Multidisciplinary Scholarly Activity Symposium

Important Dates

1. Submissions will be accepted December 1, 2023 through February 2, 2024.
2. Submissions will be reviewed and returned to the presenter by February 9, 2024.
3. If presentation is provisionally accepted, revised abstracts are to be resubmitted within one (1) week of receiving feedback.

Submissions must meet one of three types, and can be works in progress:

1. Case presentation:

“…a detailed analysis of a person or group, especially as a model of medical, psychiatric, psychological, or social phenomena.” American Heritage Medical Dictionary

2. Original research:

"…a systematic investigation, including research, development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge." 45 CFR 46.102(d)

3. Quality/Performance Improvement project:

“Quality Improvement is a systematic, formal approach to the analysis of practice performance and efforts to improve performance.” American Academy of Family Physicians

Note: Community Health Network has implemented a process whereby everyone who is in a position to control the content of an educational activity has disclosed all relevant financial relationships, with any commercial interest. In addition, should it be determined that a conflict of interest exists as a result of a financial relationship, it will be resolved prior to the activity.

Submissions must be in a structured abstract format. IMRaD (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) is preferred.
Word limit: 500 words

Writing Assistance

1. Structured abstracts
2. Poster preparation tips
3. Case studies

IRB Process

You may not continue with submitting your project for the Symposium until you have received IRB approval and accompanying letter. For assistance with this process please send an email to:

• IRB@eCommunity.com if you are with Community Health Network
• hrpp@uindy.com if you are with the University of Indianapolis

All projects must be reviewed by the Nursing Research Council (NRC) and have an NRC approval date. This NRC review MUST take place before submitting to the IRB.

For assistance, please email NursingResearch@eCommunity.com.

Criteria for selection will include:

1. Originality
2. Significance/authenticity
3. Use of innovation and best available evidence.
4. Collaboration among various healthcare professionals.
5. Impact on healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
6. Generalizability of the project to other settings/patients/populations.

Submissions will be scored and returned with comments from reviewers. You may be asked to re-write the abstract based on the reviewers' judgment of how well the abstract meets the criteria listed above. You will have one week to complete the re-write and re-submit the abstract for consideration.

There are three forms of acceptance:

1. Accepted
2. Provision acceptance depending upon revisions and resubmissions - See review sheet for comments
3. Rejected - See review sheet for comments

**ALL CITI TRAINING MUST BE COMPLETE PRIOR TO IRB SUBMISSION. CITI IS REQUIRED FOR ALL KEY STUDY PERSONNEL AND CAN TAKE 2-8 HOURS TO COMPLETE.

If you are new to CITI:

• Navigate to citiprogram.org.
• Select "Register" at the top of the screen.
• Complete the prompts to create your new account. When asked to affiliate with an institution, select "Community Health Network" from the drop-down menu.
• Use your eCommunity.com email address when registering to ensure your completion records are recorded in all of our systems.
• When asked for your role, select "investigator" to ensure you get the correct training modules.
• Complete both the "Biomedical" and "Conflicts of Interest" modules.

If you have completed CITI training at another institution:

• Log in to your CITI account and select "affiliate with another institution" from the home screen.
• Select "Community Health Network" from the drop-down menu. This will allow us to have access to your records.
• CITI training is valid for 3 years. If you have completed the required modules within that time frame, those completion reports will appear.
• You will need to complete any course requirements that differ from those at your previous institution. These items will show as incomplete.
• Upon completion, please send an email to IRB@eCommunity.com so that your CITI records can be merged with our IRB tracking system if you used an email other than your eCommunity.com email when registering with CITI.

• If you are unsure whether your project requires IRB review, please send an email inquiry to IRB@eCommunity.com before requesting an IRIS account. Provide details about your project.
• Navigate to https://iris.ecommunity.com/.
• If you do not already have an account select "Request New Account." You will be emailed your account credentials within two business days of your request. Everyone who will be listed as key study personnel on the project will need an account and will need to complete CITI training prior to IRB review.
• After logging into the system, select the "Study Assistant" tab from the left hand side of the screen.
• Next, select "Add a New Study."
• Follow the prompts to complete the application. Ensure you attach a protocol synopsis of the study when prompted and complete the "lay summary" section. The reviewer should have a complete understanding of the project from the application and attachments.
• After the IRB receives a complete application (e.g., free from errors or omissions) you should receive documentation of the IRB's determination within 3-5 business days. Determination letters as well as all questions and communications from the IRB will come to the principal investigator via IRIS and accompanying email notifications.