Author Kit Frequently Asked Questions

A. No, anyone may submit an abstract for an OTC conference. We do, however, encourage you to join a sponsoring organization for many reasons.

An abstract should demonstrate that your paper will:

• Contribute technically sound knowledge in a particular area of petroleum technology.
• Present new/novel knowledge or experience that has not been published previously.
• Not be commercial in nature and will not promote specific companies, products, or services.

The abstract should include the following factual highlights:

• Objectives/Scope
• Methods, Procedures, Process
• Results, Observations, Conclusions 
• Novel/Additive Information

The suggested limit of 225-450 words should not be constraining if the paper proposal is limited to the defined factual highlights.

English is the official language for OTC conferences and publications.

The online submission system will always close at 11:59 p.m. US Central Time on the stated deadline date.

The online manuscript system does not send an automated email confirmation. Upon finalizing a submission, you will see a summary page. At the bottom of the screen, you are given the option of sending a confirmation email to yourself (and/or the co-authors). You may also print the summary page for your records.

Upon finalizing your submission, you will see a summary page that includes the submitted abstract. You can print this page for your records using the link at the bottom of the screen.

OTC will notify each Presenting Author of the status (accepted or declined) of their abstract after the program committee has completed the review and rating period and made their program selections.

Once you have finalized and submitted your abstract, the committee has immediate access to begin the review process. For this reason, an abstract cannot be changed after submission. If you need to make a change to the author list or a slight change to the title, you can do so during the manuscript submission stage. If you need to change the presenting author, you will need to email the Conference Program Lead for that conference.

Yes, you can upload a figure, table, or an image by clicking on the appropriate link during the sixth step of the abstract submission process.

Yes, please email the Conference Program Lead for the conference to ask that your abstract be removed from consideration.

No, per the OTC Conference Dual Submission Policy, authors are allowed to submit the same abstract to only one conference at a time.

If your abstract is accepted, the acceptance notification will contain your five-digit OTC manuscript number (example: OTC-12345-MS).

The control number is the unique identifier initially assigned to the submitted abstract. If accepted, the abstract is assigned an official manuscript number for publication; that number should be used in all communications regarding the manuscript and on the manuscript itself.

OTC does not have a page or word limit for manuscripts, but the average manuscript length is 8-12 pages (including figures and tables).

OTC meetings have a No Paper, No Podium policy. If an abstract is accepted to a conference, the author is required to submit a manuscript by the deadline date. If a manuscript is not submitted, the manuscript will be withdrawn from the program, and the author will not be allowed to present at the conference.

Yes; the manuscript title and author block can be edited during the manuscript upload process.

Yes; the revision must summarize the manuscript, stating significant new information and conclusions. However, if the abstract and/or the content of the manuscript differ significantly from the original abstract submission (which was reviewed and accepted by the program committee), the committee has the right to withdraw your manuscript from the program.

Only one company should be listed in the author block. If you have changed companies during the course of writing the manuscript, you should list the company in which the scope of the work was done. If you need to list a second/new company for legal reasons, place an asterisk by the company name in the author block, then place a footnote at the bottom of the front page listing the other company (example: *formerly with John Doe Consulting).

No biography is needed for technical manuscript presenters.

Manuscripts should be submitted using the OTC template provided in the Author Kit and in a single-column format.

You can place your figures, tables, and photos within the document (next to the citation within the text). For more details, reference the Preparing Your Technical Paper instructions.

References should be listed in alphabetical order by the author's last name at the bottom of the manuscript. Cite references within the text by placing the author's name and year in parentheses. For more details, reference the Preparing Your Technical Paper instructions

No; material of a commercial nature is unacceptable in an OTC technical manuscript. Generic descriptions should replace trade and company names.

English is the official language for OTC conferences and publications.

The Author Kit is an online resource for all authors. It provides all presenting authors with deadline dates, forms, templates and manuscript and peer-review information.

The link to the Author Kit can be found in the acceptance notification and manuscript upload notification, sent via email from the Conference Program Lead or visit the Author Kit page.

All required forms can be found in the Author Kit.

The manuscript should be submitted using the Microsoft Word template provided in the Author Kit.

The OTC manuscript template is provided in the Author Kit.

Authors may use the Track Changes feature in Word during their editing/review process, but all edits should be accepted and Track Changes should be turned off before uploading the file into the online system.

Manuscripts and forms should be uploaded into the online system using the link provided to the presenting (corresponding) author, sent via email by the Conference Program Lead. Each manuscript has a unique upload link, so always look for the most recent communication from the Conference Program Lead for the most up-to-date links and information.

When you upload your manuscript (and forms), it should be the FINAL version, as there will not be an opportunity to revise any documents after you have completed the upload process. For more details, please reference the Conference Paper Policies.

