Header image for Call for Abstracts

Call for Abstracts (closed):

Symposium, Oral, Speed, Poster Presentations

The 4th International Marine Conservation Congress, Making Marine Science Matter, will be held from 30 July - 3 August 2016 at the Delta Conference Centre, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (YYT).

The call for absracts has now closed.

If you have questions or need assistance, please email the Scientific Program Committee.

For information on submitting proposals for symposia, workshops, focus groups and OceansOnline, please see the Call for Proposals page. The Call for Proposals closed 21 November 2015.

On this page:

 

Congress Theme

The overall theme of the congress is Making Marine Science Matter. For marine conservation to be effective, marine conservation science must matter to stakeholders, policy makers, and practitioners. To accomplish this, the congress will be organized around specific topics of interest for marine conservation in general, as well as for the local area. This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but merely a guide for submissions.  Other topics of interest are welcomed.

  • Communicating marine conservation
  • Fisheries, aquaculture and the oceans
  • Marine food security
  • Conservation and management of the Arctic and Antarctic
  • Conservation engineering
  • Ocean science technology
  • Marine energy
  • Marine policy
  • Climate, ocean acidification, and the changing oceans
  • Culture and the marine environment
  • Advancing marine conservation through international treaties
  • Effective marine conservation planning
  • Participation in marine conservation science (e.g. citizen and indigenous science)
  • Marine tourism
  • Estuary and coastal restoration
  • Conservation at the land-sea interface

In addition, the SCB Marine Section developed a list of 71 research questions critical to the advancement of marine conservation.  We encourage abstracts that address one or more of these questions, but welcome all abstracts related to marine conservation science and practice.

One presentation/One First Author Per Delegate: Please be aware that each delegate is allowed to submit only one abstract (symposium, oral, speed, or poster), either as a presenting or first author. This rule does not apply to participants speaking in focus groups, workshops, OceansOnline or to plenary speakers. (i.e. A presenter may submit an abstract for IMCC4 and a proposal for OceansOnline.)

 

Criteria for Selection

We strongly encourage abstracts from individuals and groups involved in cutting edge marine conservation science or practice that can demonstrate that their proposed presentation “makes marine science matter.” We also encourage abstracts that align with a specific topic(s) of relevance and/or addresses one or more of the 71 critical research questions.

Please note that we welcome presentations that do not come under the congress's topics of interest (please select "other" category for these) or align with one of the 71 questions. We will review all abstracts relevant to marine conservation.

 

Reviews

Abstracts are blind reviewed by at least three individuals. To increase the probability that your abstracts will be selected for presentation, please consider the following criteria carefully:

  • Relevance to the overall theme of the congress (Making Marine Science Matter) and the specific topics of relevance and/or 71 research questions
  • Application to marine conservation / clear connection to conservation science, policy, management, practice
  • Quality of the abstract
  • Novelty of the topic (Topic addresses a new question or problem, or approaches traditional questions from a novel perspective or in a new region. This is not a strict requirement but may give your proposal an advantage when all other criteria are met.)

Author registration rule: All presenters of accepted abstracts must register and be paid in full by the early registration deadline of 8 May 2016. Authors failing to comply with this rule will not be included in the Congress program.

 

Formats for Presentations

Speed (short spoken) presentations

If your paper topic would be of interest to a wide range of people and you would like your presentation to lead to an extended conversation with colleagues who are specifically interested in your work, you may wish to submit an abstract for a speed presentation. Presenters have four (4) minutes each to present their key ideas and results. This time limit will be strictly enforced. 

To participate in the speed presentations, submit an abstract according to the standard guidelines and indicate that you would like your abstract to be considered for a speed presentation. Instructions for abstract preparation can be found below. If your abstract is accepted but cannot be accommodated as a speed presentation, we may offer you the opportunity to present a poster.

