Lesson 8.1 Creating Scientific Presentations Main Ideas An effective reseorch presentation depends on planning ond proper execution. EQ: Whot ore the key elements of o research Presentation? A research poster is a way of pr es ip resenting the results of your research to the public and imparting to oe ae igh visuals. It showcases the research study on a mounted poster board, ak neces A research poster should be attractive, well organized, and self- ola cory. 1 should only presen the main ideas; roo much deals might confuse the audience. fence, only iscussion should be given to explain the significance of the results and at least two conclusions and recommendations should be provided. _The poster must also provide a clear statement ofthe problem, adequate background of the study, detailed methodology, and organized presentation of results. Discussing the implications of the results is an essential factor in judging a poster's quality. References must also be cited at the bottom of the poster. Acknowledgment is optional. Planning and proper execution are the keys in creating a well-constructed poster that will promote your research. The major elements of a poster are: 1. Title ofthe study. The title may be presented in a form of a statement or a question. Capitalize the principal words and use font size 60-85 points sans serif. 2. Authors and their affiliations. Include the contact information of the authors at the bottom of the poster. Main problem ofthe study. Present the problem or question that the study aimed ro solve Merhods used, Tt may be presented in the form of a flowchart ot diagram. Results. Use tables, graphs, or charts. Conclusion. State the implications of the study. "Significance ofthe study. Mencion the study's contribution to science and the society a8 8 whole. Recommendations. State the future directions of the study. par arh Acknowledgment (if any). You may mention the institution or school where the study was conducted. and if there were any funding agencies or scholarships involved in the study. 10. References. The sequence of citing the references is based on their appearance in the text. Refereng entries should be numbered.Preparing a Poster a poster The following are some valuable tips in constructing # P°* ne major points of the study. The y che mma Poster 1. Make a rough sketch of your poster and include onl should not take longer than 10 minutes to read. ‘Text boxes may De Publisher i 00 words (exclu bered. Use sofeware such 35 Micros, nui k virafeing your presentation 0 2. Present your poster in a logical order ding the figure descriptions). A bay PowerPoint, Adobe Illastrator, or Microsoft 3. Ideally, a good poster should only have up £0 5 poster is too wordy and has a crowded layout. iplifying materials and methods useq : ; ilized in sim 4. A flowchart is a good tool which may be utilize Fuld be self-explanatory and ag 5. The photos (with scale bar) ot figures included in a al stand out. Use high-resolution provided with brief captions. Some of the graphics Ticiely stave chac images borrowed are not pictures to avoid pixelated images when printed. EXP bound by copyright. ds. 6. Simplify the graphs and provide titles, arrows, ee mene descriptions and layman's terms to help mais ae jistance. study. The graphs should be readable even from 2 -. 7. Use colunins to give a good structure to the poster. ‘A two-column layout is suitable for posters in : : while a three-column layout is best for posters in a landscape orientation. use diagrams and break the data into parts. Relabel the figures with general .d the basic concepts of the a portrait orientation, 8. When making infographics, 9. Justify the texts to the left side and use bullets. Follow the 20:40:40 rule—20% text, 40% graphics, and 40% white space or blank space Scrategicaly place the white space on the poster to highlight the major poines. 11. Choose the right color palette (up to four colors) to enliven the poster. Avoid loud colors or using green and red in proximity (e.g., in graphs, charts, etc.). 12. The texts and figures should be readable from 6 feet away or from 1 to 2 meters. Font sizes should not be smaller than 24 points. 13. uiies erat font to will make your poster appear chaotic or confusing. Avoid font styles uuch as Comic Sans, Cooper Black, i i seater per Black, Cambria, Tahoma, Palatino, Lucida Sans, Bookman Old Style, 4 8.» Times New Roman) Serif fonts (e.g., tan) are best to use in the b a a 1¢ bod rial) are recommended for titles and headings, 15. Keep the poster simple, Whi : iple. White backgrounds f ; petenani eee ‘OF Posters are easiest to use and cheapest to print. x © B = 3 e e y text, while sans serif fonts (e.g.ays el someone else) the ad (cither you of someone ¢ Poster before Printing. If possibl Pal using a Liquid crystal display (LCD) projector Possible, view the sn to check the format and other & gst pee erors: fms ot er jae Tile fPesetaon «S$ 85 25 om Authors and affliations +-—*— 65 points, sons serif font Reus <——— stheatng 36 pois Abstract Text text text << text, 24 points Tee tet tet body tet, 24 pi Figure/ Table <———caplions, 18 points Introduction Figure/Table Methods. ‘Conclusions ee References (b) (a) ‘Arrows indicate the flow of the content design for poster presentation, (a) “Sem pteomsarehecna ee Preparing a Poster Using PowerPoint i ae Below are the steps in making a poster using the Microsoft Po 1. Stare with a blank document. 