• You must log in to the Abstract Submission Site using the first (presenting) author’s ASHG 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 account. Your username is your email address.
• If this is your first time interacting with ASHG, you will have the option to create an ASHG account regardless of your membership status. If you are prompted to allow access for your email, you must select Allow in order to access the submission site.
• Once logged in, be sure to read any prompts and click on any resources.
• Resources are provided at the bottom right of the submission site.
• When you are ready to start your abstract click on “+New”.

Review the required statements and confirm you agree to each of the ASHG policies and procedures, including conflict-of-interest attestations. The following are what you are required to accept before submitting your abstract:

• • I have read, understand, and agree to the Abstract Submission Rules and Meeting Policies, including Code of Conduct.
  • I understand that in submitting an abstract, I am authorizing ASHG to contact me about its Virtual Meeting, including the status of my abstract.
  • I will submit only one abstract as first author. I understand I can only speak and moderate for one accepted proposal. This includes if I have been accepted as an invited session speaker.
  • I understand that as first author, I must notify all authors of any and all correspondence relating to this abstract submission.
  • I confirm that each co-author has been informed of this abstract submission and has agreed to all information as it was submitted.
  • I am submitting this abstract with the intent of registering for the Virtual Meeting and presenting my work.
• Presenting Author Disclosure:
  • If my abstract is accepted, I understand that I must include a conflict-of-interest slide as part of my presentation. At the beginning of my presentation, I agree to provide verbal and written disclosures to attendees regarding actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest, and include the nature of the relationship. If I do not have any identified conflicts of interest, then the attendees will be informed that no conflict-of-interest exists.
  • If my abstract is accepted, I will notify ASHG in writing if the content, materials, and/or slides have been developed by an ineligible company. Per CME guidelines, my slides may be reviewed by a member of the Program Committee in advance of the presentation date. I understand that once slides are reviewed, they cannot be changed.
  • If my abstract is accepted, I agree to use generic names (i.e., non-branded names) in my presentation as much as possible. Specific products or ineligible companies will neither be promoted nor disparaged. The content of my presentation will not contain advertisements for a specific product, company, and/or service. In addition, I agree to disclose any unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or products referenced in my presentation/materials.

• Title should follow sentence case format: Human genetics is great: Analysis of the ASHG gene confirms enormous potential of the field.
• Title should begin with a capital letter and should have a period at the end (unless you have other punctuation, such as a question mark). Do not use all caps. Maximum 255 characters (including spaces). Abstracts with titles in ALL CAPS may not be reviewed.
  • 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.).
• For gene/protein designations, please follow these 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.
• Please use the italicized button where needed; do not enter special codes for bold or underline for your title. Text will automatically flow to the next line.
• Special Characters: Please prepare your title using a program that includes the special characters necessary, then copy and paste your title into a word processing program with .txt file capability. Copy the text from Notepad/TextEdit and paste into the title box. Your special characters should be included.
• When finished with your attestations and title entry, click “Save and Continue.” Your submission will be saved as an in-progress draft at this point. If you need to log out and return to the site later to finish, find the name of this abstract in the main dashboard and click on it to resume your progress.

• The first (presenting) author cannot be the first author of another abstract being submitted.
• Required information: first and last name, degree, institution, institution city, institution country, mobile phone, email address, contact city, contact country and additional information questions.
• 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 10, 2021. 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 10, 2021.
• Enter the address and affiliation information 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.
• Affiliation and address changes you enter will not affect your membership affiliation and/or address.
• ASHG does not permit co-first author designations.
• You will have an opportunity to enter additional institutional affiliations after you have saved your initial first author data. Click “Add Institution” once you return to the Primary Author(s) step to begin adding additional institutions. A max of five (5) affiliations per person are permitted.
  

• Before completing this section, please read ASHG’s CME Policies and Procedures.
• Speakers, moderators, organizers and others in control of content are required to disclose all their financial relationships with ineligible companies (i.e., those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients), regardless of the amount, within the past 24 months. The intent of this disclosure is not to prevent a speaker from making a presentation, but rather to allow the attendee to be fully knowledgeable in evaluating the information being presented.
• If you have nothing to disclose please select the checkbox, “I have nothing to disclose.”
• If you have a disclosure, click “Add Ineligible Company” to enter your information for the relevant row.
• Repeat this step for each disclosure, as needed.
• Note:
  • Disclosures only need to be reported for the presenting author at this time.
  • If your abstract is accepted, you are obligated to notify ASHG in writing at meetings@ashg.org if your financial status changes.
• When you are finished with all entries, click “Save and Continue” to move to the next step.

• Click “Add Author” on the Author(s) step to begin adding a co-author to your submission.
• Search the co-author name by entering the last name, first name (exact match; use “*” for wildcard) or email address. Then click the search button.
• Select the appropriate co-author (if found) by clicking the “Add” button next to their name in the search results.
  • Once you have added someone, you may be asked to fill in additional information.
• If you are including someone whose name does not appear in the search results, you will have an option to add them after your search. (Click on “Enter your author here!” to begin entering an author who is not already known to ASHG.) You will be required to provide first and last name, institution, and email address to add a co-author.
• If you need to edit a co-author’s affiliation, click the “Edit” link next to their name after adding them to your submission.
• Enter the institutional affiliation information using upper and lowercase as it should be published. If multiple authors are from the same institution, enter each institution using similar naming convention to appear as a single affiliation in the program.
• Do not enter special codes for bold, italic, or underline.
• Add all authors in the order they should appear. (You will have an opportunity to re-order the co-authors after you add them.)
• A maximum of thirty (30) authors can be listed plus any groups/consortia. Co-first and co-last authors are not permitted on ASHG abstracts.
• Note: If you wish to cite a group or consortium as a co-author, click the “Add a Group” link, then enter the group/consortium. 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.

