Criteria for Acceptance of Abstracts

Papers and posters presented at annual meetings of the ASP are to be based on high quality research that has generated interesting data relevant to current scientific issues in primatology. Abstracts of these presentations are published in the American Journal of Primatology. Because the goals of the Society and its journal are to promote excellent scientific research, the Program Committee will reject abstracts that do not meet high standards. Anecdotal reports of primate behavior and results of brief pilot work are usually not appropriate. Studies with serious flaws of design or execution should not be submitted. Likewise, poor grammar and poorly worded abstracts are unacceptable. Each abstract should include rationale, hypothesis or research question, research design, sample and data set size, data collection and sampling techniques, statistical strategy and alpha level, and a summary statement of results. Faculty advisors should carefully consider whether a particular student's work is appropriate for presentation at ASP and should guide their students accordingly. Students who are inexperienced in writing abstracts should seek assistance from faculty advisors before submitting abstracts, as all abstracts will be evaluated using the same rigorous criteria. Anyone who is uncertain that his or her research is suitable for a presentation at ASP is urged to contact a member of the Program Committee prior to submitting the abstract.

Overall instructions:

1. The maximum word count is 225 words for the body of the abstract, i.e., excluding title and author information. Check your word count before you enter your abstract. You will be cued for the sequence of authors. Use full mailing address of the first (or presenting) author and institutional affiliations of co-authors.
2. Write the abstract as a single block paragraph, and cut-and-paste it into place from your Word document.
3. The common and scientific name of the species should appear either in the title or the body of the abstract. You will be asked at the end of abstract submission process to list scientific or taxonomic names that should be italicized in your abstract. These words will be italicized automatically when the abstract is formatted for publication.
4. Use metric units of measurement.
5. Our experience suggests that most symbols are not modified from the Word document when cut and pasted into the abstract space, but if you find that the accurate representation of symbols is a problem, either make note of it in the space provided at the end of the abstract submission process or send your concern to the Program Committee chair.
6. We encourage reporting statistical results in the abstract. Use lower-case "p" for probabilities, e.g., p < .05.
7. You will have the opportunity to revise your abstract on-line until the abstract deadline.

Titles and Affiliations

Titles should be concise, with a clear statement of the variables (independent and dependent), species, housing/condition (corral-living, zoo living, free-ranging, etc.), and for field studies, location of the study. The design should be clear from the wording of the title; for nonexperimental research, avoid words that imply causation.

Body of the Abstract (225 Word Limit)

The body of the abstract should be a single paragraph and should include the following components, although there will be some cases where one or more elements do not apply. Please include all relevant and appropriate components.

1. The first 1-2 sentences of the abstract should indicate the theoretical rationale or practical purpose for the work. Hypotheses, research questions, or research problems should be stated clearly.
2. The methods should include:
   
   1. basic design of the study
   2. sample size
   3. data collection and/or sampling techniques
   4. size of the data set (number of hours of observation, duration of the study, number of observations, number of samples, etc.)
3. Results should include:
   
   1. explicit statements of results relevant to the stated purpose, including some indication of the statistical strategy used.
   2. level of significance (alpha level)
   3. direction of effect or relationship
4. End abstracts with conclusions or implications of the results, linking the interpretations with the purpose, whether theoretical or applied. Do not state that, "Results will be discussed." Acknowledgement of funding sources may be included if so desired and if space allows.

Because the abstracts will be published and may be cited, they should summarize your work in such a way that your study can be understood without any supporting or additional information. Please check spelling and grammar carefully and define all acronyms and nonstandard abbreviations. As stated above, poorly written abstracts will not be accepted.

The Program Committee may ask the author to make revisions in accordance with the stated instructions, above. Authors will be required to return the revised abstract within ten days.

Two complete abstracts are reprinted as examples. All have been reproduced with permission of the author(s). While these abstracts might not contain all the recommended elements mentioned above, most elements are included.

Note of Acknowledgment: Past and present ASP Program Committees developed the instructions provided on this page.