Academic & Scientific Poster Presentation

Abstract

This book offers the first comprehensive guide to poster presentation at academic, scientific and professional conferences. Each chapter explores different factors that impact upon how posters function, and how they fit within today's conference practices, as well as provides guidance on how to address compilation and presentation issues with the poster medium. Drawing from fields of education, psychology, advertising and other areas, the book offers examples of how theories may be applied to practice in terms of both traditional paper and electronic poster formats. Importantly, the book offers a critical examination of how academic and scientific posters are able to achieve their potential for knowledge dissemination, networking and knowledge transfer. The many new and challengi ng findings provide an evidence-based approach to help both novice and experienced presenters compile effective poster presentations, and to see how poster presentations can best be used to share knowledge, facilitate networking, and promote dialogue. Additionally, educators, employers, and conference organizers may use this book to re-evaluate how conferences meet the needs of today's globally connected peer groups, and the benefit they provide at individual and group levels. Dedication; Preface; Contents; Contents; About the Author; Chapter 1: Introduction; Conferences and Poster Presentation; Evolution of the Academic/Scientific Poster; Poster Compilation; The Current Situation; References; Chapter 2: Poster Presentations: Objectives, Functions, and Issues; What an Academic/Scientific Poster Is and Is Not; How a Poster Presentation Works; Knowledge Dissemination and Networking; Charting Poster Presentation Through Published Literature; Issues with Current Poster Practice; The "Paradox of Choice"; Perceptions of Quality; Poster Quality Academic/Scientific Quality Return for Investment; Preparation; Cost of Materials; Conference Fee; Other Expenses; References; Chapter 3: Knowledge Transfer in the Conference Setting; Linear Communication; Oral and Unsupported Poster Presentations; Interaction; Transactional Exchange; General Discourse and Conversation; Workshops and Focus Groups; Supported Poster Presentations; Balancing Your Objectives; References; Chapter 4: Preparation and Planning; Selecting Your Conference; Benefit vs. Cost; Should I Present?; "Selling" Your Ideas: What, Who to, How, and When Using a Presentation to "Advertise" Yourself and Your Work Oral Presentation; Poster Presentation; Establishing and Meeting Your Goals; Caveat Emptor; References; Chapter 5: Reconsidering Poster Presentation as a Combined Practice; Are Posters Just a Visual Medium?; The Importance of Text in Posters and Poster Abstracts; The Drawback of Text in Posters: Reading Rate and Capacity; Reading Rate and Capacity; Posters as an Educational Medium; Considering Alternative Intentions for Poster Presentation; Posters as an Advertising Medium; Posters as a Socializing Medium What Do We Want from Posters? Viewers and Presenters; Funders; Event Organizers; References; Chapter 6: Poster Design and the Viewer Perspective; Poster Design and Compilation; Software Platforms for Traditional and Electronic Posters; How to Set Up PowerPoint for Traditional and Electronic Posters; Traditional Poster Sizes; Electronic Poster Format; Differences in Traditional and Electronic Poster Compilation; Traditional Poster Presentations; Electronic Poster Presentations; Dividing Your Topic; Designing for Impact Stand Out or Blend In? The Pros and Cons of Being "Different" Conference Fatigue and How Viewers Perceive Our Posters; Using Thin-Slice Theory to Rationalize Poster Design "Tips"; Passersby Are Probably Not Ignoring You; References; Chapter 7: Visual and Textual Elements: How We See Posters; Posters Seen as a Collective Exhibit; The Place of Visual Literacy and Visual Competence; Posters Seen as Individual Works; Text; The Viewer's Perspective; References; Chapter 8: Presenting Information: Images, Facts, and Data; Using Images to Emote, Inform, and Depict