The National Council on Pet Population (NCPP), with support from the Society
of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA), is organizing its fourth annual
research symposium. The research day is designed to promote interaction
among interested researchers and leaders in the animal welfare community
working with homeless dogs and cats. This year’s symposium, entitled “Solid,
Stretched or Broken?: the Human-Animal Bond,” will take place on November
15, 2016, the day before SAWA’s annual conference in Portland, OR.
This year’s Research Day focuses on aspects of the relationship between people
and animals that could in any way relate to animal sheltering or animals in the
community. Topics could include, for example, use of shelter animals to help
people, compassion fatigue in shelter staff, decreasing relinquishment,
improving pet adoptions or retention in homes, community involvement and
public safety. We will give priority to this focus, but encourage submissions of
other applied studies related to shelter animals as well.
General Guidelines for Presentation
Presentations must include results from completed studies relating to the
welfare of homeless dogs and cats in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, or
Australia. Please describe 1 study per abstract. Since the audience will include
non- researchers, detailed descriptions of statistical methods should be
avoided. The organizing committee encourages presenters to discuss how their
findings might be applied at the shelter or community level.
Guidelines for Abstracts
Abstracts must include the presentation title, authors’ names and affiliations,
and contact information of the primary presenter, study rationale, brief
description of the methods (including the type of design, methods of sampling
and bias control), and summary of results, excluding tables and graphs.
Abstracts should include a discussion of how the results of the study might be
applied in shelters and/or at the community level.
Abstracts should not exceed 1 page in length (excluding references) with
minimum margins of 1” on all four sides. Font should be New Times Roman or
Ariel and font size cannot be smaller than 11.
Investigators are welcome to submit more than one abstract but may be asked
to choose one for presentation depending on the response to the call for
abstracts. Slots for presentations are limited.
Abstracts will be posted on the National Council’s website and need not include
data. However, the abstract must indicate that data will be presented at the
symposium. The organizers reserve the right to standardize the format of all
accepted abstracts but no content will be changed.
Abstracts of studies relating to the welfare of homeless animals from
investigators of any discipline (e.g., economics, sociology, veterinary medicine)
are welcome.
Review Process
Abstracts will be reviewed by members of the National Council. We anticipate
accepting up to ten 30 minute presentations (within which speakers will be
expected to reserve 5-10 minutes for questions), but will consider fewer
presentations of large studies that might require up to 40-45 minutes for
presentation (including 5-10 minutes for questions). Presenters can indicate in
the email their preference of a 30 or 45 minute time slot.
Funding for travel to the Symposium
The registration fee for presenters will be waived and a small honorarium and
limited travel support will be available.
Submission of and deadlines for abstracts
Please email abstracts to [email protected]
Deadline for submission: Midnight Eastern Daylight Time, May 6, 2016
Notification of acceptance: On or before May 30, 2016
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SAWA team
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Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA)
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Surprise, AZ 85374