Scientific Abstracts

Scientific Abstracts

This submission site closes on December 20, 2023, 11:59 pm ET.

Scientific abstracts report the results of original research and must contain quantitative and/or qualitative data. Scientific abstracts can address a broad range of topics relevant to general internal medicine, such as health equity and social determinants of health, health care delivery, medical education, and others listed in the SGIM24 Submission Categories. We also welcome submissions related to the overall meeting theme of “Strengthening Relationships and Valuing Our Diversity,” as well as the meeting’s advocacy theme of reducing the burden of firearm-related injuries. 

Key Dates

Submissions Criteria

Submission Length

Submission Structure

Graphics

Presentation Format

Presentation Selection & Scheduling

Submission Categories

Scientific Abstract Award Eligibility

Non-Commercial Funding Source

Authors

Go to Submission Site

Submission & Presentation Tips

Topic & Intended Audience


Key Dates

October 24, 2023: Submission portal opens 
December 20, 2023: Submission portal closes 
February 20, 2024: Acceptance notifications sent

Submission Criteria

Submission Length

Scientific Abstract submissions are limited to 3,000 characters, including spaces with the option to include either one table or one figure that is part of the character count.

Maximum character count limit applies only to these sections:

  • Background
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusions
  • Tables/Graphics (if included)

Character count limit does not apply to author information

Submission Structure

  1. Title (No all caps, quotes, underlining or bolding.)
  2. Background (Describe the context and importance of the study and state the objective(s) and/or hypothesis and/or research question of the study.)
  3. Methods (Include a description of the methods used including study design, setting, population, outcome measures, and analytic procedures.)
  4. Results (Describe the results in sufficient detail to support the conclusions. Tabular or graphic results are acceptable. It is not satisfactory to state, "The results will be discussed," or "Other data will be presented.”  Abstracts that do not provide actual results will not be considered for publication or presentation.)
  5. Conclusions (State the implications of the findings for clinical practice, research, education, or policy.)
  6. Learning Objectives (2 required) focused learning objectives, stating what the physician should be able to do after learning from the case presentation. Each learning objective should reflect one of the six  six ACGME Core Competencies. Objectives are action-oriented and should begin with words such as recognize, diagnose, assess, treat, distinguish, or manage. They should NOT begin with terms like “know how to” or “understand.” Examples: 
    • Diagnose hip fracture when the plain x-rays are normal
    • Recognize the clinical features of anorexia and bulimia in a male
    • Assess health literacy in at-risk populations
  7. Graphics (Optional. See below.)
  8. Presentation Format (Oral Presentation Only, Poster Only, No Preference. See below.)
  9. Primary & Secondary Submission Categories (See below.)
  10. Award Eligibility (Optional. See below.)
  11. Scheduling Restrictions for Presenting Authors (Optional. See below.)
  12. Non-Commercial Funding Source (Optional. See below.)
  13. Authors (Required. See below.)

Graphics

Optional Inclusion of a Graphic:

  • Scientific abstract submissions have the option to include either one table or one figure.
  • Graphics should be compact and used only to display essential results, where textual presentation would be less efficient.
  • Large tables and figures intended for use in an oral or poster presentation are not appropriate for abstract submissions.  See below for specifics on the size of graphics. 

Graphic Sizes:

  • Maximum size: 3 inches in width
  • Graphics are included in the online publication of SGIM Annual Meeting abstracts in the JGIM Supplement.  Abstracts are printed in two columns with optimal publishing with legible text at 3 inches in width.

Graphic Size/Character Count:

  • The size of the graphic will count against the overall character count of your submission.  The larger the graphic, the less text you may include. If a graphic is too large, the ScholarOne system will notify you upon upload to either scale the image down or reattach a smaller original image to conform to the character limit.
  • Check the character count in the top right-hand corner of each ScholarOne webpage.
  • Please ensure enough time before the submission deadline to upload a graphic and potentially resize the image.

