Getting Started with submitting your abstract

1. Log In
   1. If using a desktop browser, you will find the login fields at the top right of the page. If using a phone, you will find the login by clicking on the three white lines at the top of the page and then a drop-down login area will appear.
   2. Use your existing BotanyID/ConferenceID and password if you are a current or past member of the BSA, or if you've attended a recent Botany Conference.
   3. If BSA membership is not required for an event, and you are not a current or lapsed BSA member, you can create a BotanyID and password by clicking here.
       
2. Find Your Event. Current/recent events are listed on the home page. Click on the title or the icon of the event you are interested in to access the application. Read the description of the event, as well as the requirements. Proceed, if you can fulfill the requirements.
    
3. Click on the blue "+ Create New Abstract" button. After you have clicked on the event title/icon there should be a blue "+ Create New Abstract" button at the bottom of the description page that will take you to the abstract application. 
   1. If the blue button is missing:
      1. You may not be logged in
      2. You may have already submitted an abstract. Some events only allow one abstract per person
      3. The application period may not have started or may be over
      4. If the form requires that you are a current BSA member (not all of them do) your membership may be lapsed or your may need to join the Society for the first time.
   2. Once logged in, you can also click on the "Signed in as [your BotanyID]" button at the upper right of the web site. On that page, you will find a link to every event you are eligible to submit abstracts to.
       
4. Fill in the form for your abstract. Note that many of the fields are required.
    
5. Save or Complete your abstract. This system allows you to work on your abstract over multiple sessions. "Save" saves your current progress to the database. When it is simply "Saved", it is not considered a completed submission and will not be evaluated. "Complete" marks the abstract as ready for review and evaluation for inclusion in the program. Be sure to click on the Complete button when you have completed your abstract.

Each created page can arrange their content elements using arbitrary grid layouts. Each page may contains various layout sections. In each section you can place one or more content items of various kinds like:

• HTML text;
• YouTube videos;
• Google maps;
• Quotes;
• Atom or RSS feeds;
• Computer code;
• Zikula blocks;
• the output of another Zikula module or Symfony bundle.

Within these layout sections you can sort the content items by means of drag & drop.
You can make an unlimited number of pages and structure them hierarchical. Your page structure can be displayed in a multi level menu in your website.

This is a second HTML text content item in the left column.
Content is an extendable module. You can create your own content plugins and other Zikula modules can also offer additional content items. For example a calendar module may provide a Content plugin for a list of the latest events.

Here are answers to some Frequently Asked Questions.

The site should be open for submissions, but I don't see a blue "+ Create New Abstract" button. What's wrong?

If could be a few different things. Each event has different rules about who can submit abstracts. You might need to be logged in.  You might need to be a member of the BSA. Or you might be in a different time zone than the server, which means that you may be either ahead or behind the open period for submissions by a few hours. Try these steps:

• Check to make sure you are logged in.
  • If using a desktop browser, you will find the login fields at the top right of the page. If using a phone, you will find the login by clicking on the three white lines at the top of the page and then a drop-down login area will appear.
     
• If you have already logged in, click on the "Signed in as [your BotanyID]" button at top right. If you get an error, you may need to log out and login again. You can also click on that button to see all of the events in which you are eligible to submit an abstract at that time.
   
• If, when you have logged in, you get a message that says something like "You are properly logged in, but you are not a member of the BSA", then check the eligibility paragraph for the event and see if it requires submitters to be members of the Botanical Society of America. If you are lapsed, or are not a member, you can click here to become a current BSA member.
   
• If you renewed or became a member of the Society AFTER you logged in to this site, you will need to log out and and then login again for it to recognize your new status.
   
• Check the detail page of your event and see what time zone the applications use for opening and closing the submission period.
   
• Some events only allow one abstract per person, have you already submitted an abstract for this event?

How do I contact customer support?

If you need assistance, email bsa-manager@botany.org.