Posted on by

Call for Abstracts – 2018 ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference

The Steering Committee of the 2018 ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference is proud to announce the theme of our inaugural conference is Quality Education Through Accreditation.  The conference provides a scholarly forum in which faculty, nurse administrators, college administrators, students, accreditation liaisons, laboratory personnel, data analysts, and staff of ACEN-accredited programs share best practices in nursing education.  The ACEN conference is your opportunity to engage in scholarship and learn new educational practices.

The 2018 ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference is scheduled July 12-14, 2018 at the Omni Hotel Atlanta – CNN Center.

Call for Abstracts for the 2018 ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference

We invite you to submit an abstract for this conference.
The deadline for abstract submissions is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, Tuesday, October 31, 2017.
Applicants will be notified via email by December 15, 2017 of acceptance decisions. All presenters are expected to register for the conference by March 31, 2018.

Submit Abstract

Abstract Submission Criteria

Abstract submissions must adhere to the published submission criteria:

  • All concurrent session and poster abstract submissions are subject to the same rules for submission and presentation.
  • Abstracts will be selected for concurrent session and poster presentations based on relevance to nursing education accreditation. 
  • The abstract length is limited to 3,200 characters (approximately 400 words). Please do not include charts, tables, or bullet points.
    • Specify the title of the abstract.
    • Describe the purpose. What is the goal/intent of the project/initiative/research?
    • Specify the significance of the project/initiative/research. Describe the relevance of the project/initiative/research. Include goals for the project/initiative/research. 
    • Identify the project/initiative/research design, sample, instruments, data collection methods, and analytical approaches as applicable. Describe how the project/initiative/research was implemented. 
    • State the findings of the project/initiative/research. Include evaluation data specifying success or areas needing improvement for the project/initiative/research as applicable. 
    • Discuss the conclusions and implications for accreditation.
    • What are the objectives/outcomes for the target audience?
  • Use title casing, capitalizing only the first letter in each word. Remember to review your submission carefully, as abstracts accepted will have the learning objective and abstract published in the ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference Program as submitted.
  • Abstract titles must be clear and accurately reflect the content of the abstract.
  • Presentations must be made in English, as no translation service will be available.
  • The content must be free of grammatical and spelling errors.
  • The author submitting the abstract will be identified as the presenting author for the abstract submitted.
  • All material must be the work of authors listed and appropriately referenced.
  • Abstracts should be informative. Abstract submissions suggesting that “the work is in progress” or “the results will be discussed” will not be accepted.
  • The subject material must be related to nursing education/accreditation and should contain new information not previously reported.
  • Accepted concurrent session and poster submissions will be organized by the ACEN staff. The ACEN staff shall have full authority to assign papers to appropriate concurrent and poster sessions.
  • The ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference Steering Committee, Subcommittees, and ACEN staff shall have full authority to accept or to reject an abstract upon evaluation of the title and the abstract. Rejection of an abstract is final.
  • You may submit an abstract for consideration as a concurrent session presentation or poster presentation. However, please do not submit the same abstract multiple times.
  • An individual cannot submit the same abstract/content for two (2) or more different sessions. You must choose either a concurrent session presentation or poster presentation. Only one (1) presentation is allowed per person or group using the same data. If you want to submit abstracts for a concurrent session and poster presentation, the content of the material discussed must be different for each presentation and with clearly different abstracts.
  • Submitted abstracts may be edited until October 31, 2017, 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
  • No abstract will be presented at the 2018 ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference that has been presented previously or that has appeared in print prior to the conference.
  • Abstract submissions accepted will be published in the ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference Program only if the presenting author(s) is/are registered and paid in full by March 31, 2018. If the presenting author(s) is/are not registered and paid in full by this date, the abstract will be removed from the program. Conference registration fee is $599.00 before May 28, 2018 and $749.00 on or after May 28, 2018.
  • If your abstract is accepted, detailed information, guidelines, and recommendations for poster presentations, concurrent session presentation as well as time allotment, date, hour, and venue will be communicated to you at a later date.

