Abstracts

 The deadline to submit an abstract for the 2021 Annual Meeting has passed.

  • Oral presentations: 
    • will be held on Friday, April 16, from 7:55am to 2:30pm US Central Time (12:55-19:30 UTC). Presenting author will need to be available for a live 5-minute question and answer session after their presentation. The schedule will be available well before the meeting.
    • must be pre-recorded for viewing at any time during the meeting and should be no longer than 15 minutes. Scroll down for helpful links on how to record your presentation.
  • Poster presentations: 
    • will be available for viewing throughout the entire meeting. Posters have no given size since they are virtual, not printed. Please save them as a PDF.
    • The Poster Session will be held on Tuesday, April 13, from 3:15pm to 5:15pm US Central Time (20:15-22:15 UTC). Poster presenters are asked to be available at that time to discuss their work.

Pre-recording Presentation Guidance

There are many tutorials available online on making presentation videos. Here are a few starter links:

How to turn Powerpoint presentations into video

How to use ZOOM to record your presentation

Further instructions will be sent to presenters after abstracts have been approved.

Abstract Review Process

The Abstract Review Committee consists of members of AMMP who are experienced in all aspects of fossil preparation. Every abstract is judged blindly; the reviewers do not know the author of the abstract. In this way, each abstract is judged solely on its own merits and whether or not it conforms to AMMP standards and meets the Abstract Guidelines.

Submitters will be notified by email of acceptance or rejection. If there are any suggested or required edits, authors will be given time to submit updated abstracts.

Please note: The Abstract Review Committee reserves the right to reject any submission that does not meet AMMP standards of best practices in preparation and conservation.

Abstract Submission Guidelines

Adherence to AMMP Ethics Guidelines
  • By submitting your abstract, you are agreeing to abide by AMMP Ethics Guidelines as set forth in the Charter.

Author submission policy

  • The first listed author of the abstract is automatically the presenting author. There can be up to five co-authors.
  • TWO (2) first-authored abstracts can be submitted for consideration: one in each category (poster and oral).
  • If you have questions about your abstract, please email abstracts@paleomethods.org

Title and Abstract Text

  • Title and text must be in English, and in formal writing style.
  • The Title is limited to 255 characters including spaces and punctuation.
  • Abstract text is limited to 2,200 characters (approximately 314 words) including spaces and punctuation.
  • The abstract must describe completed work in detail (e.g. scope, purpose, methods, results).
  • If you are describing work that is completed, write in the past tense. If you are describing principles and procedures in general (e.g. Conservation of Waterlogged Wood or Proper Use of Consolidants, etc.) then present tense is appropriate.
  • Abstracts stating, "results will be discussed" are not acceptable. Standard abstract content includes results.
  • An abstract is not meant to be an advertisement, notification, or lure with cliffhangers.

Suggested Topics

  • New techniques
  • New materials
  • Testing of materials and techniques
  • Basics of…
  • Historical review of…
  • Case studies: following a specimen through the complete process of preparation, explaining which decisions were made and why.

2021 Host Committee

Shawn Haugrud, Chair                                   

East Tennessee State University and Gray Fossil Site


Additional Guidelines and Recommendations

Have colleagues read your abstract; if it is not clear to them it will not be clear to a wider audience.

Use spelling and grammar check.

Italicize genus and species designations throughout your title and text.

Font style and size formatting is not important. All abstracts will be standardized to the same font style and size for publication in the Annual Meeting Abstract Booklet.

A good abstract contains the following elements:
  • What is the problem you are trying to solve, what is the project?
  • Why is it important?
  • Clearly explain the project, or the question you are attempting to answer.
  • Describe the experiments, methods and materials that you used to solve the problem or complete the project. 
  • Describe the results of your work, and then present your conclusions.
  • What is the impact of this work?

The abstract should contain as much information as possible. Unless you publish elsewhere (and you should), the published abstract is all that may be available about your work.

Be specific about products and methods. For example, you could say that the specimen was molded, but you should say that the specimen was molded with a layered mold using Silicones, Inc., GI 1000, backed by a mother mold of FGR-95 and fiberglass. This is not just important in terms of the abstract but as a written record of what has happened to particular specimens.

You can mention products in your abstract and in the presentation, but the AMMP meeting is not a forum for a sales pitch of your product. Be accurate as to how a product was used. For example: Paraloid B-72 at 50/50 w/w in acetone was used as an adhesive.

Disclaimer

The information presented during the annual meeting of the Association for Materials & Methods in Paleontology (AMMP) or on the AMMP website (www.paleomethods.org) is presented for informational purposes only and is solely the opinion of the authors. AMMP makes no warranties or representations of any kind whatsoever, either express or implied, concerning the accuracy or suitability of the information contained herein for any purpose. Use of the information is at your sole risk. AMMP does not endorse the advice, opinions, results, statements, or other information displayed, uploaded, or distributed by any user, person, or entity. AMMP will not be held responsible for the use of information, or as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of any content, information, material, or any links to other sites made available on the AMMP website.

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