How to Make a Poster 楊定一 (Ding-I Yang, Ph.D.) 腦科學研究所 辦公室 : 圖資大樓 851 室 分機號碼 :7386 E-mail: [email protected].

How to Make a Poster

楊定一 (Ding-I Yang, Ph.D.)腦科學研究所辦公室 :圖資大樓 851室分機號碼 :7386 E-mail: [email protected]

What makes an ideal poster?

• The ideal poster is designed to (1) attract attention; (2) provide a brief overview of your work; and (3) initiate discussion.

• Given these rules, Your poster should cover the KEY POINTS of your work. It should NOT attempt to include all the details (why not??); you can describe them to those who are interested.

• READ THE INSTRUCTIONS supplied by the meeting organizers! What would happen if you make a poster that does NOT fit the illustrating boards at the conference? What if you miss the deadline for abstract submission?

General rules for poster

Two basic rules to keep in mind:

1) Artistry does not substitute for content.

2) The fancier the poster, the greater the time (or money) investment.

Before attending the conference….

• Carefully prepare your poster well in advance of the conference. There will be no time or materials available for last-minute preparations at the conference. In some occasions, even getting your poster printed out can be a problem at the last minute.

• Try tacking the poster up before you leave for the conference to see what it looks like, especially to a large audience.

• If you think you may need certain materials to repair the posters after traveling, bring them and a disc (or any common data storage device like a USB flash drive) with you.

Before attending the conference….

• Prepare a one-minute pre-poster overview and a short presentation (several minutes) that you can periodically give to those assembled around your poster.

• Rehearse your presentation with peer colleagues or your advisor.

• Think about possible questions (and answers) your audience may raise.

• If possible, find someone who knows the contents of your poster well enough to attend the meeting.

A word of advice…..

• Preparing a poster will take as much time as you let it. Allocate your time wisely.

• There are always things that go wrong, so do not wait until the last minute to do even a simple task.

• This is a public presentation; by planning carefully, striving to be clear in what you say and how you say it, and assuming a professional attitude you will avoid making it a public spectacle.

• If you have little experience making posters, it will take longer (estimate 1 week at the very minimum). Too much lead time, however, encourages endless fussing about. Do the poster to the best of your ability, then go do something else.

Decide the format of your poster

• You may print out your poster in one large intact sheet of paper, which can then be rolled into a cylinder for transport. Others use smaller pieces of board to frame only the elements of the poster, leaving spaces between the elements empty.

• Either approach works; the former gives a unified appearance and is easier to hang straight, while the latter is easier to carry to and from the meeting. It is also possible, often expensive but fancier, to have a commercial house reproduce your poster.

Before making your poster

• Determine the one essential concept you would like to get across to the audience.

• Determine the size of the poster (if you had read the instructions, you would already know this!).

• Determine if you have all the elements you will need for the poster: Bits & pieces? Poster board, glue, razor blades, Band-Aids . . . Data? Do you have the data you will need? How much time will you need to prepare the data for presentation (tables, photographs, etc.)? Outside agencies? Does material need to be sent out & returned (photographic services, collaborators)?

• Re-read your abstract once again-are those statements still accurate and updated?

The contents of your poster

• Title, authors and corresponding affiliations, poster number, introduction, materials and methods, results in figures and tables, discussion, acknowledgements, and so on.

• Design the poster to address one central question (or concept, objective) and make a clear statement in the poster.

• Provide an explicit take-home message.• Have an acknowledgements section, in smaller

size type (14-18 point), where you acknowledge contributors and funding organizations.

Some details for poster preparations

• Since a poster is essentially a visual presentation, try to find ways to show, rather than describe, what was done. Use schematic diagrams, arrows, and other strategies to direct the visual attention of the viewer, rather than explaining it all using text alone.

• Summarize implications and conclusions briefly, and in user-friendly language. You can use discussion time to expand upon issues surrounding your central theme.

• Do not use school logos on the poster; they add a useless visual distraction to the poster, and indicate a degree of jingoism incompatible with scientific endeavors (??).

Making a poster

• The flow of your poster should be downward in columns, starting at the TOP LEFT and ending at the BOTTOM RIGHT. Use arrows to lead your viewer through the poster.

• Make your poster as self-explanatory as possible. This will save your efforts for discussions.

• Use color for highlighting and to make your poster more attractive. Think about what attracts you to posters and other visual displays. BE CREATIVE! Use pictures, diagrams, cartoons, figures, etc., rather than text wherever possible.

Making a poster

• Use text sparingly. Try to state your main result in 6 lines or less, in lettering about 15 mm high. This size is needed to ensure people can read your poster from a distance.

• People do not read a lot of text (especially when they are standing after a long-distance walk!), and certainly won't read typewriter text. The smallest text on your poster should be at least 9 mm high, and the important points should be in a larger size.

