Scientific Abstract Preparation & Submission Guidelines

Presentations should fall within one of the following eight session categories. Presentations may be oral or as a poster.

The session categories are:

1. Plant physiology and its relation to feeding value

2. Nutritional assessment of forage quality

3. a) Grazing /Ingesting behaviour

3. b) Grazing and pasture management

4. Impact of harvest, preservation and storage conditions on forage quality

5. Forage feeding systems

6. a) Sustainable development of rural areas with horses

6. b) Sustainable development of rural areas with horses – socio-economic aspects

Descriptions of the sessions:

Session 1 “Plant physiology and its relation to feeding value”

Presentations in this session can be focused on the chemical composition changes in plants along the vegetative cycle and its influence on their nutritive value. Also e.g. the influence of soil and climate conditions in diurnal changes in plant components could be addressed.

Session 2 “Nutritional assessment of forage quality”

Under this subject the author can present research results for example about what nutritive and chemical parameters are important and valid to assess the forage quality, both from the nutritional and hygienic point of view.

Session 3a “Grazing/ Ingesting behavior”

In this session you can present e.g. results dealing with voluntary intake and factors affecting the selection of feeding sites at pastures. Also papers dealing with ingesting behaviour of horses, plant references and impact of horse grazing on pasture biodiversity are welcome.

Session 3b“Grazing and pasture management”

Under this topic the presentations can be focused for example on establishing and managing principles of pastures for horses, options on plant species and varieties considering different soils and climate conditions. Presentations dealing with comparison of natural and cultivated pastures are welcome, as well.

Session 4 “Impact of harvest, preservation and storage conditions on forage quality”

Presentations in this session can deal with nutrient losses during harvesting and, preservation and storage, as well as effects on digestibility, and palatability. Also results on contaminations by toxic plants, bacterial and fungal toxins can be presented.

Session 5 “Forage feeding systems”

In this session the presentations can treat e.g. feeding of various types of horses (growing horses, broodmares, exercising horses etc.) fed with forage based diets; proper forage-to-concentrate ratio for different horses, use and needs of supplemental feeds, and supplementation based on the nutrient content of the forage.

Session 6a “Sustainable development of rural areas with horses”

Presentations under this subject can treat how local breeds contribute to sustainable development of rural areas, their impact on landscape and relationships with environmental preservation. Also papers dealing with pollution indicators and its prevision in horse production are welcome.

Session 6b “Sustainable development of rural areas with horses – socio-economic aspects”

Under this topic presentations can be focused on socio-economic impact of horse production on rural areas and also land use by equidae holders.

Submission Dates

The deadline for short abstract submission is November 14th 2011

Submitted abstracts will undergo a rapid review (not editing) and authors of accepted abstracts will then be invited (by 1st December) to resubmit for reviewing/editing either a) a full paper or b) an extended abstract (1000 word) which may include tables and figures.

The deadline for final submission (full paper or extended abstract) is January 15th 2012

Full papers or extended abstracts return to authors for revision by February 15th 2012

Once your paper has been accepted please register before 1st of April to qualify for the “authors” discount.

The final version should return for editing by March 1st 2012.

Submission procedure

Please attach your word file submission to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

(File Name - Session Number & First Authors Name - for example: 3 Santos)

1. Short Abstract Format (to submit by November 14th 2011)

In the first instance the abstracts should be no more than 300 words (not including the title, names of authors, their affiliations, and any reference list), and should not include tables or figures. The format of the abstracts is the same for both oral and poster presentations.

Abstracts to be typed in single spaced 12 point Times New Roman as a MS Word file, A4 paper with 2.5 cm margins. The symbol font is to be used for special characters. Please use British English for spelling and refer to “Information on content of any submitted papers”.

The abstracts must include the following:

Abstract title (centered)

Names of Author (s) (centered) with name of presenting author being first and underlined

Institutional Affiliation (s) (centered)

The main body of abstract is to include the following sub-sections:

Introduction and aim of the research

Materials and Methods

Synthesis of the results and conclusions

A maximum of five key-words in a bottom line

Please copy the following 5 lines above your abstract and complete/delete inappropriate choices. Save your file with the preferred session number and first author’s name (e.g. 3 Santos).

1. Name: Initials:

2. Institute/Company and Department:

3. Full address:

4. Contact person (author) e-mail:

5. Preferred Session:

6. Preferred Presentation: Theatre OR Poster

7. Preferred Final Submission: Extended Abstract OR Full Paper**

8. Entered in Student Competition: Yes OR No***

2. Extended Abstract Format (pdf from Wageningen – “Guide for authors”)

Formatting for the extended abstract will be the same as the full paper format (see “Guide for authors”), but with a word count of 1000 words (excluding title, authors and affiliations, tables, figures and reference list). Please also refer to “Information on content of any submitted papers” under point 1.

3. Full Paper Format (pdf from Wageningen – “Guide for authors”)

The full paper maximum word count is 7000 words. Please download “Guide for authors” for formatting instructions and also refer to “Information on content of any submitted papers” under point 1.

Please note: The editors/reviewers reserve the right to place submissions in sessions other than the preferred option of the authors if they feel they would be better placed elsewhere.

Conference book:

Although authors may be asked for a full paper, it remains the authors’ responsibility to determine the level of inclusion of their work in the EWEN proceedings book, so as not to jeopardize any future wish to publish their work in a refereed journal. The book will have an issn number and all delegates will receive a copy of the book as part of their registration fee. Accepted authors registering and paying before 1st March 2012 will receive a discount on the early full conference fee. The book will also be available for purchase after the conference.

Information on content of any submitted papers

Note on content:

Abstracts should be complete in themselves. The title should be descriptive, specific, and concise. The name of the presenting author should appear first. The Introduction should first state the background and objectives of the work. The material and methods should describe clearly the methods used, including numbers and types of animals. The results obtained, together with relevant statistical analysis should be presented in sufficient detail to support the conclusions drawn. The conclusions should clearly state the author’s view of the implications of the results to scientific understanding and practical use. Avoid vague sentences. It is recommended that the material for a summary should be discussed with any co-authors and read critically by a colleague who has not been closely involved.

Statistical analyses and presentation of results

• The experimental design and statistical methods must be clear. Experiments where treatments and pens (or groups) of animals are confounded are not acceptable.

• Treatment means should be presented with appropriate standard errors of means or differences. The minimum number of decimal places required to demonstrate significant differences should be used.

• Probability values must be presented to support conclusions. Probability levels of P>0.05 are NOT significant and p-levels for no significance do not have to be given.

• The use of percentages should be avoided wherever possible; concentrations or compositions should be expressed as mass per unit mass or mass per unit volume; decimal proportions should be used for common ratios such as digestibilities.

• The results of surveys will be accepted if the work has been conducted with the same scientific rigour as designed experiments.

References

Should adhere to the format given in the pdf file – “Guide for Authors”

Commercial products

Where results on commercial products are being presented, authors should ensure, before submitting their summary, that both their organisation and the commercial company involved give permission to publish.