CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

• 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 all presentation types. If the work or project is not yet complete, the abstract may only be submitted as a poster presentation, PechaKucha presentation, or rapid presentation round.
• If successfully reviewed, final abstract acceptance will be conditional upon the presenting author having a paid registration for the event. 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 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.
• Abstract content, presentation slides, and author information will be uploaded to the Sigma Repository after the event if permission to share was granted by the author.
• Sigma is committed to worldwide collaboration. Please include global implications as relevant to your work.

• All abstract contents can only be submitted in English.
• Sigma will not accept, or review abstracts written with artificial intelligence agents (e.g., ChatGPT, OpenAI) for the development of the creative or scientific components of the abstract at this time.
• Abstract summary and abstract text have a maximum total length of 3,000 characters. 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 the Reference field.
• The use of a word processing program, rather than the submission form, is recommended for composing the abstract. Please check spelling, character 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, content, 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 26 November 2024.
• An email with your abstract ID and abstract title will be emailed to you after your abstract is submitted to the system. The email will include the submitter’s User ID. Please keep this email for reference.
• An individual may submit more than one abstract; however, if successfully reviewed, only one oral, one PechaKucha, one Rapid Presentation Round, and one poster submission 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 presenting author only upon receipt of the complete submission.
• Email notification of abstract acceptance will be sent to the presenting author only by the end of January 2025.
• The invitation 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 invitation to present information by the designated deadline will disqualify the abstract from presentation.
• PowerPoint presentation 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 for a standard abstract submission includes the following:

Step 1: Title/Body

• Title (Maximum of 100 characters)
• Abstract Text (Maximum of 2500 characters)
• We suggest that abstracts be developed in a word processing program before accessing the online submission form. Use the spell check and character count features of your word processor to check the text of the abstract before submitting it.
• Sigma does not require specific headers for abstract text submissions. If using headings, please make them clearly discernable for the peer-reviewers by bolding or underlining the section header.
• Abstracts should include a purpose statement that is clear and aligns with other content of the abstract text.
• The abstract should be logical and provide substantial details supporting the overall abstract topic. The abstract should be fully developed and clearly articulate the implications for the nursing profession.
• Please remove all references to the title and author information in the abstract text before completing the submission.
• Authors should review the information submitted very carefully for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Edits to the abstract content cannot be made after the submission deadline.
• Abstract Summary (Maximum of 500 characters)
• The abstract summary should be a brief summary of the abstract text. This should not exceed more than 500 characters.
• This could be used for promotional materials such as marketing materials if the abstract is accepted. This should be short and compelling to describe what participants should expect by attending your presentation.
• References
  • Provide a minimum of one scholarly reference (e.g., science journal articles, nursing journal articles, books). A minimum of one scholarly reference is needed to complete this step; however, to obtain a high score in this grading category, abstracts should provide the appropriate number of scholarly references that are consistent with the presentation style rubric.
  • 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. It is recommended to copy and paste from a word processing program to maintain formatting.
  • Clearly identify each reference using a numerical approach.

Step 2: Properties

• Presentation Type
  Select correct corresponding information related to your work from the dropdown menu options.

  Type

  • Completed Work/Project
  • Ongoing Work/Project

  Sub-Type
  Sub-type options will be dependent on the type selected

  • Oral (only completed projects are eligible)
  • Poster
  • PechaKucha
  • Rapid Presentation Round
  • No Preference

• Subject Matter
  Select the best corresponding content for your work.

Subject Matter

• Clinical Practice
• Research
• Leadership
• Evidence-Based and Translational Science
• Education

Topic for submission
Select the best corresponding content for your work. The topics of submission will be dependent on the subject matter selected.

• Keywords
  Select the keywords that best describe your work from the dropdown menu. There are three keyword fields with only one being a required field to complete.
• Keyword 1
• Keyword 2
• Keyword 3
• What is the setting of your work?
  Select option that best correlates with your work from the dropdown menu.
• Does this submission align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
• Yes
• No
• If yes, which of the following SDGs does this submission correlate with? If No, please select N/A.
  All Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are listed. Select all that apply.
• If Yes, please indicate the number of individuals impacted. If No, please select N/A.
  Select radio button that correlates with the number of individuals this work impacted.
• Preferred Presentation Date
  If your abstract submission is accepted, please indicate your preferred presentation date(s). Select 'No Preference' if you have no schedule restrictions. We cannot guarantee that all requests will be accommodated.
• Please ensure the date(s) selected for this question correlate with presentation format preference question listed in this step.

Step 3: Authors

This is the step where all authors or contributors should be listed. You will be listed as the first author. Additional authors cannot be added after the submission deadline.

• If you wish to add additional authors, click the Add Author button.
  • The Search for Author to Add fields will display.
  • Enter search criteria in the any of the fields, and then click Search.
  • If an author is found in the system, the name will populate in the search results below.
    • To add an author from search results, click the Add link to the left of the author's name and the name will be added to the current author list.
    • If the author in the search results is not the person you are looking for, click the Create An Author button. Please be prepared with all author information before completing this step.
• If you chose the Create An Author button, follow these steps to create an author.
  • Note: Please ensure you have searched for an existing author account before creating a new author account.
  • The Create An Author screen displays. Complete the required fields: First/Given Name, and Last/Family Name.
  • Click Submit Created Author.
  • Before the account is created, you will be asked to verify the author information. If you find an error, click the Edit Information link in the left corner to make the necessary changes, or click Submit Created Author.
  • The new author is displayed.
  • Once the authors are added to your author list, you can add their affiliations by using the drop-down menu to select an affiliation that is already listed or click Create New Institution.
  • Then a pop-up window will display. Enter all of the required fields: Institution, City, State, and Country.
  • Click Submit Created Institution.
  • Note: All authors will need to log in to the system and complete their author profile including the required a relevant financial relationship disclosure form.
• The person submitting the abstract is always listed as the first author, but the order of authors can be changed by using the AUTHOR ORDER drop-down on the left side of the author list. Change the numbers in the drop-down lists as needed and click Update Author Order.
• All authors are required to answer if they are a Sigma member. A complete list of Sigma chapters is available at the top of this step.
• When finished with the Author screen, click Save & Continue.

Step 4: Disclosures

• This is the standard form that should be completed by the presenting author only. Please read the Participant Agreement Form in its entirety.
  • 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.
• Read the Participant Form in its entirety.
  • Once read, click the radio button to confirm that you agree.
  • The individual completing the abstract must enter their name and credentials in the associated box along with the date completed.
  • Click Save & Continue.

Step 5: Review & Submit

Review & Submit allows you to preview the information that was entered on each step of the submission process and a green check mark will display to the left of the step if it was completed successfully.

• This step is a confirmation of all the materials that were put into the system.
• If your submission has incomplete required steps, a red warning box will display to alert you of what steps are incomplete.

We recommend clicking the View Proof link to view the abstract proof in a new window.