A. Poster presentation guidelines
B. Oral presentation guidelines
 
A. POSTER GUIDELINES

Posters should stimulate discussion. The poster should include a brief overview of the study, which can be explained in more detail in a one-to-one conversation with the reader; the poster should only display the essentials; if your point can be made with fewer words, then edit your poster accordingly. If you can substantiate your thesis with a smaller part of a table or graph, then do so. The less text on your poster, the larger your graphic element and your font can be.

Size
· Maximum poster size is 115 cm high and 88 cm wide.
· Materials must be easily read at a distance of 1.5 m.
· A poster printed on one large sheet is encouraged.
· Hand written posters are not accepted.

Layout (see the Panel lay-out)
· Poster should have a logical organization. Most posters have sequential sections (e.g. Background, Aim, Methods, Results, Conclusion). Use regions of empty space between poster elements to differentiate and accentuate these elements.
· Data should be clear, concise and well-organized.
· Avoid everything that can make your poster look excessively busy, such as boxes around graphs and tables, and long sentences.
· Limit the number of different fonts, different sizes of fonts and different colours.

Title
· Aim for a short title.
· Size of the letters should be at least 96 point.
· State authors and affiliations below the title, in a smaller font.
· Include mailing and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers at the bottom of the poster.
· Grant sources supporting the study may also be included below the title or at the bottom

Headings
· Keep style consistent. Keep headings short, maximum 3 or 4 words. Put headings bold and in larger type than the text of the poster.

Body text
· The text is more digestible if it is split into logical sections interspersed with graphics.
· Use bullet lists where possible.
· Minimize the amount of written text. Text should never dominate the poster.

Graphics
· Self-explanatory graphics should dominate the poster.
· Graphics should be understandable without need for a detailed description.
· Aim for simplicity, not complexity.
· Title should inform about the content of the figures

Tables
· Avoid large tables. Make a selection of the most important results.
· Align decimal points.
· Title should inform about the information in the table.

Use of colour
· Use colour only to support the readability of your poster. One colour plus black offers best contrast.
· Restrained use of 2 - 3 colours for emphasis is valuable; overuse is not.

For further tips on the layout of an effective poster presentation, presenters are encouraged to visit: http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/Dept/Tips/present/posters.htm.

Handouts
Handouts of posters are encouraged.

Set up
Posters will be displayed in the Foyer of the Arts Millennium Building where the conference will be held.  There will not be a dedicated time for posters on the program, posters will be displayed throughout the conference.

B. ORAL PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

Oral presentations are usually supported by transparencies or Powerpoint slides.
· Slides are designed to supplement your presentation; keep the text short and the slides simple.
· Presentations should have a logical organization. Most presentations have sequential sections (e.g. Background, Aim, Methods, Results, Conclusion, Implications). Keep a clear structure in your presentation.

Layout
· Adjust the number of slides to the allotted time for your presentation. As a rule of thumb, use 1 slide per minute.
· Use contrasting colours for letters and background.

Titles
· Keep titles short. Use at least size 32 bold.

Text
· Keep your words large enough - at least size 24pt and preferably in bold.
· Limit the number of words you put on a page. Ideally, use no more than 40 characters per line and no more than 7 lines per slide.
· Avoid paragraphs, but use bullet points. Limit each slide to 6 bullet points. Every bullet is followed by a capital letter, and every bullet has up to eight words.
· Use succinct phrases instead of sentences.
· Fancy is not always better! Keep font style simple!
· Use CAPS only for titles/headings.

Graphics
· Use graphics and figures when it eases the understanding or presentation of your results.
· Limit your graphics to 1-3 per page. Too many graphics can be distracting.
· Aim for simplicity, not complexity.

Colour, animation and special effects
· Basic rule of presentations: Bells and whistles are fun to put in, but they tend to be distracting for the viewer. Make sure that special effects have a purpose.
· Use colour to highlight the major point on a slide. Too much colour reduces its usefulness.
· Choose one animation effect for the transition of slides.

Adapted from: http://www.crocker.k12.mo.us/tech/pptrules.htm

Presenters are recommended to visit 
http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/1052771791751PowerPoint_Tips.pdf
for more tips on the layout of slides. A helpful website for tips on presenting is: http://lorien.ncl.ac.uk/ming/Dept/Tips/present/comms.htm. This site does not include guidelines for making your slides.