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Semester 4 Student Selected Component (SSC)

Dr Tristan Pocock (tristan.pocock@manchester.ac.uk)

Room 1.101 Stopford Building

Why group posters?

• Chance to work in an unsupervised group

• a way of presenting information to a large audience

• a visual summary of a group’s research

• a combination of text and figures designed to evoke interest in a particular theme

TimelineDate

31st Jan 1st PBL session – split into groups for SSCMeet in groups to discuss title/ write 50-100

word synopsis7th Feb Show title/ synopsis to PBL tutor for approval14th Feb Email title/ synopsis to SSC coordinator

RESEARCH FOR POSTER

31st Jan or 7th or 14th Feb - IT session (PC Cluster 2)

16th April - FINISH RESEARCH/ FORMAT POSTER3rd May

DEADLINE FOR UPLOADING POSTER FILE (PDF) TO BLACKBOARD:

Thursday 3rd May at midday (Wk 11)

Poster Assessment Day

Thurs 24th May 2012

Morning or Afternoon

Every member of the group MUST attend their allocated Poster session

Choosing a topic

• must have a specific theme (e.g. ‘The role of brown adipose tissue in obesity’ rather than ‘Obesity’)

• must contain aspects of the major strands of the course: basic medical and clinical sciences (BD), behavioural and social sciences (PHI), and evidence-based medicine

Choosing a topic (contd)

• should address different levels of study: from Molecules & Membranes, through Cells & Tissues, Organs & Systems to Individuals & Society

• i.e. topics should reflect all of these levels to a degree

The Audience

• Peers

• Examiners (BD, PHI, clinicians)

• PBL tutors

N.B. Should be pitched at fellow scientists who may not be experts in your chosen field

Basic medical and clinical sciences (BD)

• Should explain how changes to normal anatomy/ physiology give rise to the condition

• Should explain any relevant dietary or pharmacological interventions

Behavioural and social sciences (PHI)

• Should explore disease prevalence (epidemiology), risk factors, patients’ experience of the disease + clinician’s perspective, communication issues, psychiatry, (ethics and law)

• Examiners will be looking for evidence of appropriate reading/ links to relevant psychological models in these areas

Public health

Should look at:• how disease affects daily life of patients + problems faced• current services available• access to treatment• implications for public health• professional attitudes• ethics and law surrounding treatments• Consider how fast the field is moving – implications for re-

training of health professionals

Presenting evidence

• Assertions made need to be supported by references (avoid unsupported personal opinions)

• Use technical names for concepts – do not ‘dumb down’

• Clear and succinct descriptions

Synopsis

Brief summary (50-100 words) of the aims of the project and intended research methods

e.g.

Title: Current treatments for osteoarthritis

Key words: [2 contexts/ 2 vocations]

This project will look at some of the risk factors for osteoarthritis, its symptoms and morphology. We will explore current treatments and care for sufferers, and the impact of the disease on close relatives. Research will be conducted using scientific databases and through investigation of patient support using websites.

Title/ synopsis

• Must be emailed to tristan.pocock@manchester.ac.uk

• Email must include names of students in group, SSC group no. (inc. A or B) and name of PBL tutor

Lay abstract

• MUST BE INCLUDED AT THE TOP OF POSTER!

• Summary of the topic, using terms which someone without a scientific background can understand

• Should be concise, with short words and obvious to the reader (i.e. not combined with introduction)

Planning• groups expected to meet regularly

OUTSIDE of PBL sessions• EVERYONE must contribute to

planning/ production of posters• NON-CONTRIBUTORS should be

reported to PBL tutor or me by 9th March

THE PENALTY FOR NOT CONTRIBUTING IS FAILURE OF SSC!!!

Peer assessment of contribution• Students expected to rate the

contributions of others according to:

1. Attendance at meetings2. Communication skills/ contribution to

discussion3. Production of work within specified

deadlines 4. Evidence of research5. Contribution to poster design

Research• look at specific journals for recent

developments in understanding/ treatments of disease

• consult Health Care websites, e.g. http://www.dh.gov.uk to get information about patient support groups, carer information, etc

• contact charities or organisations specific to clinical aspect of topic

N.B. You are NOT allowed to contact patients directly. It is NOT essential to interview clinicians.

