For those who intend to publish in a refereed journal

ALL papers must be submitted online by March 15, 2025, 3:00 p.m. EST.

 

Please make sure you have reviewed the General Guidelines.

To encourage submission of the newest scientific information for inclusion in the AAEP Annual Convention program and simultaneously not jeopardize future publication of this material in a refereed journal, the following criteria have been developed for these submissions of Scientific Papers that will be published in the AAEP Proceedings.

In such instances, the published abstract should be approximately 300 words. These “abbreviated abstracts” should follow a structured format with the same headings (see below) as the full-length scientific paper. Please be aware that the Take Home Message is included in the total word count. The abbreviated abstract does not need references, but appropriate acknowledgments should be included. Note this abbreviated abstract is not required for Review, How-to, or In-Depth Papers.

A 1500-word long paper conforming to the General Guidelines must also be submitted to allow the reviewers to assess the experimental design, materials and methods, statistical analyses, results (with graphs, tables, charts, etc.) and a discussion of the results as it pertains to interpretation and conclusions. The submitting author must include a statement that only the short abstract can be published in the AAEP Convention Proceedings. It remains the author’s responsibility to preserve their right to publish in a refereed journal by contacting the respective journal to discuss their prior-publication criteria so that an accepted abbreviated abstract will not jeopardize publication in the refereed journal. These submitted abbreviated abstracts should be identified with the words “RESEARCH ABSTRACT” at the end of the title. 

Guidelines for Abstracts

  • Abstracts should be approximately 300 words. They can be longer; however, this is dependent on the journal in which the author wishes to submit the full paper. Journals differ in what they consider to be “prior publication”, e.g., Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) currently will allow an author to submit an abstract up to 1000 words whereas some journals allow fewer words (250). It is the author’s responsibility to contact the respective journal to discuss their prior-publication criteria so that their accepted abbreviated abstract will not jeopardize their publication in the refereed journal. 
  • Abstract presentations are limited to 15 minutes plus 5 minutes for Q&A. Authors who intend to publish in a refereed journal may submit an abstract. An abstract of approximately 300 words, along with a full 1,500 word-long paper conforming to the AAEP General Guidelines, must both be submitted. The full paper is for review purposes only so the reviewers can assess the experimental design, materials and methods, statistical analyses, results (with graphs, tables, charts, etc.) and a discussion of the results as it pertains to interpretation and conclusions.

Headings should include (but are not limited to) the following:

  1. Paper Title
  2. Take Home Message
  3. Introduction
  4. Materials and Methods
  5. Results
  6. Discussion
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Declaration of Ethics
  9. Conflicts of Interest

iii. Funding/Material/Technical Support

  1. References are required for the full paper but not the abstract 

PAPER TITLE:

The title should clearly identify the study or topic that will be presented.

Example: An investigation of regions desensitized following intra-articular analgesia of the coffin joint.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE:

This should be a concise summary of the main conclusion and should be no longer than two or three sentences (approximately 50 words)

Example: Local anesthetic injected into the coffin joint is not selective for only this joint. Such injections will desensitize much of the navicular bone and its suspensory ligaments.

INTRODUCTION:

The rationale for the submission should be given briefly and significant published work acknowledged here. The clinical significance should also be included, as well as a clear statement of the objective or purpose of the submission. The statement of objectives is usually found in the last sentence of the Introduction.

MATERIALS & METHODS:

This Materials and Methods section should describe experimental methodology in the case of a didactic study or, in the case of a clinical study, should include a description of the population from which the animals were selected and how they were selected for inclusion in the report.

Data obtained and how they were obtained must be described. A description of the statistical methods used to summarize data, test hypotheses, and characterize the significance of results should also be included.  Normality of the data should be described, and statistical analysis should be appropriate for the distribution of the data (parametric or non-parametric). For weights and measures, metric units should be used. Dosages should be expressed entirely in metric units and with specific time intervals.

Example:

22 mg/kg, q 12 h, IV (not 10mg/lb, BID, IV)

RESULTS:

The Results section should include actual results with numbers and data must be presented. When possible, quantify findings (mean, median, proportion) and present them with appropriate estimates of measurement error or uncertainty (such as standard deviation (SD), standard error (SE) or confidence interval) in addition to the results of hypothesis testing. If the data can be well represented with a graph or figure, these are encouraged if subsequent publication is not anticipated. If numbers and data are not presented due to concerns regarding publication in a refereed journal, indications of relative differences between groups such as odds ratios, % change, and significant differences must be included in the submission to be considered acceptable. In these instances, the authors should submit the data in the form of means, standard deviations, or other descriptions of comparisons among groups in an appendix, which will not be published and only used for review purposes.

DISCUSSION:

In the Discussion section, important findings documented in the results of the study should be stated. Results should be related to other work which has been done and how the results differ or agree with previously published work and why any differences may have occurred should be discussed. The practical take home message for the equine practitioner should be clearly defined and stated in the summarizing final statement. This statement may be longer, but should be similar in content to the take home message at the beginning of the paper.

The following items must be fully explained in the paper: the number of horses that have been worked on, how many will be affected, and evidence that the procedure works and is safe.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

  1. Declaration of Ethics
  2. Conflicts of Interest

iii. Funding/Material/Technical Support

Full instructions for Acknowledgments can be found in the General Guidelines.