Abstract submission guidelines
See below for information which will guide you through the poster abstract submission process for BNA2019. We strongly recommend you read all sections on this page before preparing and submitting your abstract!
- General information
- Required information for poster abstract submssion
- Tips for the online submission process
- Selection process
- Presentation information
All accepted abstracts will be published in the Gold open access journal, Brain and Neuroscience Advances.
General information
Only registered delegates can submit an abstract. If you have not yet done so, please register here. Once you have registered you will be given a link and be able to access the abstract submission portal.
All abstracts reported must be an empirical piece of research, or (for preregistration posters) plans for empirical research. We also accept poster abstracts describing theoretical work, if the subject of the poster is modelling/simulation and is based on empirical data.
The submitted abstract and its corresponding poster presentation must discuss the same piece of work.
You may submit as many abstracts as you wish.
Each abstract submission incurs a handling fee of £50.
If you have any questions regarding your submission or registration, please contact [email protected] or phone 00353 1 648 6130.
Required information for abstract submission
Abstract submission will require the following information:
- Title and type
- Theme
- Authors and affiliations
- Abstract upload
- Additional information
- Declaration statement
Abstract title and type
Title: You can use up to 30 words. Please write the title IN BLOCK CAPITALS.
Type: Please indicate that you are submitting a Late-breaking poster.
Abstract theme
Select the theme that best reflects the topic of the abstract. This information will be used to allocate your poster to an appropriate poster session. However, final allocation is at the discretion of the programme committee. The themes from which to choose are:
- Attention, motivation, behaviour
- Sensory & motor systems
- Neuronal, glial & cellular mechanisms
- Novel treatments & translational neuroscience
- Neurodegenerative disorders & ageing
- Learning & memory
- Genetics & epigenetics
- Developmental neuroscience
- Neuroendocrine & autonomic systems
- Psychiatry & mental health
- Methods and techniques
- Other (e.g. history, teaching, outreach)
Authors and affiliations
Please enter author details as you wish them to appear in the abstract book.
The first author is also the primary contact and the presenting author, and has responsibility for the content on behalf of co-authors.
The first author must be registered for the meeting and present in their allocated poster session. If extenuating circumstances prevent the first author from attending, presentation by a co-author is acceptable but only if they are also a registered delegate at the meeting.
Please enter information on career stage to facilitate assessment for poster prizes.
Abstract upload
The content of the abstract must be uploaded as a Word document. This is the only format which will be accepted!
You can use up to 350 words in total. References are included in the character count.
- Do not include the title, authors or affiliations
- Limit your abstract to a maximum of 350 words in total including references
- Check that any symbols (µ, β etc) are displayed correctly.
- Image (maximum 1 per abstract): please include in the Word document as inserted jpegs. Please make sure the legend is part of the image, and is at a suitable size to read when printed at around 10 cm x 10cm.
- Graph or table (maximum 1 per abstract): please convert to image format and then insert in the Word doc. Please make sure titles, labels and legends are part of the image, and is at a suitable size to read when printed at around 10 cm x 10cm.
- For 'standard' posters, your abstract must include sections for:
- For 'preregistration' posters, your abstract must include sections for:
Additional information
3-minute rapid fire talks
You have the option to put forward your abstract to the Programme Committee for a short (3 minute) oral presentation.
These are scheduled to take place in a quick-fire session on the first day of the Festival, giving you the chance to raise awareness of your research and invite people to visit your poster. Please note that poster talks are strictly THREE MINUTES long!!
If your abstract is accepted for oral presentation, the presenting author will be permitted a maximum of one oral presentation in the program.
Poster prizes
This is open to PhD students and early career scientists (up to five years since graduating from highest qualification level; permanent faculty members are not entitled). Only presenting authors are eligible, i.e. they must present at a poster session, and be first author on the abstract. Please tick the box if you meet the selection criteria and wish to be considered for a poster prize.
Ethical standards statement
Where relevant, all abstracts submitted must have received ethical approval for the study. Ethical requirements for poster submissions to BNA2019 are stated below. During abstract submission you will be asked to declare the following:
Experiments on animals and animal tissues -
I confirm that:
- For work conducted in the UK, all procedures accorded with current UK legislation.
- For work conducted elsewhere, all procedures accorded with current national legislation/guidelines or, in their absence, with current local guidelines.
Experiments on humans or human tissue -
- I confirm that all procedures accorded with the ethical standards of the relevant national, institutional or other body responsible for human research and experimentation, and with the principles of the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki.
Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Statement
In order for the BNA to properly evaluate the information, analysis and opinions presented in your abstract, it is important that they be informed of potential conflicts of interest pertinent to the research submitted.
