Paper Presentation Information

Each oral presentation is allotted 15 min and there will be a common question and answer portion after the session of presentations. A volunteer will be keeping time and alert you when there is 5 min, 2 min, and 0 min left of your allotted time.

The ballroom is equipped with a computer that we will use for all the oral presentations. Please put your presentation in the google folder (link in the acceptance email) or bring it on a USB drive and work with a volunteer to load it to the computer during the registration time in the morning.

Poster Presentation Information

The Poster size limit for this meeting is 3ft (36 in) x 4 ft (48 in) with a horizontal format. The easiest way to make a poster is to create a single powerpoint slide and then go to File -> Page Setup -> and change the width to 48 inches and the height to 36 inches. Be sure to change the page setup before you begin designing otherwise it might not scale up your images or text appropriately.

When you are finished select File -> Save As -> and select PDF. You can then submit this pdf file to the printer, though some might ask for the original powerpoint file and whether you created it using a mac or pc computer.

Best Practices for Poster Presentations

Many scientific posters use a three vertical column format with a mix of image, figures, tables, and text boxes.

The value in a poster presentation is being able to present information in a more visual and summarized way, so it’s best to use quick bullet points rather than long paragraphs.

The poster should convey all aspects of the research project as a stand-alone document, but poster presentations are also a great way to provide additional details if people have questions.

When rolling up your poster, be sure to have the text facing outwards so that it will lay flat on the poster board during the presentation.

For more tips on creating an effective poster, check out this website for Creating Effective Poster Presentations by a faculty member in the College of Natural Resources at NCSU.  You may also consult this information from the American Anthropological Association.

Accessibility Tips

Use PowerPoint software to check for accessibility issues, select Review -> Check Accessibility

• Do not only use color to distinguish between variables in figures or convey other meaning (especially red/green)
• Use an accessible font that can easily be read by people with visual impairments or cognitive disabilities (e.g. san serif fonts like Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Helvetica, Lato)
• Make sure you use a high contrast ratio, especially when using text over a color background
• Use large fonts that can easily be read 3 – 4 ft away, suggested font sizes are:
  • Title – 96+
  • Authors – 72
  • Institutions – 60
  • Subsection titles – 66
  • Subsection text – 32
  • References – 24 (or some use a QR code) 
  • Figure text – 28
  • Figure captions – 28
• Use actual text and not images or pictures of text
• Consider bringing a few printed copies of your poster to distribute