Graphic Size/Character Count Examples: 

  • 3"w x 2" h graphics will count as 672 characters
  • 3"w x 3" h graphics will count as 768 characters
  • 3"w x 4" h graphics will count as 990 characters
  • 3"w x 5" h graphics will count as 990 characters
  • 3"w x 6" h graphics will count as 990 characters

Total character limit is 3,000 characters (excludes author information).

Format your graphics for submission upload:

.tiff format:

  • 300 dpi halftone
  • 600 dpi with text
  • 600 dpi combine halftone and text (embedded text)
  • 1200 dpi bitmap (pure text and lines (b/w)

.eps format:

  • 300/600/1200 dpi objects combine embedded images and vector

Example Graphics:

  • The recommended graphic size is 3 inches wide by 2 inches high; this graphic size accounts for the least amount of characters at 672 from the overall character count.
  • Remember, the inclusion of graphics is optional and should only be included where textual presentation is less efficient. Graphics should be compact and used only to display essential results.
  • If accepted for presentation, more detailed graphics can be included during the poster or oral presentation.

To Create a Graphic for Import: 

  1. Download the example graphic template (Microsoft Word Document)
  2. Create a table or graph and save the document as a .PDF
  3. Save the .PDF as a .TIFF or .EPS
  4. Upload into ScholarOne and click Save Changes

DOWNLOAD EXAMPLE GRAPHIC TEMPLATE EXAMPLE .PDF GRAPHIC EXAMPLE .TIFF GRAPHIC EXAMPLE .EPS GRAPHIC


Submission Disqualification: 
An abstract may be disqualified from consideration if the submission includes:

  • More than one graphic (figure or table).
  • A graphic created by combining multiple images into one file for upload or that is larger than 3 inches in width
  • Information within the body of the abstract that has the potential to identify your institution. 
    • Instead, institutions may be identified as either a “community” or “academic” or “VA” medical center and as by region: California-Hawaii, Mid-Atlantic, Mid-West, Mountain West, New England, Northwest, and Southern region. 
    • Acceptable examples are listed below:
      • Focus groups were conducted at academic medical in the Mid-West Region.
      • Data were collected through a consortium of community medical centers in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions. 
    • Unacceptable examples are listed below:
      • Focus groups were conducted at an academic medical center in Ohio.
      • Data were collected at a VA Medical Center in central Florida.

Presentation Format

Identify your preference for presentation format: 

  • Oral Presentation Only
  • Poster Presentation Only
  • No Preference

Preferred Presentation Format Choice Matters: 

  • SGIM schedules accepted submissions based on the results of the peer review process. The most highly rated submissions are scheduled for an oral presentation followed by those rated highly enough for presentation as posters.
  • We recommend stipulating “no preference”, as it will increase the likelihood of your submission being accepted.
  • If you stipulate “oral presentation only” and your submission is only ranked highly enough for a poster presentation, you will receive a rejection notification.
  • Submissions funded through direct commercial support should select “poster only” as their choice, as poster sessions do not offer CME credit hours.

Presentation Selection & Scheduling

Oral Presentations:

Highly-rated submissions will be scheduled as oral presentations during Oral Presentation Sessions. Each session typically features four total oral presentations with 10 minutes of presentation and 5 minutes of audience Q&A.

Poster Presentations:

Well-rated submissions will be accepted to present as posters. Presenters will be asked to create both a physical poster for display onsite and a digital poster that will be accessible throughout the meeting on the meeting app.

Submission Categories

Select the category that best matches the submission. Categories also determine assignment to review committees. The Program Committee does its best to schedule sessions within the same category in a manner that avoids conflicts across concurrent sessions, but it is not always possible. 

