SUBMISSION GUIDELINES & PRESENTATION INSTRUCTIONS
Abstracts for Talks, Posters and/or Proposals for Workshop, Video Submissions:
- ECS Conference Talk/Poster Abstracts Submission Deadline: 10th November 2014
Quick Link to Submission details Quick Link to Presentation details
- ECS Conference Workshop Proposals Submission Deadline: 10th November 2014
Quick Link to Submission details
- ECS Conference Video Proposals Submission Deadline: 16th January 2015
Quick Link to Submission details Quick Link to Presentation details
Contributors please note
- Only one presentation will be accepted per presenting author.
- First authors must be registered by the late registration deadline.
- Short talks may be presented by guest speakers.
HOW TO FILL IN THE ONLINE ABSTRACT FORM FOR TALKS AND POSTERS:
Authors’ names: Please select the number of authors first and then provide the authors’ names, surnames and Institutes/affiliations. Multiple first names must be separated by a space.
Abstract title: Provide the title of the abstract.
Abstract: Enter the Abstract as one continuous paragraph. Do not indent the first line of the paragraph. A maximum of 300 words are allowed. Abstracts that are pasted in will automatically be truncated.
Word count: As the abstract is typed or pasted in the word count box will reveal the number of words already entered.
Abstract file upload: You will need to upload a properly formatted abstract file in rich text format (.rtf) on ECS website. This can be done using a program such as MS WORD and selecting the file format as .rtf when saving. Please note that you must upload a formatted abstract file AND type your abstract in the space provided to successfully complete abstract submission.
Presentation type: Please select your preferred presentation type (POSTER, SHORT or LONG TALK).
There is NO hierarchy between posters and verbal presentations. All Abstracts will be subject to anonymous review and selected on merit.
The aim of the conference is to provide information in the most appropriate way to the maximum number of people. Some types of research and results are better communicated by a poster presentation and others by a verbal presentation. The form of presentation is not a reflection of the value of the research. If an author indicates either “POSTER PREFERRED”, “SHORT PREFERRED” or “LONG PREFERRED” and the Committee does not choose it for presentation in that format, it will be considered for presentation in the other format. If the author indicates “EITHER” and it is accepted by the Committee, it will be assigned as either a poster or oral presentation, whichever the Committee considers most appropriate.
FOR ANY QUERIES REGARDING ABSTRACT SUBMISSION PLEASE EMAIL: ecs.conf2015(at)gmail.com
VIDEO PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Video submissions are invited for the ECS video night for the 2015 conference in Malta, sponsored by Baleine Libre. Submitted videos will be reviewed by members of the Scientific Committee.
Submitted videos should comply with the following criteria:
- Have a relevant subject with appeal to society members (scientific or conservation-related);
- All material, filming and research shown should comply with ECS ethical standards and legislation in the country of origin regarding research and display of research;
- Video length is not to exceed 20 minutes;
- Videos should be of sufficient quality for the subject matter to be seen easily;
- Any narration should be in English; or sub-titled in English;
- Each video should contain a title slide with attributes stating; name of institute/person submitting, subject, video length, year taken, country of origin, any acknowledgements;
- Each video must use a video format that is easy to view. The following formats are preferred: MPEG4, MOV and AVI.
The proposal is to be submitted by not later than the 16th January, 2015 by sending it through email to ecs.conf2015(at)gmail.com;
Accepted video submission need to be uploaded (and conference late registration) by not later than the 13th February 2015 (how to upload is indicated below);
Conference video night – Monday 23rd March 2015;
Prize
There will be a prize, kindly sponsored by Baleine Libre, for the video judged to show the most interesting material, shot by non-professional videographer/film-maker. Therefore contributions should indicate at submission whether the video has been made and produced by professional or amateur film makers.
WORKSHOP ORGANISATION PROPOSAL SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
If you wish to submit a proposal for a Workshop briefly describe:
- the theme of the workshop;
- the duration (i.e. half day or full day) workshop;
- the targeted participants (e.g. students, experts);
- the expected number of participants;
- the expected outputs of the workshop of relevance to conference theme.
Also indicate preferred day between the 21st and 22nd of March and any particular requirements.