 Abstract Submission Instructions

Abstract submissions must adhere to the published instructions:

  • Abstracts must be submitted online. Paper abstracts will not be accepted.
  • Select the abstract topic for which you are submitting.
  • Indicate whether submission is to be considered for concurrent session presentation only, poster presentation only, or either concurrent session or poster presentation.
    • Concurrent Session Presentation:
      • A one (1) hour concurrent session, including response to audience questions. Abstracts with similar content may be grouped together by the program committee from individual abstracts accepted for presentation.
    • Poster Presentation:
      • A time of one and a half (1 1/2) hours for poster presentations will be designated by the conference program committee. A traditional poster session is a single abstract presentation of research or evidence-based information presented by the author and/or co-authors. The work is presented on a large poster.
    • Either Concurrent Session or Poster Presentation:
      • Abstract submitted may be considered for either a concurrent session or poster presentation. 
  • The abstract length is limited to 3,200 characters. You will be advised of your character count usage throughout the submission process.
  • Review your submission carefully, as abstracts accepted will have the learning objective and abstract published in the ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference Program as submitted.
  • Presenting author(s) or presenter(s) of accepted abstracts must register to attend the ACEN Accreditation Conference by March 31, 2018. Conference registration fee is $599.00 before May 28, 2018/$749.00 on or after May 28, 2018.
  • Submission of an abstract does not automatically register you for the conference.
  • For up-to-date meeting information, visit the ACEN conference website often.
  • List affiliations for all authors, such as universities and other institutions.
  • Do not use tables, charts, or graphs in your abstract submission (they can be included in the actual concurrent session/poster presentation).
  • List disclosures (financial and/or in-kind support). If none, state “Nothing to disclose by any author(s)”.  Potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed at the time of abstract submission and presentation, and must not introduce bias in the study design.

 Submit Abstract

 Abstract Evaluation Criteria

Abstracts will be evaluated based on the submission criteria using a five-point scale:

  • Standard of Excellence = five (5)
  • Approaching Standard of Excellence = four (4)
  • Meets Acceptable Standard = three (3)
  • Needs additional work = two (2)
  • Does Not Meet Acceptable Standard = one (1)

As part of the assessment, abstracts will be rated based on the following categories:

  • Originality
    • Is the abstract novel and interesting?
    • Will the information/data add to current body of knowledge related to nursing education/accreditation?
    • Is the research question/topic important?
    • Are the results/outcomes useful?
  • Structure
    • Are the key elements included (title, purpose, significance, project/research design, findings, and conclusion)?
  • Content
    • Does the content of the abstract reflect the title?
    • Is the content meaningful and substantive?
  • Methods
    • Are the methods clearly described and appropriate?
  • Results
    • Are the author’s conclusions supported by the results?
  • Language
    • Is the abstract well written and grammatically correct?

Committee members will also review and take into consideration the potential conflicts of interest and/or financial disclosures of the abstract authors in cases where there is a concern.

Notification of Acceptance

All notifications will be sent by email.  It is the submitter’s responsibility to ensure that a valid email address is correct and current. ACEN is not responsible for confirmations not received due to incorrect contact information. An email confirmation will be sent upon successful submission of an abstract.

If your abstract is accepted for presentation, you will be notified by email on or before December 15, 2017. You will receive additional information in a following email describing the guidelines for your presentation (concurrent session or poster). Presenters are required to attend the conference.

All abstract presenters will be asked to confirm receipt of their notification email and officially accept the invitation to present their abstract. If you do not receive a notification email, check your spam/junk folder before contacting the ACEN.

Publication Rights

The ACEN retains the exclusive rights of publication for abstracts submitted.

Meeting Registration

All presenters (concurrent session and poster) are required to pay the conference registration fee. Conference registration fee is $599.00 before May 28, 2018/$749.00 on or after May 28, 2018. Conference registration fees are published online and through online registration. For up-to-date meeting information, visit the ACEN conference website often.

Presenter Requirements

About Session Presentations
Concurrent session presenters will be provided Session Presentation Guidelines if the abstract is accepted for concurrent session presentation and will also be available for download from the ACEN conference website. It is very important that speakers keep within the allotted time. Speakers will not be permitted to connect laptops to the LCD projector. Presenters must send the files for their presentation and handouts to the ACEN office no later than May 15, 2018.  Presentations will be preloaded into the meeting room laptops. Speakers must disclose financial relationships and discussion of any unlabeled/investigational use of a commercial product immediately prior to their presentation verbally and on a presentation slide. Speakers must also ensure that presentations are free of commercial bias and that any information regarding commercial products/services is based on scientific methods generally accepted by the academic community. Speakers must arrive 20 minutes before presentation.

