Call for Abstract Reviewers

Volunteer to review and get a first-hand look at the abstracts submitted for the 2023 Annual Meeting. Please reply by 11/7/2022.

Dear colleague,

We are writing to invite you to serve on the SPR Abstract Review Committee for the 31st Annual Meeting “The Role of Prevention Science in Achieving Social Justice and Health Equity for All.” There are two stages in the review process to help shape an interesting and well-rounded program. The first is to review and score the abstract submissions and the second is to serve on one of the thematic subcommittees. You are invited to serve on one or both stages of the review process.
The first stage is the Abstract Review during which the abstracts are scored. The abstracts will be assigned late-November with reviews completed by mid-December. The review process is completed on-line via the SPR/Confex abstract management system. The total process can take 3 – 4 hours depending upon the number of abstracts assigned. Typically, each reviewer is assigned 20 – 24 abstracts. We project we will need more than 125 reviewers. The research strength and professional reputation of the SPR Annual Meeting derives in part from the rigor and integrity of our blind, peer review process. The more reviewers who volunteer the fewer the number of abstracts each person will be asked to review.
Mentor/Student-Mentee Opportunity. The SPR Mentor/Student-Mentee abstract review program is a great opportunity for students to participate in the abstract review process.  Please consider forming a Mentor/Student-Mentee Review Pair or a Mentor/Student-Mentee Review Group for the first stage of the review process. Mentors may identify a single mentee or a group of mentees. We encourage students to approach their mentor or a faculty member to serve as their mentor. (SPR does not make mentor/mentee matches.) Only the Mentors will sign up to review. During the sign-up process, Mentors will be asked for their Mentee information. The Mentor is responsible for sharing the abstracts and scoring criteria with their Mentee(s) and for entering the scores into the online abstract review system. Upon completion of the abstract review process the SPR administrative office will confirm with the Mentor the Mentees who participated. Mentors and Mentees will be acknowledged as members of the Abstract Review Committee.  (If you are a Mentor and would like to review additional abstracts as a “regular” reviewer, please sign up for both opportunities.)
The second stage is the Abstract Thematic Review which takes place after the abstracts have been scored. The thematic subcommittees determine which abstracts will be accepted for presentation based upon the blind, peer review score and to create a program that has a balance of authors, format types and thematic content. As a member of a thematic subcommittee you would work to identify those abstracts best suited for paper symposia, poster forums, individual presentations, roundtable discussions, poster presentations, 20 x 20 presentations and the TED-Like Talk format. The time commitment is relatively brief and the work will be done in January 2023. The work of the subcommittees is conducted via e-mails and one Zoom meeting.
If you are able to serve as an abstract reviewer and/or as a member of a thematic subcommittee, please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2023abstractreviewers to complete the questionnaire and indicate the conference theme(s) which you would be willing to review. If you have served on a theme committee in the past few years, please consider serving as chair/co-chair. To participate, please complete the questionnaire by Monday, November 7, 2022. You may find the Call for Papers helpful in determining the theme(s) you would review; click here to access the Call for Papers.
Members at all career levels are needed and encouraged to participate. In addition to being an excellent opportunity for student and early career professionals, this is a relatively small time commitment and an easy way for all members to provide service to SPR. Serving as a reviewer is also a way in which you are able to ensure that the program reflects your interests in prevention science. If you haven’t reviewed recently, please consider volunteering.
Reminder: The deadline for abstract submissions is Monday, October 31, 2022
Miguel A. Cano, Chair, 2023 Conference Program Committee
Nadine Finigan-Carr and Rashelle Musci, Co-Chairs, 2023 Abstract Review Committee

Questions? Email Jennifer Lewis at jenniferlewis@preventionresearch.org or call at 703-934-4850, ext. 3.