Designing scientific posters

1
Designing scientific posters
Total synthesis of MnSalAH Rachel A. Jameton
Conclusions
Introduction
Methods
Results and discussion
References
Acknowledgments
Figure 1. MnSalAH
2
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
3
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?
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Choose your format
Single sheet poster Vs Several sheets to be
arranged on a board
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Poster layout determines reading order
Title Authors
Start here
Introduction
Results
Conclusions
Methods
References
Acknowledgements
End here
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Poster layout determines reading order
Start here
End here
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Poster layout determines reading order
Where do I start? Where do I go? Who is the
author?
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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
9
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.
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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
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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(n1)
Better
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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

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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

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Use legible type
Your style can make the poster easy to read
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
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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
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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
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Your style can make the poster easy to read
Color affects how fast the audience can read
18
Your style can make the poster easy to read
Color affects how fast the audience can read
19
Your style can make the poster easy to read
Color affects how fast the audience can read
20
Your style can make the poster easy to read
Color affects audience emotion
21
Your style can make the poster easy to read
Color affects audience emotion
22
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