The working group report on science-based categories for abstracts: submitted to the annual scientific sessions. American Heart Association.

A primary mission of the Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA) is to attract the best new and emerging science from a wide spectrum of established and new investigators worldwide. The AHA also seeks to promote the missions of its scientific councils (Table 1) by fostering interaction and collaboration between new and old members as well as non-members participating in the scientific sessions. In order to facilitate submission of abstracts for presentation at the scientific sessions and to enable a fair review and grading of submitted abstracts, the Committee on Scientific Sessions Program (CSSP) and the Council Affairs Committee (CAC) formed the subcommittee on ScienceBased Abstract Review and charged it with the responsibility of reviewing the abstract grading process. Membership of the subcommittee included previous CSSP Program Chairs and representatives from the CSSP and CAC. On its recommendation, a working group of the CSSP was formed and directed to make specific recommendations for the revised abstract category list. This report reflects the revisions made by the Working Group on Science-Based Abstract Categories as approved by the CSSP on January 15, 1998. A total of 85 unique categories were created within the three broad bases of (a) basic research, (b) clinical science and (c) population science (Tables 2 and 3). Reviewers for each category are selected from a broad base of national and international expert members of AHA scientific councils. Non-members of scientific councils with national and international recognition for their expertise in relevant categories may also be included in the panel of abstract reviewers. Tables 4a and 4b show the list of scientific councils and the categories for which they provide sponsorship and reviewers. Each abstract is graded by 7–10 reviewers to provide a fair and comprehensive review. The abstract category list will be revised yearly by the CSSP in order to reflect the changing field of science and to continue to capture the best new and emerging data from the frontiers of basic research, clinical science and population-based science. TABLE 1. Scientific Councils of the American Heart Association