Reasons an Abstract May be Rejected
- Abstract is not original research.
- The research is not innovative in its approach to the stated problem (methodology or data collection or analysis or data interpretation).
- Nature of problem not explicit from either title or abstract.
- Material too closely related to another abstract submitted by the same co-authors; should have been combined into a single paper.
- Abstract has been presented at other meeting(s) or previously published.
- Abstract poorly organized and/or not complete.
Required information not given in abstract:
- objective
- methods
- results - data and statistical analysis, or
- conclusions
- Methods of obtaining data not appropriate with respect to the stated problem for the following reasons:
- Methods not sufficiently precise to permit the measurements to be accurate, i.e., variations are within the error limits for the method.
- Sampling method contains inherent discriminatory factors not recognized.
- Size of sample insufficient to show significant conformity or differences.
- No well-defined criteria given for evaluation of variables.
- Choice of controls questionable.
- No control groups reported.
- Significance of results related to the nature of the problem being studied is not stated.
- Conclusions do not necessarily follow as a consequence of the method of analysis applied to the data.
- Conclusions not adequately qualified, i.e., conclusions have greater limitations than implied by the author.
- Correlations suggested may be fortuitous insofar as no plausible cause-and-effect relation has been suggested, and none is obvious.
- Abstract is not in English.
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