Call for Abstracts FAQ's
If you have any additional questions, please call the SSO office during business hours at 847-427-1400, or email speakers@surgonc.org.
What is the deadline for abstract submission?
The deadline for abstract submission is 11:59 pm (ET) on Monday, October 7, 2019. No extensions are permitted.
How can I submit my abstract?
Abstracts may ONLY be submitted online. The submission site will be open July 29 and close October 7, 2019. The submission site can be accessed here.
Is there an abstract submission fee?
Yes. Given the increasing resources required to manage the Society’s abstract review management process, the SSO has enacted a $60.00 submission fee for each abstract submitted for consideration to SSO 2020. The submission fee must be paid via credit card when submitting your abstract. If the fee is not paid, the abstract will not be considered as “submitted.” There is no additional charge for revising a submitted abstract.
How many abstracts may I submit?
There are no restrictions on the number of abstracts you may submit. Abstracts may be submitted for Oral, Poster or Video presentation consideration.
How many authors may be included on my abstract?
There is no limit to the number of co-authors for each abstract. Please enter all authors and their locations (including yourself, if you are an author) in the order they should appear in the heading of the abstract.
Can abstracts accepted at other meetings be submitted to SSO 2020?
- An abstract that has been or will be presented at another meeting prior to SSO 2020 can be submitted for presentation at SSO 2020 if:
- It was submitted for presentation at the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
- It was submitted for presentation at the 2020 ASCO GI Cancer Symposium.
- It was submitted for presentation at 2020 SSO Advanced Cancer Therapies.
- It is submitted to SSO 2020 in the Team Science sub-category and meets the Team Science criteria.
- Abstracts accepted and presented at any NATIONAL or GLOBAL meetings (other than those mentioned above) prior to March 25, 2020 are not eligible for presentation at SSO 2020.
- Nor will SSO accept abstracts that represent previously reported studies, except those submitted in the Team Science sub-category.
Can abstract manuscripts be published prior to SSO 2020?
- SSO policy is that research presented at SSO’s annual meeting be published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology (ASO), the official journal of the SSO. Please refer to the updated protocol and dates for submitting your SSO 2020 abstract manuscript to the ASO (listed above).
- There is a publication embargo on all SSO 2020 abstracts prior to presentation August 18-20, 2020, except for publication in the Annals of Surgical Oncology.
How do I submit a Video for consideration?
A video abstract must be submitted before the actual video is emailed to SSO staff. Please read the Video Submission Instructions for details.
I am experiencing technical difficulty with the submission website. Whom should I contact?
Technical questions or problems with the system should be directed to the Abstract Central (ScholarOne) Support Team. They can be reached by clicking the Get Help Now button at the top right-hand corner of the screen or by emailing ts.acsupport@clarivate.com. Please be sure your message contains your name, phone, email and an explanation of the problem. Tech Support is available from Monday at 12:00 a.m. through 8:30 p.m. Friday, US Eastern time.
For questions regarding submitting a video, please contact SSO Education Department, at speakers@surgonc.org or 847-427-1400.
What disclosures are required?
The SSO requires each lead author to provide a Presenter Release, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval (if applicable), and disclosure of financial relationships. All authors and presenters must disclose any conflicts of interest and acknowledge any support from commercial interests for studies relating to the abstract. All authors and co-authors must agree with the abstract content to be considered for presentation. Please refer to specific requirements in the submission process.
What is the Team Science Sub-category?
The Team Science abstract sub-category was envisioned to provide surgical investigators with an opportunity to present work in which they played a significant role as part of a multidisciplinary team. Abstracts may include findings from high impact clinical trials and/or scientific work that has already been presented or published at another scientific national meeting.
Eligible abstracts for the team science sub-category should have a Surgical Oncologist as a co-author and the presenter. If previously presented or published, the cited work should have been published in English and published or presented no more that 6 – 12 months prior to the abstract deadline. If accepted, SSO staff may contact you to verify.
If your abstract reflects the Team Science sub-category, make sure the Team Science sub-category is selected in Step 2 of the submission form.
What is the Disparities in Surgical Oncologic Care Sub-category?
Disparity is defined as a condition or fact of being unequal. Disparities in healthcare are inequalities that may occur when members of certain groups do not have similar outcomes or receive similar care resulting in higher incidence of morbidity and mortality. Disparities often extend beyond race and can include access to surgical oncologic care, socioeconomic status, gender, or biologic difference, including response to treatment and receipt of treatment. Disparities in surgical oncologic care are very complex and we must study and evaluate intervention to reduce and eliminate these disparities.