2. Change the size of the slide by going to the Des 1a tab, Click the Page Setup, then click the Select y going ick the Page Setup, t 8 ay es ton for slide size for. Put the appropriate width and height by clicking Custom and drop-down button for slide Pu ight at the box below it 36 or 8). Clicl ide from the size, the orientation - he box bel (e.g., 36 3601 36 x 48). Click OK. Aside from the size, the low it (€.g-, can also be modified.Fig. 8-2. How to change the side size in a PowerPoint presentation Go to View tab and click the boxes next to Ruler and Guides. Once these are checked, ver sect horizontal lines will appear. Move these lines by selecting and dragging ic using snouse toward your desired position using the ruler as a guide, Place the lines according a designate the borders or margins. Horizontal and vertical lines may be added by messing ty Tighe click on the mouse, then select Grid and Guide, Position the added lines by sleing the line with the mouse and dragging it to the desired position using the ruler as a guide, For posters with pore oriencation, place one vertical line atthe center to divide it int rmg colurnns, For poste with landscape orientation, place two vertical lines to divide the poster into three columns. Fig. 3. How to add grid and guides on the slide4, Insert @ text box, ¢h the slide and set it (40-56 points), anc the body text (24 p Je” ype the title of the study (60-85 Points) on che topmost part of in boldface, Add another text box for the author's name and a other text box for the subheadings (36 pointsy, and another text box for uns). Weite the information in bullet form forthe introduction = Graphs, charts, and tables may be made in the PowerPoint, After creating che graphs: eos és add a caption by inserting a text box (18 points) below it. The completed posters sI figure 8-4 were constructed by following the steps/instructions in this section. 5. Save the slide as a portable document format (pdf) file. Tie of ety ere the Design tab and clicking Bh te boee: ot eth ses een ace Fae ennsiet The reconodr bores encoig the tots wera cect Format Background. follow ict issues or concerns. Be sure to ket infog ter depicting environmental pers Be sre oh Stach a desat? Saaoete Core his sketch into a poster through a PowerPoint pr i i ‘ing a r 4 beet ae ts ‘Ad bond paper (8.27 x11.69) Save a pdf cop)in Preparing a Slide Show Presentation — esearch is through a slide shy Aside from creating a poster, an alternative way of presenting a research is throu A St ety f 5 esentation i icrosofe monly used software in creating, a slide show pre ie Alfgh the mews a laces o designs, it i IMPOTTANC £0 be presenta fere with the readabiliey PowerPoint. Although the software can provide preset templat Be guided by principles in screen design. Below are the top 10 mistakes that in of the content during a slide show presentation. oo Text to small. Use at least a 32-poine font. Use a larger fone size if the eee eee sto are positioned at a distance away from the presenter. A simple auidline is eee a from the projector screen. If the font is readable within that range, 1 L. audience. : er 1 x 2. Text and background do not contrast. The audience cannot see the texts pee a : ‘olor be the background. Use a font color which is in sharp contrast with the backg} Bs e on white). 3. Too much text on one slide. The purpose of the text is most essential points; not co present too much information. I phrases or key words, rather than in long sentences and paragraphs. sto focus the attention of the audience on the ‘deas should be summarized in brief Too many different icons on one slide. Displaying too many items in one frame can interfere with 4. reading, especially if some icons are in motion, Frame designs should be simple, clear, and free from distractions. 