 

Oral (spoken) presentations

To participate in the oral presentations, simply submit an abstract according to the standard guidelines and indicate that you would like your abstract to be considered for an oral presentation. Instructions for abstract preparation can be found below. Oral presentations will be limited to 15 minutes: 12 minutes for presentation and 3 minutes for questions.  Contributed oral presentations will be grouped by topic. Please choose from the list of general topic areas when you submit your abstract.  If accepted, this will assist us in selecting an appropriate session for your presentation.  If your abstract is accepted but cannot be accommodated as an oral presentation, we may offer you the opportunity to present a speed talk or poster.  All oral presentation rooms will be equipped with a computer and a data projector. Detailed information and instructions on presentations at the meeting will be available to presenters several months before the meeting.

 

Poster presentations

Posters will be displayed prominently during the special reception dedicated to posters to allow in-depth discussion between authors and attendees. To increase the number and diversity of presentations, we are not requiring posters to have a “complete story” at the time of submission. We encourage delegates with projects that will not be completed by the end of the call for abstracts to submit a poster.

To participate in the poster presentations, submit an abstract according to the standard guidelines and indicate that you would like your abstract to be considered for a poster presentation. Instructions for abstract preparation can be found below. Helpful information on designing a conservation science poster is available on the Professional Development section of the SCB website. Poster presenters will receive general instructions on poster format in the email notification of acceptance.

 

OceansOnline 

OceansOnline proposals should be relevant to marine conservation communication and online tools and resources for marine conservation and marine science. 

OceansOnline facilitated discussions are inspired by the session format of the former ScienceOnline Oceans. Facilitated discussions will be led by the proposer(s). They will include an introduction to the topic and interactive discussion with the session attendees. Facilitated discussions will be one hour in length. For examples of previous discussions and inspiration, please see the ScienceOnline Oceans 2013 program.

Instructions for Submitting Abstracts for All Presentations

Abstracts must be submitted electronically. Web submission is the only format for submission. (Please visit the Accessibility page if you need the submission form made available in a different format for accessibility reasons.) The online submission form can be found here: http://birenheide.com/IMCC2016/abstracts.php. You can find advice on how to write an abstract in the Professional Development section of the SCB website. The information below is subject to change.

Please follow the instructions carefully, including all requested information and formatting. After you submit your abstract, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to verify your submission. It is your responsibility to verify that ALL information submitted is complete and correct. If you notice errors or omissions, please contact the Program Committee at IMCC_Program@conbio.org. No changes will be made after the abstract submission deadline (14 March 2016). Early notification of acceptance will give you ample time to take advantage of the early registration rate. Abstract proposals must include:

  1. Full name, organization, and email address of person submitting the abstract.
  2. Abstract title: Type your title in sentence-case as it should appear in the meeting program (limit to 150 characters including spaces).
  3. All co-authors of the abstract, including submitting author. Submitting author need not be the first or presenting author, but will be the point of contact.
  4. Indicate which author is the presenting author.
  5. Abstract: This description will appear on the meeting web site and in the meeting program, and should not exceed 1500 characters including spaces. For oral, speed, and poster presentations, begin with a clear statement of the topic or objectives and provide a brief description of methods and major results. Oral and speed presentations are expected to end with a substantial conclusion. Do not use vague statements such as "results will be discussed" (though this is acceptable for posters). For special characters, just cut and paste your abstract, and the special formatting should be kept. It is the responsibility of the author to verify the information submitted and to notify the Program Committee of any errors or omissions before the submission deadline. No changes to any abstract will be permitted after 7 March 2016.
  6. Select which theme(s) and/or which “71 questions,” if any, you are addressing by choosing from the list of general themes and questions from the pull-down menu.
  7. Alternate Presentation Format: Please select your second and third choices (in order of preference) by selecting the appropriate option(s) from the pull down menu. If you do not wish to have your abstract considered for an alternate presentation, please choose “I do not wish to select another option." However, please be aware that if you do not choose an alternate format and reviewers do not recommend your submission for the indicated format, your submission will be rejected.
  8. Comments: List any necessary comments pertaining to your abstract submission, including any special scheduling requests or accommodations for differently abled presenters.

 

Note to Reviewers

All reviewers for IMCC are asked to read our Note to Reviewers and follow these general guidelines when scoring proposals. The Scientific Program Committee will make decisions baased on reviews, but will also look at each proposal to see if it is a good fit and has merit, despite low scores from reviewers. However, the schedule and venue can only accommodate a certain number of sessions, and the process is competitive.