Purpose of the Committee:

The Abstract Review Committee's purpose is to ensure a fair and scientific review of abstracts submitted to PCNA's Annual Cardiovascular Nursing Symposium. Through a blind review process, committee members evaluate abstracts for appropriateness, scientific validity, and merit, research methodology, and adherence to PCNA abstract guidelines. Note: abstract submissions open in the fall and will be due around the end of November.

Description of Duties:

• Evaluate abstract submission guidelines and modify as needed.
• Evaluate grading criteria and modify as needed.
• Decide in January which of the committee members will be attending the PCNA Annual Symposium to grade posters on-site (PCNA waives registration fees for all attending members). If fewer than 3 committee members are attending, invite a qualified PCNA member (based on the requirements below) to temporarily join the committee to help with grading abstracts and posters.
• Review and grade blinded abstracts in December/January of each year. Note: each abstract and poster must be graded by at least 2 reviewers. Reviewers may not score abstracts or posters where a conflict of interest may exist (i.e. abstracts where the reviewer is the author or coauthor or consultant).
• Meet on a conference call after all grades are submitted to reach a consensus on which abstracts will be accepted.
• Evaluate instructions for poster presenters and modify as needed.
• Grade poster presentations at the Annual Symposium and submit one official ballot listing the top three winning posters in each category.

Requirements for Abstract Review Committee Members:

• Member of PCNA
• Experienced cardiovascular researcher and/or clinical researcher
• Experienced in preventive cardiology

Guidelines and Committee Terms:

• The Abstract Review Committee will have a maximum of 5 members.
• Committee members and chairs will be volunteers from the PCNA membership and board.
• Committee members will serve a 2-year term, with an option to renew for one additional 2-year term.
• Once an individual has served as a committee chair (two-year term) they have the opportunity to serve for only one additional consecutive year, after which they will rotate off and join a different committee. This rotation will assist in the development of new PCNA leadership.
• The Abstract Review Committee shall have a minimum of three and a maximum of five members and one chair, and at least one must be a PCNA Board member.
• Terms shall be staggered so that experienced members do not rotate off at the same time.
• Past committee members may rotate back onto a committee and serve as the chair more than once if there are no other volunteers.
• The committee chair is responsible for working with the committee to set short and long-term goals. These will be presented to the board annually.
• PCNA shall provide complimentary registration for Abstract Review Committee members to attend the Annual Symposium.
• While some virtual meetings do occur throughout the year, the main form of communication is through email and both the PCNA staff liaison and committee members are expected to respond in a timely manner