Submit an abstract

• The presenting author will be notified of the abstract status within two weeks of the submission deadlines. Communications will only be sent to the presenting author.
  • Round one: notification of acceptance before or on 15 December 2024
  • Round two: notification of acceptance before or on 15 February 2025
• Abstract submission will be rejected if the presenting author does not confirm participation in attending the event personally
• A preliminary acceptance email will state that abstract acceptance is conditional based on the confirmation of the presenting author attending the event personally.
• After abstract acceptance, the poster in PDF form should be submitted via the Poster Submission Form before 1 March 2025
• Attendance certificates and CPD points will be awarded to all presenting authors who have registered, attended and presented at the event.
• The presenting author must register for Future Forum and pay the registration fees or apply for a registration waiver. Institutions are encouraged to support the participation of their students by covering these costs. If the presenting author is not registered, the abstract will be withdrawn and will not be included in the conference booklet.
• Posters will be evaluated at the conference by a panel of judges, chosen by the Future Forum's Steering Committee, of the same field and speciality as the presented research work. As we will be awarding prizes, we encourage all presenting authors to be present at the closing ceremony.

• Each poster will be assigned a display number at the venue. This information will be displayed in the event entrance area.
• Some posters will be displayed on day one and others on day two according to the MLSFF 2024 schedule and space availability. This information will be sent to authors via email.
• Posters must be hung in the designated space in the morning of either day one or day two of the event before 10:00 am.
• Materials required to hang the poster will be available on the day.
• Authors should be available during breaks to answer questions and take part in discussions.

We recommend printing your poster on traditional paper with laminate or on cloth. Ensure the poster is laid out in a portrait style, as landscape posters will not be accepted. The poster dimensions should be 841 mm (width) x 1189 mm (height) (33.1 inches x 46.8 inches), making it visible from at least 10 feet away. The display board size is 900 mm (width) x 1500 mm (height) (35.4 inches x 59.05 inches).

To assist you in creating an effective poster, please follow these guidelines:

• Clear Message and Logical Layout: Your poster should convey a clear message, be logically organised, and be easily understood within a few minutes.
• Section Labelling: Clearly label specific sections such as background, methods, results, and conclusions to facilitate easy navigation.
• Readability: Design each section to be easily readable, avoiding large blocks of text and lengthy sentences. Use a font size large enough to be read from a distance of 1.5 meters (five feet). Aim for a minimum of 18 pts for text and 36 pts for headings, keeping the word count concise.
• Visual Aids: Incorporate supporting images such as graphs, tables, illustrations, and photographs to enhance understanding of the results. Ensure these images are clear and not overloaded with information.
• Colour Contrast: Maintain sufficient contrast between the colour of the text and the background of the poster.
• Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest: Any potential conflict(s) of interest must be disclosed on your poster.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your poster effectively communicates the subject and purpose of your study, engaging and informing attendees at the conference.

Format: Abstracts must contain original scientific data collected by the author(s). All abstracts are to be written in English.

Theme: Abstract submitters will be asked to select the most relevant theme for their work from the following options:

• Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security
• Social Equity and Public Health
• Climate Change and Environmental Sciences
• Innovative Biotechnologies and Genomics
• Other

Discipline: Abstract submitters will also be asked to select the most relevant discipline for their work from the following options:

• Ecology, Environment and Conservation
• Genetics, Cell Biology, and Molecular Biology
• Social Sciences and Public Health
• Chemistry, Physiology and Biochemistry
• Immunology and Microbiology
• Data Science, Computational and Systems Biology
• Engineering, Physics and Mathematics
• Pharmaceutical Science

An option to "Specify Your Own Discipline" with a free text field is available for submitters who feel their work does not fit neatly into the listed categories, ensuring no one feels excluded.

Submission: All abstracts must be submitted via the online form. Emailed abstracts will not be considered.

• The abstract is a single paragraph without subheadings, indentation, or references. It should be an explicit summary of your work that states the problem, objectives, methods used, and major results and conclusions.
• Title should be brief and accurately reflect the content of the abstract.
• Author name should be written as follows: First Name, Middle Name initials, then Last Name (Example: Josh B. Williams).
• Complete affiliation address and corresponding author’s email must be included.
• The submitted abstract should not exceed 300 words.
• Abstract submission will be acknowledged via email. If you do not receive an email within two days of submission or have any additional queries, please email us.