Authors are invited to submit abstracts presenting new research results related to research on fascia. (Online submission form access at bottom of this page.)

Abstracts selected by the Scientific Review Committee will be immediately posted on this web site and be readily accessible for the many researchers, students, and clinicians worldwide whose work is related to the fasciae.

The Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies and The Journal of Electro-Myography and Kinesiology plan to devote special issues on the Fascia Research Congress; authors of the selected abstracts are encouraged to submit their full length papers to these journals for publication.

• For BEST ORAL PRESENTATION: $2,000 DR. IDA P. ROLF AWARD sponsored by the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration.
• For BEST POSTER PRESENTATION: $500 award sponsored by the Fascia Research Congress.

The general topics requested for submitted abstracts are:

1. Preclinical and Basic science
2. Clinical mechanistic research, or clinical findings suggesting directions for basic research
3. Research methodology
4. New Hypotheses
5. Special workshops on fascial considerations in women, minorities and persons with disability, such as pelvic pain, keloid formation, spasticity

Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to:

1. Changes in biomechanical properties
2. Mechanotransduction
3. Electrical and/or electromagnetic phenomena

Important Dates 

Submission Due: March 31, 2007 (23:59:59 GMT)

Acceptance Notification: May 15, 2007

Conference Dates: Thursday-Friday, October 4-5, 2007

Submission Guidelines 

Abstracts must be submitted in English. Submissions will only be accepted on-line. Only MS Word or PDF formats will be accepted. Total length of the submission must be approximately one (1) page long, using the rules specified below.

Authors of accepted abstracts…

1. Must guarantee that at least one of the authors will register and attend the conference and present.
2. Are required, as part of the submission process, to grant permission to publish their abstracts.
3. Are responsible to ensure that no contractual relations or proprietary considerations exist that restrict the dissemination of their findings.
4. Are responsible that work presented in abstracts must conform to the applicable policy and principles for experimental procedures. The main author must ensure that work presented in the abstract is in accord with ethical policies on using animals and human subjects in research, as well as (where applicable) the Declaration of Helsinki. The Scientific Review Committee reserves the right to contact the author or institution for clarification or proof of review board approval prior to acceptance of the abstract.

Please be sure to follow the formatting guidelines below.

Please note, submissions not meeting the submission guidelines risk rejection without consideration of their merits.

Scientific Review Process 

The Scientific Review Panel consists of scientists with conventional research training and/or experience in relevant complementary disciplines. The panel has been selected to represent a wide range of clinical and scientific disciplines. Their continued involvement at the conference will be as moderators of their respective specialty sessions.

Abstracts will be reviewed by at least two members of the review panel. Abstracts should be sufficiently intelligible and self-contained.

Selection will be based on a set of criteria, such as: scientific relevance, substantiated laboratory evidence, hypothesis relevance, implications for applied methods, and relevance for clinicians.

The Scientific Review Committee will make final determination for oral versus poster presentation from among the accepted abstracts. Accepted abstracts will be published on this web site.

Formatting—after editorial changes, if any—will be kept as-submitted for abstract publication on the website. Substantial deviation from the requested standard will require author revision. Submissions not meeting the guidelines risk rejection without consideration of their merits.

Each abstract should state the study's objective, briefly describe the methods used, summarize the results obtained, and state the conclusions. Abstracts must stand on their own, giving a synopsis of the project. It is not satisfactory to say, "The results will be discussed." Presentations should emphasize the significance of results and general principles.

When experimental animals are used, the species should be stated, including the sex if relevant. Use standard abbreviations for units of measure. Other abbreviations should be fully spelled out on first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.

Download a PDF to print the formatting guidelines.

Download a PDF with example of properly formatted abstract.

1. Abstract page sizes and formatting instructions:

• Standard US (8.5 X 11 inch page size, preferred): 1.0” margins top and bottom, 1.0” margins left and right.
• A4 ( 8.27 X 11.69 inch page size): 1.0” top margin, 1.69” bottom margin, 0.9” left and right margins.
• These page sizes will result in abstracts that are approximately 500 words in length.
• There is no requirement to use the entire page. The example of an expanded abstract provided here in PDF is shorter than the approximately maximum length (373 words total), includes a figure and legend, and satisfies the formatting and content requirements.

2. Main title

Initial caps, 14 point, bold, centered. Leave two blank lines after the title.

3. Author name(s) and affiliation(s)

Author name(s) and full affiliation(s) should be beneath the title and separated from title by two blank spaces. The font must be Arial 11 or Times/Times New Roman 12 point, non-boldface type, initial capitals. Include full address, telephone and fax numbers, and email addresses. Include e-mail addresses if possible. Leave two blank lines after the author information, above main text.

4. Main Text

Acceptable fonts include Arial 11 or Times/Times New Roman 12. The use of other size or style fonts (except as specified in the title section) will result in rejection. Text should be left only justified, and in one column. Use single line spacing.

The following components must be included in the Main Text. Each component must be indicated at the beginning of a new line, and in all-capitals.

• PURPOSE or HYPOTHESIS or BACKGROUND
• APPROACH or METHODS
• RESULTS
• CONCLUSIONS

5. Illustrations, Graphs, Figures, and Photographs

All graphics must be included within the same page. Figure legends should be short, and can be one font-size smaller than the main text. Color will be available for the web version but not in the printed proceedings.

6. Footnotes

Do not use footnotes.

7. References

References, if included, must follow the main text. List and number all references at the end of the paper. When referenced in the text, enclose the citation number in square brackets; e.g., [7]. Where appropriate, include name(s) of editors of referenced books.

• Journal: Bove GM, Zaheen A, Bajwa ZH. Subjective Nature of Lower Limb Radicular Pain. J Man Physiol Therapeutics, 28: 12-14, 2005.
• Book Chapter: Bove GM. Peripheral Nerve Biology and Concepts of Nerve Pathophysiology. In Haldeman S, ed. Principles and Practice of Chiropractic 3rd ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2004, p 289-299.

8. Disclosures (When Applicable)

Financial contributions and/or potential for financial gain that may be derived from reported work may constitute a potential conflict of interest (real or perceived). Authors are required to disclose their sources of contributed support (commercial, public, or private foundation grants, and off-label use of drugs, if any) entered in a field below the abstract titled “Disclosures”.

Resources for Scientific Writing 

The following resources are offered to elaborate on the general subject of writing research papers. The guidelines for abstract submissions for the Fascia Research Congress remain as specified above.

Examples of published papers:

Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies

Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology

Rules for Submission and Presentation of Abstracts:

Society of Neuroscience

Instructions for Authors:

Journal of Neuroscience

Instructions for Abstracts – example of expanded abstract:

World Federation of Chiropractic and Foundation for Chiropractic Education and Research International Conference on Chiropractic Research

Presenting Case Studies:

A T Still Research Institute

 Submit an Abstract Online »