Scope: We welcome abstract submissions related to all aspects of diseases affecting reptiles or amphibians. Possible presentation topics include, but are not limited to: pathogenesis, pathology, immune defenses, host-pathogen evolution, disease ecology, stressors, toxins, epidemiology, disease surveillance, risk analyses, modelling, disease management, diagnostics, policy, and trade. Presentations on disease agents known to have impacts on wild populations are encouraged.

Pledge: The 2022 GARD Conference Scientific Committee will provide a collaborative, inclusive and engaging environment for participants.

Guidelines:

GARD presentation formats will include oral presentations (5 or 15 minutes) and posters. You will indicate your preferred presentation format (5 minute-oral, 15 minute-oral, or poster presentation) during abstract submission. The Scientific Committee will attempt to meet preferred presentation requests, while also creating a well-balanced conference program. As such, we would like to thank all of the presenters in advance for being accommodating of abstract selection and apologize to those who may not be offered their first choice of presentation format. Presentations can be delivered in-person or virtually.

Abstracts must be uploaded via the 2022 GARD Abstract Submission Portal.

Please adhere to the following guidelines when submitting your abstract. Abstracts that do not follow the guidelines may not be considered. Importantly, we strongly recommend that all applicants use the 2022 GARD Abstract Template (.docx). Please upload your abstract as a .docx or doc file not as a PDF.

1. Up to two abstracts per presenter can be submitted for consideration; however, no more than one abstract will be accepted as an oral presentation. If an abstract is not accepted for an oral presentation, a poster presentation will be offered, assuming the content aligns with the focus of GARD 2022.  Up to two poster presentations by the same individual are allowed.

2. Use plain English language to clearly communicate what your talk will be about (research/policy question, approach, results, implications).

3. During abstract submission (in the online portal):

• Indicate your first preference for presentation format (5-min talk, 15-min talk or poster). Also, indicate if you intend to present virtually or in-person.
• Rank the 3 most appropriate topics to help us assign your presentation to the most relevant session.
• Indicate if you are a student or early career professional.
• Indicate if your results are published, in review or unpublished. Preference will be given to in-review and unpublished results.
• Indicate if you are willing for your presentation to be recorded for: (a) sharing with online participants in disparate time zones that can’t attend in real-time, and (b) publicly after the conference. Your response will not affect whether your abstract is accepted.

Virtual Presentations: Virtual presenters will be given the opportunity to present in real-time during the GARD proceedings (if desired), but will also be asked to provide a pre-recorded version of their talk, as backup. All virtual presenters will be expected to participate in a live Q+A session after their talks. Captioning in English will be available during talks.