US-IALE annually presents an award to a student for the outstanding oral paper
or poster given at the Society's annual meeting. The winner of the award
will have their travel expenses to the next US-IALE annual meeting paid,
and will receive a plaque commemorating the award. The objective criteria
on which the presentation is judged, each with equal weight, include significance
of ideas, creativity, quality of methodology, validity of results, and
clarity of presentation.
ADVICE FOR PREPARATION OF A GOOD POSTER
• Begin by preparing a scale model layout as an outline for the poster.
This allows you to determine the number and size of figures, tables, headings,
and length of text before making any final products.
• The poster is primarily a visual display. Do not use much text.
Edit ruthlessly. It may help to have someone else help edit, since they are less
emotionally attached to your great text.
• The organization and flow of the poster needs to be very clear. Visually
subordinate those things that are less important and draw attention to those of
greater importance. Make clear the sequence in which the poster is to be viewed.
• Keep explanatory text close to the figure it is explaining. Group related
information together, and make the groupings clear, perhaps by surrounding each
group with some blank space and labeling them with a heading. A visually clear
presentation will have a substantial amount of blank space. If elements are
crammed too tightly, the poster will appear chaotic and be hard to follow.
• The title should be legible from 5 - 7 m away (type > 25 mm
high). It should be assertive, clear, and catch the eye of the viewer. You may
wish to shorten names and affiliations when they are too wordy. This information
may be in slightly smaller type than the title.
• Main headings carry the essential content and should provide a complete
take-home message and be visible at 2 m (type > 10 mm high).
Supporting text follows the main headings and should be visible at 1 m (type >
5 mm high). Caps and lower case is easier to read than all caps. Use a simple
font.
• Tables and figures should hold the main content of a successful poster,
showing rather than telling a story. Graphics must dominate, and text should
augment rather than overwhelm the illustrations.
• Concisely state the main conclusion.
• Posters are on display for several hours, and therefore they allow time
for lengthy discussion with colleagues. Be prepared to answer questions and
discuss ideas with the poster viewers. Some viewers may ask you to identify the
key ideas you are trying to convey, so it is helpful to think about what to say
as a brief introductory overview of the poster to open the discussion.
• More advice can be found at "Creating
Effective Poster Presentations" by George Hess and Leon Liegel
