2025 Research Abstract Guidelines
Submitted abstracts will have their authorship blinded and be peer-reviewed by a panel appointed by the AVA. All abstract submissions will be subject to review.
Authors should ensure that the following criteria are met in their abstract submission:
- The topic is relevant veterinary clinical practice and scientifically sound. Please ensure you have read the topic categories before submitting an abstract.
- The subject matter is original or innovative.
- The paper must add to the knowledge-base of the discipline.
- Authors will be notified via email if successful by 1 February 2025.
Abstracts accepted for presentation will be competing for two $5,000 prizes. One prize will be available to AVA members who hold specialist registration and/or a PhD. The second prize will be available to AVA members who are private practitioners, academic clinicians, veterinarians undertaking research degrees, residents and interns.
PLEASE NOTE: Abstract submissions for the 2024 AVA Conference close on Wednesday 20 November 2024.
A submission form should accompany every abstract and multiple abstracts can be submitted by the same author/s. To assist with the blinding process please submit two (2) copies of the abstract, both as Word documents. One of the copies with authorships and author’s affiliations clearly stated and the other with the names of authors and clinic/company/organisation removed. All identifying comments should also be removed from the body of the abstract. If the abstract is not written in the correct format authors may be given the opportunity to resubmit the manuscript in the correct format, by Wednesday 27 November 2024.
It is the author’s responsibility to ensure the abstract is in the following format, is no more than one page and does not exceed the word limit of 250 words, excluding headings.
Abstract themes include:
- Behaviour
- Business
- Cattle
- Conservation Biology
- Equine
- General
- Sheep
- Small Animal
- Veterinary Public Health
- Welfare
Layout:
- Title (top line): Title bolded in capitals. Centred.
- Authors and affiliations (2nd line): Names of authors with presenting author underlined
All contributor’s clinic/company/organisation affiliations. (3rd line). Centred. - Research hypothesis or clinical question
- Introduction
- Materials and methods, or case history (including any diagnostic tests/techniques and Ethics Approval (Human or Animal) numbers for research papers)
- Results or clinical outcome | Discussion and relevance to Australian clinical practice
A paragraph on each of the items 3 to 6 is sufficient.
Program: Microsoft Word
Word limit: Maximum 250 words, excluding headings.
Paper size: A4 paper (21 x 29.7cm) one side only, using single line spacing.
Font: Calibri
Font size: 11pt
Margins: LHS & RHS margins 3cm / Top & bottom margins 2.5cm
Set language to English (Australian) and spell check accordingly.
Paragraphs: One line to be left between paragraphs and no indentation required.
Subheadings: Calibri, bold, 11pt.
The abstracts need to be informative and all the information to be presented must be in the abstract. Statements such as “...results will be presented...” are unacceptable.
Advertisements for commercial products must not be included, however, it is acceptable to mention registered drug names and dose rates if they are critical to the information presented. Abstracts should not contain citations to published literature. Papers that have previously been presented in Australasia or published in a peer-reviewed journal are unlikely to be considered for inclusion, and a declaration to previous presentation and/or publication must be included on the submission form.