5. Too many fancy fonts. Many fone styles are not legible when projected on the screen. Use a bold sans serif font (without tails or extensions) for the titles, and plain sans serif font for the body text to provide texe concrast. Serif fonts (with tails or extensions) like Times New Roman or Garamond are not ideal for a slide show presentation because they may interfere with on-screen reading. Sans serif fonts that are readable in on-screen presentations are Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Gill Sans, Trebuchet, and Franklin Gothic. Although Impact is a standard sans serif font, it is ideal only for headings or titles of the slide and should be used sparingly because of its heavy weight. LB Nat idea for © Ideal for ‘on-screen presentation presentation Times New Roman Verdana Garamond Arial Book Antiqua Tahoma | Bookman Oldstyle — Gills Sans Fig. 85. Fonts that are ideal and not ideal Trebuchet for on-screen presentation Franklin Gothicunnecessary graphics and sound, Well-chosen - . chose oof che presentation toward the ose audience, ne can contribute in delivering the message presenration Software. However, graphice man oe Mill not maximize the capabilities of the ¢ the communication berween the slide and instructional value, do not use used solely for special sounds, Presenting in a bright aie ad Gu off the proiected sides are not visible if the room is too bright. Cover the lights during a presentation. Make sure to know the room where you will present your data, so that you wi : you will coe for design of your presentation, ill be able to adjust the color schemes which you have cl g. Reading text to the audience. Paraphrase what is written on the slide and avoid reading the texts word for word. Use the text only as Buide in presenting your study. To improve your presentation, follow these tips: + Avoid using too much jargon in your presentation. + Avoid using all caps because texts that are all capitalized are hard to read + Place the logo of your institution only on the first slide. + Limit the text blocks to two lines each except for quotations. + Be generous with empty space especially at the edges. + Show the data that you want to explain and simplify complex figures by removing unnecessary details on the figure. + Avoid fancy transitions beeween slides. Use few animations. «Present just enough data for the audience to easily process it + Make the slides simple and build the content progressively. You can also prepare a presentation storyboard using a slide show software to save time and effort. A typical slide show presentation consists of components listed in table 8-1, but you can add more as long as the essential information regarding your research are included. Your school may specify the number of slides and duration of the presentation, Generally, oral presentations take up C0 10-15 minutes long,ca Te Pita eT ue dndtene Research Title Include the name 0" name, and school. | Overview of the Study | Type plan to answer noe ofth - a = the mab sof rcs The ey | Simmer Be ne Ne ba fed in the study ino flowchart or 4 3 fs Ebb Frome he goals 5 | Methods Show the methods us diagram. i 6 [ Resulis Present the analyzed data using scons or graphs. Adds 1 nay slides for this s¢ on ee : . * | i ur findings ‘on the results of 7 econ rm re rouse pod dl explain why. hypothesis or not an include references cited in the slides. gratitude toward institutions, & | References 9 “Acknowledgment This slide is optional. Express ain Ths racror parsons who helped make your research | possible. «structure of your presentation, although most will have major ussion/implications, and conclusions. for results, disct subsequent experiments, you can describe each method Feel free to slightly alter ch Experiment 1: Methods and Results; Experimenc 2: sections such as the introduction, methods, inseance, if your study is composed of several and results for each experiment successively ( Methods and Results; and so on). Take-Home Plan the des r i va os te dig pet feed slide show using table 8-1. You can add slides as long as they Preparing an Exhibit Display Aside from a printed poster or slide show presentation, some schools co ; ; requi : : aes sae ae from a backboard material (e.g., cardboard i eee celebrat! c! ve ae rece ave ‘ ome week. It resembles a poster presentation as it also att highli ra He iry parts of the research—the title, hypothesis/prediction, methods, data, and : ie a ; , data, and conclusionshibit displays h, ost &* ys have three sect : sections of a cable. The exhibit size varies deperstrg Panels and are freestanding of sometimes placed co? “jy suggested dimensions: ending on the guidelines set by the school. Here are che mot 72 inches if set o1 eight na tabletop; 108 inches wh : et: 1en placed on the f gigeh: 48 inches maximum (side to side); include ida ia ‘th 30 inches maximum (Front o back) eee Materials Fig. &6.A sample of an exhibit display Although there are no specific guidelines set for the design of an exhibit display, here are some «gsto make your display more organized and eye-catching: + Choose a firm or sturdy backboard material. + Choose an eye-catching color for the background which must be in contrast with the text color. + In labeling the important