Overview of preparing and presenting research posters

1. Overview of preparing and presenting research posters Jane E. Miller, PhD

2. Overview • Common pitfalls in poster creation • Components of a research poster • Poster content and layout • Narrative description • Handouts

3. Research posters misunderstood • Poster sessions at conferences are often treated as poor cousins to a speech on the same study • Little thought to how to make an effective poster • Lose out on opportunity to learn from visitors • Different people will ask about different aspects • policy implications • research on your topic with other data or methods • research on same data or similar methods with other topics

4. Common pitfalls in poster preparation • Neglecting to adapt statistical findings for broad, varied audience • Some policy makers and program planners • Some quantitative analysts • Some journalists • Failing to communicate how research findings apply to real-world issues • Readers must translate statistical findings themselves • Many won’t take the time or aren’t trained to do so

5. More pitfalls in poster preparation • Posting pages from the paper • Tiring for audience to stand and read entire papers at the poster session • Encourages viewers to merely skim your work • Neglecting to adapt detailed paragraphs and statistical tables into text bullets and charts • Difficult for audience to quickly grasp key points • Failing to devise narrative descriptions • Lose the chance to learn from conversations with viewers

6. Posters as a hybrid form • Less detailed than a paper on the same research study • More detailed than an oral conference presentation • More interactive than either a speech or poster • In a speech, you (the speaker) determine the focus of the presentation • At a poster session, the viewers drive that focus • See podcast on comparison of paper, speech and poster about the same research project

7. Components of a research poster • Poster pages to be mounted in conference hall • Narrative description • Handouts • ALL THREE of these elements are important • They complement one another to create an accessible but comprehensive presentation about your study.

8. Objectives of a research poster • Identify two or three main take-home points for your audience. • Design the title, charts, and text to emphasize those points. • Tell a clear, simple story • Introduce 2 – 3 key questions that are the focus of your poster. • Provide a brief overview of data and methods. • Present the evidence to answer those questions. • Close with a summary of your findings and their implications for research and policy.

9. Adapt materials for audience • Convey the purpose, findings, and implications of your research to the expected range of readers. • Provide background on • topic • analytic methods • Present statistical material for a varied professional audience. • See podcasts on • slide design • adapting statistical results for nonstatistical audiences.

10. Adapt materials for time • Replace long prose with text bullets. • Adapt detailed tables into charts and simple tables. • Hand out the paper for viewers who want details to read later.

11. Contents of a research poster • Same sections as in a research paper • Separate pages for • Objectives • Background • Data and methods (several pages) • Results (several pages) • Discussion and conclusions • Policy implications • Research implications

12. Organization of a poster • Use the “W’s” (who, what, when, where, why) to organize the major sections of the poster. • Introductory section: • What are you are studying? • Why is it important? • How will your analysis add to the literature in the field? • Data and methods: • When, where, who, and how were the data collected? • How many cases were involved? • How were the data were analyzed?

13. Organization of a poster, cont. • Results: • What did you find? • Present a few key detailed results in bullets, tables, and charts. • Conclusions: • What were your major findings? • Implications for policy, program, or practice: • How can it be used to inform practice (e.g., medical), programs, or policies related to the issue? • Implications for research: • What do your analyses suggest for future research?

14. Number and layout of pages • Find out the dimensions of your assigned space. • A 8’ by 4’ bulletin board holds about 20 pages total. • A tri-fold table-top (4’ by 3’) board holds about 12 pages total. • For either size poster, arrange the pages into three or more vertical sections. • Viewers can read each section standing in one place while reading left to right and top to bottom. • See associated lecture on creating effective slides, which can be adapted as poster pages.

15. Title and abstract • Title should be • Informative so viewers will be attracted to your poster • Large and readable • Abstract • Summary of key points about your study • Readers will use it to decide whether to read the full poster; • Take the time to write an accurate, enticing summary. • Can reword as “What We Learned” • See diagram of layout for an 8’ by 4’ bulletin board

16. Left-hand panel • One-page abstract or brief summary • Provide overview of your work • State your key findings and implications • Set the stage for the research question • State why the topic is of policy interest • Anticipate policy or program implications • Summarize major empirical or theoretical work • State hypotheses or project aims • Explain how project fills in gaps in previous work

17. Middle panel • Briefly describe data source, variables, and methods. • Present results in tables or charts accompanied by text annotations. • Diagrams, maps, and photographs are effective for conveying issues difficult to capture in words. E.g., • Create a timeline to convey timing of different components of a longitudinal study. • Use a schematic diagram of relationships among variables to illustrate causal order.

18. Right-hand panel • Summarize your findings. • Relate them back to the research question or project aims. • Discuss study strengths and limitations. • Identify implications of your findings for • Policy • Practice • Programs • Suggest directions for future research.

19. Layout of an 8’ by 4’ poster

20. Layout of a tri-fold poster

21. Practical considerations • Find out how the posters are to be mounted so you can bring appropriate supplies. • For table-top presentations, need tri-fold poster board. • For bulletin board, need push pins, glue stick, or stapler. • Allow ample time to pin up pages at conference.

22. Narrative description of a poster • What is a narrative? • Why do you need one? • Contents of a narrative: • Overview to say to each person who visits your poster • Modules for specific sections of the poster • Choose among them in response to individual questions.

23. Narrative modules • Modules to address different aspects of study • Background • Previous studies in the published literature • Study design • Analytic methods • Results: Short module for each results page • Conclusions • Implications for policy, practice, or programs • Implications for future research • Questions to engage viewers about their reactions, suggestions.

24. Why use handouts? • To remind readers about your project and how to reach you. • To provide detailed • literature review • data and methods • tables of results • citations not included on poster

25. Contents of handouts to accompany a poster • Your executive summary or abstract with a few key tables or charts. • A title page with abstract and your slides, printed several to a page. • Include your contact information on either version.

26. Practice presenting your poster • Prepare and practice your narrative modules so you can say them without consulting notes. • Rehearse with a test audience who knows the interests and statistical proficiency of your viewers. • Have them critique contents and layout of poster. • Ask them to: • Identify unclear elements of the poster or narrative • Flag jargon to be paraphrased or defined • Point out issues you haven’t covered in your narrative

27. Summary • Posters are a unique format ≠ speech • Posters allow for extended, conversation with viewers. ≠ paper • Poster sessions are live presentations • NOTa time for viewers to read a 30-page research paper! • Focus on a few key points • Create a clear story line • Use charts and text bullets to convey points quickly • Supplement with handouts and an oral overview

28. Suggested resources • Chapter 13 in Miller, J. E. 2015. The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2nd Edition. • Miller, J. E. 2007. “Preparing and Presenting Effective Research Posters.” Health Services Research 42 (1, Part I): 311–28. • Beilenson, J. 2004. “Developing Effective Poster Presentations.” Gerontology News 32 (9): 6–9. • Briscoe, M. H. 1996. Preparing Scientific Illustrations: A Guide to Better Posters, Presentations, and Publications, 2nd Edition. New York: Springer-Verlag.

29. Suggested online resources • Podcasts on • Designing slides for a speech • Comparison of paper, speech, and poster • Presenting statistical results to nonstatistical audiences

30. Suggested practice exercises • Study guide to The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2nd Edition. • Question #3 in the problem set for chapter 13 • Suggested course extensions for chapter 13 • “Reviewing” exercise #1 • “Writing” exercises #1 through 6 • “Revising” exercises #1 and 2

31. Contact information Jane E. Miller, PhD jmiller@ifh.rutgers.edu Online materials available at http://press.uchicago.edu/books/miller/numbers/index.html