Download appropriate fill-up form (HERE). Please send this form to ecs.conf2015(at)gmail.com before the deadline.
It will be the responsibility of the workshop organisers to set appropriate fees, collect these and pass them over to the Conference organizer, and provide receipts to attendees, and assemble a list of attendees. They should cover the costs of hiring the venue and any facilities required, and if provided, all refreshments. The workshop organizer can look for sponsors to cover these costs. He/she should be encouraged to solicit contributions that can then form workshop proceedings as a special ECS newsletter issue, in conjunction with the ECS editor.
For some workshops the number of participants is limited and / or some workshops can be private. Finally some are free of charge while for others there are registrations fees (contact the organisers).
For any question concerning workshops please contact the organisers of each workshop and not the conference organising committee.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRESENTATION:
A Short Talk will be of a maximum of 5 minute duration. This format is not considered less important than a long talk but will suit those ideas or hypothesis that do not require a long talk time allocation but are better communicated orally than through a poster. We encourage people with new ideas and hypothesis, innovative methodology, maybe unexpected or inexplicable experiences in the field that they want to share. Progress report can also be considered for short talks.
The Short Talk can be presented with visual aids and slides (maximum 10 slides in general) but must not exceed the allocated 5 minutes. The presenter will be notified when one minute is left. No questions or discussions are permitted after the presenters talk but presenters are requested to stay in the main conference room for at least 10 minutes after the short talk session to receive comments and questions personally.
As this is a new style of presentation for the conference there may be some teething problems but if presenters can stick to the guidelines provided it should prove to be a successful style that will become a regular option at future conferences.
Some useful suggestions for a successful short talk:
- Don’t try to put too many slides or too many items on slides.
- Make sure the audience can understand your take-home message.
- Don’t speak too fast, just to fit your talk into 5 minutes.
- The topic is very important here; don’t choose Short Talk just to make an oral presentation
Because of their peculiarities, short talks should not be fully referenced as scientific source.
LONG TALKS
Long talks:
The format of the long talk and poster presentations will follow previous ECS conferences. Oral presentations will be 15 minutes in total (around 10-12 minutes presentation followed by 3-5 minutes for questions).
POSTERS
Posters:
Size: Please keep a maximum poster size (A0 format) - 85cm (width) x 120cm (height).
Poster must include a photo of the PRESENTING author (with surname) at the top left corner and a poster number which will be informed by the Scientific Committee at the top right corner.
Poster Attachment:
Posters must be hung using VELCRO TAPE ONLY that you may wish to bring with you. NO PINS or TAPE WILL DO. Volunteers will also be happy to assist and provide the velcro tape too.
Putting up and taking down posters: Posters can be hung on Sunday while the registration desk is open and on Monday morning. Posters must be taken down after the lunch break on Wednesday 25th March.
Poster Sessions:
These sessions will be scheduled on Monday 23rd March and Tuesday 24th March. Please make sure you stand close to your poster during these sessions so that participants can discuss your work with you.
A few thoughts: Given the large number of posters, it is important that you pay attention to ensuring that your message comes across clearly. In particular, give prominence to:
* The title (Ideally lettering not less than 96pt)
* The conclusions (Ideally lettering not less than 72 point).
* A picture of yourself (so that people can recognize you!)
* No lettering should really be less than 30pt if you want people to read it !
Whilst one of the advantages of a poster is that it allows you to include considerably more data and more complex tables than in an oral presentation, remember not to over do it - in particular, graphs and figures are more effective ways of conveying information than either tables or large chunks of text. Photographs are an excellent way of drawing attention to your poster but don’t let your artistic tendencies get carried away at the expense of your scientific message. Avoid use of copyrighted images unless you are the copyright holder or have permission to use them.
A4 prints to be taken by participants: it is useful to bring a number of colour or black and white prints in the A4 format to be displayed close to your poster, for participants to take it back home. Make sure you have enough copies for the duration of the conference.
PROCEDURE FOR ACCEPTED VIDEO UPLOAD & PRESENTATION
Video uploads is either through file sharing site (e.g. Dropbox) or submitted on a USB/DVD to a later indicated address.
At the video night, which will take place on Monday night (23rd March), a presenter may make a brief three minute introduction for the video.