While a person may submit more than one abstract, only one abstract per person (primary author) will be accepted. Research should have been conducted within the last 10 years, including landmark studies, and must be relevant to the current African landscape. Authors should emphasize how the work undertaken created a positive impact on the healthcare system and how the research aims to change or improve public health practice. 
Conflict of Interest: Authors of accepted abstracts will have to submit a disclosure of conflict-of-interest form that will be shared with the acceptance letter

5.    Abstract Structure 
Word count: The abstract should not exceed 300 words (which includes sub-headings but does not include the title, key words, list of authors and their addresses). 
Authors: Authors should be listed as follows:
•    First author: Provide first name, initials of the middle name (if any), and the last name (e.g., John M. Kamara).
•    Co-authors: List each co-author in order of contribution by typing their first and middle names as initials, followed by their last name in full (e.g., J.K. Thompson, A.H. Karikari).
•    Provide the organizational affiliations of the first author and all co-authors
•    Indicate the corresponding author with an asterisk and provide their email address and telephone number, plus their alternate contacts. 
Key words: Please include 4 – 6 keywords. Use terms listed in the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) from the Index Medicus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html
Title: The title should be informative but concise, with no subtitles or abbreviations/acronyms. Write the title in sentence case and only capitalize proper nouns and scientific names where appropriate (e.g., Escherichia coli). 
Introduction/Background: Address the scientific background and include the rationale for the study, as well as the public health significance of the subject. Explain why your study is important and what question(s) it will answer. A clearly stated background sets the stage and should include:
•    A brief description of the topic and its public health significance
•     Study objectives
•     Research questions or study hypothesis if applicable 
Methods: Describe the methods used for the study. Essential points to be included are:
•    Study design
•    Study setting
•    Study population
•    Eligibility criteria and case definitions, if any
•    Sample size and sampling methods
•    Data management and analysis 
Results: Present the significant findings (both positive and negative) of the study that are directly related to the study objectives. This section should not include a discussion of the results. Provide both absolute numbers and their percentages/proportions, rates, and ratios where applicable. Please note that, since an abstract is a stand-alone, citable document, the results section should include data. It should not include such statements as “Data will be discussed.” If considerable work is still pending before the conference submission, please indicate that the results are preliminary.
Conclusion: Be as concise as possible. Do not re-state data that is already included in the results. This section may include:
•    An interpretation of key findings and their implications for public health practice
•    Public health actions that are recommended and/or have been implemented as a consequence of the study 

Note: Changes cannot be made to the final abstract after it has been submitted. However, in the event that your abstract is selected for presentation and has undergone significant changes after acceptance, those changes should be highlighted in the abstract presentation or poster.

6.    Evaluation Criteria
Each abstract will be evaluated by three independent reviewers using the following criteria:
•    Background and rationale of the study
•    Appropriateness of methods
•    Presentation of results 
•    Conclusion and interpretation of results
•    Public health relevance
•    Overall clarity of the abstract
•    Novelty of the study
•    Relevance to conference theme

7.    Decisions and Next Steps
Accepted abstracts will be published in the conference book of abstracts. All selected abstract applicants for oral or poster presentations are expected to attend the conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 
For more information, visit /, or email the PEN-Plus Secretariat:icppa@who.int