1. + So you want to make a scientific poster? A best practices guide by Brooklyn ITF Jennifer Corby

2. + What is a scientific poster? A scientific poster is… A visual means for communicating research A (good) scientific poster… Is a conversation starter Summarizes conclusions Highlights key points Is skimmable Is concise Draws people in

3. + A scientific poster is not

4. + The Basics Components Title Headings Text Images Graphs Logo

5. + Headings Organize poster content Funnel Information Standard headings Introduction Research Question Hypothesis Methods Results Conclusion Works Cited

6. + Text Instead of writing paragraphs, which make it easy to include all kinds of extraneous information, try writing in bullet points instead. That way, your reader will be able to easily identify and digest the key ideas in your work. Wow, are you still reading this? I’m impressed. But I’ll bet you read that bullet point list first, even though the English eye is compelled to start on the left. That’s the power of bullet points! Less is more! 300-800 total words Use Bulleted Lists Indent subordinate ideas Avoid the passive voice Be concise!

7. + Layout Dermis and feline can be divorced by manifold methods. Title & Authors4 Column Landscape

8. 3 Column Landscape

9. 2 Column Portrait

10. + The Aesthetics How to pack a punch

11. + Words, words, words Title Seen from 10’ away Catchy! Font 2 max Stick to sans serif Text 18pt minimum Use upper & lower case Negative space = friend

12. + Graphs I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way Ooh la la

13. + Data Visualization Infographics Awesome Use Carefully! Graphs Clearly titled axis Short, clear title Title = Takeaway Use verbs to show relationships No gridlines Clear plotline Clear legend

14. + Images 300 dpi Use creative commons Caption photos Healthy Ratio Balanced presentation Don’t do this 

15. + Color Play it cool or neutral Distinguish background from foreground with contrasting color from same family Use sparingly to emphasize Avoid Busy backgrounds, dark on dark, too much black

16. + Enough Already Let’s see some examples

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23. + Ready to make your own? Here’s what you’ll need to get started

24. + PowerPoint Basics SKETCH IT OUT FIRST!! Set Page dimensions Open Powerpoint, select Slide Layouts, then select Blank. Click on the X in the sidebar to close it (a poster is a single slide.) Click File  Page Setup. Enter dimensions of poster in inches. Standard sizes: 36”x48” or 48”x36” Click ok and disregard the printer size error. Printing When finished, print small version on color printer (by selecting “scale to fit printer”). If you can read it scaled, it will be large enough on a full scale poster.

25. + Now you can walk the walk… But can you talk the talk?

26. + Of course you can! Practice your 2 minute “elevator pitch” (it’s a tall building) Talk with, not at Use poster as visual aide Enjoy yourself! Just remember…

27. + Additional Resources Research Guidelines and Templates: http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/governanceandorganisation/aas /extrel/research_poster_guideline_aug_2014.pdf http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/governanceandorganisation/aas /extrel/research_poster_guideline_aug_2014.pdf Better Posters: http://betterposters.blogspot.com/ Sample Font Sizes: http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/baruchitfs/files/2011/11/Sa mple-Text-Sizes.pdf http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/baruchitfs/files/2011/11/Sa mple-Text-Sizes.pdf Other ITF Resources: http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/boger14/2014/09/10/poste r-resources/ http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/boger14/2014/09/10/poste r-resources/