Referencing• must provide references for any work which is

not your own (including any figures you include)• aim for ≤ 12 refs (need to be correctly formatted)• posters will put through University plagiarism

detection software

If your Poster contains any plagiarised material then the whole group will fail!

Poster Assessment

• Posters assessed by 3 examiners using specific criteria

• Examiners will look for evidence of addressing the major strands

• Any member of group may be asked a question about their poster

• Posters rated as either Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory, Honours or Distinction

Peer Assessment

• You will be expected to rate the other posters in your session

Marking criteria

• Initial impact• Layout/order• Quantity/ subdivision of Information• Use of figures• Title/ abstract/ conclusions• Depth/ relevance of Information• Approach to topic• References• Lay abstract• Response to questions

Breakdown of SSC marks

• 80% awarded by examiners’ mark for Group poster

• 20% awarded by members of the group for contribution to the exercise

Learning journal

• You will be expected to keep a learning journal throughout this exercise

• Could be used to provide evidence of contribution

More details to follow………………

Role of PBL tutor

• to check that chosen title/ synopsis is appropriate

• to refer problems to me

i.e. Tutors are NOT expected to guide students

A few key points!

• AVOID TOO MUCH TEXT!

• Keep lay abstract really simple

• References – <12 + readable

• Ensure poster reflects title + engages reader

• Figures – large, simple + referenced

• Use NICE guidelines/ stats where poss. (not FDA!)

Fac

ulty

of

Med

icin

e

manchester.ac.uk/medicine

Why posters should not be too wordy: would you spend time looking at a poster like this if you only had 10 minutes?

Faculty of Medicine, University of Manchester, Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PT

Introduction. When the font is this small it makes it very difficult for the reader to read. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is

nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. If you had to read all of this text then it would be very boring and you might as well just read a paper. The

idea of a poster is to display a sample of the author’s work rather than their entire career. When the font is this small it makes it very difficult for the reader to read.

Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. If you had to read all of this text then it would be very boring and you might as well just read a paper. The idea of a poster is to display a sample of the author’s work rather than their entire career.

Method This bit is just stuck out on the side and

doesn’t follow logically on from the 1st sectionWhen the font is this small it makes it very difficult for the reader to read. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. Blah, blah, blah, blah……. This bit is just stuck out on the side and doesn’t follow logically on from the 1st sectionWhen the font is this small it makes it very difficult for the reader to read. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. Blah, blah, blah, blah……. This bit is just stuck out on the side and doesn’t follow logically on from the 1st sectionWhen the font is this small it makes it very difficult for the reader to read. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. Blah, blah, blah, blah……. This bit is just stuck out on the side and doesn’t follow logically on from the 1st sectionWhen the font is this small it makes it very difficult for the reader to read. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. Blah, blah, blah, blah…….

Conclusion. Hopefully you’ll agree that this isn’t a

very well thought out poster, because it isn’t easy to follow. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. If you had to read all of this text then it would be very boring and you might as well just read a paper. The idea of a poster is

to display a sample of the author’s work rather than their entire career. Hopefully you’ll agree that this isn’t a very well thought out poster, because it isn’t easy to follow. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. If you had to read all of this text then it would be very boring and you might as well just read a paper.

More Results. This bit is just stuck out on the side and doesn’t follow logically on from the other sections. When the font is this small it makes it very difficult for the reader to read. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. If you had to read all of this text then it would be very boring and you might as well just read a paper. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. If you had to read all of this text then it would be very boring and you might as well just read a paper.

REFERENCES.Mouse,M et al. (1927) Is this section so important that it needs to be in such a large font?

Results. This bit is just stuck out on the side and

doesn’t follow logically on from the 1st sectionWhen the font is this small it makes it very difficult for the reader to read. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. If you had to read all of this text then it would be very boring and you might as well just read a paper. The idea of a poster is to display a sample of the author’s work rather than their entire career. This bit is just stuck out on the side and doesn’t follow logically on from the 1st sectionWhen the font is this small it makes it very difficult for the reader to read. Another thing is that there is far too much text and it is nearly all in one large block with very little space in between. If you had to read all of this text then it would be very boring and you might as well just read a paper. The idea of a poster is to display a sample of the author’s work rather than their entire career.

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