August 3-8, 2003. Savannah International Trade & Convention Center, Savannah, Georgia

 
Abstract Submission Fee. A $50 fee, applicable to registration, is now required at the time of submission of your abstract. At recent ESA meetings, the cancellation of papers and posters and author “No Shows” have become serious issues. It is inevitable, of course, that legitimate medical or family emergencies arise, and in such cases, cancellation is unavoidable. However, it appears that many persons are submitting an abstract to hold a place at the meeting, should they, in the end, decide to attend. In other cases, no doubt, the abstract is not submitted so casually, but the paper is withdrawn for less than compelling reasons, such as “too hectic a schedule.” Assembling the program often requires time-consuming effort to find the best place for a single paper. If such a paper is subsequently cancelled, not only is valuable time wasted, but also it may be impossible to go back and re-order the program to be more favorable to those who remain in it. Obviously the later in the process that a paper is cancelled, the greater the negative effect. Late cancellations pose additional difficulties for session presiders, for Buell-Braun judges, and, ultimately, for all attendees who wish to learn about research that was previously scheduled. In short, cancellation is bad.

In order to address this serious issue, ESA’s Governing Board has adopted a policy requiring a $50 Abstract Submission Fee (U.S. dollars) applicable to ALL abstract submissions for the 2003 Meeting in Savannah. The following rules will apply:

The fee will be due at the time your abstract for a symposium, contributed paper session, or poster session is due. This fee is applicable to all ESA and ISEM members, and all non-members submitting abstracts – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Your abstract will NOT be accepted by the Program Chair without concurrent submission of the fee to ESA. Instructions on how to submit the fees will be given on the submission web site.

The $50 Abstract Submission Fee will subsequently be deducted from your Annual Meeting Registration when you register for the meeting. The abstract submission fee will ONLY be credited against the registration of the person who originally submitted the fee. If that person does not register, or registers and then can not attend and arranges for another person to present the paper or poster, the fee will not be credited against the presenting person’s registration.

If you cancel your symposium, oral, or poster presentation on or prior to Wednesday, 30 April 2003, your $50 Abstract Submission fee WILL be refunded. If you cancel your symposium, oral, or poster presentation after this date, your Abstract Submission Fee will NOT be refunded. Because of the tight schedule for the assembly of the program, this deadline will be strictly enforced. In addition, if you cancel your Annual Meeting registration at any time after 1 May 2003, no matter what other credits or refunds are due to you, your $50 abstract submission fee will not be refunded.

Note that a talk or poster need not be cancelled if you have someone else present it on your behalf, and this is the preferred solution in most cases. Because of the “one paper rule,” the person presenting for you should not be someone presenting or first author on another talk or poster. In difficult situations, however, exceptions can be granted. Contact the Program Chair.