Submission Instructions & Guidelines
Abstract submissions NOW OPEN
BBTS ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024
Abstract submissions close on 31st May 2024 at 23.59 BST.
GUIDANCE ON HOW TO WRITE AN ABSTRACT
It might seem like a daunting task, especially if you a real novice, but hopefully our guide will help to break this down for you into manageable steps to help you write a successful poster abstract, which can then be developed into a great poster.
The purpose of the abstract
Poster abstracts generally serve two main functions:
- When poster abstracts are submitted for conference presentation, an abstract review committee will review each abstract to consider the relevance, originality, and the quality of the abstract. Abstracts may be rejected if they are poorly written or fail to include sufficient information.
- The abstract provides a summary to conference attendees of the posters being presented and helps them to choose which posters to view.
First, make sure you are fully aware of the BBTS 2024 abstract submission instructions, terms, and conditions.
It is important that you follow the above instructions, terms and conditions. If you are not sure and need further clarification, please contact bbts@conferencecollective.co.uk.
Next, decide your topic...
An important initial step is to decide the topic or theme for your abstract, and ultimately your poster. For example, will it be about a piece of research you have been involved in, or will it focus on an interesting case study, a quality improvement audit, or an aspect of patient safety? Whatever you choose, the work you present must be original. You will also need to consider what will interest the conference delegates, what relevance is to them and what learning they can take away from your work.
Consider the key elements that the abstract must include.
Whilst the poster abstract is a summary of what will be viewed in the poster, it must also be a stand-alone document in its own right, as your abstract will be published in the BBTS Journal of Transfusion Medicine. It’s therefore important to remember that this publication means that your abstract will last long after the poster has been displayed, so it needs to be well written and factually correct. For this reason, the abstract is not simply a summary of key findings, and you should avoid the use of phrases such as ‘evidence will be presented’. A good abstract needs to concisely set the scene, summarise what has been done and the key findings and convey the main messages. Careful planning of the abstract is therefore essential.
Then, consider the structure of your abstract...
A good abstract is the first hook encouraging people to read your poster. Careful structure can help you to summarise your work as succinctly as possible and can help readers to easily navigate your abstract.
In scientific and clinical publications, it is usual to split the abstract into specific sections/headings. One example of this is: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion (IMRaD). However, you may use different sections/headings as appropriate for your particular project.
- Introduction: explain what question or area of research you are covering.
- State the principle objectives and scope of the investigation.
- Methods: briefly describe how you studied this area of research;
- you do not need to explain/ include every detail of what was done.
- Results: a brief summary of the most important findings must be included.
- However, do not attempt to include all the results or every detail.
- Discussion: consider how to convey at least one, or more, of the following:
- What your findings might mean within a clinical context.
- Any unique or unusual discoveries you have made.
- How your work changes/ adds to/ supports information already in the public domain.
- What the next steps might be to continue your work.
- What actions you could propose as a direct result of your project
You should include any reference(s) within your abstract that are essential to the content. For example, if your project originated from the findings of another published article then you must include a reference to this original work.
Don’t forget the importance of the abstract title!
Many people will only read the title when searching for publications relevant to their own research and reading. Therefore, it needs to be as succinct as possible while still conveying the content and objectively describing the abstract.
Try to avoid the use of extra words such as ‘a study in…’or ‘looking at’, but also do not be too general. ‘Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury (TRALI)’ or ‘Transfusion Microbiology’ are too vague; this would not encapsulate what aspect of TRALI or Transfusion Microbiology are covered. Also remember that people using electronic search engines will search using keywords, so ensure you have considered what they are most likely to be.
Avoid using abbreviations, jargon, or proprietary terms.
Helpful Tips
Remember to:
- State the reason for the study/research.
- Let people know what they’re about to read and why it’s important.
- Make it relevant and interesting to hold their attention.
- Ensure all acronyms/ abbreviations are expanded in full on first use.
- Describe the methods and/or study design used.
- It is important for readers to know how you achieved results, but they don’t need every minute detail.
- Stick to the word count; keep it concise and to the point - don’t use 10 words when 5 will do!
- Present data and results clearly.
- A well laid out document is much easier to read.
- Summarise your findings.
- Give it a great title.
- Make it relevant but keep it as short as possible.
- Consider using a ‘plain English’ approach to your writing.
- Don’t forget to proof-read and spell check. Simply passing your work to a colleague for a ‘fresh pair of eyes’, or doing a spellcheck, can make a considerable difference.
- Where possible, ask an experienced colleague for feedback
Top three mistakes to avoid:
- Presenting previously published data (and so not original).
- Your conclusion is not supported by your data.
- Poor spelling and grammar.
Abstract Categories
When you submit your completed abstract, you will need to choose an abstract category. This is important for two key reasons:
- It will help readers locate your abstract and subsequent poster.
