A scientific abstract should contain the same type of information as is contained in a full paper, although on a limited and condensed scale. The abstract should have a title, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions; however, please do not include headers in your submission. The abstract should be a single paragraph of text. Charts, figures, or tables should not be used and will not be published. The length of the actual abstract must be no more than 300 words. This count does not include title and author identification information. Abstracts that do not conform to all stated specifications will be disqualified.

The Title should accurately describe the questions answered by the study. Vague, general titles should be avoided. Do not use abbreviations in the title.

The Introduction should clearly characterize the scientific question investigated. Background information should be provided to the extent that it introduces the current study and documents its importance to the literature.

Materials and Methods used in the study should be briefly explained in this section, for example, what essential reagents were used, what patients or tissue samples were studied, what special techniques were applied and how, and what type of study was performed (eg, prospective, retrospective, case-control). General reagents (eg, buffers, deionized water) need not be included if they are not unique to the work. Demonstrate how the methods presented will address the questions in the introduction section. The number of patients, cases, or samples studied should be included in this section. Identify the control group selected and those conditions that would exclude cases from the study. All data must be presented in text format. No charts or figures will be used.

Results of significant positive and negative findings should be presented as concisely as possible. Most abstracts are rejected because of inadequate data. To state "results will be presented" is uninformative and of little value. Make sure any conclusions you reach are supported by the data presented. When expressing laboratory values, use conventional units followed by SI units in parentheses. All data must be presented in a text format. No charts, figures, or tables will be accepted.

Conclusions should be stated concisely and include any recommendations for future study as well as the implications and significance of the data presented. Do not introduce concepts not considered in the body of the abstract.

General Guidelines

• Submissions cannot have been presented, published, or submitted for presentation or publication elsewhere.
• Particular attention should be given to products or equipment that bear registered trade names. Provide the company name and its city and state address parenthetically following the first mention of the product.
• References should not be used.

Acceptance

Abstracts in anatomic and/or clinical pathology that are of general interest to the membership are accepted on the basis of quality, as determined by AJCP Editorial Board members with expertise in the area in which an abstract is submitted. At the ASCP Annual Meeting, a 4' x 6' (approximate dimensions) poster board is provided for accepted abstracts to be presented as posters. The author must be present for a specified portion of the assigned poster session.

Selection Criteria

The Editorial Board uses the following criteria in selecting abstracts:

• Timeliness of the subject
• Author's cognizance of the subject.
• Evidence that the "scientific method" was employed in the investigation (ie, state the problem, propose a hypothesis, select appropriate methods to test the hypothesis, and observe and interpret the results).

Single case reports are discouraged and will be considered only if the case aids the understanding of a pathophysiologic mechanism or process.

The number of abstracts to be accepted is not predetermined before the reviewers have made their recommendations. Theoretically, all abstracts submitted could be accepted for presentation. Selected abstracts will be posted on ajcp.com and will be published in the October 2010 issue of AJCP.

Authors will be notified in writing of the Editorial Board's decision by June 30, 2010.

Submission Deadline

All submissions must be received by April 30, 2010. Abstracts can only be submitted electronically. If your abstract does not meet the April 30, 2010, deadline, it will not be considered for presentation at the Annual Meeting nor for publication by AJCP.

Submission of an abstract for consideration constitutes the granting of permission to the American Journal of Clinical Pathology and the American Society for Clinical Pathology to post the abstract on the Journal's Website and/or the Society's Website for purposes of previewing the abstracts accepted for meeting presentation.

Copyright Assignment Statement

Copyright assignment forms will be forwarded with all notices of acceptance for publication by the American Journal of Clinical Pathology. Only those abstracts with complete copyright assignment statements of all authors will be published in AJCP.