A processing fee of SGD55 for AOGS members and SGD85 for everyone else, including members of AOGS partner societies applies for each submitted abstract. This amount must be paid at the time of abstract submission, or the abstract will not be processed. The fee is non-refundable and not waived under almost any circumstances, especially for withdrawn/rejected abstracts or for successful registration fee waiver applicants.
1. This is not the time for the detailed scheduling of a session, meaning deciding when the accepted submission will be presented and whether it will be oral or poster, invited or contributed.
2. A presentation slot will only be assigned to accepted submissions that are supported by a paid registration. Authors & Presenters must complete all fee payment by the given deadline. The deadlines are listed on the home page of the conference website.
3. Having an accepted abstract is a mandatory requirement for receiving AOGS financial support. This means that applicants are dependent on Conveners who must do their best to complete their abstract reviews on time.
4. For every 20 accepted abstracts, 1 complimentary registration is given for the Convener to decide the recipient. This cannot start until all abstract reviews are completed.
5. Please kindly complete reviews within the assigned deadline to allow attendees maximum time to make travel arrangements (visa application, etc.) and for obtaining other means of financial support (in case needed) from their home institutions.
Thank you for your valuable contribution to the review process.
1. Acceptance, Rejection, and Movement of Abstracts by Conveners
This guideline is intended to explain how conveners can view the abstracts submitted for their session, decide which ones to accept or reject, ask for certain abstracts to be moved to another session, take advantage of the one free registration for every twenty accepted abstracts, and let the program committee and section president know when you would like your session scheduled.
It is requested that you decide as soon as possible on the acceptance, rejection, and movement of the abstracts submitted to your Session. Because review decisions (accept or reject) are a compulsory requirement for determining funding support (AOGS Comps and Reduced Registration Fee), it is very important that Conveners complete their reviews on time. This will then allow the Treasurer and the Program Chair the maximum amount of time to perform their duties.
Abstract Submission Policy (since AOGS2011)
From AOGS2011, authors will need to complete the payment of the abstract processing fee BEFORE an abstract can be further processed. Abstracts in the PENDING state are those whose abstract processing fees remain unpaid. These abstracts are not eligible for review or acceptance. Conveners can review abstracts in the ACTIVE state only. They are not duplicates, withdrawals and cleared abstract processing fee payment. Due to deadline extensions and whatever reasons, some abstract processing fees may take longer time to settle. These abstracts can only progress to the ACTIVE state and qualify for review later. Please make periodic checks to see if there are any new ACTIVE abstracts that need to be reviewed.
2. Viewing sessions / Updating session details
Please keep the session information up-to-date, including the session title, descriptions, and convener lists.
2.1 Log into MARS:
https://meetmatt-svr.net
2.2 Click "My Sessions" from the left menu. And you will see the My Sessions page.
2.3 Click on the session code (e.g., PS03) to view the session details
2.4 Click "edit" and you will be able to
- Update the session details such as title, description, scheduling preferences.
- Add / remove co-conveners, and change the main convener.
3. Viewing abstract statistics & list
Follow the steps below to view the abstracts submitted to your session(s).
3.1 Navigate to the "My Sessions" page.
3.2 Under the session summary is a section titled "Abstract Submission Summary", which is a table that summaries the statistics of the abstracts in your Session.
3.3 Click the abstract count next to "Total Submitted" and you will see the Abstract List page. This page lists the abstracts that are submitted to your Session.
4. Go to the Abstract List page
Follow the steps below to view the abstracts submitted to your session(s).
4.1 Go to the Abstract List page
4.2 Click one of the abstract IDs. This will bring you to the Abstract Details page.
On this page, you can view
The full abstract - title, author list, content.
- Abstract Status (ACTIVE, PENDING, WITHDRAWN, or DUPLICATE). Note that you will only be able to review the ACTIVE abstracts.
- Author's preferred presentation mode (oral, poster, or either)
- Payment status of the abstract processing fee
- Review decisions & comments
- Decision (by Conveners and/or Section Presidents) the presentation mode and status (whether Invited or Contributed) of the paper
5. Reviewing an abstract so as to accept or reject it for the meeting
Note that the acceptance/rejection decisions you will enter online are TENTATIVE, i.e., they are NOT immediately visible to the authors. The review results will be FINALIZED on the acceptance notification date, and after that the review results will be sent to and made visible to the authors. You may change your decisions before the acceptance notification date.
5.1 Navigate to the Abstract Details page
5.2 On top of the page, click the link "Review".
5.3 Fill up the review form. For the majority of the cases, you are required to enter
- Review Decision: Accept / Reject
- Comments to authors
5.4 Click "Save" to save the changes.
6. Moving an abstract to another session
If you want to do this then contact the Section President, first author, and Lead Convener of the other session with your request. If they agree then the Section President will arrange the abstract's movement with the Secretariat by email to:
info@asiaoceania.org. If the author does not agree, then the responsibility to accept or reject the abstract returns to you.
