ANNOUNCING YOUR SCIENTIFIC WORK TO ANNOUNCING YOUR SCIENTIFIC WORK TO THE WORLD:THE WORLD:

PREPARATION OF ABSTRACTS, SHORT PREPARATION OF ABSTRACTS, SHORT TALKS AND POSTERSTALKS AND POSTERS: Part 2, Posters: Part 2, Posters

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Mark R. SchleissMark R. SchleissMarch 9, 2011March 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 (http://www.call4posters.com/)• Prices range from ~$85-200• 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

LayoutLayout

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

GraphicsGraphics

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

TextText 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

ColorsColors

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 PosterPresenting 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 SuggestionsOther 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 SessionBreakout/Small Group Session

Review and Critique Posters

Sigma Xi Poster Competition Sheets

Score, critique and discuss posters