The online manuscript system is configured to allow for one Manuscript file, one Paper Information Form file, and up to five Transfer of Copyright Form files. If you have more than five copyright forms, you will need to email the additional forms to the Conference Program Lead by the stated deadline date.

OTC requires transfer of copyright for all our publications, including conference proceedings. This allows us to distribute publications throughout the world by print and electronic means, to create translations, and to reuse them in reprint collections. For more details on copyright and author/company rights, refer to the Copyright Requirements.

The author, a manager, an officer, or a legal representative may sign the copyright form. For jointly authored manuscripts, each author should sign a separate form. However, one author may sign as authorized agent for the others.

Only the presenting (corresponding) author can upload the manuscript, as each manuscript has a unique link associated to the presenting (corresponding) author for uploading purposes. If a coauthor wishes to upload the manuscript, then the authors need to contact the Conference Program Lead to change the coauthor to presenting author, and a new upload link will be sent.

Yes; the author must email the Conference Program Lead with their OTC manuscript number and the reason for withdrawal. 

The manuscript deadline date for each conference is stated in the acceptance notification sent to the presenting (corresponding) author, as well as in the Author Kit.

Extensions to the manuscript submission date are rarely granted and are handled on a case-by-case basis. If an extension is granted, it is usually given only for extenuating circumstances (such as legal reasons or erroneous data) and only for a few days. Authors are advised to begin obtaining the necessary company/partner approvals as soon as notice of acceptance is received.

While OTC does their best to set the submission deadline as far out as possible, there are hard deadlines we have to adhere to in order to process the papers into the final PDFs for mastering of the conference proceedings.  In order have the conference proceedings available onsite and the papers available on OnePetro on the first day of the conference, tight deadlines are required.

After you have finalized your manuscript upload, you will receive a summary page. You will need to print this summary page for your records, an automated email confirmation is not sent from the system.  

The online manuscript system will always close at 11:59 p.m. US Central Time on the stated deadline date.

Conference manuscripts presented at a conference are available from the multisociety online library OnePetro on the first day of the conference.

Alternates are moved up into the associated technical session in the event of a withdrawal or no-show onsite.

Per the OTC Conference Dual Submission policy, a manuscript previously presented at a conference and published in OnePetro may not be resubmitted for publication at another SPE conference. The author may present the subject matter at subsequent conferences at the invitation of the program committee, but the manuscript will not be included in the conference proceedings.

Title and author changes made in the system are not automatically displayed on the website. Updates will be made when the content is published to the website.

Yes. In an effort to further improve OTC’s technical quality standards, we will be implementing a plagiarism check on all conference papers. The new procedure includes a two-fold plagiarism check during the submission process. The first step provides the author with a one-time, complimentary check prior to submission. A link to a plagiarism report will be provided, allowing any flagged issues to be rectified prior the final submission.

Upon final submission, all papers will automatically be run through a plagiarism check. Any paper flagged for plagiarism will be evaluated by OTC’s Technical Quality Manager. If there is a finding of overt plagiarism, the paper will be pulled from the program and reviewed by the Code of Conduct Review committee. Plagiarism offenses may result in suspension or loss of membership to OTC. We are dedicated to the continual improvement of OTC’s technical quality and ask for your support with this process.

Presentation times vary from conference to conference. This information is provided to you in the notification sent via email form the Conference Programs Lead.

English is the official language for OTC conferences and publications. However, some conferences offer the option of presenting in another language, and translators are provided. In these cases, this option is stated in the author instructions and materials.

A PowerPoint template is available in the Author Kit.

You are required to use the OTC template for the first and last slides of your presentation. Templates with company logos are prohibited.

Yes, you can use embedded video in your presentation. We ask that you test your presentation in the Speaker Ready Room prior to your presentation to ensure that everything is working properly.

Yes, you can change the fonts and font colors within the presentation template.

An ePoster presentation is a PowerPoint presentation of your technical paper and must follow the same guidelines and requirements as a technical session presentation. Authors can download the required template in the Author Kit. ePoster presenters at OTC Houston are given 18 minutes to present. You should allow for 13-15 minutes for presentation and 5-7 minutes for audience Q&A.  

The OTC ePoster Lounge is located in the concourse of NRG Center on Level 2. The OTC ePoster Lounge is part of the overall technical program and allows for additional authors to present at the conference.

Yes, a poster presenter must submit a manuscript for inclusion on the proceedings and OnePetro.

Yes, you must register for the conference. OTC offers a complimentary Presenting Author rate.

No funding is available for presenting authors or speakers. However, we do provide presenting authors with a complimentary pass to OTC. All technical session speakers must register for the conference as a Presenting Author.

OTC Asia: Siva Yomarakuro
OTC Brasil: Bienor Melo
OTC Houston: Bienor Melo