- It will mean that your poster is judged in the correct category.
Take some time to consider which category best suits the subject matter of your poster. Also consider who your main audience will likely be, and which category they are most likely to focus on.
It should be noted that the BBTS abstract committee reserves the right to move abstracts to a different category if deemed appropriate.
The abstract categories for the BBTS Annual Conference 2024 are:
01. Blood Donation (including donor safety)
- This category is to include interventions which have been shown to improve donor care and blood donation.
02. Components, Donation Testing and Safety, Tissues, Cells and Cellular Therapies
- This category should include:
- New or improvements in blood components
- New or improved testing and safety aspects of blood donations.
- Work involving tissues, organs, gene therapies and immunotherapies.
03. Diagnostic Science and Technology
- This is a predominantly science-based category. The category, for example, should include the development or usage of new tests, identification of new / unusual or interesting antibodies and new technological developments.
04. Education and Training
- Where the introduction, or alteration, of an education /learning programme has shown to improve knowledge and / or skills or where training has shown to impact on patient outcome. This category can include examples of education / training good practice and case studies.
05. Patient Blood Management (PBM)
- Where an intervention, change in practice has led to better PBM, examples of good practice and case studies relating to PBM may be included in this category.
06. Quality, Regulation and Governance (including patient safety)
- This category should include abstracts where an intervention has been shown to improve the quality of the output, or interventions that improve regulatory / governance aspects of work, for example laboratory-based self-inspection and audit (please note where the intervention is purely educational based, abstracts should be submitted in the Education category).
Abstract Selection Criteria
Your submitted abstract will be peer-reviewed by an abstract review panel.
This panel will comment on whether your abstract should be accepted or rejected.
Final acceptance or rejection decisions will be at the discretion of the BBTS Conference Abstract and Poster Committee.
It will therefore be helpful for you to consider what selection criteria this abstract review panel will be using.
- Merit
- how relevant is the abstract? Is it interesting and factually correct? Are the aims / objectives of the abstract clear?
- Originality
- how original is the abstract?
- Methods
- how well have the study methods been described? Are these methods relevant?
- Results /conclusions
- Are there tangible results, conclusions, outcomes and/or recommendations.
GOOD LUCK!
We look forward to receiving your abstract and seeing your poster at the BBTS Annual Conference 2024.
BURSARY OPPORTUNITIES
If you wish to apply for the following bursary opportunity, you must meet the application criteria and select this option when submitting your abstract.
Margaret Kenwright Award
This is awarded to an individual under 40, living and working in the UK, with the highest scoring abstract in their chosen category. Find out more >
GUIDANCE ON HOW TO DEVELOP AND PRESENT A POSTER AND POSTER JUDGING CRITERIA
If you have previously attended conferences where posters are presented, think about which ones have stood out for you:
- What was the poster about? How was the information presented? What was it about the poster that caught your eye?
The chances are the following were true:
- The title was clear and to the point.
- Important information was easily readable, with appropriate font size and style.
- Good use of colours.
- The text was clear and to the point – it told you a ‘story’.
- Use of bullets, numbering and headlines made it easy to read.
- Effective use of graphics or other visuals.
- Consistent and clean layout.
Tips on preparing a good conference poster can be found at:
Royal Pharmaceutical Society - Preparing and presenting posters for conferences
Blog - LSE - How to design an award-winning conference poster
NIH - Journal - How to make an academic poster
Conference poster presentation
The poster presentation session is on Wednesday 18th September in the main exhibition hall. You will also be invited to submit an optional short pre-recorded presentation, to further illustrate your work and key findings.
The aim of this presentation is to supplement your poster, adding clarity and expanding any discussions or confidence of results or findings. You should not include any new or additional data or methodology at this point.
Poster submission
Details of how to submit your poster will be sent to you following acceptance of your abstract.
Poster judging
Your poster will automatically be included in the poster competition.
One poster from each abstract category will be awarded ‘best poster’. Winning posters will be announced at the BBTS Annual Conference 2024 Poster Session on Wednesday 18th September, with the poster and abstract being shown as part of the conference programme.
It will therefore be helpful for you to consider what selection criteria the poster judges will be using.
• Merit –how relevant is the poster? Is it interesting and factually correct? Are the aims / objectives clearly stated?
• Originality– how original is the poster?
• Methods –how well have the study methods been described? Are these methods relevant?
• Results /conclusions - Are the results tangible? Are there strong conclusions, outcomes and/or recommendations?
• Display –is there good use of clear text, headings, images, tables and figures. Does the poster flow well with effective use of space and is there good use of colours?
Withdrawal Conditions & Change of Presenter
Written notice must be submitted by 26th July for all withdrawals and change of presenters, contact BBTS@conferencecollective.co.uk
