GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING MENTORED POSTER SESSION RESEARCH

General Information

The Mentored graduate student research poster session location will be posted in the meeting registration area. Posters are to be assembled by 8:00 a.m. of the day of the poster session and completely removed by 12:15 p.m. of the following day. Poster session personnel will be present to assist the poster authors from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on the day prior to the presentation. Poster presenters will be available at their posters between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 20th and are free to be available at any time until the poster is removed.

Please prepare a title for the top of your poster indicating title of presentation, author(s) and their affiliation(s). See lettering section for the appropriate size of the title. A copy of your abstract, in large type, should be posted near the title. A message board and information desk also will be set up to facilitate communication between poster authors and interested parties who wish to meet at a poster during other hours for extended discussion.

To maximize the effectiveness of the poster, keep the presentation simple and clear, even if the topic is complex. Your poster should be self explanatory so that you are free to supplement and discuss particular points raised in inquiry. There should be an overall balance between text and graphics and clearly labeled sequence in the order of the layout. Arrange materials in vertical columns rather than a horizontal row format.

It is easier for viewers to scan a poster by moving systematically along it rather than zig zagging back and forth in front of it. Simple but prominent sub-headings like “Introduction”, Methods”, “Discussion”, and “Conclusions” are very helpful.

Lettering

Lettering of the titles and text in the poster should be large enough so it can be read from a distance of 3 to 8 feet. Title and subtitles should be in capital letters, although the author(s) and affiliation(s) in the main title can be lower case to accentuate the title. General text should be in lower case and double-spaced, as this is much easier to read. General text is most easily produced by photographic enlargement of typewritten text or by personal computers with word processing programs equipped with large font sizes.

Graphics

Simplify! Complex graphs are too difficult to read and comprehend. Lettering on the graph should be at least 1/4” (7 mm) high and lines on the graph no thinner than 2 mm. Simple use of color can add emphasis effectively. Each graph should have a heading of 1 or 2 lines stating the “take-home” message. Detailed information should be provided in a legend accompanying each graph. Overall graph size should not be smaller than 5” x 7”, with 8” x 10” size preferred.

Photographs

Photographs and micrographs should have good contrast, sharp focus, and should not contain unnecessary or distracting detail. Remember that they will be viewed from a distance from 3 to 8 feet and should be large enough to be understood from that distance. Important objects should be labeled, and there should be clear indication of scale. Each photograph should have a heading of 1 or 2 lines stating the take-home message. Detailed information should be provided in a legend accompanying each photograph. The same size scale as stated for graphs applies: 5” x 7”, with the larger 8” x 10” size preferred.