7. Deciding Complimentary Registrations (AOGS Comps)
7.1 A new funding support program was launched in 2012; further information may be found under the "Applications" section on the conference website's home page.
- For every 20 accepted abstracts, 1 complimentary registration provided to the Session Convener for deciding the recipient. Total funding available is up to 200 complimentary registrations.
- Who is Eligible?
- All regular and invited speakers are eligible.
- The recipient must be an author-presenter and the benefit is not transferable.
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Conveners may not award themselves. Society policy forbids such practices.
- How the AOGS Comps Scheme Operates:
For each session, the allocation of AOGS Comps is auto-computed after abstract review is completed and only authors with an accepted abstract can be considered. Convener(s) can access this information in MARS. The Convener needs decide and make the selection online as soon as possible. Upon being selected, the registration fee of the AOGS Comps recipient will automatically be set to zero.
7.2 This is how Conveners can go about deciding the "AOGS Comps" recipient:
- Navigate to the "My Sessions" page.
- Click the link "Assign Complimentary Registration" next to the abstract count, to view the page.
- This page displays the session's AOGS Comps quota calculated based on the number of abstracts that have been marked "To Accept" in the session. It also lists all the authors in the session, and if he/she is already an "AOGS Comps" recipient (by another Session), it will also show up here. Each person can only benefit once and the benefit is not transferable.
- Always click the "Assign Complimentary Registration" link to check any unconsumed quota. Click "Comps" to utilize the quota. Click "Clear Comps" if you would like to remove the AOGS Comps benefit to the author.
8. Entering scheduling preferences for your session
You may enter online your preferences for the scheduling of your Session, e.g., the time/date you prefer, times/dates you want to avoid, whether it should (or should not) be scheduled on the same day that another Session is scheduled. Your preferences will be visible to the Section Presidents at the time of scheduling / time allocation, but it is not guaranteed that they will be satisfied.
8.1 Navigate to the "My Sessions" page.
8.2 Click on the session code (e.g., PS03)
8.3 Click the link "Edit" above Session Details.
8.4 Enter Remarks and Special Requirements and save.
9. Communication with Section Presidents
9.1 Conveners should send an email to their Section President notifying them when they expect difficulties in fulfilling their tasks or when they have completed them. All email addresses can be found in the "Leadership" section under "About AOGS" on the society's website
www.asiaoceania.org.
9.2 The next stage of the Convener's responsibility involves scheduling the accepted abstracts
- The Section Presidents send emails to the Conveners, Program Chair, and Secretariat regarding the scheduling of each session.
- The number of submitted abstracts for each Session will determine how much meeting space each Session receives.
- The AOGS Secretariat activates the online scheduler (section by section) upon receiving the section's schedule from the relevant Section President.
- The Conveners complete scheduling online
Note that only accepted abstracts assigned to "Oral" presentation mode are available for ordering in the session schedule. The Program Committee pre-assigns poster presentations to designated poster sessions.
2.1 Session Scheduling
- As soon as the deadline for abstract submissions ends, the scientific program is developed. The amount of meeting space and presentation time allotted to each Section will depend on how many abstracts are received for that Section. The Program Chair decides and informs every Section President via email.
- Depending on how many abstracts are received, each session will receive a different amount of meeting space and presentation time. After the deadline for abstract submission, session conveners should hear from the corresponding Section Presidents within three to four weeks with this information.
- The AOGS Secretariat activates the online scheduler (section by section) upon receiving the section's schedule from the relevant Section President.
- The goals of conveners should be to finish the programs for their session in seven to ten days.
- Note: Only accepted abstracts assigned to "Oral" presentation mode are available for ordering in the session schedule. The Program Committee pre-assigns poster presentations to designated poster sessions.
2.2 Assigning the Presentation Mode for Each Accepted Abstract and Observing These Society Policies and Rules
- For in-person meetings, it is normally a 60%-40% split between Oral and Poster.
- Any author requesting poster presentation SHOULD NOT be assigned to oral and many requesting oral should be considered for posters as well.
- Invited papers should not exceed one third of oral presentations in a given session, the only exception is for sessions of great timeliness (such as a recent natural disaster or the first reports from new international scientific programs or space missions). Typically, each Invited Talk will be 20 minutes in duration but sometimes needs to be 15 minutes in order to fit oral presentations in the time available.
- Convener and Co-conveners cannot present or be a co-author to an invited paper in their own session. Any paper with an overlap between the co-authors and the co-conveners cannot be designated as "Invited".
- Only accepted abstracts assigned to "Oral" presentation mode are available for ordering in the session schedule. The Program Committee pre-assigns poster presentations to designated poster sessions.
2.3 Accessing your Session(s) and Abstract List(s)
- Log into MARS with your email and password at this URL: https://meetmatt-svr.net/Account/Login
- Under Convener Options on the left menu, click "My Sessions" to see the "My Sessions" page. This lists the session(s) that you are convening.
