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Accessing Site and Submitting Your Abstract
Users with a myBPS account
You will need to log in to your myBPS account (new as of April 2018) to access the abstract submission site. To access the abstract submission site, click on the “Submit Abstract” link. The submission process will take approximately 15-30 minutes, depending on the speed of your internet connection and the time of submission. Submit early to avoid delays. If traffic on the site is heavy, you may be prompted to try later.
Users without a myBPS account
If you do not have a myBPS website account (new as of April 2018), please use the following steps to create your account before beginning the submission process:
- Click “login” at the top right of the screen
- Click “Create Account”
- Select “Continue” under either “I’m new to BPS” or “I have a current or past relationship with BPS”
- You will then be given the chance to find your record, update your profile, and create your myBPS website account that will be associated with your membership.
To submit an abstract, you will need to click on the “Submit Abstract” link to access the abstract submission site.
Returning Users
If you have a myBPS account, simply log in to your account and click on the “Submit Abstract” link. Once logged into the abstract submission system, you can follow the instruction to submit your abstract.
Submitting a New Abstract
To submit a new abstract, click on the “New Abstract” link.
Affirmation and Abstract Title
You will be required to read all information and agree to each statement by clicking the check-boxes. You will be prompted to enter the title of your abstract. Please use ALL CAPS to enter your abstract title. The title will appear in publication exactly as you have typed it here. This is the only time you will need to enter the title of your abstract into the system.
Author Block Information
The next page displays information that was linked to your myBPS account. You will be automatically selected as the Presenting Author of this abstract. If you need to change the presenting author, add/edit authors, or change the author order on the abstract, you may do so on the subsequent page.
Be sure that you include a current email address for the presenting author. All abstract-related correspondence is done via email, so an incorrect email address could cause a delay in the receipt of important information.
Enter required information for each co-author: name, published affiliation, city, state, and country.
To help expedite data entry, the default address for each co-author will be the presenting author’s address. The co-author address may be edited.
Always type common affiliations in exactly the same way each time. Even a slight variation will cause the institution to be listed more than once in the author block, which is not correct.
Presentation Preference
At the time of regular abstract submission, attendees submitting abstracts must indicate the format in which they would prefer to present their abstracts at the Annual Meeting. Abstract submitters must choose one of the following: Platform or Poster, Poster Only, or Member-Organized Session. Each session type may be scheduled Sunday – Wednesday at the meeting. If you selected “platform or poster,” you will be asked to enter chairing information, if applicable.
At the time of late abstract submission, attendees submitting abstracts will be considered ONLY for poster presentation. Posters will be scheduled Sunday -- Wednesday at the meeting.
Member-Organized Session
Annual Meeting attendees who are interested in organizing a member-organized session on a specific topic not included in the abstract categories must meet the criteria listed below in order for the session to be considered by the Program Committee. If a proposed member-organized session is not selected, the abstracts submitted for the session will be programmed either in an appropriate platform session or poster session. Speakers have 15 minutes for presentation and discussion. There must be eight speakers in a session and organizers must keep in mind gender and geographic diversity.
- Member-organized sessions may only be organized by members of the Biophysical Society (membership must be current for the year of the Meeting).
- To be considered for presentation at the current Annual Meeting, the organizers and chairs of proposed member-organized sessions must not have been selected for presentation at the previous year’s Annual Meeting.
- Submissions must include the title of the session, chair of the session, a proposed list of speakers and titles of each of their abstracts.
- Submissions must also include a short description of how the proposed member-organized session is not addressed within the existing abstract categories.
- Complete proposals must be sent to the Society Office, [email protected], by Monday, September 14, 2020.
- All abstracts included in a member-organized session must be submitted by the abstract deadline in order for the member-organized session to be considered; these abstract submissions must indicate “member-organized session” as the session type. No late abstract submissions will be considered for member-organized sessions.
Member-organized session proposals will be reviewed by the Program Committee. Those selected will be scheduled into sessions running concurrently with platform sessions Sunday-Wednesday. Organizers and speakers listed in member-organized session proposals will be sent formal notification from the Society office of the Program Committee’s final selections.
Membership and Sponsorship
Requirements:
- All abstract submissions require a sponsor.
- Sponsors must be a 2021 Regular, Early Career or Emeritus member
- 2020 Student members may only sponsor and present their own abstract
- Members may sponsor up to two abstracts if one is in the Biophysics Education category
If you are NOT a Biophysical Society member, you may join at the time of submission in order to sponsor your own abstract.
Topic Category
Choose a first and second topic category preference that most clearly fits the subject of your abstract. Please check the categories to make sure they are correct. Abstracts must be confined to scientific topics.
Techniques
To allow attendees to search for abstracts based on specific techniques, please select all the techniques used in your research.
