Preparing and Presenting a Research Poster John Greiner Rice University

2 Poster Session Challenges Audiences make decisions quickly Posters sometimes stand alone Audiences come and go as presenters talk Poster must be accessible –Show overall organization –Show comparisons Poster must be comprehensible Speaker must attract others, adapt to situation ChallengesSolutions

3 Similar to Technical Paper or Talk Tell an interesting story What’s your “news”? What problem are you solving? What are your results/conclusions? What sets your work apart? – E.g., new algorithm or theoretical approach Why does your work matter? How can your work be applied?

4 Similar to Technical Paper or Talk Structure your story Say what you’re going to sayAbstract Say itBody & Results Say what you saidConclusion

5 Make “The News” Accessible Using structure –Provide a “gist” somewhere (abstract, summary, overview) –Include problem statement or objective –Use specific informative headings Using wording –Reduce jargon Using visuals –Is it an image? –Is it a contrast? (old vs. new) –Is it a demonstration?

6 Different From Paper / Similar to Talk Space is at a premium. Interactivity is key. Be concise – word choice, sentence fragments Be precise – word choice Use pictures when possible Omit unnecessary details –MUST KNOWUse as your main focus –Good to knowAdd some –Nice to knowLeave for oral presentation

7 I’m not going to read this!

8 Complex Text to Clear Text Simplify Text The ideal anesthetic should quickly make the patient unconscious but allow a quick return to consciousness, have few side effects, and be safe to handle. Ideal anesthetics: Quick sedation Quick recovery Few side effects Safe to handle Next generation computer games cost approximately 20 to 30 million dollars, require one to three years of development, and may have a short life cycle in the market of only six weeks. Next-gen games: Investment: $20M–$30M Development: 1–3 years Life cycle: 6 weeks

9 Think Visually Pictures & Charts Fonts Colors Layout With lots of examples to discuss

10 Accessible & Self-Explanatory Figures Use tags and/or captions Caption…

11 Some Problems with Pictures & Charts Size Resolution Colors Labels Units Chart junk Significant figures & error bars

12 Bar Chart – Before

13 Bar Chart – After Microbenchmark Performance

14 Line Chart – Before

15 Line Chart – After Untreated Cells TC Treated Cells FN Treated Cells

16 Textual Presentation Guides the Reader Scale expresses relative importance. Indenting shows subordination. –As in this example Color adds emphasis or coherence. changesMeaningless font and color changes are distracting. Low-contrast colors are hard to read. White space directs gaze and provides grouping.

17 Fonts Title~5-8 words90 – 120 pt Headings~3 words36 – 48 pt Text 30 – 36 pt Sans seriflarge scaleslides, posters Serif fontssmall scalepapers

18 Layout: Left-to-Right in Columns Like a paper, flows top to bottom, left to right Title & Authors

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21 Layout: Left-to-Right in Rows Title & Authors Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

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24 Layout: Centered Image & Explanations Title & Authors Abstract

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26 Layout: Side-by-Side Compare & Contrast Title & Authors

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29 Details Matter! Consistent formatting Correct grammar & spelling Parallel construction Contact info Correct bibliography Credit to others

30 Connect with the Audience Greet audience. Why are they interested? What are their backgrounds? How will they benefit? What are their questions? Prepare 30 second, 2 minute, and 5 minute talks. Different levels of interest Different backgrounds Be able to summarize key points in 2-3 sentences. Be able to start from any section. Reinforce key points.

31 Communicate with Confidence Stand up straight Integrate gestures Don’t block view of poster Speak up Be enthusiastic Maintain eye contact Adjust pacing

32 More examples…

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36 Better organization But distracting color contrasts