How to get your abstract accepted Maureen Wood Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology University of Aberdeen

AIMS Some must do’s General principles Improve a poor abstract

Imperatives Read the instructions Follow them! Submit on time Late submission is easiest way to reject

AND Essential Have something worth saying How to make point? Advisable Prepare early Revise, revise and revise!

Revision Correct spelling and typos that give a bad impression 80-cell embryos; 15M PrOH Remove waffle and refine sentences to pack in information Check data

Title Length? Amusing/serious? Limited number of characters? Not too long Amusing/serious? Must be informative Key points

Title –Examples Pregnancy following transfer of vitrified porcine embryos produced in vitro Prospective randomised study of human oocyte cryopreservation by slow-rate freezing or vitrification Sperm morphology and selection of cases for in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection

Title –Examples In vitro maturation in oocytes collected from stimulated cycles. Is it worth it?

Title Early embryo development is an indicator of implantation potential

Title Early embryo development is an indicator of implantation potential Early human embryo development is an indicator of implantation potential OR Early embryo development is an indicator of implantation potential in human

Title The effect of blastomere removal on development to the blastocyst stage

Title The effect of blastomere removal on development to the blastocyst stage The effect of blastomere removal from human Day-3 embryos on development to the blastocyst stage

Authors Obey instructions How many? Max number list in full Format Everyone who contributed Hangers on? Unit policy?

Body of Abstract Use format given None given? Information – no waffle Previous abstracts Continuous text Create format Information – no waffle

Introduction Brief and to the point Why did I do this work? Background Aim

Methods Points vital to your study eg Retrospective/prospective Randomised (how?) Controls Age/cause infertility No embryos transferred Definitions Statistical test

Methods HFEA/Ethics committee approval Room for manoeuvre when everything else is written!

Results MOST important section Evidence for conclusions NEVER SAY eg “Results will be discussed” “Data will be presented”

Results Be factual eg sample size (no. replicates) correct units means need ± SE statistical test used (in methods?) P value

Results Include important results Descriptive data - quantify Eg Surveys who/how? (methods) proportion responded (representative data?) quantify outcome

Conclusions Be specific – no waffle Include critical appraisal eg “The results of this retrospective comparison suggest …… A prospective randomised trial is required to confirm our findings.

References Unnecessary in abstract If you must then keep simple First author surname et al (date) Plus initial, journal, vol no. and 1st page no. after conclusion

Acknowledgements Funding body usually acknowledged Specified in instructions?

Tips First author take responsibility Write a draft Get everyone involved in revision Edit/prune/add REVISE and REVISE First author final proof, circulate for approval and submit on time