INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION

• Do not submit an abstract on behalf of a co-author. 
• Include abstract reference number and title in ALL correspondence to IGS. 
• The email address of the submitter of the abstract will be the default email address for all correspondence from IGS. This cannot be changed to an alternative email following submission.
• Inclusion of a primary email address and phone number is mandatory.
• Please identify if your submission is:
  • Research: addresses a primary research question with the aim of generating new knowledge or replicating existing findings 
  • Audit/Quality Improvement: evaluates current practice against established standards and guidelines, to identify areas for improvement and implementing changes to achieve best practice 
  • Service Evaluation: describes or assesses current characteristics/practices/pathways in a service

Abstract 

• Title – maximum 20 words and body of text maximum 300 words. 
• Title - Capitalise the first letter of each word.  No full stop at the end.
• Abstracts are divided into four inbuilt headings - Background, Method, Results and Conclusion. Do not include additional subheadings.
• Do not include identifiers such as Connolly Hospital or CHO 5, names of people, institutions or geographical areas in your abstract to ensure that your abstract is blind reviewed.
• The use of the word “elderly” is prohibited in the title and body of abstract. Inclusion of this word will result in automatic rejection of work.
• A maximum of two references can be included as part of the 300 word count.
• No tables, boxes, columns, diagrams or appendices should be included.
• Authors may edit their abstracts online until the submission deadline.
• Use the correct official title (e.g. Mater Misericordiae University Hospital not ‘Mater Hospital’. University of Galway not ‘Galway University’).
• Duplicate abstracts will be identified by reviewers and rejected.
• Text should be single spaced.
• Symbols used must be written in full, for example “beta” instead of β.
• Abbreviations must be spelled out in full on first use.
• Proposed study/protocol for study: A proposed study or protocol for a study or research due to be undertaken are not accepted by IGS.
• It is the author’s responsibility to submit a correct abstract; accepted abstracts will be reproduced as submitted including possible errors. 
• “Results to be presented” is not acceptable and will be automatically rejected.
• One abstract per presenting author will be accepted for platform presentation.
• Any queries should be directed to secretary@irishgerontology.com

Reasons why your abstract may not be accepted

• Subject matter is not appropriate to IGS
• Study population does not include older adults
• Abstract is a duplicate of other submissions
• Abstract is poorly written and difficult to understand
• Background, Methods, Results and Conclusion is not summarised adequately  
• Additional subheadings included 
• Statistical evaluation is inadequate or absent
• Results pending at time of submission
• Abstract is incomplete on the submission 

Review and outcome

• All abstracts will be independently reviewed by a minimum of 2 reviewers
• You will be notified of the outcome via email
• Presentation categories are as follows:
  • Platform presentations
  • Quickfire poster presentation
  • Poster presentation
• Top scoring abstracts will be offered platform presentation (unless submitting author has specified a preference for poster presentation).
• The top 300 abstracts will be guaranteed abstract publication in Age and Ageing. If submissions exceeds 300 accepted abstracts the decision to publish >300 abstracts will be at the discretion of the executive committee who will consider the number of submissions and the quality of submissions.
• All abstracts which are unfortunately rejected will receive reviewer feedback.