Abstracts will not be reviewed without proper completion of the conflict of interest/disclosure section on the abstract submission form. The disclosure information you provide will not jeopardise proper review of your abstract.
During abstract submission you will be asked to state any conflicts of interest and give details on the online abstract form. Any disclosure information will then be stated in the scientific programme and the abstract volume.
If neither you nor any co-authors have anything to disclose, leave the tick-box blank on the online abstract submission form.
Please ensure all authors provide relevant information concerning personal or professional circumstances and relationships that might reasonably be expected to affect the author’s view on the subject. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Stock options or bond holdings in a for-profit corporation or self-directed pension plan
- Research grants
- Employment (full-time or part-time)
- Ownership or partnership
- Consulting fees or other remuneration (payment)
- Non-remunerative positions of influence such as officer, board member, trustee or public spokesperson
- Receipt of royalties
- Speaker’s bureau
The BNA welcomes abstract submissions by commercial organisations engaged in research, and encourages the reporting of research relevant to the meeting. In such instances, abstract content should not appear to promote commercial products (specific products should be referred to generically; brand names must not be referred to in the abstract content). Authors must disclose commercial interests during the submission process, as described above.
Declaration Statement
At the end of the abstract submission process you will be asked to make a declaration in order to submit your abstract/s. If you are unable to do so then we're unable to accept your submission.
Declaration statement
I confirm that I have previewed this abstract and that all information is correct. I accept that the content of this abstract cannot be modified or corrected after final submission and I am aware that it will be published as submitted.
Submission of the abstract constitutes the consent of all authors to publication (e.g. Conference website, programs, other promotions, etc.) I have contacted all co-authors have confirm that they agree to the submission.
I understand that I must select a specific Theme for my abstract allocation. Although the Programme Committee will work hard to honour this selection, this cannot be guaranteed. The Programme Committee reserves the right to change the Theme under which the abstract was originally submitted.
I warrant that no part of the information and content provided to the British Neuroscience Association (the BNA), nor the publication of any such content by the BNA, on the internet or otherwise, infringes any third party rights, including but not limited to privacy rights and/or intellectual property rights.
I grant the BNA the right to reproduce, publish, translate, distribute, and display the text of the Content on a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable nonexclusive basis.
I confirm that the contact details saved in this system are those of the presenting author, who will be notified about the status of the abstract. The presenting author is responsible for informing the other authors about the status of the abstract.
I understand that the presenting author must be a registered participant.
I understand that the BNA reserves the right to remove from publication and/or presentation an abstract which does not comply with the above.
Tips for the online abstact submission process
You need to sign into the Abstract Portal with the account email address and password that you set up when registering for the Festival. (If you have not yet done so, please register here.)
There are a series of steps to complete in order to submit your abstract. These are shown as tabs on the left hand side of the page as you progress. Once you complete each step, this will be indicated with a tick mark (see image, right).
If you miss out a step, or have not filled all the sections within it, this will be indicated by a cross.
The final step - prior to submission - is the 'Review' step. If there are any mistakes or missing information, it will be flagged up here with red error messages. You should then click on any steps which have a cross on them in order to complete.
Once all steps are complete, the 'Review' tab will say 'Ready to submit'.
You can save draft versions of your abstract at any stage by clicking on ‘Save As Draft’, and then return to edit your abstract at any time before the submission deadline of 10th December. Please note that, once you have submitted your abstract, it can no longer be edited.
Please do make sure you click ‘Submit’ when you have completed your abstract. (You’d be amazed how many people forget!) If the deadline of 10th December arrives and you have not yet clicked ‘Submit’, your abstract will NOT be submitted for review.
Selection process
The Programme Committee will review all submitted abstracts.
Notification regarding abstract acceptance and scheduling will be sent to the submitting author.
Please note that if your abstract is accepted for oral presentation, the presenting author will be permitted a maximum of one oral presentation in the program.
In the unlikely event that your abstract is not accepted for presentation, and you no longer wish to attend the festival, you may request to cancel your registration. The abstract handling fee is non-refundable and there is a £10 administration charge to refund your registration fee. If your poster abstract is rejected and you wish to request a refund, please contact [email protected], Tel. +353 1 648 6130 (if calling from the UK, dial 00353 1 648 6130).
Presentation information
Poster presentations: Posters must be no more than A0 in size (841mm x 1189mm) and portrait in format. Posters larger than A0 or prepared in landscape format will not be permitted to be displayed. Any printing costs are the responsibility of the delegates.
Oral presentations: Please note, if your abstract is accepted for oral presentation in the ‘Rapid-Fire’ poster talk session, the presenting author will be permitted a maximum of one oral presentation in the program.