Abstract Submission Instructions

42nd Annual Meeting
July 23-26, 2025
JW Marriott Marco Island
Marco Island, FL

Abstract Submission Deadline: January 6, 2025

Please read all of the instructions below before filling out the submission form at the bottom of this page.

Policies Governing Accepted Submissions:

  1. Scientific Program participation is open to all Orthopaedic Surgeons and Residents/Fellows.
  2. Abstracts must be submitted online by January 6, 2025 to be eligible for review by the Program Committee.
  3. Submission of a corrected abstract is not allowed after January 6, 2025.
  4. An orthopaedic surgeon, resident/fellow or a member of SOA must be listed as one of the authors. Presenters must be a medical student, resident/fellow or physician to present at the Annual Meeting.
  5. Once an abstract is accepted, additional authors cannot be added.
  6. Acceptance or rejection letters and all future correspondence will be emailed to the Primary Contact listed on the Abstract Submission Form. Notification of acceptance will be sent by April 2025 to the email address provided on the submission form. 
  7. Abstracts not accepted for a podium presentation may be accepted for an E-Poster presentation.
  8. The paper is to be original, unpublished work. (See instruction #12 below.)
  9. All co-authors must complete a disclosure form or your presentation will be eliminated from the meeting.
  10. A copy of the complete manuscript will be requested for award consideration as determined by the Program Committee. (See instruction #8 below.) The stipend for the award paper is contingent on the Resident/Fellow author, listed as the Primary Author on the Abstract Submission Form, presenting the paper at the Annual Meeting.
  11. SOA reserves the right to publish the accepted abstracts in a medical journal. This will not preclude publishing the manuscript in another journal.
  12. The SOA reserves the right to withdraw a presentation at any time.
  13. Each person is limited to two abstract presentations on the SOA Scientific Program, including podium presentations and posters.

Instructions to complete abstract submission:

(Please read all of the instructions below before clicking the link at the bottom of this page.)

  1. TITLE: Make the title brief and clearly indicate the nature of the study/procedure. Do not use all caps. Please do not use similar titles for numerous submissions.
  2. CONTENT: The abstract must include four parts: INTRODUCTION should clearly state the problem and the purpose of the study; METHODS should provide a description of what was actually done; RESULTS should contain the findings of the study; DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION should be based upon the findings and relate to the stated purpose of the study and existing knowledge. Provide specific details about your research/study. DO NOT list any author's name or institution in the abstract or manuscript. A two-year minimum follow-up per patient is required for all results for reconstructive procedures and new or modified techniques as they relate to diagnosis, surgery, complications or other phases of orthopaedic surgical problems.
  3. LENGTH: Do not exceed space provided on abstract submission form. Provide as much information as space permits. Additional pages will not be accepted.
  4. TYPE: The abstract should be typed on the form provided within space allotted (300 words max). Use English only.
  5. STYLE: Use title case for the entire title. DO NOT include company names, titles, appointments or addresses in the abstract. DO NOT use subtitles. Standard abbreviations may be used, when necessary. Do not cite references. Omit P values. No reference is to be made in your text as to authors, institutions, clinics, pharmaceutical companies, or specific manufacturers. Submit the form, completed in full. Please check your work prior to submission. The Southern Orthopaedic Association is not responsible for proofreading or accuracy.
  6. AUTHOR INFORMATION: Indicate your name, mailing address, email address, telephone numbers, degree, and the institution where the research took place. Also, include the name, degree, and email address of all co-author(s). Please notify SOA if any of this information changes.
  7. DRUG NAMES: Nonproprietary (generic) names of drugs are required and should be written in lower case. Proprietary names are capitalized.
  8. RESIDENT/FELLOW AWARDS: If your abstract has been identified by the Program Committee to be considered for an award, one (1) copy of your full manuscript (without pictures, charts and graphs) will be requested after all of the abstracts submitted are reviewed. The stipend for the award paper is contingent on the Resident/Fellow author listed as the Primary Author presenting the research.
  9. SUBMISSIONS: An Electronic Submission form is provided below for all submissions. The abstract submission deadline for SOA’s 2025 Annual Meeting is January 6, 2025.
  10. NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: The Program Committee will review Abstracts. You will be notified of acceptance by email by April 2025. The Southern Orthopaedic Association reserves the right to withdraw a paper at any time.
  11. REGISTRATION FEES: All presenters are required to register for the meeting and pay the registration fee. A registration fee does not apply to Resident/Fellow Award Winners. The member or resident/fellow registration fee must be paid by all other presenters.
  12. MANUSCRIPT: The paper is to be original, unpublished work. All authors must indicate the publication status of their paper. Papers that have been previously published are ineligible. Papers that have been submitted for publication, but will remain unpublished prior to the date of the Annual Meeting are eligible. If a paper is accepted but is subsequently found to have been published before the Annual Meeting, the Program Committee has the right to withdraw the paper.

Podium Presentation

Each Podium presentation will be approximately 4-6 minutes in length. Standard audiovisual equipment in the scientific session room includes an LCD projector and Windows Computer (not a Mac). Personal laptops will not be used for presentations.

E-Poster Presentation

E-poster presentations will be shown for the entire meeting (3 days). E-poster presenters will be expected to be at their E-posters during presentation times. Designated times for E-poster presenters to report findings will be listed in the Scientific Program.

Abstract Grading Process

1.   Abstracts will be read in a “blind” fashion. Your text should not reveal the authors or institutions of origin.

2.   Graders are orthopaedic surgeons and are members of the Program Committee. Each abstract is reviewed and graded by at least four individuals/orthopaedic surgeons and the final grade is then averaged.

3.   Grade is influenced by: significance of the study, content and clarity, specific number of cases or specimen studies, clinical or research data to support its conclusions, minimum follow-up of 2 years per patient for results describing reconstructive procedures, and new or modified techniques as they relate to diagnosis, surgery, complications or other phases of orthopaedic surgical problems.

Resident/Fellow Awards

The SOA will recognize outstanding papers submitted and presented by Residents/Fellows with the Presidents' Resident Award, Harley and Betty Baxter Resident/Fellow Awards, the Cynthia Lichtefeld Award, the SOA/OREF Resident/Fellow Awards, the SOA Resident Travel Grant Awards and E-poster Awards. In addition, the top two Resident/Fellow Award Winners will present their papers at the 2026 AAOS Annual Meeting! See policies and instructions for additional information on award programs.

Submit your Abstract