General Instructions
Submitted abstracts must be in one of the following file types:

Microsoft Word 6 or 97 for PC; Microsoft Word 6 or 98 for Mac; rich text format; or postscript.

Authors submitting postscript files will be contacted by the LPI to provide a file containing the text of their abstract so it won't have to be reinput for production of the volume. (We have provided LaTeX templates for the convenience of those who don't have access to any other word-processing system.)

Download the appropriate template from the list provided. Using the format provided in the template, prepare your abstract for submission.

Abstracts must be no longer than THREE pages (including figures, tables, and references). Figures and tables should be sized to fit into a single-column format (i.e., no wider than 3.25"). Figures and tables must be placed in the file and therefore must be in digital format. We recommend that you use image file formats that provide acceptable resolution without being HUGE (for example, don't use a 4-MB tiff file when a 700K gif file will do). Line drawings AND photographs can be easily converted to high-quality digital format by using ordinary flatbed scanners and accompanying software. Please contact your systems administrator for assistance if necessary. We STRONGLY encourage authors to limit the size of their file to 4 MB; larger files often lead to technical problems.

Note Regarding Fonts
You are urged to use fonts common to Macintosh and PC platforms, i.e., Times, Times New Roman, Helvetica, or Arial for text; Symbol for mathematical symbols and Greek letters. The electronic version of your abstract that appears on line will be a PDF file. If the PDF conversion program does not recognize the font you have used, it will have to use the best-available choice from its substitution table and the final outcome may be corrupted.

PostScript Files
LaTeX users can download the template and style file provided. The style file is written to use Times New Roman fonts. Instructions for downloading these fonts and installing them on your system are included in the template. If you do not have these fonts, the template will not work. If you attempt to modify the style file or template to avoid the use of the Times New Roman fonts, the online version of your abstract will not be readable on the screen. Click here to see a sample of what the PDF file of your abstract will look like if you don't use the correct font package. You can submit postscript files produced by software other than LaTeX, as long as your system uses the correct fonts. (If you're not sure, contact us WELL in advance and we can do a test for you.)

WordPerfect Users
If you have to use WordPerfect, and you're not planning on including figures, you should be able to use the Rich Text Format template, save your abstract as an RTF file, and submit that. If you're including figures, use the RTF template, but save your document as a WordPerfect file. On the abstract submission form, choose "Word 97 for PC" as the file type, but put in the comments field that it's really a WordPerfect file (and tell us which version). We may have to contact you later to send a separate file of your image(s), but should at least be able to generate a good hard copy to start with.

Asian Authors
We have experienced difficulty in translating files from Word for Asian format. After much testing and trial and error, we have determined that RTF files are the best solution to the problem. Go ahead and download the appropriate template for your machine, but when you're through with your abstract you should save it as an RTF (rich text format) file and submit that version.

Macintosh Systems
The occasional font problems we experience are almost always associated with Word files on a Mac. To avoid this problem, after downloading the template, make sure the text of the template is in Times New Roman, and NOT New York (the PDF software has a particular distaste for the New York font!).

Submitting Your Abstract
After you have prepared the file containing your abstract, you are ready to submit it. Your file MUST be on the same machine as your Web browser, and you cannot leave the file open or the data will not transfer successfully. Go to the abstract submission form found on the main page and follow the instructions. The form will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. Once you have completed the form and have clicked on the "Submit to LPI" button, the system will respond with a screen that informs you that your abstract has been successfully submitted and assigns you an abstract number. Take note of this abstract number and refer to it in any correspondence with us regarding your abstract. If you don't see the confirmation screen within a reasonable amount of time (no more than 10 minutes), or if you have any questions or need further assistance, please phone the LPI at 281-486-2188, -2161, -2195, or -2164, or send an e-mail message to publish@lpi.usra.edu.

DO NOT SUBMIT REVISED ABSTRACTS! If you submit the same abstract more than once using the Web form, all versions except the first one will be thrown out. If you discover a mistake in your abstract after it has been submitted, contact the LPI at one of the numbers listed above and we will assist you (as long as time permits) in correcting the error. If there are any technical problems with the content of your abstract (for example, your file was corrupted), our staff will be desperately trying to contact you immediately, so it is CRUCIAL that you provide us with up-to-date contact information on the submission form. If you know that you will not be available to answer possible questions regarding your submission, please give us (in the "Comments" section of the submission form) the name of someone who can (and how we can reach them).

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