Planning Committee

Optional Tours

The Scientific Program for the 2004 Joint Meeting of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists is divided into six categories of forensic toxicology, as follows:

• Analytical Methods
• Alternative Matrices
• Behavioral Toxicology
• Clinical & Environmental Toxicology
• Forensic Urine Drug Testing & Adulteration
• Postmortem Toxicology

Platform presentations and posters will be assigned to one of the above topics and fall within that scientific program. Abstracts will be selected from those submitted by the May 3, 2004 deadline and assigned to the appropriate category. The presenting authors of all posters and presentations will be required to register for the meeting. Only abstracts written in English will be considered.

The format for the preparation of the abstracts must conform to the instructions on the online Abstract Submission Form . Abstracts that do not conform to the required format will be returned for reformatting. Due to limitations in the number of platform presentations and posters that can be given in the allotted time of the meeting, only one abstract per presenting author will be accepted. If any submitted abstract is not accepted and, as a result, the author is unable to attend, the registration fee will be refunded in full.

Type abstract using a single-spaced, 10-point size, Times New Roman font.  Identify three key words at the bottom of the abstract. Please do not exceed 600 words in length.

All accepted abstracts for the 2004 Joint Meeting of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists will be published in Forensic Science Communications (FSC). FSC is a peer-reviewed journal published quarterly on the FBI Internet site. The journal is a means of communication between international forensic scientists. It may be viewed at

Abstracts must be submitted by May 3, 2004. Complete the online version of the abstract submission form found on the SOFT and TIAFT websites. After proofreading the abstract, press the submit button. You will immediately be notified by email that your electronic submission of the abstract was received. If you do not have internet access that allows you to submit an abstract online, please contact Meeting Chairman Marc LeBeau.

Posters Presentations:

Poster presentations must cover the material reported in the abstract. Authors should avoid crowding too much information into the limited space. The poster should be readable from a distance of three (3) feet (one (1) meter). Use large and bold lettering for the Title and immediately below this include the names of the authors and their affiliations. Highlight the presenting author. Avoid the use of too much text. Consider the use of bullets for results and conclusions instead of paragraphs. Tables and figures may be useful to break up the poster to ensure good readability. Please use headings such as Aims, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. You may wish to provide handouts of your poster for interested attendees.

Posters will be kept up for a minimum of three (3) hours during the day they are scheduled. Please be sure your poster is mounted by the start of the session in which it is assigned to appear. Poster sessions will run 3-4 hours in length. The author must be present at the poster only for the hours noted in the program.

Platform presentations must cover the material reported in the abstract. Only LCD (preferred) or 35-mm slide presentations will be accepted. Each presenter will be provided with a maximum of twelve (12) minutes to present their material and three (3) minutes to answer questions. Each session will be assigned a chairperson who will have strict instructions to keep the session on time. It is highly recommended that you prepare yourself to speak no longer than the allotted time.

Regardless whether LCD projection or 35-mm slides are used, information on the slides must be kept simple with plenty of open spaces between lines. Do not crowd the slide. Limit information on each slide to seven lines or less. Avoid backing up in slide lectures. If you need a slide twice, make duplicate slides. Consider the use white on black, white on blue, blue on yellow, or yellow on blue, as these color schemes project the best. Avoid red and blue or other non-contrasting color combinations. It is suggested that email contact information be included in your last slide. If using 35-mm slides, only a limited number of slide carousels will be available. It is highly recommended that you provide your own slide carousel.

An LCD projector will be available for use in each of the scientific sessions. Any LCD format platform presentation must be submitted to the appropriate Scientific Program Chair no later than 2 weeks before your presentation. All presentations will be pre-loaded and tested on a computer (and backup computer) provided by the Planning Committee. You may bring your own laptop as an additional backup, however this will only be used in the event of unexpected technical problems.

In order for American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) credits to be provided for attendees to the 2004 FBI Symposium on Forensic Toxicology and the Joint Meeting of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (sponsored by the TDM/Toxicology Division of AACC), each speaker must provide disclosure of potential bias or conflict of interest. This information is provided to any attendees who request information concerning possible bias, conflict of interest, or commercialism of any presentation. Please complete the information as it applies to you on the abstract submission form.