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ILCA Conference Proposal Submission Requirements

Thank you for your interest in submitting an proposal for the ILCA 2023 Annual Conference. The Call for Submissions is extended to 20 February 2023. The information below will help you to prepare your submission. Each individual is limited to involvement with two submissions.

Submission site: https://www.abstractscorecard.com/cfp/submit/login.asp?EventKey=FEYDVYIH 

SUBMISSION SITE

First you will create an account. When entering your address, be sure to select the country first in order for the proper state/province options to be available in the dropdown. After you create a profile and an access key (password) you will be taken to a page to agree to privacy terms. On the next page, you will select “Click here to begin a new abstract”, which will take you through the following steps:

START A NEW ABSTRACT:

TITLE
A good title explains what is going to be covered in the presentation and includes proper capitalization. The ILCA Style Guide may be referenced to assist you in writing your title. If an abstract is accepted, titles may be edited to comply with the requirements and/or to better meet the needs of participants from and serving a variety of countries and social groups.

Example: How to Write an Abstract for Breastfeeding/Chestfeeding Professionals

PRESENTATION FORMAT
The second portion of your submission will be selecting from the presentation formats listed below.

  • Concurrent Session: 60- or 90-minute concurrent sessions presented in-person at the Conference; submissions for pre-recorded presentations will also be accepted for online access. Submissions on the following topics covered under the International Board of Certified Lactation Consultant® (IBCLC®) Certification are strongly encouraged:
    • Development & Nutrition
    • Maternal Care
    • Pathology
    • Pharmacology & Toxicology
    • Physiology & Endocrinology
    • Psychology, Sociology, & Anthropology 
  • Abstract Presentation: Abstracts can either be research or project oriented. If accepted, the topic of work may be presented in-person as a:
    • Poster Presentation
      All research and project posters will be presented in-person during a designated poster reception. Presenters are required to produce a 48"h x 36"w poster and bring it to the conference.
    • Poster Presentation and Oral Presentation [by invitation]
      The ILCA Research Team will nominate select abstracts for an oral presentation, in addition to a poster. Oral presentations will be 10-15-minute presentations hosted during a concurrent session at the in-person conference. All oral research presentations will be scheduled during the same concurrent session.
TASKS
After you have entered the basic information about your submission, you will be taken to a page with a list of tasks. Once you have completed a task, a green check mark will appear next to the task icon. When you have completed all of the tasks, you must click on the "Save Submission" button then on the “Submit” button that appears in order for your abstract submission to be complete.

  1. Submission Agreements
    You will acknowledge that you understand and agree to some statements. One is to make sure you are aware that if you are selected to present, you will be responsible for the fees and arrangements associated with presenting the material (internet connection, access to an internet-ready device, etc.).

    The second statement asks you to acknowledge that the information you are submitting is your original material or you have obtained proper permissions from the copyright holders. You must acknowledge that you understand it is illegal and unethical to steal the intellectual property of others.

    The additional statement(s) depend on the presentation format you selected. Concurrent session and poster authors must agree to share their presentation, including the PowerPoint slides or a .pdf of their poster, for viewing by virtual attendees.

    If you do not agree to all of the statements, you are not eligible to present at the ILCA conference.

  2. Author Information
    You will enter the names for up to four authors and send information to each author to complete their own profiles and disclosures. Authors may not be added after the abstract submission deadline. Each author will need to complete the following:

    • Contact Information
      Your contact information may be used for communication and for the purpose of tracking geographic diversity among speakers only. ILCA will not publish this information or share it with attendees or vendors. You must select the “country” first in order for the proper state/province options to appear in the dropdown menu.
    • Job Title and Company/Organization/Institution
      Title and employer information is collected for accreditation reporting purposes. It will be shared with organizations granting continuing education credits; however, it will not be shared with attendees unless you choose to include this information as part of your biography.
    • Role
      Select whether this author is the Lead Author or a Co-Author of this abstract. Only one person may be designated as the Lead Author of a submission.
    • Degrees/Certifications/Credentials
      If your abstract is selected, your credentials will be published as given on the ILCA Conference website and in the digital program. They also may be included in ILCA Conference promotional materials.
    • Contribution Statement
      State your contributions to the project/research/experience that will be discussed in this presentation. (Examples: Lead IBCLC at clinic where case was treated; principal author of published study; developed the technique or process, etc.)
    • Biography
      Your short biography may be included in conference promotional materials as well as on the conference website. Include information such as your relevant certifications and degrees, past/current positions held (and the state/province/country in which you held them), work focus, and articles/books published (150 words maximum).
    • Resume/CV
      ILCA collects resumes or CVs in order to comply with accreditation requirements. This information will be kept on file and shared with accrediting organizations if ILCA is audited. Resumes or CVs will not be available to abstract reviewers or event attendees.
    • Previous Presentations
      Indicate if you have presented on this topic at other events within the past three years and if so indicate where. Please also indicate of the abstract has been submitted for consideration at another event where the education has not yet been selected.
    • After you hit the “Continue” button, you will be taken to the Profile Photo page. Your photo is collected for potential use in conference promotional materials as well as on the conference website. Submitting a profile photo is optional. You are, however, required to include a photo or mark the box indicating that you are opting not to include a photo and click the “Continue” button.

  3. Abstract
    First you will confirm your abstract session title. Then you will complete the following:

    Topic
    Topics for Concurrent Sessions and Case Studies match the IBLCE domains. For clarification on which domain best represents the content of your abstract, please visit the IBCLC Detailed Content Outline.
    1. Development and Nutrition
    2. Physiology and Endocrinology
    3. Pathology
    4. Pharmacology and Toxicology
    5. Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology
    6. Techniques
    7. Clinical Skills
Previous Presentation
You will be asked to indicate if the content of the abstract has previously been presented and if so to indicate where.
 