This abstract sub-category, offered by the SSO for the first time at SSO 2020, will be looking for abstracts and papers that span the complex nature of disparities as they relate to surgical oncologic care and seek to understand the nature of disparities in surgical care and the factors that influence and mitigate them. Abstracts may cover:
- Constrained resources, systems of care, quality of surgical care, and surgical safety
- The lack of access to surgical oncologists and cancer outcomes (both nationally and globally)
- The role of the surgical oncologist in reaching certain disparate communities and the impact of this on surgical oncologic outcomes
- Evidence-based approaches to eliminate disparities and outcomes on screening, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and survivorship
- Disparities in the elderly and issues that may impact surgical outcomes and survival
- Disparities on race/ethnicity/gender and surgical oncologic outcomes and disparities and surgical oncologic outcomes addressing the global burden
If your abstract reflects the Disparities in Surgical Oncologic Care Sub-category, make sure the Disparities sub-category is selected in Step 2 of the submission form.
Do I need to submit a complete manuscript with the abstract?
SSO leadership believe that research presented at SSO’s annual meeting should be published in the Annals of Surgical Oncology (ASO), the official journal of the SSO. While not a requirement for all abstracts selected for SSO 2020, a manuscript suitable for publication in the Annals of Surgical Oncology may be submitted by authors of abstracts accepted for oral presentation prior to or at the 2020 meeting. Please refer to the SSO 2020 Call for Abstracts page here for specifics. The Annals of Surgical Oncology has the right of first refusal for all manuscripts submitted for the meeting. See full ASO submission details here.
Is there a character limit for my abstract?
There is a limit of 2,300 characters for the text of your abstract submission. This includes the title and abstract body, including all spaces.
May I include a table with my abstract?
You may add one figure to your Oral or Poster abstract. This may be a table or an image. Characters will not be deducted from the total character count for tables and images. Images and tables can be easily edited or deleted any time before the submission deadline.
May I submit an abstract if I am not an SSO member?
Yes, however, each abstract must include at least one SSO member as an author or co-author. SSO will not accept abstract submissions from authors and/or co-authors who are employees of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or medical technology companies.
I am not an MD, but I am preparing an abstract for a physician and need the instructions.
To view the abstract submission instructions, create an account through the ScholarOne site via the link above. If the lead author doesn’t already have an account, use the lead author’s contact information to create the account, so you can view the instructions and provide the physician with the username and password to log in when he/she is ready to submit the abstract. The lead author is responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information submitted, so it is important that the physician is able to log into the process. Full instructions can be accessed on the top right of the submission process beginning in Step 1.
I would like my abstract to be considered for an award. What should I do?
The SSO is offering several awards for abstracts submitted to SSO 2020. Please review the award consideration criteria in the submission instructions online here.
Can I revise my abstract after it has been submitted?
Yes, you can edit your abstract on the submission website before the deadline of 11:59 pm (ET) on October 7, 2019. Refer to your acknowledgement email with the Control ID number, which will make it easier to access your abstract(s). Once the submission deadline has passed, typos or spelling corrections are the only permitted changes to the abstract text.
Can I withdraw my abstract after it’s been accepted for presentation?
All notifications will be sent to the presenting author in mid-November. If a first author/presenter chooses to withdraw his or her abstract for any reason, a request must be submitted by Monday, December 9, 2019 to speakers@surgonc.org. Any abstract withdrawal request received after this date will be considered on a case-by-case basis and cannot be assured removal from the Abstract edition of the Annals of Surgical Oncology or meeting materials.
Authors of accepted abstracts MUST present at SSO 2020.
Do I need to register for the meeting if my abstract is accepted for presentation?
Authors of accepted abstracts are expected to register for the meeting and pay the meeting registration fee. Online meeting registration will open in mid-October 2019.
When and how will I receive notification about the status of my abstract in the program?
Notification regarding acceptance of an abstract will be sent by email to the submitted presenter by mid-November. Notification regarding rejection of an abstract will be sent by email to the submitting author by mid-November. The decision of the SSO Scientific Program Committee regarding acceptance and presentation of abstracts is final.
For any questions not covered here, please call the SSO office at 847-427-1400 or email speakers@surgonc.org.