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Who reads/evaluates
submitted abstracts?
The abstracts are read by up to 10 AAMFT
members and the AAMFT professional development staff.
How many abstracts are
accepted for a conference?
The number of spaces for institutes and
workshops varies depending on the venue in which the
conference is taking place. Generally we have space for about
100 workshops and institutes, which means we generally accept
about 1/4 of all the institutes and workshops abstracts
submitted. For poster sessions, we usually accept 70 to 80% of
research poster abstracts submitted.
When
are abstracts due?
December 1, 2009
Can the deadline be
extended?
No, the deadline will not be extended
beyond this date.
Why do all presenters need to
have an ID number?
All information about the presenters is
linked to the AAMFT database. This allows contract information
to be centrally located and utilized for different parts of
the conference program development (e.g., presenters list, CE
tracking)
What
if I need to make changes to my contact information?
All contact information needs to be changed
in the AAMFT database. Changes can be made by contacting
Central via email (central@aamft.org)
or by calling (703-838-9808). Members can make changes online
at
www.aamft.org.
When will I find out if
my abstract is accepted?
Lead presenters will be notified of the
acceptance of their abstract in April 2010.
Generally lead presenters are notified in waves, so it is
possible that one lead presenter could be notified in March of
their acceptance, but another may not be notification until
April or May. Lead presenters are responsible for contacting all
co-presenters listed on their abstract submissions. To avoid
confusion, information will ONLY be provided to the lead
presenter.
What
criteria are used to pick abstracts for the conference
program?
There are several criteria used to pick the
annual conference program. First, the top 15% of abstracts
evaluated by the peer reviewers are automatically placed on
the program. After that a variety of data points are used to
develop the best program possible. In addition to the feedback
provided by the reviewers, the other criteria utilized are:
relevance to the conference theme, presenter/s experience,
importance of the abstract to the goals and mission of the
AAMFT, content area, and program balance.
Who
decides which format my abstract should be?
The AAMFT professional development staff
makes the final decision about what format an abstract will
take. In most cases the staff will contact you if they decide
to change the format to one you had not indicated on your
submission form. Generally changes are made because the staff
believes a different format would be better for a particular
abstract or because of limitations on the types of formats
available.
Can I find out why my
abstract was not accepted?
Yes. Feedback from the peer reviewers is
generally available by July. Lack of acceptance generally does
not mean the reviews were negative, but that others received
even more favorable feedback.
Can I resubmit an
abstract that was not accepted in one year, for the next
year’s conference?
Yes. In fact it is not uncommon for
abstracts that were not accepted one year to be accepted the
next. That’s because the theme changes, the content areas of
submissions change, and presenters improve their abstract.
Can
I call the AAMFT to ask questions about submitting an
abstract?
Yes.
What criteria are used
to accept research poster sessions?
Research Poster sessions are reviewed like all
abstracts, but there are four additional conditions
considered. First, the Research Poster must be research based. Second,
the research must be focused on MFT or be related to MFT.
Third, the abstract should describe the study, including
sample size, methodology, outcomes, and implications as
applicable. Fourth, and this is very important, the research
must be completed at the time of submission.
Why do I have to send
in my CV or Resume?
Most of the organizations that approve our
conference program for continuing education require that we
have the CV or resume of all presenters on file. Failure to
submit a CV or resume can result in your abstract not being
accepted.
What if my submission
does not fit under any of the key concept categories listed?
Pick the two categories that “best” fit
your abstract. Changes will be made if the key concept is not
appropriate.
Why
do all of the presenters have to attend the conference?
Workshops and institutes differ from
research poster
sessions and written papers, in that the ideas of interest are
those presented in the room. Further, when participants read
the list of presenters their expectation is that all of those
listed will be present at the meeting. Therefore, all
presenters listed in the conference program MUST be present at
the session. If for any reason a presenter is unable to be
present at the workshop or institute the AAMFT professional
development staff must be notified. For poster sessions, only
the lead presenter MUST be present for the poster session.
Can students present
workshops or institutes?
Students can present workshops or
institutes, but as noted above presenter experience is one of
the criteria used to make a determination about whether an
abstract will be included on the program. It has been our
experience that it is uncommon for a student to have
sufficient experience to be the lead or sole presenter on a
workshop or institute.
Why can I only be the
lead presenter on two workshop or institute abstract
submissions?
The primary reason for limiting the number
of abstracts a person can be the lead on is two-fold. First,
it is rare that a presenter will have more than two accepted abstracts
accepted because of the scheduling involved and the limited
number of spaces. Second, it encourages prospective
presenters to give
serious consideration to the specific topic on which they
would like to present. Prior to instituting the limit, there
were people who would submit 5 or more abstracts of
questionable quality in the hopes of getting one of them
accepted.
Can
I make changes to my abstract after submission?
Your abstract must be complete
when it is submitted. However, minor modifications (e.g.,
removing a presenter, changing the title) can be made after
you have submitted the abstract. It should be noted that the
abstracts go out for review almost immediately after the
submission deadline so any changes after the abstract goes out
for review would only be included if the abstract was accepted
and in consultation with the AAMFT professional development
staff. If you need to make a change after you have submitted
your abstract, you can do so by contacting Dawn Berry at
dberry@aamft.org
or (703) 253-0481. Please DO NOT resubmit your abstract.
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