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Call for Judges
The SMFM Program Committee welcomes all members to apply to volunteer to judge abstract presentations during the 2025 Pregnancy Meeting. No prior experience scientifically evaluating research is necessary; we are looking for those who can evaluate research from all perspectives, from researchers to clinicians. Judging the science presented at the Pregnancy Meeting also provides a way to engage with SMFM for those who may not have the bandwidth for committee service.
Those interested in judging must meet the respective criteria below to be considered:
- Be an SMFM member. Not an SMFM member? Join here.
- Attend the Pregnancy Meeting in person.
- Researchers or those in clinical practice are welcome.
The deadline to apply is Monday, November 11, 2024. Submitters will be notified of their application status in December.
Oral Presentation Judging Process
- Each oral session will be assigned a team of 4 – 5 judges, have an identified leader, and be added to a WhatsApp Group chat to communicate with each other.
- Each judge will attend the assigned session and judge each presentation using pre-specified scoring criteria.
- Following the session, the judges will meet to discuss and select a winning abstract.
- The leader will communicate with the program committee via email and WhatsApp with the presentation number and the presenting author's name.
- This year, awards are presented each day. Selections should be sent within 30 minutes following the end of the session.
Poster Presentation Judging Process
- Each poster session will be assigned a team of 8 - 10 judges, have an identified leader, and be added to a WhatsApp Group chat to communicate with each other.
- Two weeks before the meeting, judges will receive a subset of abstracts from their assigned session to review in advance. They will then determine which abstracts they feel are the strongest and communicate their selections to the group.
- Poster judges will gather in advance of the session and visit the posters of the selected abstracts individually or as a group to ask questions of the authors.
- The judges will meet after the session to discuss and select a winning abstract.
- The leader will communicate with the program committee via email and WhatsApp with the poster number and present the author's name.
- This year, awards are presented each day. Selections should be sent within 30 minutes following the end of the session.
Note: It is likely that judges will be coauthors on abstracts in their assigned session. This is permissible, and the program committee asks that it be disclosed and that the judge refrain from judging or participating in discussions for the abstract.
Support and Acknowledgement
In the weeks before the meeting, judges will have the opportunity to participate in an informational webinar to become comfortable with judging and have any questions answered. Judges will also be recognized via the printed program book and the scrolling slides shown in the plenary sessions. Badge ribbons are also available to recognize judges.