2023 General Instructions for Authors
69th AAEP Convention
San Diego, CA
November 29 - December 3, 2023
ALL papers must be submitted online at https://s3.goeshow.com/aaep/annual/2023/AAEP.cfm
by March 15, 2023, 3:00 p.m. ET.
ALL papers must be submitted online by March 15, 2023, 3:00 p.m. E.T. Under no circumstances will submissions received after the deadline be considered or reviewed. ALL deadlines must be followed to have the published Proceedings available at the meeting.
Failure to adhere to the following format will result in non-acceptance. It is the author’s responsibility to convince the Scientific Review & Editorial Committee (SREC) of the value of the submission, as well as to portray to the reader the contents of the presentation. Specific instructions for Scientific papers, “How to” papers, Review papers, Abstracts, and Business papers can be found in their respective sections.
FORMATTING AND STYLE:
• 12 point, Times New Roman font
• Double-spaced
• 1” margins
Third Person Point of View
Proceedings should be written in the third person. Avoid the use of the first person and pronouns such as I, we, my, mine, us, our, ours.
Example of first vs. third person:
Rather than stating in the first person: “We concluded from our results that A plus B did not equal C”, use the third person: “The results of the study indicated that A plus B did not equal C”.
All medications, supplies, and equipment used should be described using generic names. Trade names and addresses of commercial products critical to the technique can be included in footnotes.
Dosages, weights and measures should be expressed entirely in metric units and with specific time intervals.
Example: 22 mg/kg, q 12 h, IV (not 10mg/lb, BID, IV)
SECTION HEADINGS:
Please refer to the specific guidelines for your paper to see required section headings.
RECOMMENDED NOMENCLATURE:
Anatomy and anatomic planes should be described using standard nomenclature following the guidelines developed by Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria (http://www.wava-amav.org/downloads/nav_2012.pdf)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:
i. Declaration of Ethics
ii. Conflicts of Interest
iii. Funding/Material/Technical Support
General acknowledgment considerations:
• If your paper or presentation references the use of a compounded pharmaceutical, please be certain that you are familiar with the FDA guidelines on the use of compounded pharmaceuticals and that the product you reference is in compliance. See section below regarding papers using compounded medications or medical devices.
• All submissions should cite levels of evidence-based medicine.
Declaration of Ethics:
• A Declaration of Ethics statement should be included in the paper under the Acknowledgments section. Authors must declare if they have adhered to the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics of the AVMA)
• You should plan to include any ethical considerations as part of your oral presentation if your paper is accepted.
Conflicts of Interest:
• The American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) policy requires that authors must disclose and describe the nature of any actual or potential financial and/or personal relationships they have with companies that manufacture or sell products that figure prominently in the submission or with companies that manufacture or sell competing products. (This includes ownership, employment, consultancy arrangements, or service as an officer or board member.) The submitting author is required to confirm whether they or any co-authors listed have any actual or potential conflicts of interest, and to provide details during the online submission process. It is the Submitting author’s responsibility to ensure that all authors adhere to this policy.
Example of COI Statement:
Dr. John Doe has no conflict of interest. Dr. Jane Doe has served as a paid technology analyst for the venture capitalists that initiated the formation of Company ABC and served as a member of the Board of Directors of Company ABC from its inception until 2008. Company ABC is currently commercializing the use of Product XYZ. Dr. Jane Doe has also served as a paid consultant and continues to serve on the Company ABC Advisory Board.
Funding Sources:
• Authors are expected to acknowledge all sources of funding or support for the work described and to disclose to the SREC any financial interest (including ownership, employment, consultancy arrangements, or service as an officer or board member) they have with companies that manufacture or sell products that figure prominently in the paper or with companies that manufacture or sell competing products. Such an interest will not necessarily influence the decision to accept or reject a submission for the program but must be included in the Acknowledgments section of the paper.
REFERENCES:
References should conform to JAVMA’s guidelines.