• Once you add more than one co-author, you may rearrange the order of these authors if needed by clicking on the “Change the Order these Author(s) are listed” link.
• Use the dropdown to select the appropriate number choice for each author.
• You cannot change the order of the first (presenting) author.

You are allotted 2,300 characters, excluding spaces, for the body of your abstract. Title, author, and institutional data are not included in the 2,300 characters. The submission will remain incomplete, and will not be reviewed, if the character limit is exceeded. Characters will be counted as you enter your abstract text. Make sure your abstract adheres to the style guide outlined below.

• Click the “Enter Abstract Text” link and type or paste your abstract text into the text box.
  • Step 1: Prepare your abstract in a program such as Word or a text editor like Notepad/TextEdit. Do not copy and paste directly from a Word file as you may receive an error message due to embedded formatting. Save your file as a text (.txt) format.
    • Special Characters: To insert special characters or symbols, you must prepare your abstract in a program that includes special characters.
  • Step 2: Copy from your plain text file and paste into the Abstract text box. Your special characters should be retained.
  • Step 3: Format text (bold, italics, etc.), as needed, by using the buttons for Bold and Italics, located above the Abstract Text box.
• Graphics and halftones cannot be submitted as part of your abstract.
• For gene/protein designations, please follow these 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.
• Note: Abstracts are published as submitted. Please check for accuracy before submitting.
• After you enter your initial abstract text, if you need to make further changes you may edit it by selecting “Edit Abstract Text.”

You will be asked to select the track that most closely describes the work in your abstract.

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 the full list.” Enter the keyword codes by using the drop boxes provided. Keyword codes aid in the review process and placement of the abstract in a session, if applicable. A minimum of one (1) keyword is required.

You will be asked to select one main topic most appropriate for your abstract. This field is required. Use our list of topic categories to choose the appropriate category.

Prior Publication: You will be asked to answer the following required questions:

1. Has the work outlined in this abstract been published elsewhere prior to June 10, 2021?
2. Has the work outlined in this abstract been accepted prior to June 10, 2021 for future publication?

• If the abstract has been published or accepted for publication elsewhere (prior to the submission deadline of June 10), you will be required to answer some additional questions such as whether new data will be presented.
• Results of studies that have been published or are accepted for publication elsewhere prior to the submission deadline of June 10, 2021, will be scored accordingly. Authors should indicate whether new data will be presented in the body of the abstract.

Demographics: ASHG is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive community for human genetics and genomics professionals. Your answers will help ASHG determine if the strategies we employ to enhance diversity and inclusion in the Society’s membership and activities are successful. The information will be kept strictly confidential and will not be shared unless required by law.

Funding: You will be asked to answer: Do you receive external funding for your work?  If yes, you will be asked to supply additional information about the funder.

• If you do not qualify, you must select “Not Eligible/Not Applicable” from the award dropdown response before you will be allowed to proceed.
• The only opportunity to apply for the Developing Country Award is at the time of abstract submission. For the ASHG 2021 Virtual Meeting, Developing Country Award recipients will receive complimentary meeting registration along with 2021 and 2022 ASHG membership.
• Eligibility Requirements: This award is only available for those first (presenting) authors whose addresses are in a developing country as classified by the World Bank under the low-income and lower-middle-income categories. Qualifying authors will also be required to submit a CV/Resume.
• You will be asked to answer the following required questions:
  1. Do you reside in an eligible country?
  2. Please confirm your interest in a Developing Country Award.

• If you do not qualify, you must select “Not Applicable/Not Eligible” from the award dropdown responses before you will be allowed to proceed.
• The only opportunity to apply for the Charles J. Epstein Trainee Award for Excellence in Genetics Research is at the time of abstract submission.
• Eligibility Requirements: 1) This award is only available for first (presenting) authors who are trainee members (postdoctoral and graduate students) for the 2021 calendar year. (Note: You may complete the membership application after you submit your abstract, but must do so immediately.) 2) You must fill out the form linked here by June 10 to be considered: https://ashg.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/35/home 3) Your nominator must be an ASHG 2021 member and complete the online nomination from verifying your primary role in the work described in this abstract by June 10, 2021.
• You will be asked to answer the following required questions:
  1. Epstein Trainee Award Interest/Eligibility
  2. I am a US citizen (Citizenship will not affect eligibility for an Epstein Trainee Award. This information is for tax purposes only.)

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. 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 may return to the submission site to make any edits before the submission deadline. You should also make a note of your username and password.

Note: After June 10 (by 8:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time), abstracts cannot be revised or withdrawn. If accepted by the Program Committee, abstracts will be included in the meeting program and available as a searchable abstract on the meeting website.

To make any changes to an abstract, including co-author changes, log in to the Abstract Submission Site and select the title of your abstract. Revisions are not recommended near the deadline, as the submission site will be extremely busy. To withdraw an abstract, log in to the Abstract Submission Site and select the “Delete” icon .

Note: After June 10 (by 8:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time), abstracts cannot be revised or withdrawn. If accepted by the Program Committee, abstracts will be included in the meeting program and available as a searchable abstract on the meeting website.