How to Develop a Scientific Poster

Stephanie R. TaylorCS 441April 1, 2010The (April) Fools Guide toDesigning a Scientific Poster1OutlineGetting StartedPowerPointDesigning and Adding ContentLayout (general layout, what to include)Graphics (e.g. Matlab figures, bitmaps)Fonts (What size?)Printing (Language Resource Center in Lovejoy)Presenting the Poster (its a dialog)Additional Resources2My Favorite Form of PublicationA poster allows you to share your work with the scientific communityGet the main ideas across to othersSpark discussions with potential collaboratorsA poster is a hybrid formLess detailed than a paperMore detailed than a talkA poster presentation is INTERACTIVE.When you are creating your poster, think about how you will describe your work3Getting StartedGetting the size rightCheck the conference website for size and other guidelinesCommon size is 3ft (height) by 4ft (width)3ft tall is what you want if printing at LRCPowerPoint 2007Easy way to get theright size is to download theblank poster fromLRCs website

4ProcessDetermine the templateDetermine the storyPut the figures, titles, references, and equations inThen refine the layout and add necessary text5In addition to content, include TitleAuthor list (this is like a paper, so chances are, your advisors name should be included)The fact that the project is associated with CS 441Colby logo (I use the seal)References to works cited (but this list should be small)6

7ContentTell a story, e.g.Circadian clocks are complex multi-oscillators. Phase adjustments to intercellular signals allow them to synchronize. We want to understand what intracellular components are important for this behavior and we want our multi-oscillator models to be smaller. So, we developed a new model reduction technique and applied it to a model. The results were good over many runs of the reduction. The results at the single oscillator level were excellent. The acid test was forming a multi-oscillator model and examining the population-level behaviors. It passed. Focus on 2 or 3 main points. Create figures for them and design the layout around the figures.Make the take-home message explicitWrite it on the posterPut it into the title8

9Content and LayoutMake sure your story follows an expected pattern, e.g.MotivationMethodExperiment/ApplicationResultsDiscussionSeparate the main sections visually, e.g.3 column layoutBox the subsectionsIn PowerPoint 2003, it is helpful to put this on the master slide

10LayoutBalancing Text and GraphicsI aim for 50/50 but that isnt a universal rule.DYAEquationsPay attention to your audienceFont should be at least 24ptFontsUse a readable font (I like Verdana)Title (~80 pt)Subtitles (~60 pt)Figure Captions (24-30 pt)Text (24-30 pt)References and Acknowledgements (18-24 pt)11

12GraphicsMake sure you have sufficient resolutionA good rule of thumb is never to increase the size of a graphic (e.g. a bitmap) once you have inserted it into the poster make sure it is big enough before you save it as a bitmap.To copy a figure from a pdf, first zoom in as much as you can on the pdf.Advice from LRC: To include an image on your poster, do NOT 'copy and paste'. You must save the image to your computer, then use the 'insert > picture' option to import it into Powerpoint.FiguresALWAYS LABEL YOUR AXES!Generally, aim for at least 7 wide figures (this is a heuristic based on my own work)13

14Importing Figures from MatlabGet the Matlab figure at the desired size and appearance, then save it as a picture (.jpg)Make the fonts as large as they can be while fitting everything in the figure (aim for 14 or higher, but this wont always work)For data that are simple time traces, consider using thicker (2pt) lines15

16Refining the LayoutDo your best to make the whitespace look evenly distributed throughout the posterDo your best to make the graphics evenly distributed throughout the posterGet the level of detail correctSomeone reading the poster should be able to get the main picture without your helpBut it is NOT a paper and details not immediately relevant to the story should be left out17PrintingLanguage Resource CenterLovejoy 404http://www.colby.edu/lrc/poster.phpQiuli.Wang@colby.eduImportant Notes from the LRCSize must be 36" tall by 48" wide.No more than 1/3 of the poster may have a non-white background to conserve toner and reduce printing time.Photographs, pictures, and figures should be of the highest possible resolution.Keep fonts simple - remember that if a you use a font that is not installed on the master computer, your poster will lose both the font and its formatting in the printing process.Use a font size that can be easily read from a distance. The poster must be saved as a PowerPoint file (.ppt)**A note about creating your poster on a Mac: To include an image on your poster, do NOT 'copy and paste'. You must save the image to your computer, then use the 'insert > picture' option to import it into Powerpoint. No solid colored backgrounds allowed (no more than 1/3 poster can have color on it)48 hours to printYou never know when the hordes will descend upon the printer, so PRINT EARLY (1 week ahead of time).18At the Poster SessionGeneral AdviceStand by your poster for as long as you can handle itDrink lots of water and bring breath mints in case you are standing close to people and shouting at themIf there is alcohol, dont imbibe too much. You need to be able to think on your feet.19A Poster Presentation is a DialogWhen someone is interestedGauge their level of interest and background with a couple of quick questions, e.g.Do you work with mice?Are you familiar with phase response curves?Do you want the mathy version or the non-mathy version?Present the poster quickly (e.g. 1-3 minutes). Tell your story without including every detail on the poster. If people are very interested, they will ask questions, and THEN you can go into detail.Let the visitor ask questions this is a great opportunity for feedback!Smile and dont be flustered when they find fault. Often that arises out of a lack of understandingRemember, people outside your immediate field want to be told why this work is interesting to them, e.g.The methodology extends to other problemsThe application is particularly importantYou can solve their jetlag problems 20ResourcesJane E. Miller (2007) Preparing and Presenting Effective Research Posters, Health Services Research 42 (1p1) , 311328 doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2006.00588.x http://www.bio.miami.edu/ktosney/file/PosterHome.html

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