You must log in to the ASHG website using the first/presenting author’s account to access abstract submission. If you have ever been a member, submitted an abstract, or attended an ASHG meeting, you already have an ASHG website account and your username is your email address. If this is truly your first time interacting with ASHG, you will have the option to create an ASHG website account regardless of your membership status.

Once logged in, look through the list of actions and click on “Submit Abstract”.

• The first (presenting) author cannot be the first author of another abstract being submitted.
• Required information: first and last name, degree, institution, city, state and zip code/postal code, telephone, email address, and status.
• The first author’s name on a submitted abstract cannot be changed. If your name is incorrect, then you must withdraw your abstract, update your name in the ASHG Portal, and submit a new abstract by June 6, 2019. If the first author has changed, then withdraw the abstract and ask the new first author to log in and submit a new abstract by June 6, 2019.
• Enter the address in upper and lowercase as it should be published. Do not use special characters in the name or address fields. If applicable, include international dialing codes for phone numbers.
• Address changes you enter will not affect your membership address.
• Demographic information is optional.
• ASHG does not permit co-first author designations.
  

You will be asked to select the track that most closely describes the work in your abstract. Use the following descriptions to help guide your selection:

• Education Track: This track highlights abstracts falling into two categories: (1) Best practices in genetics education; (2) Content presented at a level accessible to those without expertise in human genetics.
• Clinical Track: This track highlights abstracts primarily focused on clinical aspects of human genetics.
• Social Issues Track: This track highlights abstracts focused on social, legal, and ethical issues in basic and clinical human genetics.
• Basic/Translational Track: This track highlights abstracts focused on basic and/or translational research in human genetics.
  

You will be asked to check a box to answer the following two required questions:

1. Has the work outlined in this abstract been published elsewhere prior to June 6, 2019?
2. Has the work outlined in this abstract been accepted prior to June 6, 2019 for future publication?

If the abstract has been published or accepted for publication elsewhere (prior to the submission deadline of June 6, 2019), you will be required to provide the following information: Name of Publication, Date, and Comments.

Results of studies that have been published or are accepted for publication elsewhere prior to the submission deadline of June 6, 2019, will be scored accordingly. Authors should indicate that new data will be presented in the body of the abstract.

You will be asked to select one main topic most appropriate for your abstract. You will also be asked to select a subtopic. These fields are required. Use our list of topic categories to choose the appropriate category.

You will be asked to select one of the following options.

• Plenary/Platform talk only*
• Plenary/Platform talk or Poster

Your indicated preference does not affect abstract scoring by the Program Committee. This is only intended to give you the opportunity to automatically withdraw your abstract if not selected for a plenary or platform talk.

You will be asked to enter up to five (5) keyword codes in order of importance. Leave blank any fields not used. To view and select codes during the submission process, click View Keyword Codes. Enter the keyword codes in the boxes provided. Click “Finished” when completed. Keyword codes aid in the review process and placement of the abstract in a session, if applicable.

• Enter each institution name and address only once. For example, if all authors are from the same institution, you need only list this institution once. A maximum of thirty (30) institutions may be entered. The first author’s institution will automatically appear.
• Enter the information using upper and lowercase as it should be published.
• Enter institution names in the order they should be published.
• Do not enter special codes for bold, italic, or underline. Use the Special Characters Menu to simplify the entry of special characters in institution and author names.
• Enter all author names in the order they should appear. Enter the author’s first initial (followed by a period) and last name (e.g., Smith, J.). The first (presenting author) will be listed automatically in box #1. A maximum of thirty (30) authors can be listed. Co-first and co-last authors are not permitted on ASHG abstracts.
• In the Corresponding Institutional Address Numbers field, enter the institution number (1-30) that corresponds with that author’s institution. If an author belongs to more than one institution, use a comma and space to separate each number (e.g., 1, 3, 5).

Note: If you wish to cite a group or consortium as a co-author, enter the group/consortium name in the space following author field #30 (e.g., ABC Genetics Group). Names of individual authors should not be entered here. This entry will appear in your abstract following the last individual co-author’s name. A group or consortium cannot be cited as the sole (i.e., first/presenting) author on an abstract. First/presenting authors must be individuals who represent groups/consortia.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR STEPS 9-11: ASHG will print your abstract exactly as it appears in your submission. We will not edit for grammar or punctuation, nor will we edit for proper designation of genes, proteins, chromosomes, or other entities. You are solely responsible for the accuracy of your abstract.

• Only use capital letters to begin your title and only use additional capital letters as appropriate (e.g., Genome-wide linkage analysis using SNP genotyping set; or Evidence of the XYZ mutation found in cancer patients with normal FISH tests).
• Do not type your title in all caps. Abstracts with titles in all caps may not be reviewed.
• Your entry will automatically conform to a standardized typographic format of bold; do not enter special codes for bold or underline for your title. Text will automatically flow to the next line.
• Use the Ω icon to insert special characters or symbols. To format text (e.g., italics), highlight the text and use the icons above the text box.
  

