Abstract Guidelines

Important Dates

Call for Abstracts

16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa

4 – 8 December 2011, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Call for abstract means the submission of abstracts for original contribution to the field to be presented (oral or poster presentation) during the conference, if accepted.

CLICK HERE to Submit or Edit an Abstract Online

Abstract Requirements

Please read the following guidelines carefully before submitting your abstract:

• All abstracts may be written in English or French. Texts written in other alphabets other than the above two mentioned cannot be saved by the submission system.
• If you wish to submit an abstract besides the two languages specified above, we recommend that you have your abstract translated and reviewed before submission.
• Abstracts can only be submitted online via the conference website; those submitted by fax, post or e-mail will not be considered. All submissions will be acknowledged upon successful submission via the site.
• The abstract text should not exceed 500 words. This structured abstract includes the following sections: Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions and Recommendations.
• The number of authors per abstract is unlimited. However, only one author can be listed as the presenting author.
• Use a standard font like Arial when formatting your text. This will help to prevent special characters from getting lost when copying your text to online abstract submission form. Always make sure to check the final abstract with the system’s preview function before submission, and edit or replace as necessary.
• Tables, figures, literature references, and acknowledgments should not form any part of the abstract’s content.
• It is the author’s responsibility to submit a correct abstract. Any errors in spelling, grammar or scientific fact will be reproduced as typed by the author.
• Abstracts must not have been published for presentation to any other national or international meeting.  However, an abstract that was submitted but was not accepted in previous conferences are valid and may be submitted for ICASA 2011.
• Define all abbreviations and concepts in your abstract at first use.
• For therapeutic agents, only generic names may be used (trade names are not 
  permitted).
• If you have any questions regarding your abstract submission, please contact the abstract support team at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Conference offers two options for abstract submission: OPTION 1 and 2.

OPTION 1 

The first option is most suited for scientific research. Abstracts presented under the first option should contain concise statements of: 

Background: indicate the purpose and objective of the research, the hypothesis that was tested or a description of the problem being analyzed or evaluated.

Methods: describe the setting/location for the study, study design, study population, data collection and methods of analysis used.

Results: present as clearly and detailed as possible the findings/outcome of the study, with specific results in summarized form. Inclusion of gender breakdown of data is strongly encouraged.

Conclusions and Recommendations: briefly discuss the data and main outcome of the study. Emphasize the significance for HIV prevention, treatment, care and/or support, and future implications of the results.

OPTION 2 

The second option is most suited for presenting new knowledge or analysis that are important for understanding and responding to the HIV epidemic and its future implications. It is suited for information that was gained through systematic forms of knowledge production/ management, by means other than scientific research or evaluation including community level experiences and best practices in response to HIV and AIDS. This process must include some evidence provided through some data obtained.

Abstracts presented under the second option should contain concise statements of: 

Issues: a summary of the issue(s) addressed by the abstract. 

Description: a description of the intervention, project, experience, service and/or advocacy. 

Lessons learned: conclusions and implications of the intervention or project. Data that support the lessons learned and evidence must be included.

Next steps: possible next steps for implementation, or recommendations. 

We encourage work that introduces new ideas and conceptualizations, research and understandings to the field, as well as analysis of both success and failure. 

Abstracts should disclose primary findings and avoid, whenever possible, promissory statements such as "experiments are in progress" or "results will be discussed". 

Your abstract, if accepted, will appear in its full form in the abstract book, and/or on the abstract CD-ROM and on the conference and ICASA website. The CD-ROM will be distributed to all registered delegates at the conference.

Abstracts Submitted after the Deadline

A small number of abstracts submitted after the regular deadline will be accepted. The percentage of abstracts selected for late submittals will depend on the number of submissions. If at all possible, abstracts should be submitted by the regular deadline and the late submittals should be reserved for data that is indeed not available before the deadline of 10 June 2011. This rule applies for regular abstracts, posters and presentations.

Please note that a presenting author that submitted his/her abstracts late are only allowed to present ONE of the late submitted abstract at the conference, in addition to any previously accepted abstracts. The late breaker abstract submission will be open 19 September - 17 October 2011.