  • Adolescent Medicine 
  • Ambulatory Medicine  
  • Career Development, Professionalism, and Wellness 
  • Clinical Informatics and Health Information Technology 
  • Geriatrics and Palliative Care 
  • Health Care Delivery Redesign  
  • Health Care Services and Policy Research 
  • Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 
  • Hospital Medicine 
  • Medical Education and Training 
  • Medical Ethics and Humanities 
  • Mental/Behavioral Health and Substance Use
  • Quality Improvement and Patient Safety
  • Social Determinants of Health 
  • Women’s Health, Sex, and Gender-Informed Medicine 

Scientific Abstract Award Eligibility

Mack Lipkin, Sr. Associate Member Scientific Abstract Oral Presentation Awards:

  • Three awards will be given to the associate members whose abstracts are ranked the highest by the judging panel.
  • Eligible candidates must be a current SGIM Associate Member (Student, Resident, or Fellow).
  • Candidates must be the primary (first) author of a scientific abstract submitted for the annual national meeting and must have had a major role in the work being submitted.
  • Finalists are selected from the top-rated eligible submissions. Usually, 12 abstracts are selected.
  • Finalists’ presentations will be evaluated by judges at the Annual Meeting.
  • If the eligible author cannot present at the Annual Meeting, they may identify a co-author to present in their place, but this negates eligibility for the award.

Milton W. Hamolsky Junior Faculty Scientific Abstract Oral Presentation Awards: 

  • Three awards will be given to junior faculty members whose abstracts are ranked the highest by the judging panel.
  • Eligible candidates are junior faculty who are in their first two years of a faculty appointment.
  • Candidates must be the primary (first) author of a scientific abstract submitted for the annual national meeting and must have had a major role in the work being submitted.
  • Finalists are selected from the top-rated eligible submissions. Usually, 12 abstracts are selected.
  • Finalists’ presentations will be evaluated by judges at the Annual Meeting.
  • If the eligible author cannot present at the Annual Meeting, they may identify a co-author to present in their place, but this negates eligibility for the award.

Scheduling Restrictions for Presenting Authors

Optional. Authors may identify any schedule conflicts at the time of submission. Specific schedule slot requests are not guaranteed, but will be taken under consideration.

Non-Commercial Funding Source

Optional. Choose as many as apply:

  • AHRQ Funding
  • DOD Funding
  • NIH Funding
  • PCORI Research Grant
  • RWJ Foundation
  • VA Funding
  • Other

The program committee reserves the right to use this information in scheduling. 

Authors

Adding Authors:

You will be asked to enter the names and affiliations of all authors who contributed to your submission. Please confirm all authors contact information before submitting.

To add an author in the submission form:

  1. Search for author’s existing account in ScholarOne to avoid creating duplicate accounts.
    1. Search by first name, last name, or email address.
  2. If no account exists, create an account for the co-author.
  3. Co-authors will receive an automated email inviting them to update their contact information and fill out a disclosure.

After adding an author, please ensure the information is correct and current

  • Name 
  • Email Address Co-authors will receive an automated email notification inviting them to fill out a disclosure at the email address listed. 
  • Affiliation If their current institution is not on the list, select "Add new Institution" and search for their institution in the pop-up menu. You can create an institution if not listed in the system.
  • Function Select the role the person is serving for the submission. In most cases, this will be "additional faculty."
  • SGIM Membership Status Select the person's member status. If unknown, select "non-member."
  • Ethnic Background Select the appropriate ethnic background from the list or enter their self-description. This information is for internal use only. 
  • Gender Select the appropriate gender from the list or enter their self-description. This information is for internal use only. 

Designate Presenting Author:

Select the presenting author option next to the author in the author listing to designate the presenting author. This author will present the poster or oral presentation if accepted. This author’s name will be underlined in the Journal of General Internal Medicine’s Annual Meeting Online Supplement. Only one author can be designated as the presenting author.

Order Author List:

Arrange the order of the author listing by selecting order number next to each author. Typically, first authors are designated as the presenting author, unless another co-author is designated to present.


Submission & Presentation Tips

Topic & Intended Audience

Know your topic and your intended audience: 

  • Which attendees are your primary target audience?
  • Why is this important to them?
  • Is it innovative and creative?
  • Is the topic timely?
  • Does it help audience members meet an urgent need? (e.g. accreditation issues)
  • How much time does your topic require?
  • Choose the most appropriate category for submission.