References to published works should be limited to what is relevant and necessary. Number references in the text with superscript numbers consecutively in the order in which they are first cited. Under references, list all authors when there are three or fewer; list only the first three and add “et al.” when there are four or more. The author is responsible for the formatting and accuracy of all reference citations. Since readers frequently depend upon the reference citations to guide them in further reading, it is imperative that the citations are correct so that libraries can locate the papers a reader may wish to obtain.
Examples:
Journal article:
1. Auer JA, Martens RJ, Williams EH. Periosteal deformities in foals. Am J Vet Res 1982;181:459-466.
2. Murphy CJ, Lavoie JP, Groff J, et al. Bilateral eyelid swelling attributable to lymphosarcoma in a horse. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1989;194:939-942.
Some common journal abbreviations include: Acta Vet Scand, Am J Vet Res, Can J Vet Res, Can Vet J, Cornell Vet, Compend Contin Educ Pract, Equine Vet J, Equine Vet J Suppl, J Am Vet Med Assoc, J Vet Diagn Invest, J Vet Intern Med, Prev Vet Med, Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract, Vet Radiol, Vet Rec, Vet Surg. Other journal names should be abbreviated in accordance with the National Library of Medicine and Index Medicus.
Book:
1. Turner AS, McIlwraith CW. Techniques in large animal surgery. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger, 1982;186-191.
2. Banks P, Bartley W, Birt LM. The biochemistry of the tissues 2nd ed. London: John Wiley & Sons, 1968;24.
3. Devlin TM, ed. Textbook of biochemistry with clinical correlations. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1982;14-36.
Chapter in a book:
1. Axelrod B. Glycolysis. In: Greenberg DM, ed. Metabolic pathways, vol 1. 3rd ed. New York: Academic Press, 1967;112-145.
2. Kainer RA. Functional anatomy of equine locomotor organs. In: Stashak TS, ed. Adams’ lameness in horses 4th ed. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger, 1987;12-18.
Proceedings:
1. Divers TJ. Acute renal failure in horses and cattle, in Proceedings. 3rd Am Coll Vet Int Med Forum 1985;93-95.
2. Lamb CR, Koblik PD, O’Callaghan MW, et al. Comparison of bone scintigraphy and radiography as aids in the evaluation of equine lameness: Retrospective analysis of 275 cases, in Proceedings. Am Assoc Equine Pract 1989;35:359-368.
FOOTNOTES:
References to dissertations, theses, abstracts, personal communications and papers submitted but not yet accepted for publication should be footnoted:
a. Jones CD. The selective advantage of the ABO blood groups [thesis]. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University; 1990.
b. Bramlage LR. Lexington, KY. (personal communication) 1996.
c. Smith AB. Unpublished data. January 1990.
Product and Equipment Names
Products and equipment should be identified by chemical or generic names or descriptions. All products should be footnoted, along with the manufacturer’s full address. A trade name may be included in a lettered footnote along with the name and location (city, state, and zip code) of the manufacturer when the product or equipment was essential to the outcome of the experiment or treatment.
Example:
All horses were sedated with a combination of detomidine HCLa (10-20 mg/kg IV) and butorphanol tartrateb (0.01-0.02 mg/kg IV).
a. Dormosedan® Orion Corporation, Espoo, Finland.
b. Torbugesic®, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.
FIGURES:
• The resolution should be at least 300 dpi.
• Figures should be cited in the text in parentheses (Fig. 1) consecutively in the order of which they are first mentioned.
• The figure itself should also be numbered to correspond to the citation in the text.
• Figures must include captions, 40 words or fewer.
TABLES:
Tables should be self-explanatory and should supplement the text. Provide a concise, descriptive title for each table.
Figures, tables, and text should all be included in the same document.
PERMISSIONS:
If you wish to use previously published material, including text, photographs, or drawings, you must acknowledge the original source and submit written permission from the copyright holders (author and publisher) to reproduce the material. Provide this permission when you submit your original manuscript.
