All content contained within ProgramMaster is solely for the use of the conference organizers, the sponsoring organizations, and their contractual affiliates for use in building conference content and programming by-products, serving conference participants, and disseminating information of technical significance to the public. All other users are forbidden from harvesting the personal, professional, technical, and administrative information contained within for marketing, sales, promotional, and/or self-interest purposes.

All tools contained within the site (e.g., for mass e-mailings to authors, technical review of proposed abstracts and manuscripts, scheduling of content) must be employed only

• In the development of the subject meeting.
• In conformance with the highest professional and ethical standards.

Any users who are found to abuse the site, its data, or its users, may be barred from further participation and may be subject to legal action.

By submitting content through ProgramMaster, you will be making your contact information available to other site users. Additionally, participants—and their contributions— in a conference may be publicized in the conference program, the Personal Conference Scheduler, news releases, post-conference coverage, and other informational and marketing-oriented initiatives associated with participation in the conference.

Users of the site are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and to respect other users and their privacy. Abuse of these responsibilities and privileges will not be tolerated. Allegations of abuse should be reported to the webmaster.

The person who initiates the creation of a thread of activity in ProgramMaster is the only person who has administrative control over that activity as it progresses through the system. Specifically,

The person who submits an abstract in the system is the only person who can

• Edit the abstract document.
• Withdraw the abstract from the system.
• Cancel the presentation once accepted.
• Submit a modified version of the abstract if requested to do so by the organizer.
• Submit a manuscript based on the abstract if a proceedings is being produced.
• Submit a modified version of the manuscript if requested to do so by the organizer.

The person who submits a symposium proposal in the system is the only person who can

• Cancel the symposium after it has been accepted.
• Review abstracts submitted for the symposium.*
• Accept/reject/request modification of abstracts submitted through the system.*
• Build sessions based on the accepted abstracts.*
  *The person who submits a proposal form can request that staff give the co-organizer access to perform these tasks.

The person who submits a proceedings proposal is the only person who can

• Cancel the proceedings after it has been accepted.
• Review manuscripts that have been submitted for the proceedings.*
• Accept/reject/request modification of manuscripts submitted through the system.*
  *The person who submits a proceedings proposal can request that staff give the co-editor access to perform these tasks.

For the TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition and other TMS-sponsored specialty conferences, individuals who are designated as a presenter of an accepted oral presentation must do one of the following:

1. attend the meeting and deliver the presentation
2. notify staff of the intent to cancel 60 days prior to the start of the meeting
3. arrange for a presentation to be delivered by a substitute presenter

If none of these actions are taken, the presenter will be designated as a no-show.

In all cases, presenters should notify TMS and their symposium organizers immediately upon determination that they cannot attend and present their talk.

PENALTY: A presenter who is a no-show for one or more oral presentations at a single meeting will receive a warning. If the speaker no-shows again within three years, he or she will be suspended from giving an oral presentation for the next two years.

In addition, if an organizer is able to fill the slot without assistance from the no-show presenter, the organizer can notify TMS staff that a no-show penalty should still be assessed to the original presenter.

APPEAL: Extenuating circumstances can be evaluated via appeal to the sponsoring division’s Program Representatives, provided that some advance notice of the cancellation was given by the presenter to TMS.