Production

Content

Design

The Anatomy of a Poster •  Title •  Abstract (if desired) •  Introduction •  Methods •  Results •  Summary •  Conclusion •  References •  Acknowledgments

Grab them with a snappy title

Lots of images help

www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/ conference/photos.htm

www.csm.ornl.gov/ SC2K/eunokpix.html

Introduction

•  No more than 3 brief paragraphs – 1st paragraph lays out the problem – 2nd paragraph gives background/history – 3rd paragraph gives justification for work

(“Therefore this study was designed to…”)

Methods

•  Subcategories (keep these brief and to the point!)

•  For example, – Animals – Hormonal assays – Type of enrichment – Statistical analysis

Results

•  Report your major findings as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc. – Use graphs, pie charts or other good visual

presentation methods. – Avoid tables, if possible. –  Include a one to two sentence

“punchline” (legend) under each figure.

Summary

•  Prose version of the Results listed in three or four bullets

Conclusions

•  How did your findings address your hypothesis? (conceptual rather than descriptive) – What is the BIG PICTURE – Two to four bullets max. (i.e., overall concept

and relevance)

References

– What are the key papers in this area? (most will be in the Introduction, perhaps a few in the Methods section of your poster)

– Format: •  In text: can be numbers or authors. •  In the Reference Section: list authors, journal, date

of publication. Title may or may not be included, as you prefer.

Acknowledgments •  Recognize those individuals not included as

authors on your poster –  Lab technicians –  Animal technicians

•  Any personal acknowledgments (not usually included in scientific meetings).

People do not read word for word or even linearly, they skip around.

Scientists and engineers are most likely to read goals and results. http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/printerready/

science/results/lunarice/eureka.html

Can your audience read it in sections as they pass by?

Thomas Curtis 2004

swfsc.nmfs.noaa.gov/.

http://lunar.arc.nasa.gov/printerready/science/results/lunarice/eureka.html www.sfwmd.gov/newsr/

district_rain_board.gif

•  Avoid bright colors •  Restrict the color palette •  Use colors of similar value &

saturation •  Use a color wheel •  Experiment with different

backgrounds

www.realcolorwheel.com/final.htg/RCWautog500x513.jpg

Harmonious colors are easy on the eye

•  Use analogous colors (they are side by side on a color wheel)…

Or complementary colors

…(any two colors which are directly opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green)…

There are a few rules of writing that can improve your poster presentation.

Sentences orient the audience much better than phrases do.

•  Make sure content is appropriate for the audience.

•  Get to the major point of your work right away.

neuroseries.info.nih.gov

•  Keep sentences short.

•  Don’t use jargon and minimize use of abbreviations.

•  Keep subjects and verbs close together.

Viewers can quickly grasp a simple subject-verb construction.

•  It should be noted that these studies with apomorphine in DARPP-32 mutants, for practical reasons, that is, the requirement for multiple groups of ‘knockouts’ so as to include a range of challenge doses, had to be confined to a single gender, in this case females.

•  These studies on apomorphine in DARPP-32 mutants were confined to female rats to meet the requirement for including a range of challenge doses in multiple groups of knockouts.

How to present your poster •  Be enthusiastic and HAVE FUN! •  If someone appears interested in your poster, ask

“Would you like me to walk you through this?” Don’t just stand quietly by the poster!

•  If the person says no, fade back, but remain available for questions.

•  Stop when you have finished, let people move on if they want to: People like to maneuver quickly at poster sessions. Don’t be offended at quick comings and goings.

•  If you become very engaged with someone, and other people come to see the poster, let everyone know that you are aware of them, and will get to them as soon as possible.

Resources

•  http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/Poster_Presentations/PstrStart.html

•  http://www.asp.org/education/Howto_onPosters.html