- The "Abstract Submission Summary" provides a quick preview about the abstracts in your session.
- Click the abstract count next to "Total Submitted", and you will see the "Abstract List" page. This lists all the abstracts in your Session.
- Click on the "ID" to view the abstract's details including Title, Author List, Review Decision, etc.
2.4 Assigning Presentation Mode
- Decide for every abstract, its presentation mode - whether "Oral" or "Poster". For as long as the session's program is still work-in-progress, changes can be made as often as you wish.
- The total number of accepted abstracts in your session determines the number of "Oral" and "Poster" presentations and presentation schedule allocated to your Session which, is calculated based on the total number of accepted abstracts in your Session relative to the total number for the conference.
- The assignment is expected to be based on the abstract content and quality, consideration for preferences of the authors, and the necessity that the session fits within the time allocated. Session scheduling is based on a ratio of oral to poster presentations of 60:40. Note: Authors who requested for posters should not be assigned to oral presentations.
- Care needs to be taken that the oral presentations, especially within a single Session, are seen to be fairly distributed. Typically, a person should not make more than one presentation in a session.
- To assign the Presentation Mode: For each Abstract
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Go to "Abstract Details" page. (See Point 2 above for detailed instructions)
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Under "Abstract Status" section, go to "Assign Presentation Mode" and click the link "Mark as Oral" or "Mark as Poster", as desired and where appropriate
2.5 Indicating "Invited Speaker" Mode
You may assign an abstract to "Invited" status for your own Session. By default, every abstract is "Contributed" at the time it is submitted. You may indicate abstracts are invited in the system if they are invited by the conveners.
Reminder Please!
Rules for invited abstracts:
- Invited papers should not exceed one third of oral presentations in a given session, the only exception is for sessions of great timeliness (such as a recent natural disaster or the first reports from new international scientific programs or space missions).
- Convener and Co-Conveners cannot present or be a co-author to an invited paper in their own session. Any paper with an overlap between the co-authors and the co-conveners cannot be designated as invited.
- Duration of the presentation - typically this is 20 minutes (but sometimes may have to be 15 minutes) for an Invited Talk. For contributed talks, the standard presentation time is 15 minutes. In the program book, the word "Invited" will appear next to those invited abstracts.
- Besides the above, invited abstracts are treated the same way as contributed abstracts. That is, registration fees and abstract fees are applicable to authors of invited abstracts.
- There are two ways to assign presentation category "Invited" or "Contributed"
Either:
Go to the "Abstract Details" page. Follow detailed instructions in 3.3 above.
Or:
Under "Abstract Status" section, row "Invited / Contributed" click "Mark as Invited" or "Mark as Contributed" where appropriate.
2.6 Viewing Your Session's Schedule
- Go to the "My Sessions" page
- In the Abstract Summary Table is a section titled "Session Schedule". This lists the schedules (for oral presentations) assigned to your Session. It shows the:
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Session Schedule code
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Day, time and duration (90min or 120min)
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Presentation room and capacity (in theatre seats)
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Number of abstracts you have scheduled and the amount of time utilized
- To view your session's schedule in the overall timetable, click the "View Program" link.
- Please contact the appropriate Section President for assistance with the session's duration, schedule, and modification requests.
2.7 Ordering the Talks
- Go to the "My Sessions" page.
- Click on "Presentation Schedule" in the "Session Schedule" section.
- Click on "Order Presentations"
- On this page, you can choose for each accepted abstract
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The timeslot
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Presentation sequence
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Talk duration (this is pre-set to 15 min for contributed talks, 20 min for invited talks)
- Note that only accepted abstracts assigned to "Oral" presentation mode are available for ordering. Poster presentations are pre-assigned to designated poster sessions.
2.8 Assigning Session Chairs
- You should assign Two Session Chairs to every Oral Session. These are the people who will be chairing the session in the presentation room at the conference.
- It is the responsibility of the Session Chairs to:
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Ensure that presentations stick to the time available
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Facilitate the Q&A at the end of each presentation
- Usually, the Session Chairs will be the Conveners of the Session. The Conveners need to have the agreement of the proposed Chair before assigning them to a particular session.
- Usually, the Session Chair will not deliver a presentation in the portion of the session that they are chairing. It is strongly advised that you assign Two Session Chairs (not more than three) to each timetable slot.
- Follow these steps to assign Session Chairs
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Navigate to the "My Sessions" tab.
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Under the "Session Schedule" section, select the link labeled "Assign Session Chairs."
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Enter the email address of the session chair on this page.
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The session chair will receive an email after the email address is added, enabling them to accept or reject this assignment. The name of the session chair will automatically be added to the program upon acceptance.
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The invitation is good for seven days, after which the assignment automatically expires and a fresh invitation to the session chair is required.