A What color the text be?

UNIT 7. Presenting a Poster

Exercise 7.1. Complete the text below about a scientific poster using the words in the box.

medium;   combination;   understand;   minimal;   information; fully;           combined;           presented;         visually;          simple

What is a scientific poster?

A scientific poster is a single large page containing all the (a)_____ to be communicated. In effect, a poster is an abridged form of a journal article, and therefore follows the IMRAD (Introduction, Materials, Results and Discussion) format.

Posters are a highly effective scientific communication (b)_____ generally used at technical workshops, conferences and other scientific meetings.

The main aim of a scientific poster

The main aim of a scientific poster is for the information to be (c)_____ through the use of visuals in a well coordinated and organized (d)_____ of text and illustrative matter. An effective poster must rely primarily on visuals—illustrations and drawings, graphics such as charts and bar graphs, photographs, and design features like use of color and typography—to convey information.

Peculiarities of a good scientific poster

A good scientific poster should:

Ø be (e)_____ and highly informative;

Ø tell the story (f)_____ and completely;

Ø be easy to read and (g)_____, with relevant legends;

Ø be (h)_____ appealing and attractive to encourage people to read it;

Ø contain text and illustrative matter (i)_____ harmoniously to produce an effective presentation;

Ø contain (j)_____ colour clashes, which can confuse readers.

Exercise 7.2. Read the following advice about organizing your poster and label the paragraphs with the headings below.

§ References

§ Acknowledgements

§ Materials and Methods

§ Title

§ Literature review

§ Author Name(s) and Affiliation (s)

§ Discussion

§ Introduction

§ Results

1 _____ Describe the research project briefly and concisely using a short phrase that forecasts what the research study is about. The title should be no more than two lines.

2 _____ Include the name of each author on the line underneath the title. Include each author’s institutional or organizational affiliation on the next line. If more than one author has the same affiliation, you only need to list the institution or organization once.

3 _____ Introduce the specific research question, explain why the question is important, state the purpose of the study.

4 In the _____ of a research report you should discuss the published, peer-reviewed studies that other researchers have already conducted related to your research question or topic. Then explain how your project addresses what is still not known about the research question or topic. You will need to carefully select and discuss the most relevant sources to frame your project.

5 _____ section should explain:

o What you did to conduct your research project, and

o How you did.

Researchers in your field want to know detailed information about your materials and methods to ensure that your research approach is sound. In a research report, you would need to provide enough detail that your readers could repeat the study. In your poster, however, you won’t have the space to provide this level of detail. Much like in the Introduction, you’ll need to decide what your audience most needs to know about your methods, and then streamline that information. Use visuals, if possible, to show key features of your methodology.

6 _____ Show the results/major findings of your research project using visuals—charts, graphs, maps, drawings, photographs. The Results is usually the longest section of a scientific poster.

7 _____ explain and interpret the results/major findings. Forecast the next steps for research in the field. What should future research on this topic focus on?

8 _____ many science and engineering research projects receive grant funding. List any organizations that provided funding for the project and include the grant number. This section can also be used to acknowledge other project contributors and/or advisors. Students often use this section to acknowledge their faculty advisor here.

9 _____ include full citation information for all of your sources. Cite references in the citation style used in your field. APA (American Psychological Association) is commonly used in the social sciences, and CSE (Council of Science Editors) is commonly used in scientific disciplines. Check with your professor, advisor, or another professional working in your field to determine the correct style.

Exercise 7.3. Here is a conversation between two students about how to make a scientific poster. Complete the question part.

A Should I _____________________________________ in the title?

B Do not capitalize the first letter of each word. Write the title as a sentence. Remember, you should create a title that can be easily read from a few feet away.

A What should I _____ in the Introduction?

B  Be brief and only include essential information.
A  How to organize _____________________________?

B Break the Materials and Methods section into subsections with images or diagrams. Or use a flow-chart.
A  Should I ____________________________________?

B  Break the Results section into subsections with headers summarizing the key findings for each set of graphs.
A  What is the best way of organizing Discussion/Summary?

B  Make a diagram outlining the major differences you found.
A  Then, Conclusions/Future Directions. There should be a statement of the main research outcome(s).

B Right you are.

A Is it necessary ______________ in the poster?

B Acknowledgements section is desirable. You may thank the people that deserve thanking such as your advisor, collaborators and grant support.

A Is it better to ______________________________________________?

B Use columns to organize your information, not rows. Depending on the size of your final poster, you may want 3-4 columns.

A Should I use large headers to outline sections and break-up text? I’m fond of coloured blocks with white writing.

B Sure. These also help delineate the columns without using a border for each column (which is a bit dated).

A What are the requirements for a _____?

B Do not use a busy background. Stick with a simple white or solid colour background. You do not want to distract from your data.

A What color _____ the text be?

B You should use black or dark font. Stay away from coloured text as it is difficult to read.

A  What should I do, if I am ______________________________________?

B If you are getting into more than 4-5 lines of solid text, stop and think about how you could summarize this better with a diagram or image.