Travel Award Submission
You MUST submit an application in order to be considered for a travel award. To read specific requirements and submit an application, visit the Travel Awards page. You will be notified in late November whether or not you have been chosen to receive a travel award.
SRAA Poster Competition
If you plan to submit your abstract for the SRAA Poster Competition, you MUST choose a subgroup topic category. Your abstract will not be considered for the SRAA if you do not submit a completed application or if you do not select a subgroup topic. SRAA participants will be sent instructions for the poster competition in January. To read specific requirements and submit an application, visit the SRAA Poster Competition page.
Undergraduate Poster Award Competition - Deadline January 8, 2021
Undergraduates presenting as first or second author on a poster may participate in the Undergraduate Poster Award Competition and be recognized for their work. Three students will be selected for a $100 award and recognized by the BPS meeting attendees prior to the 2020 Biophysical Society Lecture. Winners will be selected based on the quality and scientific merit of their research, knowledge of the research problem, contribution to the project, and overall presentation of the poster. For more information, visit the Undergraduate Poster Award Competition page.
Career Luncheons - Deadline January 8, 2021
To register for the Postdoc to Faculty Q&A: Transitions Forum and Luncheon, you MUST submit a registration form along with the registration fee. New and experienced faculty will moderate this informal discussion. To reserve a box lunch, you must pre-register. Registration forms can be found at the Professional Development and Networking page on the society website.
Abstract Submission
Abstract title and abstract body combined should not exceed 300 words. No graphics will be accepted in the submission of abstracts.
There are two options to submit your abstract:
1. Enter your abstract manually (text only)
2. Upload your abstract from a prepared file
To upload your abstract, prepare your abstract in MS Word (.doc) (preferred), Rich Text Format (.rtf), Plain Text (.txt), or WordPerfect (.wpd) prior to accessing the submission site. Please use font Times New Roman, size 12.
You may include special characters (Greek letters, superscript, subscript), as needed in your prepared file.
The file you upload should include only the abstract body. The file you save and upload will be accepted as uploaded (e.g., headers and footers will appear if saved to file.) You will have the opportunity to preview your abstract, correct any mistakes in your word processor, and re-upload the changes or edit it online before completing the submission.
Review My Work
The final summary page will allow you to review the information you entered during the submission process. Review it carefully.
To make changes and corrections to your abstract:
- Select the appropriate section on the left-hand margin to return to that portion of the submission site. In order to complete the section and save any changes, you must click the “Save and Continue” button at the bottom of the section. You will be directed to the “Review My Work” section.
- If all sections have a blue check mark
a message will appear that states, “This submission is complete.” Any abstract marked “Incomplete” will not be considered for programming until it has a “Complete” status.
Payment
The abstract processing fee must be paid by credit card at the time of submission in order for your abstract to be eligible for programming. You may choose to pay the abstract submission & registration combo fee, or pay for your abstract submission only. Receipt of your purchase will be emailed to you.
Please note: The confirmation and receipt will be sent to the e-mail address specified for the Presenting Author at the beginning of the submission. The presenting author is responsible for notifying any co-authors.
Revisions and Withdrawals Deadlines
Withdrawals and revisions of regular abstracts must be submitted by Friday, October 5, 2020, 11:59 PM, Eastern, USA.
To make revisions to your abstract:
- Log into your myBPS account and return to the Annual Meeting abstract submission page. Click on the control number of the abstract you wish to edit.
- Select the appropriate section on the left-hand margin to return to that portion of the submission site. In order to complete the section and save any changes, you must click the “Save and Continue” button at the bottom of the section. You will be directed to the “Review My Work” section.
- If all sections have a blue check mark a message will appear that states, “This submission is complete.” Any abstract marked “Incomplete” will not be considered for programming until it has a “Complete” status.
Requests for abstract withdrawal must be received in writing by the Biophysical Society, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 1110, Rockville, MD 20852; fax: (240) 290-5555; or via email from the presenting author’s email address: [email protected]. Include the presenting author's full name and abstract number.
Platform Sessions
Regular Abstract Submissions - Presenting authors will be notified in late November if their abstract has been selected for presentation in a platform session. Data projectors will be provided in all session rooms in the Convention Center. Presenters MUST bring their own laptop computer, power supplies, and adaptors. We also suggest you bring a back-up of your presentation on a USB drive, in the case of any unforeseen problems. Please arrive at the session room 30 minutes before the session begins to connect your laptop to the projector. Speakers will be allotted 15 minutes to present their abstract and take questions from the audience.
Poster Sessions
Regular Abstract Submissions: Presenting authors will be notified in late November if their abstract has been selected for a poster session.
Late Abstract Submissions: Presenting authors will be notified in late January.
Poster presentations will take place from 1:45 PM–3:45 PM, Sunday through Tuesday, and from 10:30 AM-12:30 PM on Wednesday.