Instructions on submitting an ACSM abstract:

The first (and presenting) author will do the upload (so you have to upload your own posters; no one else will do it for you).

Whenever abstract submission season is in bloom, the Pacific Paper Mill will have an easily locatable link to the submission site.

Step 1: You have to create an account. This takes about two minutes. You just plug in your name, contact information, and password. Then you're taken to a screen where you can select "New Submission" for either Scientific Abstract or Clinical Case. Click "New Submission" for Scientific Abstract (ignore the clinical case thing).

That will take you to a screen where you have to read and click the "I agree" boxes. You don't actually have to read them, but you do have to click all of them. The important ones say: 1) You can't back out of presenting unless a coauthor takes your place (otherwise ACSM potentially blackballs you from future conferences). And 2) you'll receive your notification of whether the abstract was accepted in a few months.

Some important instructions:

1. Plan on spending an hour doing your upload. When uploading your poster, really take your time. Don't just copy, paste, and hit okay. There will definitely be errors and you'll definitely be rejected. If it only takes you ten minutes, you've done something wrong. So go slowly and make sure everything is perfect. One technical error (e.g., Microsoft Word's formatting getting copied/pasted in and the website's HTML not recognizing some character, like a slanted apostrophe) could be problematic. So, again, take your time and make sure everything is perfect.

2. When you assign product categories to it, assign the most appropriate categories. Actually look through them and select the one that best characterizes your work. (If you're working with hospital data, take a look at 501, 502, and 1200.)

3. When it asks if you want your email printed in the author block, I'd say Yes, but it doesn't really matter.

4. When it asks if an ACSM Fellow is sponsoring your abstract, say no.

5. Make sure you click on the conflicts/disclosure box. You have no conflicts to disclose. (If you do have a conflict to disclose, I can't wait to hear what it is.)

6. Coauthors. Make absolutely sure you get this right. Do not mess up a middle initial; do not mess up the institutional information; do not mess up the order.

7. You do not plan to "disclose the off-label product use to participants during your presentation."

8. When uploading the body of your abstract, do not just copy in from Word. It'll never work. Make a new Word doc that just has the body, formatted perfectly, and upload that. Don't just copy and paste it in.

9. When choosing presentation preference, I click "Poster" for mine. I hate doing slideshows. One must be sober and must not be hungover. If you want to do a slideshow for whatever reason (you want to speak in front of a room of strangers), then click "Indifferent" (don't click on "Slide Preferred"). I'd recommend clicking on "Poster Preferred."

10. Area of interest. If you're working with hospital data, it's probably "Medicine."

11. Submit early. Do not wait until the deadline. The site can get slow and glitchy.

12. Submitting costs $35. This isn't refundable. It's like buying a $35 lottery ticket. You want to be pretty sure you're going to win.

13. Don't write me an email asking questions that are answered above. I specifically wrote these instructions to avoid that exact experience.


-Courtney, October 29, 2016