ANNOUNCING YOUR SCIENTIFIC WORK TO THE WORLD: PREPARATION OF ABSTRACTS, SHORT TALKS AND POSTERS : Part 2, Posters ____________________________ Mark R. Schleiss March 9, 2011

Poster Presentation: Contrast with Oral Presentation   May be studied in depth   Interactive format   Viewed in entirety   Audience not captive   Limited viewing space and distance

General Considerations   Not a substitute for a manuscript   Limit material   Remember you are attempting to engage colleagues in conversation about your work   “Advertise” your work   Effective poster is highly visual and delivers a clear message; time is limited!

Important Pitfalls to Avoid   Objectives/main points hard to discern   Text too small! (see below)   Disorganized   Problems with graphics

Key Points to Consider   What is the message you wish to communicate?   What are the key points to emphasize?   Know your audience: overall sequence of poster may be adapted to who’s reading it Specialists; all right to use some jargon/technical terminology Demonstrate familiarity with techniques and key concepts in field Generalists; minimize jargon and focus on bigger picture

  Determine whether abstract included   Effective abstract is key, think of poster as “illustration” for abstract   Know size of layout (6'x 4'; 8'x 4'; 4'x 4') Sketch layout Group into sections Label sections and sequence

Making the Poster   Construct on your own or contract it out?   Marathon Multimedia offers poster printing service ( ) Prices range from ~$ On-site delivery Less sense of “creative ownership?”   Software tools Microsoft PowerPoint – easy to use and effective Adobe Illustrator and InDesign are better, but more complex Microsoft Excel useful for importing graphs Adobe Photoshop generates superior images, but complex to use

  Single print-out of poster file is very popular, but poster presentations made up of individual panels are effective and easier to transport   Cardboard vs. cloth vs. vinyl   Laminate or non-laminated

Layout   Headings will help your reader find key sections - objectives, results, etc   Balance the placement of text and graphics   Use white space creatively to define flow of information   Don't fight "reader gravity" that pulls eye from top to bottom, left to right- use this to your advantage!   Column format makes poster easier to read

Graphics   Graphs communicate data quickly and effectively   Graphs should be simple   Stick to simple 2-D line graphs, bar charts, or pie charts   Avoid 3-D graphs unless necessary   Use jpeg or tiff that help communicate key observation

Text   Minimize text as possible-it is more effective to use images and graphs instead!   Try to keep blocks of text <50 words   Use strong phrases rather than full sentences   Use an active voice   Avoid jargon, depending upon your audience   Use a serif font (e.g., Times New Roman) for all text - easier to read   Sans-serif font (e.g., Helvetica) OK for titles and headings   Text must be readable - at least 36 point for title panels; 24 point for text

Colors   Use a light color background and dark letters for contrast   Avoid dark background with light letters – difficult to read   Use limited number of colors

Presenting your Poster   Arrive early to the poster session to defend your poster   Bring poster hanging supplies with you and be aware of what’s required to hang poster   Consider bringing a copy of a handout for your readers: a miniature version of your poster and/or more detailed information about your work. An 11x17-inch sheet can be very effective. You want people to remember you and your work!   Have handouts, business cards, reprints available for those particularly interested in your work   Consider leaving a pen and pad inviting comments from viewers, depending upon the meeting and the length of time the poster is up (this varies from meeting to meeting)   Be present at poster during your assigned slot

  Have a 1-3 minute presentation for people who ask you to walk them through the poster   Don’t focus on minutiae; think “big picture”, key take-home points, but be prepared to go into detail depending upon discussion   Make eye contact and engage those who are listening and seem interested; assure them with your body language and attention that they will get their turn   Just like giving a platform talk, don't just read the poster. Instead, provide the “big picture”, explain why the problem is important, and use the graphics to illustrate which experiments are important, what they illustrate, and what the take-home message is

Other Suggestions   Use phrases rather than narrative   Should be able to view from six feet away   Trim and mount figures   Make sections small enough to be carried   Use highlighting or color to focus attention

Breakout/Small Group Session   Review and Critique Posters   Sigma Xi Poster Competition Sheets   Score, critique and discuss posters