parts of the research, follow the same basic guidelines set in preparing a poster, You can use a word processor (Microsoft Word), a layout software (Microsoft Publisher), or a slide show presentation (Microsoft PowerPoint) to print out presentable and professional- looking labels. Make the lercering neat and uncluteered. Make sure all words are spelled correctly. The project title should stand out in the middle of the backboard panel. It is usually printed in bold letters, but not capitalized. The rest of the contents should be properly organized from left to right. Include only the relevant information by summarizing the statements. in no more than 300 words. Make the illustrations and photos interesting. Put only the relevant ones to support the major points. Photos are important to show the various stages of the research setup and how the experiment progressed. It can also be used as a substitute for the materials that cannot be brought to the exhibit due to some restrictions. Never use them as fillers for blank : dips spaces on the exhibitDisplay Restrictions : nd other recognized science fin Intel's International Science and Engineering Pair (ISEF) a ed guidelines regarding the materials that can be displayed on exhibit copethe, woh the event displays. A basic guideline is not to display something that £3? be hazardous during public viewing. The following are not allowed to be displayed in the exhibit booth: animals, and microbes worldwide have establishe Living organisms, including plants, Taxidermy specimens or parts Preserved vertebrate of invertebrate animals (including ¢m bryos) Human or animal food hair, nails, dried animal bones Human/animal parts or body fluids (e.g., blood, uri histological dry mount sections, and completely seal 6. Plant materials (living, dead, or preserved) tha are in raw, state (Exception: manufactured construction materials used in buil als ine) except teeth, ed wee mount tissue slides unprocessed, of non-manufictured Iding the project or display) ype Ne 7. Soil and waste samples and other related materi Laboratory/household chemicals including water drugs, firearms, weapons, ammunition, reloading Hazardous substances or devices (¢.g., poisons, devices, lasers, etc) 10. Dry ice or other sublimacing solids 11. Sharp items (e.g. syringes, needles, pipettes, knives, etc.) 12. Flames or highly flammable materials 13, Batteries with open-top cells Photographs or other visual presentations depicting vertebrate animals under surgery, dissections, necropsies, or other lab procedures 15. Using Class III or IV lasers qatnomelesces Flan the design and lsyout of your backboard di ; appropriate areas and do not forget to include graphs, ae Beart research components inLesson 8.2 Delivering the Presentations Main Good i Pen a Good proportion is the key toa EQ: What are expected from o researcher before, during, and after the presentation? oral Presentations ‘Anoral defense or examination i i sport their presentatio n is re en aaa 'Ssometimes required from students to support their presentati ae a rad ome! aoe nae The following are some tips that may help boost the confiden ‘he research presenters in de! ivering an oral i presentation. Before the Presentation + Begin the preparation by knowing the preliminary details of the oral defense such as (1) the date and ane of the presentation; (2) the duration of the presentation and of the ‘question-and-answer portion; (3) the size and location of the room; and (4) the availability of computer or projection facilities. + Prepare yourself ahead of time by taking down notes while doing the presentation. These noes can be in a form of a script which could be placed in note cards with a number sequence. + Practice the oral presentation several times. + Master the content of each slide so that you can explain them well to the panel and the audience. + Memorize introductory and concluding statements for a smooth-flowing presentation. * Anticipate possible questions from the panel. Discuss these questions and their answers with your adviser, Prepare the answers by writing them on note cards. Some conferences enjoin both the undergraduate and graduate students to compere by making an oral presentation of their studies to be presented in the conference, Like the poster presentation, a panel of judges is also assigned to choose the best oral presenter based on the following criteria: * composition and clarity of the presentation * delivery of che oral presentation logical sequence of ideas mastery of the subject matter visuals usedDuring the Presentation mmmended. This will give the Dress appropriately for the occasion. A decent business acrire recor fidence while speaking. re confidence while speaking. trol the slight shaking presenter mo Breath deeply that you might experience while presenting ry slides, text, of