About Poster Presentations
Poster presenters will be provided Poster Presentation Guidelines if the abstract is accepted for poster presentation and will also be available for download from the ACEN conference website. Dimensions for poster presentations will be provided within guidelines and may not exceed maximum dimensions. Posters larger than the maximum dimensions will be removed from the poster viewing session and will not have their abstract published. All poster presenters are required to display disclosures of financial relationships and discussion of any unlabeled/investigational use of a commercial product directly on posters. This is required to be a minimum of 14 point font size. Poster boards will be set and numbered at the conference.  Accepted poster presenters will be notified of their assigned poster number and should set up their own posters using their own push-pins. Please do not change the location of your poster. The poster number, title, and each presenter’s name will be posted at the assigned poster display booth. Logos and advertising material should not be displayed. Bear in mind that the illustrations and text must be legible/visible from a distance of at least five (5) feet. All lines should be heavily drawn. Typed materials should be on the largest typeface available. One (1) author of each poster abstract is responsible for the proper assembly, mounting, and presentation of the poster board. Posters should be staffed during all breaks and scheduled poster and exhibit times. Poster displays should be dismantled by 10:00 a.m. on July 14, 2018. It is the presenter’s responsibility to remove the poster from the board. Unclaimed posters will be discarded at the end of the poster session.

Abstract Cancellation Policy

Cancellations impose a serious burden on the development of the conference program and may negatively impact the overall quality of the program.

Please do not submit an abstract if you are not confident that you will be able to attend the conference and make the presentation. If your presentation has been accepted but extenuating circumstances prevent your attendance, please attempt to find another individual to make the presentation and notify the ACEN of this change as soon as possible at (404) 975-5000.

If cancellation becomes absolutely unavoidable, please contact the ACEN immediately at the aforementioned email address so we can remove your presentation from the conference program.

ACEN reserves the right to disqualify your abstract if your submission guidelines are not followed, even after acceptance.

 

Hotel Reservations & Travel Information

The official hotel for the conference is the OMNI Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center. The reservation line to book rooms opens on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 by calling OMNI Reservations at 1-800-THE-OMNI. Be sure to make your reservations by Monday, June 11, 2018 and identify the meeting as the “ACEN Nursing Education Accreditation Conference” to get the discounted rate of $189.00/night plus state and local taxes and fees. For your convenience, you may also make hotel reservations directly online at www.omnihotels.com/acen. You will be required to guarantee the reservation with a credit card. After the cutoff date or once the room block is sold out, rooms will be booked at prevailing rates, if available. In-room complimentary Wi-Fi access is included in the room rate. The Omni offers unique and sophisticated rooms featuring breathtaking views overlooking the downtown Atlanta skyline, Centennial Park, and the lively CNN Center atrium. Amenities include spa, pool with view of CNN center from the deck, a 24-hour fitness center, complimentary in-room fitness kits, a business center, and easy access to numerous restaurants, parks, and the World of Coke.

Transportation

Airport
 For more information about air/ground transportation travel to Atlanta, arrival times and terminal information, please visit http://www.atl.com/ before embarking on your trip.

Ground Transportation
In Atlanta, the recommended ground transportation is MARTA (http://www.itsmarta.com), Atlanta’s light rail system. MARTA runs directly from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to the Dome/GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center Transit Center, located steps away from Omni Hotel-Atlanta. At the Atlanta Airport, you can access the MARTA station from inside the building near the western end of the baggage claim area. (Do not go outside to the ground transportation area.)  Purchase a round-trip ticket for $6.00 and take the GOLD or RED LINE towards Five Points Station. This trip will take approximately 20-30 minutes depending on the time of day you arrive. Look for the signs directing you to the westbound train. (You will have to take an escalator up to get to it.) Board the westbound train and travel one (1) stop to the Omni/Dome/CNN/GWCC Station. Exit the train and take escalator up to the ground level. Walk up the stairs on your right – the Philips Arena is now on your left. Walk down the stairs ahead of you, and then walk through the doors ahead. You are now inside CNN Center. Walk straight, through the food court, past Wendy’s, Chick-fil-A, until the food court ends. Make a left and take the escalator up. You are now inside the Omni-Atlanta Hotel Lobby.

If you need assistance, feel free to call the ACEN office (404-975-5000), and a staff member will assist you.

 

Back to top