IACUC APPROVAL:
AAEP is dedicated to the humane use of animals in scientific research in accordance with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
COMPOUNDED MEDICATIONS AND MEDICAL DEVICES:
To be considered for selection in the Annual Convention program, abstracts that include the use of compounded drugs must adhere to the tenets described in the AAEP Equine Veterinary Compounding Guidelines (2005). Specifically, compounded drug or medical devices cannot be used in lieu of an FDA-approved product if the approved product has a label indication for the purpose or condition being evaluated or described in the abstract.
An exception to this policy will be made for abstracts reporting clinical trials conducted in fulfillment of the requirements for the approval of a new drug (FDA) or biologic (USDA).
Submitted papers that use compounded drugs or medical devices will be reviewed by an individual with expertise in this area. The individual will then make a recommendation to the SREC about the suitability of the submission for potential inclusion in the program.
ADHERENCE TO PEER-SUPPORTED CLINICAL GUIDELINES:
The AAEP is sensitized to having people use the term “Standard of Care” from the podium. If you plan to do this, please include this in your abstract or written submitted material so the SREC can confirm its agreement with your statement. Definitions of “Standard of Care” are listed below:
1. A diagnostic and treatment process that a clinician should follow for a certain type of patient, illness, or clinical circumstance. Adjuvant chemotherapy for lung cancer is "a new standard of care, but not necessarily the only standard of care." (New England Journal of Medicine, 2004).
2. In legal terms, the level at which the average, prudent provider in a given community would practice. It is how similarly qualified practitioners would have managed the patient's care under the same or similar circumstances. The medical malpractice plaintiff must establish the appropriate standard of care and demonstrate that the standard of care has been breached.
Review Process:
To respect the integrity of the Annual Convention program and ensure the fairness of the review process, AAEP has adopted blind reviewing in which the identity of the authors and reviewers are not known to each other. Papers will be reviewed, scored, and selected by the SREC. Please follow the blinding guidelines below.
Blinding Guidelines:
• The title page and/or front matter of the blinded version of a paper should contain no references to any author or to his/her affiliation.
• All unpublished works by an author of the submitted manuscript should be blinded.
• When referring to an author’s publication, the form of third person should be used.
• Any acknowledgments that identify any authors should be removed from the blinded version. Also, please delete any notes that indicate affiliation, conference presentations, grants, author or departmental websites, etc.
• Do not use author name or affiliation in the names of the submitted files.
SCORING CRITERIA:
One goal of the SREC in choosing submissions for the AAEP annual meeting is to combine the best available clinical research with clinical experience and expertise to meet the needs of our patients. The AAEP Scoring Criteria can be viewed here.
PRE-PRESS APPROVAL:
Authors will have final approval at the page proof stage. Changes/updates in numbers, dosages or inappropriate grammar may be made within one week of receiving page proofs. Final grammatical changes will be the decision of the editors. Substantial changes or removal of any data will result in forfeiture of complimentary registration and travel, and exclusion from the program.
HONORARIUM:
Presenting authors will receive one complimentary registration and a check for $550 to help support travel.
MENTORS FOR AUTHORS:
Paper submissions by private practitioners and first-time authors are highly encouraged. The AAEP has a list of members in various areas of expertise who have agreed to volunteer their time to mentor an author who needs guidance. To see this list, email Carey Ross at cross@aaep.org.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
ALL papers must be submitted online by March 15, 2023, 3:00 p.m. E.T. Under no circumstances will submissions received after the deadline be considered or reviewed. ALL deadlines must be followed to have the published Proceedings available at the meeting.
SUBMISSION TYPES:
All submissions should strictly adhere to these guidelines with consideration of the Specific Guidelines for each submission type below.
Scientific papers: may include case series with follow-up data, or the results of experimental or observational studies.
“How to” papers: describe and explain a technique or procedure used in equine veterinary medicine or the equine industry.
Review papers: update the membership on a new subject or gather information that may be conflicting allowing the membership to make judgments as to its utility.
Abstracts: presenting the latest information without compromising the ability to publish or present elsewhere.
Business and Lifestyle papers: whereas the focus may vary between conferences, experienced practitioners present information germane to the operational and strategic aspects of equine practice.