unless they are a seminal work).
• A clear, consistent format (i.e., APA, Harvard, MLA, etc.) with less than one error should be used. The abstract management system does not allow for formatting changes (italics, etc.) so it is recommended to copy and paste from a word processing program to maintain formatting. If no references are available or used, please list “N/A” in this field.

Author Step

This is the step where all authors or contributors should be listed. Additional authors cannot be added after the submission deadline.

• Search by email address of first author.
• If email address found, click the radial button next to the appropriate name and click "select" to choose or "select and edit" to choose and edit the information currently in the system.
• If email address is not found, input all author information as follows:
• Given and Middle Name or Initial (If using an initial include a period after the letter)
• Surname/Family Name
• Degrees and Credentials (List the highest completed degree per discipline. If you have more than one degree in a single discipline, list only the highest degree. If you are a student nurse and have not completed a degree at this time, please put “SN” in this field.)
• Education
• Diploma
• Associate's
• Baccalaureate
• Master's
• Doctorate
• I am not a nurse or midwife.
• Email Address (Should already be completed with the address input to search for author)
• Alternate Email Address (Not required, but helpful if there are any issues with receiving email on the first email address from a bulk mail server)
• Sigma Chapter (If you are a member, please select your primary chapter only. This list may not include new chapters that have recently chartered.)
• Author Summary (Provide professional expertise as a speaker introduction. This would be read aloud prior to the session or printed in brochures or marketing materials and should be written in third person. This should include what you would want your audience to know about you that relates to the educational content you are about to provide. Your summary should be short [minimum of 25 words, maximum of 75 words] and specific to your professional background.)
• Institution/Organization Name
• Position Title
• Department/Group
• Address (two lines available)
• City
• State/Province
• ZIP/Postal Code
• Country
• Phone Number
• If additional authors are needed, click the "Add New Person" button under the table where name is shown and repeat the above steps.

Participant Agreement Step

• This is the standard form that should be completed by the primary presenting author only.
• Based on past questions staff have received, the statement regarding original work is applicable only if the title and abstract being submitted are different from what has been previously published or presented.

Disclosure Step

• Each author must complete a relevant financial relationship disclosure form.
• A link to complete the form will be sent to each additional author when added as a contributing author to the email address provided to the system.
• Do you have a relevant financial relationship or perceived relevant financial relationship based on information provided on the screen? Respond yes or no. If response is yes, a table appears for completion to explain the relationship.
• All disclosures must be completed to be considered a complete submission.
• Click “Save and Continue” to complete the submission.

Confirmation Step

• This step is a confirmation of all the materials that were put into the system.
• Nothing is required on this page, but it may be printed for authors’ records.