Suggestions for writing an abstract:
1. Have a clear title; if possible, the title should indicate the major finding.
2. Include a maximum of 2 sentences of background information (you may choose to have none); the objective should be at or near the start of the abstract.
3. To save space, wherever possible, indicate what you found, and allow the reader to infer your experimental approach.
4. To maximize the value of the abstract, include specific information (e.g. means and P values).
5. The abstract should end with a clear statement of the main finding(s).
6. Define all abbreviations (and don’t use excessive numbers of abbreviations).
Find yourself procrastinating from writing abstracts? and daydreaming about cars? for a wide range of used cars try CarSite!
Submission guidelines:
Abstracts must be in English and prepared strictly according to the submission guidelines. There is no limit on the number of abstracts submitted by a person as co-author (non-presenting author), but you can be presenting author for only one Abstract. The presenting author must register for the Congress by April 2, 2012, otherwise the abstract will be removed from the proceedings.
Space limitations allow a maximum of 3250 keystrokes (begin count at the title and end count with the last word, including characters, spaces, and punctuation). Coding for special characters is not included in the total keystroke count. If you must use boldface, italic, or sub-/superscript type anywhere in the abstract, consult the Text Attributes Coding information on the Submission Site. This special coding is not counted in the 3250 allowed keystrokes. Special characters such as Greek letters and math symbols are available on the electronic submission form. If your abstract includes a table, the keystroke limit will be 2750 for the abstract and 500 for the table. The printed abstract width allows only 70 keystrokes per line, including spaces. Figures and Graphs are not allowed.
You must also include coding for text attributes in the table. This includes italicization, superscripting, and subscripting of numbers and letters in the table and footnotes.
By submitting an abstract using this website the author confirms that:
1. The submitted abstract has never been published and is the work of the named authors, who all agree to be listed as co-authors
2. The presenting author will provide an expanded report of the data in poster form at the annual conference.
Example abstract
Preliminary assessment of reproductive technologies in Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae): implications for preserving genetic diversity
Jacob Thundathil1, Douglas Whiteside2, Brian Shea3, Darren Ludbrook4, Brett Elkin1,5, John Nishi6
1Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1; 2Calgary Zoo Animal Health Centre, Calgary, AB, Canada; 3Alta Embryo Group, Calgary, AB, Canada; 4Bear Creek Animal Clinic, Grande Prairie, AB, Canada; 5Wildlife Division, Government of Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, NT, Canada; 6Government of Northwest Territories, Environment & Natural Resources, Fort Smith, NT, Canada.
High prevalence of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis in free-ranging wood bison in the Canadian north poses a threat to nearby healthy bison populations, commercial bison and cattle ranches, and potentially to humans. There is a considerable impetus to salvage the genetics of infected bison and maintain a disease-free herd. In that regard, there is a great need to develop appropriate reproductive technologies. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a protocol to produce wood bison embryos (based on protocols used for cattle). Cumulus oocyte complexes (COC) aspirated from ovaries recovered after slaughter were matured in vitro, and fertilized with either frozen-thawed semen or chilled epididymal spermatozoa. Although both sources of spermatozoa resulted in acceptable rates of fertilization (64.4%, n = 45; 89.2%, n = 28, respectively) and cleavage (75.0%, n = 40; 92.5%, n = 40), production of morulae (7.5%, n = 40; 25.0%, n = 40) and blastocysts (7.5%, n = 40; 10.0%, n = 40) was low. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding the in vitro production of bison embryos for genetic recovery of diseased wood bison. These techniques have substantial potential for conserving and managing the genetic diversity of wild bison, and may also have important management implications for genetic salvage of diseased bison populations in North America.