Sketch it out!

Make a sketch of the poster:

Arrange the contents in a series of 3, 4, or 5 columns. This will facilitate the flow of traffic past the poster:

Place the elements of the poster in position:

The title will appear across the top.

A brief introduction (3-5 sentences) will appear at upper left.

Conclusions will appear at lower right.

Methods and Results will fill the remaining space.

The Title BannerThe title of your poster should appear at the TOP in CAPITAL letters about 25 mm high. This part of the poster includes the title of the work, the authors names, the institutional affiliations, and the poster number.

1. The title banner should be readable from 5-7 m away. 2. If space permits, include first names for authors to facilitate

interactions. Middle initials and titles are seldom necessary, however.

3. Use abbreviations where possible (Univ. and University). 4. City names, or even states, often may be dropped from the

institutional affiliations. 5. There are seldom rules regarding line justification of the title.

Determine if you will left or center justify the text of the title banner once it has been formatted, based upon personal preferences and space constraints.

6. Refer to your meeting guidelines for more details specific to the meeting you plan to attend.

Illustrations

• The success of a poster directly relates to the clarity of the illustrations and tables. Self-explanatory graphics should dominate the poster.

• A minimal amount of text materials should supplement the graphic materials.

• Use regions of empty space between poster elements to differentiate and accentuate these elements.

• Graphic materials should be visible easily from a minimum distance of 2 m. Restrained use of 2-3 colors for emphasis is valuable; overuse is not.

Poster text• Double-space all text, using left-justification; text

with even left sides and jagged right sides is easiest to read.

• The text should be large enough to be read easily from at least 2 m away.

• Section headings (Introduction, Methods, etc.); use Boldface, 36 point. Supporting text (Intro text, figure captions, etc.); use 24 point (boldface, if appropriate).

• If you must include narrative details, keep them brief. They should be no smaller than 18 point in size, and printed in plain text. Remember that posters are not publications of record, and you can always come to the session armed with handouts.

Poster Text• You may consider using a larger size (36 pt) for the

Conclusion text, and a smaller size (18 pt) for Methods text.

• Attempt to fit blocks of text onto a single page. This simplifies cutting and pasting when you assemble the poster.

• For the same reason, consider using 11 x 14 inch paper in the landscape mode when printing text blocks on laser printers.

• Other options for fonts include Helvetica, Arial, Geneva, Times New Roman, Palatino, Century Schoolbook, Courier, and Prestige. Note that these fonts represent a range of letter spacing and letter heights. Keep in mind that characters without curlicues or other embellishments are easiest to read.

• Finally, be consistent. Choose one font and then use it throughout the poster. Add emphasis by using boldface, underlining, or color; italics are difficult to read.

The Poster's Background

Pay attention to “contrast” between background color and text or figures. The choice of a background (and complement) color is up to you. The general consensus, however, is that softer colors (pastels, grays) work best as a background - they are easiest to view for hours at a time, and offer the best contrast for text, graphic, and photographic elements.

Some people use pieces of mat board to make a solid background for the entire poster. They may then choose to use a complementary color as a border for important elements of the poster.

At the conference meeting…

• Boards and push tacks will be provided for all poster sessions to tack your poster to the board. Make sure the size and style (in landscape or in portrait) of your poster is correct beforehand.

• If you are giving an oral presentation, make sure your slides are ready and give to the organizer of the meeting upon your arrival. Bring your own pointer. Although a movie can be quite attractive, it often causes a lot of trouble especially when you are not using your own notebook. Try to avoid it.

• If your equipment needs change (for example, your file is in Mac while the conference provides PC notebook) prior to the conference, please notify your Session Chair and a member of the conference committee.

At the conference meeting…

• The short presentation you prepared can be periodically given to those assembled around your poster. Be ready to give it several times as people move through the area. Plan to spend the entire session at your poster.

• If possible, more than one author should attend the session to aid in the presentations and discussion, and to provide the main presenter with a chance to rest, and to answer questions.

• You may bring additional small battery-operated audio or visual aids to enhance your presentation. Please indicate your needs on the enclosed Audiovisual Request Form.

Some additional comments…• Vary the size and spacing of the poster sections to add v

isual interest, but do so in moderation.• Do not wander too far away from your poster during the

session; be available for discussion!• Don't leave your poster unattended anywhere - including

your hotel room! Anything could happen so don’t take any risks.

• Many posters from drier climates warped & wrinkled in the humidity. Protect your poster in a container.

• Pay attention to the printing quality for your poster.• In case your poster has been published prior to the meet

ing, you may bring the reprints for those who are interested in your work.

• You can certainly take a picture of yourself with your own poster. However, it is very impolite to take photographs on others’ posters.