pictures to emph information. The audience m 1 limit of the prescribed durat tact with cl ut also keep yo before the presentation. It will provide calmness and help com elevane points. Make sure asize the F to read i even at the back just be able jon of the presentation. he audience. Doing this will nor 1a from simply reading what Present only the necessa that each slide shows only brie! of the room. Stay within the tim Hold your head up. Look around and make eye com only show your confidence with what you are #yiNBs is written in the presentation. Speak slowly, clearly, and audibly. When beginning @ ‘Alchough presentation has a time limit, pause 2h important points to give emphasis and impact. For the introductory remarks, make sure that the open!hE comments are interesting because 1a discuss the main part of without it, you might lose che interest of the audience even before yo stablish rapport with the tion, These remarks may be in one ot ewo sentences £0 F ; ay begin by acknowledging the presence of the panelists, your duce the title of research and, at the same time, show the use a higher pitch and volume. new point, yhen presenting the most d slow down w) your presenti audience. For oral defense, you m: adviser, and the audience. Then intro title slide of your presentation. ‘Aer che preliminary statements, explain che structure, aims, and objectives of the study. Opening remarks may last for about 10 percent of the entire presentation depending on how long you would like to establish a connection with the audience. ‘The main message section should compose the essential parts of the research work and must cccupy the 80 percent of the time allocation. Only show the framework of the method, not the detailed description of equipment or experimental protocol. Present only che summary of statistics, graphs, and diagrams that can briefly illustrate the key points. Rehearse several times so that your timing is at a standard pace and the presentation will not be rushed. kare ene ea ae and still maintain the audience's interest yy saying a closing remark such as “in conclusion...” Lastly, i tly, consider the presentation as a performance that should be enjoyed. By showing a positive di : isposition, it will not only make you feel bect will also leave a lasting impact co the er but will als ig cl thfet the Presentation, ate Answer the questions as bri : 8 brie Be honest in answerin, i nel! mentioned t0 let the pang} : el no} S quest; SUONS. Related ething tha W that ed answers to the r; ee eee related to th * YoU can assoc late a questio Aa : ee : 7 Avoid arguing with the pan ¢ study, whic 7 ; co avoid a heated debate about ieee R SPecific dey fas 8S Possible 8 the pay : questions may also be you do not know with juest i oa * fora discreet conversation after the presentation tail in the research, i Ting the Oral Presentation on poges 1724-1728 poster Presentations pefore the Poster Presentation ‘Wear appropriate clothi 7 conference venue for the ae mane Poe pi ae dee yee ee oa Sion and to prepare your posters. Always be ready with a backup file by bringing different versions of é s : During the Poster Presentation Since it is a shared session with the other presenters, expect for a noisy and crowded area around the posters where people stand or walk by. The attractiveness of your poster should geab che visitors’ attention and entice them to stay, engage with you, and build rapport, Stand by your poster (not looking atit) and be ready to explain anything about the poster in case of queries. When people approach, always engage with them by making eye contact, smiling, and shaking their hands, Show respect to everyone who visits your poster, whether they are actively engaging with you or are aggressive inquisitors or Plain hecklers. Be professional, confident, calm, and collected. If people do not make eye contact, then let them read the poster and only speak when they ask questions, When answering, always start by introducing yourself, your background, and then talk about the problem of che study before going to the specifics, There should be a conversation between you and the viewers and not a lecture. At the end | of the conversation, finish confidently and be polite by thanking the viewers.¢ it based on the follow; If your poster is in a competing category, a panel of judges wil evaluat ng criteria: © — composition and clarity of the poster * — color scheme © pictures, graphs, or charts © — outline of work After the Poster Presentation : nce. Remove your poster carefully and i t day of the confere F Poster presentations usually end on the last day f che poster sessions are announced place inside a storage box for safekeeping. Winning participants 0) at the end of the program and are given certificates. wr What are the things to remember during an coral presentation?