The 5th SAHARA Conference 2009 invites you to submit an abstract presentation to the Conference to be held on 30 November – 3 December 2009 at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, South Africa.

The theme of the conference is “Socio-cultural Responses to HIV”. The Conference parallel-session programme is abstract-driven.

Closing date for abstract submission is 30 September 2009.

Abstracts are invited on the following track themes:

TRACK 1: HIV SURVEILLANCE (Dominant and alternative approaches)
TRACK 2: DRIVERS OF THE EPIDEMIC (Including socio-cultural determinant
TRACK 3: PREVENTION
TRACK 4: TREATMENT, CARE AND SUPPORT
TRACK 5:  APPLICATION OF RESEARCH EVIDENCE

Abstracts can only be submitted electronically through the SAHARA website. Abstracts submitted to the conference secretariat directly through any other means will not be accepted for review. Note that no graphic images, tables, graphs or columns should be submitted with your abstract.

Click here to submit your abstract online.

Guidelines for Abstract Submissions

Abstract submissions close on 30 September 2009.

The on-line abstract submission system is user-friendly. You will be guided through the submission procedure. Please follow the instructions as shown on the webpage. Please draft your abstract according to the headings listed below in no more than 350 words in total.

1.     Aim
2.     Methods
3.     Results
4.     Conclusions

Abstract Submission Information

TIP: Draft your abstract in text format in MS Word or a similar programme according to the fields described in Step 3 below. Please only use Arial plain font in 10 point. Save it as a document once you are sure the content is ready for submission as an abstract. Copy and paste the text from this document into the fields provided under Step 3 of the submission process.

Step 1: Presenting Author Demographic Details

You will be required to supply us with the following information:
Title
First name
Last Name
E-mail address
Institution
Physical and Postal Address
City
Country
Phone number with international dialing code
Short CV (not more than 100 words).

Step 2: Co-Authors Demographic Details

Here you will be required to supply us with the co-authors demographic information (if any):
Title
First Name
Last Name
Designation
Institution
E-mail address

NOTE: Do not add the Presenting Author’s details here, as it has already been specified in Step 1.

Step 3: Submission of Abstract Content

The following fields will need to be completed under their respective headings:
Abstract Information: Abstract Title
Has the material presented in this abstract been published previously?
Preferred presentation: (poster or oral presentation)
Preferred theme
Abstract content
Abstract text should not exceed 350 words.

Abstracts can only be submitted in text format – no images, tables or graphs should be included.

Step 4: Verification of Information Provided in Steps 1 – 3

All the details that have been provided in the abstract submission process will be presented for verification. The abstract system will send you an email of confirmation with your abstract number for future reference. Abstracts cannot be amended after submission.

Abstract Criteria

Abstracts that report research findings should contain the following concise statements:

Aim: The description of the problem or the hypothesis, the study objectives
Methods: Study methods used or approaches taken
Results: Specific results in summarised form
Conclusions: Statement about the main outcomes.

Abstracts for reporting on strategies / projects should contain the following concise statements:

Aim: Short statement summarising the issue(s) addressed by the abstract         
Methods: A brief description of the project, experience, programme or research
Results: A brief description of the results or lessons learned
Conclusions: A brief statemen

Alternative submissions

In addition to conventional papers and posters, the conference will include multi-voice sessions that capture the experiences of different stakeholders such as PLWHA, vulnerable and marginalised groups, programme implementers, and community leaders. To this end, alternatives to conventional scientific papers and posters, such as visual arts and drama presentations, are encouraged. However, owing to high demand and limited time/space, all potential contributions will be reviewed by an evaluation committee.

Please assist the reviewers by  providing sufficient information on the nature and relevance of your contribution so that it can be properly evaluated.