Q: Do I need to register before I submitt an abstract, if so why?

Q: Do I need to register before I submitt an abstract, if so why?

A: All those wishing to submit an abstract need to either register to attend the Congress at the same time or already be registered. In order to be able to organise a congress of this size the committee needs to be confident that authors that submit abstracts fully intend to attend the congress and deliver their paper. The best way to achieve this is to require presenting authors to register either at the same time or before they submit their abstract.
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Q: If my abstract is rejected by the Scientific Programme Committee will I be able to get a refund of my registration if I then decide not to attend the congress?

A: Yes, however the Congress will withhold a portion of the registration fee to cover the administrative cost associated with processing and reviewing the abstract.
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Q: I am having difficulty getting into the online abstract submission system, are there any browser compatibility issues I should be aware of?

A: Rarely authors may experience problems with the online abstract submission system. The system works well with Internet Explorer and Firefox; if you are using either of these and experiencing problems you may need to adjust your security settings or upgrade to a more recent release. Safari users may experience problems unless using the latest version and so may need a newer version.
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Q: I have lost my abstract template form is there a replacement available?

A: Yes, a replacement can be downloaded by clicking here.
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Q: I see that you are only allowed to submit one first/presenting author abstract, why is that?

A: The Scientific Committee for IPS 2008 expects to receive a large number of abtracts. In order to make it possible for as many authors to present at the Congress as possible the decision was taken to limit the number of first/presenting author abstracts to just one (for the whole Congress, not per session). This does not prevent someone from submitting both a session (e.g. symposium) proposal abstract and a presentation (oral or poster) abstract. In addition you may also contribute to workshops and / or roundtable discussion sessions.
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Q: If I find I am unable to attend the Congress but have already registered, can I cancel and receive a refund?

A: All cancellations must be sent in writing or e-mailed to the Congress Secretariat. Cancellations received by 4th February 2008: an administration fee of £50 will be deducted from any refund issued. Cancellations received after 4th February 2008: No refunds will be issued, though partial refunds may be offered in extraordinary circumstances. Separate cancellations conditions exist for accommodation bookings (see booking form).
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Q: Is it possible to reclaim any of the tax (VAT) component of the registration fee?

A: VAT (Value Added Tax) is a tax on consumer expenditure. It is collected on business transactions, imports and acquisitions. VAT is reclaimable by many overseas delegates and by those whose fees are paid by certain registered charities and VAT registered organisations.

You will have to pay UK VAT (17.5%) on most goods and services you purchase. Claims for repayment of VAT can be made by overseas businesses by requesting the appropriate forms from:

HM Customs & Excise
VAT Overseas Repayments Unit
Customs House
PO Box 34
Londonderry, BT48 7AE
Northern Ireland. UK.

Web Site:   www.hmrc.gov.uk.

If the claim is by a business established in EU countries other than the UK; request form VAT 65. If the claim is by a business established in non-EU countries; request form VAT 65a. NB. You will need to retain your VAT receipt that indicates how much VAT was paid.
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Q: Accommodation options on the website seem expensive. Why is this and are there any options for those on tight budgets?

Executive Committee Member Bill Sellers, an ex-Edinburgh resident, answers: The Congress takes place just before Edinburgh's world famous arts festival. Edinburgh is really amazing around the festival - but the world knows this! Hotel prices reflect the demand. There are however plenty of other options to investigate including bed and breakfast and hostels. There are links to information on both on the accommodation page.

For anyone under the age of 25 (perhaps even 30!) I would seriously recommend staying in a hostel. These are generally right in the centre of town, extremely cheap (£18/$30 a night), very friendly for international travellers, and there are lots of them. They have dorm room and some have a number of private rooms with en suite bathrooms. If you are planning to stay in shared or dorm rooms you should probably not bring expensive laptops etc. You will need to book early but they all have excellent internet booking facilities because they are mostly used by student backpackers. The Congress has secured an alloation of University rooms are good for those of us who want a little more comfort and privacy but there won't be enough for everyone - several hundred at best so again book early. There are also plenty of hotels/guest houses/B&Bs but these are either expensive or moderately difficult to book since the cheaper places will need to be phoned individually. Also the cheaper ones tend to be further out from the centre and quite small.

The real problem will be for people who don't make up their minds until quite late on. Edinburgh can get very full indeed around this time of year and these people might be forced to travel quite some distance to find anywhere to stay.
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Q: I cannot get onto the abstract submission system which tells me: "Sorry that username and password are not registered for this meeting. Please register with submission system". What should I do?

A: The problem you have encountered is due to the fact that you have to register separately with the Congress registration system and the Abstract Submission system. When you first go to the submission pages the system tells you that if you are a new user you need to register - follow the links to do this. The abstract submission system will then email you with log-in details and an abstract submission form (this form is for presentation abstacts not abstracts proposing symposia or roundtables etc). When you have these details you can re-enter the Submission system. If you are submitting a session/symposium you will then follow the link at the bottom of the page (using your new log-in details) called "Session convenors / chairs: Click here to submit a new session or edit session information". You will need to supply a symposium abstract your own details as the organiser (and any co-organisers), as well as some names of session participants/presenters and their topics. To complete and submit your submission you will need to supply the unique Access Key that you received when you registered to attend the congress via the http://www.ips2008.co.uk/Registration.html page.
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