The April Fools Guide to Designing a Scientific

The (April) Fool’s Guide to Designing a Scientific Poster Stephanie R. Taylor CS 441 April 1, 2010

Outline �Getting Started �Power. Point �Designing and Adding Content �Layout (general layout, what to include) �Graphics (e. g. Matlab figures, bitmaps) �Fonts (What size? ) �Printing (Language Resource Center in Lovejoy) �Presenting the Poster (it’s a dialog) �Additional Resources

My Favorite Form of Publication �A poster allows you to share your work with the scientific community �Get the main ideas across to others �Spark discussions with potential collaborators �A poster is a hybrid form �Less detailed than a paper �More detailed than a talk �A poster presentation is INTERACTIVE. �When you are creating your poster, think about how you will describe your work

Getting Started �Getting the size right �Check the conference website for size and other guidelines �Common size is 3 ft (height) by 4 ft (width) � 3 ft tall is what you want if printing at LRC �Power. Point 2007 �Easy way to get the right size is to download the blank poster from LRC’s website

Process �Determine the template �Determine the story �Put the figures, titles, references, and equations in �Then refine the layout and add necessary text

In addition to content, include … �Title �Author list (this is like a paper, so chances are, your advisor’s name should be included) �The fact that the project is associated with CS 441 �Colby logo (I use the seal) �References to works cited (but this list should be small)

Content � Tell 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 multioscillator 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 explicit �Write it on the poster �Put it into the title

Content and Layout �Make sure your story follows an expected pattern, e. g. �Motivation �Method �Experiment/Application �Results �Discussion �Separate the main sections visually, e. g. � 3 column layout �Box the subsections �In Power. Point 2003, it is helpful to put this on the master slide

Layout � Balancing Text and Graphics �I aim for 50/50 but that isn’t a universal rule. � DYA � Equations �Pay attention to your audience �Font should be at least 24 pt � Fonts �Use 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)

Graphics � Make sure you have sufficient resolution �A 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. � Figures �ALWAYS LABEL YOUR AXES! �Generally, aim for at least 7” wide figures (this is a heuristic based on my own work)

Importing Figures from Matlab �Get 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 won’t always work) �For data that are simple time traces, consider using thicker (2 pt) lines

Refining the Layout �Do your best to make the whitespace look evenly distributed throughout the poster �Do your best to make the graphics evenly distributed throughout the poster �Get the level of detail correct �Someone reading the poster should be able to get the main picture without your help �But it is NOT a paper and details not immediately relevant to the story should be left out

Printing � Language Resource Center � Lovejoy 404 � http: //www. colby. edu/lrc/poster. php � Qiuli. Wang@colby. edu � Important Notes from the LRC � Size 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 Power. Point 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 print You never know when the hordes will descend upon the printer, so PRINT EARLY (1 week ahead of time).

At the Poster Session �General Advice �Stand by your poster for as long as you can handle it �Drink lots of water and bring breath mints in case you are standing close to people and shouting at them �If there is alcohol, don’t imbibe too much. You need to be able to think on your feet.

A Poster Presentation is a Dialog � When someone is interested � Gauge 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 don’t be flustered when they find fault. Often that arises out of a lack of understanding � Remember, people outside your immediate field want to be told why this work is interesting to them, e. g. � The methodology extends to other problems � The application is particularly important � You can solve their jetlag problems

Resources �Jane E. Miller (2007) Preparing and Presenting Effective Research Posters, Health Services Research 42 (1 p 1) , 311– 328 doi: 10. 1111/j. 1475 -6773. 2006. 00588. x �http: //www. bio. miami. edu/ktosney/file/Poster. Hom e. html