Designing scientific posters

Designing scientific posters Total synthesis of MnSalAH Rachel A. Jameton Conclusions Introduction Methods Results and discussion References Acknowledgments Figure 1. MnSalAH

A poster is a visual display of your work Title Introduction Methods • Emphasize only the essence • Audience should be able to read poster in 2-3 minutes • Posters should reveal the organization of the work (i.e. the scientific method) Results Conclusions References Acknowledgements

Analyzing the poster event Who is your audience? What do they know? What do they need to know? How much time to they have to look at your poster? Why are you showing this poster? Are you trying to inform your audience? Are you trying to persuade your audience? What is the occasion? Is it an informal or formal event? What kind of format will be most readable? What is the standard poster format?

Choose your format Single sheet poster Vs Several sheets to be arranged on a board

Poster layout determines reading order Title Authors Start here Introduction Results Conclusions Methods References Acknowledgements End here

Poster layout determines reading order Start here End here

Poster layout determines reading order Where do I start? Where do I go? Who is the author?

Choosing the information you want to include: Show your work process through organization Total synthesis of MnSalAH Rachel A. Jameton Conclusions Introduction Methods Results and discussion References Figure 1. MnSalAH

Choosing the information you want to include: Include figures that illustrate key points Figure 2. Crystals of MnSalAH suitable for x-ray crystallography were obtained from ethanol infused with ethyl acetate.

Choosing the information you want to include: Include figures that illustrate key points pH 7.5 pH 8.1 kobs (s-1) Figure 3. MnSalAH is not a catalyst by stopped-flow kinetic analysis

Choosing the information you want to include: Enough detail to make your point, not so much that the audience is overwhelmed Ouch: Superoxide (O2·-) is formed in the cell by the reaction of oxygen (O2) with organic free radicals and reduced metal ions (equations 1 and 2). Organics, such as reduced quinines, flavins, iron-sulfur clusters and cytochromes, are particularly likely to reduce O2 because, as a part of the respiratory chain, they are frequently exposed to the molecule. O2 + R·  O2·- + R O2 + Mn+  O2·- + M(n+1)+ Better:

II I A B C D Choosing the information you want to include: Enough detail to make your point, not so much that the audience is overwhelmed Ouch: A: SO32- B: Mn(II)/SO32- C: + EtOH D: + t-BuOH

Choosing the information you want to include: Enough detail to make your point, not so much that the audience is overwhelmed Better: A: SO32- B: Mn(II)/SO32- C: + EtOH D: + t-BuOH

Your style can make the poster easy to read Use legible type Easier to read Arial (San Serif) 24 pt Arial 18 pt Arial 14 pt Times New Roman (Serif) 24 pt Times New Roman 18 pt Times New Roman 14 pt Garamond 24 pt Garamond 18 pt Garamond 14 pt Harder to read

Your style can make the poster easy to read AVOID LARGE BLOCKS OF CAPITAL LETTERS Avoid Large Blocks of Capital Letters Avoid large blocks of capital letters

Your style can make the poster easy to read Choose a font size large enough to be read from 0.5 m 48 pt 36 pt 24 pt 18 pt

Your style can make the poster easy to read Color affects how fast the audience can read

Your style can make the poster easy to read Color affects audience emotion

A poster is a visual display of your work Title Introduction Methods • Remember your audience • Posters should reveal the organization of the work (i.e. the scientific method) • Use figures to illustrate points • Include only the essential points • Use color and fonts carefully Results Conclusions References Acknowledgements

Designing scientific posters