I don't have an e-mail account and I can't submit my abstract without this.
Without an email address, the principal author cannot be promptly notification of submission, acceptance, or rejection. If the principal author or presenter truly has no email address, enter "N/A" in place of an email address.

Do I have to learn HTML to use this system?
No. In some cases it might be convenient to submit an abstract as an HTML file; but even then you don't need to learn HyperText Markup Language. There are, instead, easy ways to save your abstract as an HTML file using software that you already have or that you can obtain for free. If your abstract includes many images or unusual symbols, or a table, and if you are finding it difficult to submit your abstract or make it appear correctly, learn how to submit an HTML file.

I can't see the Abstract Control Panel (left frame).
Wait a little longer. Particularly if you have a very slow connection to the Internet, or when the Internet is very busy, it can take a while to download everything to your screen. Usually the right frame will appear first, then the left. If it takes more than a minute for the Abstract Control Panel to appear, contact technical support by email or by phone (401) 334-0220.

I can't find a way to represent a character I need.
If the character appears on this list, you can copy and paste the necessary code into your submission. If not, ask for help via email.

I can't upload my abstract file.
Send us an email message explaining exactly what happened when you tried, and attach the text of your abstract to the message.

How will I know if my abstract has been submitted?
You will see a confirming page. At the top of the page will be the words "Abstract Text Submitted - Congratulations!". Beneath that you will see everything that you submitted. And at the bottom of the page you will find directions for viewing or modifying that submission at a later time (up until the abstract submission deadline).

My abstract doesn't look the way I think it should.
There are some differences between the way things appear on the Web and in print. Words, for example, do not usually wrap neatly around pictures on a web page unless you take special precautions and upload the abstract as an HTML file. Pictures are displayed on a computer screen at much lower resolution (70-100 dpi) than on paper (150-600 dpi), so they can look a little fuzzy. Try printing your abstract from the browser if you are concerned about a fuzzy picture. If something important has really been lost in the translation during online submission, let us know.

How do I control text wrapping around images in my abstract file?
With difficulty. When you submit your abstract online we convert it to an HTML file so it can be displayed in a web browser. The only good way to control wrapping around an image today is to set the image inside a table cell, and even then the wrapping is often imperfect. Unless this problem affects comprehension of your abstract, don't worry about it. The wrapping will probably look different when the abstract is printed in the book of abstracts. If this affects comprehension of the abstract ask us for help.

I can't load my images.
Send us an email message explaining exactly what happened when you tried, and attach the images to the message.

My abstract is under the word limit but I get a message telling me it's too long.
As in the past, AMS requires that your abstract fit inside a box of standard dimensions (based on the use of standard fonts and layout). If your abstract includes an image, then we calculate how much of that box will be occupied by that image and reduce the allowable number of words accordingly. To avoid this message, reduce the size of your image or the number of words.

I get an error message when I try to add a title, select a session, enter an author, or enter my abstract.
The submission form uses JavaScript for these functions. Make sure that your browser is set to support JavaScript. If it is, make sure that the entire window has been downloaded, including both Abstract Control Panel in the left frame. If you still run into a problem, please let us know by email or by phone (401) 334-0220

Microsoft Word renames my image files when I save the abstract as HTML.
That is good. Note the new file names, and browse your way to those files when asked to do so for image uploading.

How do I use tabs in my abstract text?
Don't. When you submit your abstract online we convert it to an HTML file so it can be displayed in a web browser. Any white space character or string of white space characters -- tabs or blank spaces -- are generally converted to a single space. Do not put tabs at the beginning of paragraphs. Instead, use the standard business style of separating paragraphs by blank lines. Do not use tabs to set up a table. Instead either

• set up the table, as such, in an application that can save it as an HTML file, or
• submit a picture of the table. (The picture should be in the form of a GIF or JPEG (jpg) image file)

Other Problems? Please call (401) 334-0220 for technical assistance or (617) 227-2425 for questions about the meeting. Or ask for help by email.