Learning Level
Propose a learning level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) for your presentation. Sessions may have one learning level or a range of two or three learning levels (e.g., intermediate, intermediate to advanced, beginning to advanced). Your input will be considered during the process of finalizing learning levels.
 
Diversity and Inclusion:
Describe how you will utilize content, language, and references that are diverse and inclusive or explain why this is not possible for your presentation. Diverse and inclusive content is relevant in a variety of work, cultural, and geographic settings; language that is inclusive of varying sexual orientations, gender identities/expressions, and family structures; and references from a variety of social groups and countries. Your diversity and inclusion statement may be published on the website.
 
Abstract:
Abstract content should address what will be covered in the presentation. You must keep your abstract to 250 words or less. Submission reviews are anonymized. Do not include presenter’s name or other identifiers in the description. Research and project abstracts must be structured according to the Abstract Requirements . Abstract content may be shared on the event website.
 
Publication: You will be asked to indicate if the content of the abstract has previously been published and if so, to indicate where.

4. Key Words
The conference system will be able to help attendees find the sessions with the most relevance to them by searching for Key Words. Entries must be individual words. For example, if your topic is related to Infant Feeding in Emergencies, you would need to enter the key words: feeding; emergencies. You may enter up to six key words, with the at least two being required.

5. Learning Objectives
A minimum of three objectives are required. Learning objectives should be measurable and outline a desired behavioral outcome. Please reference these behavioral terms when writing your objectives that complete the sentence “The learner will be able to…”.
 
Objectives may be edited to comply with the requirements above and/or to better meet the needs of participants from and serving a variety of countries and social groups.
 
Example:
Objective 1 – State the key elements of a professional abstract.
Objective 2 – Compare professionally-written abstracts to those that are lacking key elements.
Objective 3 – Describe how to incorporate the key elements that are lacking from sample abstracts
.
6. References
Please include at least three properly-cited published references to support your abstract. These references may be shared on the website if your abstract is accepted.
 
Proper APA formatting is: Contributors' names. (Last edited date). Title of resource. Site Name. http://Web address
 
7. Disclosures
Disclosures are for anything of value received from a commercial interest* or financial relationship** which relates directly or indirectly to the subject of your presentation.

All conference presenters are required to declare any financial or industry disclosures during the submission process. Having an interest in or an affiliation with a corporate organization may or may not prevent a speaker from making a presentation. ILCA must be made aware of the relationship in advance. Circumstances create a conflict of interest when a speaker has an opportunity to affect presentation content about products or services of a commercial interest with which the speaker has a financial relationship.

ILCA will not approve education that is not International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes compliant. We require our speakers to state their compliance with the International Code. Should any speaker be found in violation of the International Code, ILCA reserves the right to cancel the presentation and the speaker’s involvement with conference activities and nullify prior agreements.

If your abstract is selected, you must state your disclosures verbally and include them in writing on the disclosure slide at the beginning of your presentation.

*A commercial interest is any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients.
**A relevant financial relationship is a financial relationship in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that creates a conflict of interest.

Competitive Funds or Institutional Support:
You will be asked if you have received competitive funds from industry or institutional support in the past 3 years in order to support study, research, or investigate issues to be discussed as a part of your topic in this program.
If you disclose that you have received funds or support, there will be additional questions regarding whether the support came from a commercial company or institution, whether other support was received from a commercial company or institution, if you hold stock or stock options or royalty payments related to the presentation, or if you have received financial support from a company that is not WHO Code compliant. If you mark “yes” to any of the types of support listed above, you must disclose the name of the company or institution.

Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Disclosure:
You will be asked to indicate if the FDA has cleared all pharmaceuticals and/or medical devices for the use described in the presentation. This information may be obtained by referring to the product labeling, call the Food and Drug Administration at 1-800-638-2041, or visiting the FDA internet site.

Products or Trade Names:
You will be asked to agree to identify any pharmaceutical products by the generic name or explain why a generic is problematic.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Submission deadline: The submission site opened in December and submissions will be accepted until 11:59 pm EST on 1 February 2023 (convert to your local time here). Submissions must be complete, conform to all guidelines, and be submitted by the deadline to be considered for acceptance. When all of the tasks are complete click on the “Save Submission” button then be sure to click on the “Submit” button that appears in order to finalize your submission.

Selection notification: March 2023

Conference Registration: One in-person presenter per accepted abstract will be sent information for a registration discount. Virtual presenters are encouraged to register to participate in the virtual event, but registration is not required.

Review Criteria: Abstracts will be scored on originality, clarity, outcomes, interest to lactation professionals, and connection to the lactation field.  Proofread your abstract carefully to avoid errors.

ILCA 2023 Conference Presenter Deadlines: The following deadlines have been set for individuals presenting at the ILCA 2023 Conference. ILCA reserves the right to cancel your presentation if you do not adhere to these deadlines. Please consider these deadlines before you submit an abstract.

20 February 2023 Deadline to submit abstracts/submission site will close at 11:59 pm US Eastern Time
March 2023 Submitters will be notified by email of their presentation status
March 2023 Two weeks after notification, selected authors must confirm participation
11 May 2023 Education Planning Table (mandatory) and CME disclosure form (mandatory) due
1 June 2023 PowerPoint or poster file due for accreditation review (mandatory)
14 June 2023 PowerPoints/posters re-submitted for accreditation review (mandatory if notified of accreditation compliance edits)
23 June 2023 Handouts submitted for approval and inclusion for conference participants (optional, but recommended)