CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
2016 MAATA STUDENT FREE COMMUNICATIONS PRESENTATION
Submission Deadline: March 15, 2016 by 11:59pm
Abstracts are currently being accepted for the 2016 Student Free Communications Presentation at the Mid-Atlantic
Athletic Trainers’ Symposium held May 20-22, 2016 in Virginia Beach, VA. Any student abstract accepted for presentation
at the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Annual Conference and Symposium is also eligible for presentation at the
MAATA Student Symposium. Abstracts submitted for presentation may include original research or clinical case studies.
Eligible Participants:
Priority review will be given to non-certified undergraduate students or entry-level masters’ students enrolled in a CAATE
accredited Athletic Training Program within District III. A student enrolled in a discipline other than Athletic Training (eg.
EXS or PBH) may submit an abstract for review if there is an Athletic Trainer cited as co-author and/or faculty sponsor at
no additional cost. Students without an AT co-author or faculty sponsor may submit an abstract for review for a fee of $25.
Review of Submissions:
All abstracts will undergo a blind review by the Selection Committee. Abstracts that do not meet the submission and
format criteria will not be reviewed.
Format Criteria:
1. Prepare your abstract (on your computer) in accordance with the following instructions. You will later be directed
to upload your abstract file from your computer to the Abstract Manager system.
2. Top, bottom, right, and left margins of the body of the abstract (in a WORD file) should be set at 1″ using the
standard 8.5″ x 11″ format. Use either Arial or Helvetica 12pt. font with single spacing. Provide the title of the
paper or project starting at the top left margin.
3. On the next line, indent 3 spaces and provide the names of all authors, with the author who will make the
presentation listed first. Enter the last name, then initials (without periods), followed by a comma, and continue the
same format for all secondary authors (if any), ending with a colon.
4. On the same line following the colon, indicate the name of the institution (including the city and state) where the
research was conducted. If primary author is not at the institution where the work was completed place an * after
their name and following the institution where the research was conducted the primary author can indicate their
present institution (including the city and state). For collaborative projects where portions of the project were
conducted at different institutions, list all authors as described above (#3), then list institutional affiliations using
the following consecutive symbols (*, †, ‡, §, ?, ¶, #, **, etc.)
5. Double space and begin entering the body of the abstract flush left in a single paragraph with no indentions. The
text of the body must be structured (with the headings as indicated in the various formats below). Do not justify
the right margin. Do not include tables or figures. The body of the abstract for Original Research is limited to 450
words. A word count generated by MS Word must be included at the bottom of the abstract. The word count
should include the body of the abstract and structured headings.
6. The required formats for the structured abstracts are listed below. For further clarification, authors should consult
the AMA Manual of Style 9th edition and the instructions for authors in the Journal of Athletic Training.
7. Abstracts fall into one of the following 4 categories; the author is responsible for determining the most applicable
category for structuring their abstract:. Each is provided with examples where applicable but the examples are not
all encompassing and some may overlap. Authors should choose the format that seems to best fit and present
their data.
Submission Instructions:
1. Abstracts must be submitted electronically via the sponsoring faculty member; the faculty member must
assure in the email that the abstract follows formatting and submission criteria and is of professional quality.
2. Additionally, a blinded abstract and the cover letter must be submitted electronically by the sponsoring faculty
member to: bendera@uncw.edu
Please title the email: MAATA Abstract Submission.
3. When sending files electronically, please title your (3) files as follows (title email as MAATA Abstract submission)
Full Abstract- use your last name, abstract (ex. Mannersabstract.doc)
Blind copy- use your last name, blind (ex. Mannersblind.doc)
Cover letter- use your last name, cover (ex. Mannerscover.doc)
Option for Poster Presentation:
Please indicate in your cover letter if you would like to be considered for a poster presentation if the submission is not
selected for an oral presentation. If you only want to be considered for poster presentation please indicate that as well.
Abstract Content:
Using headers, please include the appropriate content areas, as listed below. Please submit the abstract in one single
paragraph.
Original Research (450 word limit):
Objective, Design and Setting, Subjects, Measurements, Results, Conclusions, Key Words
Clinical Case Study (600 word limit):
Objective, Background, Differential Diagnosis, Treatment, Uniqueness, Conclusions, Key Words
Cover Letter:
Each abstract must be accompanied by a cover letter and must include the following contact information for the presenter:
Program Director or Faculty Sponsor’s name
Mailing address of presenter
Phone number of presenter
Fax number of presenter
Email address of presenter and faculty sponsor
Title of the abstract
First and Last Names and academic year of students presenting (limited to 2 students!)
Notification:
Selection for an oral presentation or a poster presentation will occur by April 3, 2016. The submitted abstract will be
utilized for the conference proceedings unless otherwise notified. Only students selected for Oral Presentation will receive
registration waiver and one-night lodging compensation.
Presentation Submission:
All final PowerPoint presentations for oral presentations are due by May 20, 2016 via email to Andi Bender at
bendera@uncw.edu . Students are strongly encouraged to bring an additional copy of the presentation with them to the
symposium. Make sure you upload all image and video files onto your portable drive device along with the powerpoint
presentation.
Presentation Guidelines:
Each presenting group should consist of one or two (1 – 2) student presenters. Presentations will be 15 minutes in length,
including a brief question and answer period. The faculty sponsor is responsible for making sure the presentation is of
professional quality.
For further information, please contact:
Andi Bender, MS, LAT, ATC
Clinical Education Coordinator
University of North Carolina Wilmington
601 S. College Rd.
Wilmington, NC 28403
Phone: 910-962-7537
Fax: 910-962-7073
Email: bendera@uncw.edu