Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I submit both a symposium talk and an individual abstract as the first author?

We discourage two submissions from the same first author within and across both individual and symposium abstract submissions. Our motivation for this is to represent a larger variety of labs, presenters, and career stages at the conference. For symposium submissions, the first author of each of the three proposed talks should be listed as Author 1, Author 2, and Author 3, respectively, to help identify the first authors of symposia. Additional co-authors can be added starting with Author 4 in any order. There is no limit to how many non-first author submissions one can be involved in. Those who are co-authors of an individual abstract (i.e., Author 2+) or a symposium submission (i.e., Author 4+) are also welcome to submit a first-author abstract.

2. Can an author who is not the first author of a submission present the talk or poster?

It is assumed that in most cases the first author will also be the presenting author. However, in the case that the first author is unable to attend the conference or present the work for any reason at the time of the conference, it is acceptable for another co-author to present on their behalf. However, please note that we nevertheless require that each accepted submission has a unique conference registration associated with it (i.e. the non-attending first author who submitted the accepted abstract still needs to register). See FAQ #3 for more details.

3. How many authors (of an accepted poster of talk) should register for the conference?

Each accepted submission should have a unique conference registration associated with it. For example, if a single lab has three accepted talks or posters, there should be unique registrations for at least three individuals. Our motivation for this is to include as many different presenters and career stages as possible in the talks and posters.

4. Should individual symposium talks be submitted in the same or separate submission forms?

The three individual proposed symposium talk abstracts should be submitted in a single submission form. The first author of each of the three proposed talks should be listed as Author 1, Author 2, and Author 3 (see FAQ #1) under the Author Information section. The Title should be the general title for the entire symposium. In the Abstract box, include the name of the symposium organizer and general symposium abstract (150 words), followed by the title, authors, and abstract for each of the individual proposed talks (150 words, each; please note that the title is not included in the abstract length). Please also see this Symposium Submission Template for details of what to include. 

5. What are the guidelines for poster presentations?

Posters should be size A0. The poster boards can accomodate either a vertical or horizontal orientation. Authors may choose their orientation preference.