You are allotted 2,500 characters, including spaces, for the body of your abstract. Title, author, and institutional data are not included in the character limit. The abstract submission program will not allow submission if you exceed the maximum number of characters. To determine the number of characters used, click on Check Abstract Size. Click on Character Count for an explanation of how characters are counted. To view your abstract with all codes translated, click Preview Abstract and make sure it adheres to the style guide outlined below.

• Enter text using upper and lowercase as it should be published.
• Use the Ω icon to insert special characters or symbols. To format text (e.g., italics), highlight the text and use the icons above the text box.
• To insert a table, click on the table icon (next to the Ω icon).
• Graphics and halftones cannot be submitted as part of your abstract.

For gene/protein designations, please follow the guidelines set by The American Journal of Human Genetics: Human gene names and loci should be written in italicized capital letters and Arabic numerals. Protein product names should not be italicized.

Use the Preview Abstract button to see how your abstract will be printed. Ensure you have prepared your title and abstract using the style required by The American Journal of Human Genetics. This format will make clear for readers whether you are referring to genes or proteins. For human genes, use genetic notation and symbols approved by the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC). You should obtain approved gene symbols prior to submission from the HGNC via their website (http://www.genenames.org) or by contacting the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC), European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), or Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire CB10 1SA, United Kingdom (hgnc@genenames.org). Human gene names and loci should be written in italicized capital letters and Arabic numerals. Do not italicize names of protein products. MIM numbers should be listed in the abstract, after the first mention of all disorders and genes. Example: adrenal hypoplasia congenita (AHC [MIM 300200]). All mutations should be described at both the DNA and the protein level and as outlined in “Mutation Nomenclature Extensions and Suggestions to Describe Complex Mutations: A Discussion” (den Dunnen, JT and Antonarakis, SE [2000]. Hum. Mutat. 15:7-12).

You should disclose any relationship that may bias your presentation or that, if known, could convey the perception of bias. The intent of this disclosure is not to prevent a speaker from making a presentation, but rather to allow the listener to be fully knowledgeable in evaluating the information being presented. If the first/presenting author feels that such a relationship exists, click ‘Yes’ so a notation may be made in the program with the nature of the relationship and the associated entity. After answering ‘Yes,’ use the spaces provided to indicate the name(s) and relationship(s) for each entity listed. Disclosures only need to be reported for the presenting author.

Charles J. Epstein Trainee Awards for Excellence in Human Genetics Research: The only opportunity to apply for the Epstein Trainee Award is at the time of abstract submission. To apply, select the type of award (predoctoral or postdoctoral) and provide the name and email address of the nominator. The nominator will be asked by email to complete a form verifying the trainee status of the applicant and the work completed by this trainee. Please inform your nominator about this application submission and remind him/her to complete the form as soon as possible. Note that both the nominator and the trainee applicant must be 2019 ASHG members.

ASHG Developing Country Travel Award: This will only appear as an option for those first authors whose addresses are in a developing country as classified by the World Bank under the low-income and lower-middle income categories. You must attend the meeting to receive the monetary award. Funds will be distributed after the meeting.

• Authors have read, understand, and agree to the abstract submission rules and guidelines.
• Each co-author has been informed of the abstract submission and has agreed to all information as it was submitted.
• First/presenting authors are submitting the abstract with the intent of attending the Annual Meeting and presenting the work.
• The first author of this abstract is not the first author on any other submitted abstracts.
• If selected for an oral presentation, authors will include a conflict-of-interest slide as part of the presentation and understand that slides may be reviewed by a member of the Program Committee prior to the presentation.
• If the abstract is chosen for a poster session, attendees may take photos of the poster with the first author’s permission. If the authors do not want the poster photographed, they must indicate this on the poster with an image file supplied by ASHG.
• The email of the first author can be seen by meeting registrants.
• I understand that as first author, I must notify all authors of any and all correspondence relating to this abstract submission.
  

Review the “Important Notes” at the end of the abstract submission form.

Review the optional statements and check any box that applies.

Review your abstract submission using this process: (1) Check Entries; (2) View Entries; (3) Preview Abstract; (4) Check Abstract Size; (5) Submit Abstract. Upon successful submission, you will receive an immediate, on-screen confirmation of receipt, followed by a confirmation email. Please retain this document for your records, as you will need it when returning to the submission site. You should also make a note of the abstract control number and personal ID number. The first author must make this and all subsequent correspondence relating to this submission available to all authors. If you do not receive this confirmation, your abstract was not submitted successfully and you must try again.

To make any changes to an abstract, including co-author changes, log in to the ASHG website and select “Revise Abstract”. Revisions will not be permitted June 5-6, when the submission site is extremely busy. To withdraw an abstract, log in to the ASHG website and select “Withdraw Abstract”. Withdrawal requests must be made by June 10, 2019, 5:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time. All accepted abstracts will be published on the meeting website and cannot be withdrawn from publication after June 10 (even at the request of the author and/or principal investigator). Abstracts not withdrawn by June 10 will be reviewed and programmed by the Program Committee.