Rules and Eligibility Requirements

Rules for EAST Abstract Submission.  Please direct any questions related to abstract submission to Christine Eme at ceme@east.org. 

Abstract submission for the 38^th Annual Scientific Assembly is CLOSED. The submission deadline was 11:59 pm Pacific Time Zone on July 1, 2024. Notifications of acceptance or non-acceptance were sent to the corresponding author via email in August 2024. 


For accepted abstracts a manuscript must be prepared by the authors and submitted to the EAST Manuscript and Literature Review Committee by the published  date/time deadline for pre-review. In addition, a manuscript for oral podium presentation must be delivered to the invited discussant (oral podium abstracts only) by the corresponding author by the published deadline. Failure to submit a manuscript to  the EAST Manuscript and Literature Review Committee AND the invited discussant by the published date/time deadline may result in REMOVAL OF THE PAPER FROM THE PROGRAM and will result in sanctioning of the Presenter and Senior Author for future abstract submissions to EAST for one year. Manuscripts associated with EAST presentations are reviewed by the EAST Manuscript and Literature Review Committee in conjunction with the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (JTACS) reviewers. The EAST society editor makes a recommendation regarding acceptance or rejection, but the final decision is made by the Senior Editor(s) of JTACS. The final decision of publication is determined by the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. Authors should be aware that the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) has adopted an exclusivity agreement. As all abstract presentations will be under consideration for publication in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (Journal), authors are asked to refrain from distributing complete reports (i.e., copies of manuscripts under consideration) or full data presented as tables and figures to journalists. Although media coverage of the presentations themselves will not necessarily preclude publication, associated manuscripts are subject to the Journal's Embargo Policy (i.e. full reports or elements of manuscripts under review may not appear in print or online until publication, which, in most cases, will occur within six (6) months of the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly.) Authors of papers that violate these rules may be precluded from submission of abstracts for future EAST Annual Scientific Assemblies.

Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (JTACS) Double-Anonymous (Double-Blind) Reviews effective March 1, 2022. Authors, Click Here for additional information. 

EAST Manuscript Submission Rules and Requirements

All abstracts must be submitted using the electronic abstract submission portal. Complete all information requested on the online form. Failure to meet any aspects of these instructions will disqualify the abstract from the review process. Clinical Case Reviews or Series submissions are not permitted. 

EAST supports research in Trauma, Emergency General Surgery, Burn, and Surgical Critical Care.

1. All abstracts are completely blinded for judging.  No identifying reference to the author or institution may appear in the title or text of the abstract. If there are any identifiers in the title, text, or images/graphs/figures, the abstract will not be considered for presentation.
   
   
2. Abstract Categories - There will be three Abstract Categories: Basic Science, Clinical Science, and Injury Prevention*. You will be required to select a category from one of these types.  Please review the Abstract Category Descriptions below to determine the abstract category you should select. If you are unsure of what abstract category to select, please email ceme@east.org.    
   
   *To be considered for the Cox-Templeton Injury Prevention Paper Competition (point 4b below) the Injury Abstract Category must be selected. 
   
   Basic Science - abstract would include bench research that involves laboratory studies with cell cultures, animal models or physiologic experiments.
   
   Clinical Science - abstract would include the use of randomized controlled trials, observational trials, retrospective studies, database analysis involving humans/human samples that examine disease/ diagnostics/ drugs/ devices/biologics or outcomes.  Clinical Case Reviews or Series are not permitted.
   
   Injury Prevention - abstract would include primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention, along with education strategies, engineering strategies and behavioral studies.  See category requirement below for Cox-Templeton Injury Prevention Paper Competition. 
   
   
3. List all authors with their academic degrees. Author names and academic degrees will be printed in the program materials AS SUBMITTED.
   
   
4. Raymond H. Alexander, MD and Cox-Templeton Paper Competitions - Special rules apply to be eligible for these competitions. Please review them below to ensure the abstract and presenting author are eligible. Confirmation of eligibility for these competitions is required during the submission process.
   
   

   Raymond H. Alexander, MD Resident Paper Competition 
   To be eligible for the Raymond H. Alexander, MD Resident Paper Competition:
   a. The resident or fellow must present the work at the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly.
   b. The resident or fellow must not have completed their training prior to June 2025. The resident or fellow must be a resident or fellow at the time of presentation. If the resident is in an ACGME, AAST, or equivalent training program and in their research/lab year(s), they may apply. A research/lab resident or fellow who is not enrolled in an ACGME, AAST, or equivalent training program may not apply.
   c. The resident or fellow must have participated in all aspects of the work and have conducted the research with significant leadership in the development of the project from idea creation, data collection, and abstraction production. This applies to all projects including, but not limited to multi-center trial submissions.
   d. The appropriate box on the abstract form for the Raymond H. Alexander, MD Resident Paper Competition must be checked. Raymond H. Alexander MD, Resident Paper Competition submissions are given special consideration on the program.  
   e. The submitter must enter the email address of their faculty sponsor indicating that this is the work of  a trainee.

   Cox-Templeton Injury Prevention Paper Competition 
   Open to all EAST members (or authors whose work is sponsored by an EAST member in good standing). The original scientific work must focus on an aspect of injury prevention.  Interventional studies are preferred. Only papers accepted for presentation in the formal oral competition are eligible for the award. The Injury Prevention Abstract Category (see above) MUST be selected to be considered. Other papers may be accepted on the program but would not be eligible for the award.

5. Disclosure Requirement - If an abstract is selected for presentation, the Presenting Author  will be required to complete a disclosure form by the requested deadline. Failure to complete this form will result in removal from the program.   
   
   
6. All abstracts must be submitted in the Objectives-Methods-Results-Conclusions format. Abstracts cannot exceed 2,000 characters (characters, not words); spaces are included in the character count. A maximum of two images are allowed (these do not count towards the overall character count). All images will be displayed on a separate page.
   
   WATCH THE VIDEO for abstract submission tips!
   
   Title: Enter the title of your abstract in ALL CAPS
   Objectives Section: A distinct statement of the research question addressed.
   Methods Section: Include a description of study design, the institution setting, inclusive dates of study period, the physical methods employed, and definition of probabilities considered significant.
   Results Section: Clearly state results, which support the conclusion. Figures and graphs should enhance statements in the conclusion and must be readable. Extended discussion or literature review should be avoided.
   Conclusion Section: Limited to statements clearly supported by the data.
   
   
7. It is presumed that the named presenting author will present the abstract. Any variation from this will require approval from the Annual Scientific Assembly Committee Chair.
   
   
8. No prior submission or presentation. It is understood that all submissions must contain original scientific work that are not currently under consideration for presentation at any other major scientific assembly and has not previously been submitted to the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (JTACS).  Major scientific assemblies include those that are both national, regional, and international. Abstracts must not have been presented in any format (oral, quick shot, poster, or video) at a major scientific assembly prior to the next EAST Annual Scientific Assembly. Presentation in another forum in which abstract publication is reflexive or manuscript submission to a particular journal(s) is required or invited is strictly prohibited.  Moreover, abstracts/manuscripts may not be under consideration for publication in any journal prior to presentation and cannot be work that was previously submitted and rejected by JTACS. There are two exceptions to this prohibition: (i) Work performed by a resident or fellow may be presented at the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Resident Paper Competition (ii) Work by a student may be presented at the National Student Research Forum.   All authors of papers that violate these rules will be prohibited from submission of abstracts to the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly for two years.
   
   
9. Annual Scientific Assembly registration required. It is understood that if the abstract is accepted for presentation, the presenting author is required to register and pay appropriate registration fees for the 38^th Annual Scientific Assembly.