How to Prepare a Scientific Poster for BIOS 312

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How to Prepare aScientific Posterfor BIOS 312

• Dr. Mary Purugganan
• Cain Project in Engineering Professional
  Communication
• maryp_at_rice.edu
• www.owlnet.rice.edu/cainproj/

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Posters Present a Challenge

• Posters must be lean and clean
• Posters must stand alone

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Todays Plan

• Review design principles
• Critique samples

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Whats YOUR News?

• What investigation did you conduct?
• What was the purpose?
• Why does your work matter? What sets it apart?
• What are your methods?
• What are your results?
• What are your conclusions?

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Connect with the Audience

• Why are they interested?
• What are their backgrounds?
• How will they benefit?
• What are their questions?

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Make Key Points Accessible

• Create accurate, informative title
• Include introductory summary / abstract or
  objectives
• Use forecasting statements to introduce or
  summarize each section
• Define jargon
• Use message headings

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Message headings

• Results of Cell Proliferation Assay
• Concentration of Cells Vs. Time in Different
  Media Conditions
• Cell Proliferation Increases with Serum
  Percentage of Media

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For layout, visualize the key pointsHow do
you see the information?
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Match visualization to layout

• Left-to-right flow in vertical columns
• Left-to-right flow in horizontal rows
• Centered image with explanations
• Two fields in contrast

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L-to-R Flow in Vertical Columns
Title Authors

• Flows top to bottom, left to right

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Title Authors

• Results

Methods

• Problem

• Table 1

Fig 2
Goals
Conclusions
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L-to-R Flow in Rows
Title Authors
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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Centered Image Explanations
Title Authors
Abstract
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Two Fields in Contrast
Title Authors
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Guide the Reader

• Scale expresses relative importance
• Indenting shows subordination
• As in this example
• White space directs gaze
• Color adds emphasis or coherence

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Font Style and Size

• Title (6 8 words)
• Sans Serif font (Arial, Helvetica)
• 90 - 120 pt
• Headings (3 words)
• Sans Serif (Arial, Helvetica)
• 36 - 48 pt
• Text
• Sans Serif (Arial, Helvetica) or Serif (Times)
• 28 - 36 pt.

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If you design a poster that looks like this . .
.
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your audience will react like this
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Fat Text - - to - - Lean Text

• The ideal anesthetic should quickly make the
  patient unconscious but allow a quick return to
  consciousness, have few side effects, and be safe
  to handle.

• Ideal anesthetics
• Quick sedation
• Quick recovery
• Few side effects
• Safe to handle

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Principles of Explanation

• Interpret, dont just show, data

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Protein X is located in nucleus and cytoplasm of
some cells

• Results of immunolocalization of protein x

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Protein X is located in nucleus and cytoplasm of
some cells
Cytoplasmic localization

• Nuclear localization was common
• Cytoplasmic localization was observed in some
  cells

Nuclear localization
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Common Errors in Poster Visuals

• Size
• Colors
• Labels
• Units
• Chart junk
• Significant figures
• and error bars

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Rate of seedling growth at three different
temperatures
Default design ineffective
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Rate of seedling growth at three different
temperatures
30oC
25oC
20oC
Designed more effective
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Details Matter!

• Check for consistent formatting
• Check grammar and spelling
• Use a correct bibliography

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Communicate with Confidence

• Talk to audience
• Stand up straight
• Integrate gestures

• Use voice to convey enthusiasm
• Adjust pacing

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Sample Posters
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