ICASA Abstract Transparency Policy

An abstract can be submitted and may be accepted although it has been previously published or presented at a national, regional or international meeting, provided that there are new methods, new findings, updated information or other valid reasons for submitting that can be provided by the author. 

If preliminary or partial data has been published or presented, the author is required to indicate the details of that conference, meeting or journal and the reasons for submitting the abstract to this conference. This information will be considered by the Scientific Program Committee when making final decisions.

Gender Analysis in Abstracts

Inclusion of gender breakdown of data is strongly encouraged, and should be provided as well as a comprehensive gender analysis in the results section whenever possible. If applicable, your abstract should include the number and percentage of men and women who participated in your research or project, and gender disaggregated data. If your research or project was specific to one gender, please state.

Choosing Abstract Track Categories

The abstract track category is the general heading under which your abstract will be reviewed and later published in the conference printed matters, if accepted. Please choose the category which best describes the subject of your abstract.  Refer to the Tracks and Categories page of the website to get more information.

Cross-cutting Theme 

ICASA 2011 has identified a number of cross-cutting themes, with relevance across the five tracks. These cross-cutting themes will help structure the whole program of the conference and will serve as a basis for interdisciplinary sessions conveying presentations from various tracks and disciplines on relevant issues. In addition to choosing the track category, you may also indicate that is relevant to your abstract.

Keywords

In addition to the abstract category, please indicate 3-5 keywords (free text, maximum 25 characters per keyword) in bold at the bottom of your abstract. The key words must be representative to the content of the abstract. If relevant, please specify subject/population, setting/location and objective/outcome.

ICASA Conference Profile

Before you can submit an abstract, you need to create a Conference profile from which you can enter the abstract system. You can submit one or several abstracts from your Conference profile. After an abstract has been created, modifications can be made until the abstract submission deadline. No modifications can be made once the abstract has been submitted.

Abstract Blinding and Review

All submitted abstracts will go through a blind peer-review process carried out by a reviewing committee. Each abstract will be reviewed by at least three reviewers.

Notification of Acceptance or Rejection to Corresponding Author

Notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent to the submitting (corresponding) author by 15 September 2011. Please note that onlythe corresponding author will receive email concerning the abstract and is responsible for informing all co-authors of the status of the abstract. Authors whose abstracts have been accepted will receive instructions for the presentation of their abstract. The decision of the Scientific Program Committee is final and appeals will not be considered.

Rule of Five

Each presenting author may present a maximum of five abstracts at the conference. The number of submissions is, however, not limited.

ICASA Young Investigator Award

To encourage young researchers and to recognize excellence, ICASA 2011 will present the Young Investigator Award in each track. To be eligible, the presenting author of an abstract must be no older than 35 years of age on 10 June 2011.  The prize supports young researchers who demonstrate excellence in the area of research programs related to the scale up of prevention and treatment interventions in resource-limited settings. To be eligible for nomination, presenting authors of the abstract must be no older than 35 years of age on 10 June 2011 and is a citizen of a low/middle income country (according to the World Bank classification). The research must have been carried out in a low/middle income country and must, directly or indirectly, be related to increasing access to prevention and/or treatment in resource-constrained settings. A prize of US $3,000 will be given to the highest scoring abstract which meets the above criteria for each of the conference tracks.

Please click the appropriate box on the abstract form if you are eligible and wish to be considered.

The Young Investigator Prize: Women, Girls and HIV and AIDS

This prize will be awarded to a young woman investigator from a resource-limited setting whose abstract most demonstrates excellence in research and/or practice that address women, girls and gender issues related to HIV and AIDS. To be eligible, the presenting author must be a woman, from a low/middle income country (according to the World Bank classification), no older than 35 years of age on 10 Junemay 2011, and the investigation must have taken place in a low/middle income country. An award of US $3,000 will be awarded by ICASA 2011.

Please click the appropriate box on the abstract form if you are eligible and wish to be considered.

Scholarship Application Process

The process of requesting a scholarship must be completed through your conference profile. 

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