Poster Guidance

Below you will find important guidelines to help you prepare and present your poster effectively, including details on the poster lightning talk.

Poster Preparation

1. Poster Size and Format
   • Dimensions: Posters should be no larger than A0 size (841 x 1188 mm)
   • Orientation: Portrait orientated is preferred, as the poster boards are 923 x 1810mm.
   • Content: Ensure your poster is clear and visually engaging, with a balance of text, graphics, and space. Include the title, authors, affiliations, and contact information.
2. Design Tips
   • Readability: Use large, legible fonts. Text should be readable from a distance of at least 1 metre (3 feet). Consider a minimum font size 48pt for titles and 24pt for other text.
   • Visuals: Use high-quality images, graphs, and charts to illustrate your points. Avoid overcrowding your poster with too much information.
   • Flow: Arrange content in a logical sequence (e.g., Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion) to guide viewers through your research.
   • Accessibility: Review the conference’s wider accessibility guidelines.
3. Printing
   • Print in Advance: Ensure your poster is printed well in advance of the conference. We do not provide on-site printing services.
   • Materials: Use high-quality paper or fabric for durability.
4. Upload
   • Digital Poster: Upload a digital (.pdf) copy of your poster to Google Drive, so that it can be included in the digital poster gallery for remote attendees, and published to Zenodo following the conference. This should be completed by Friday 30th August.
   • A Google Drive folder for your uploads should have been shared with your email via Fliss Guest on 18th August. If you are unable to locate this folder, please contact the programme team.

Poster Session

1. Setup and Display
   • Setup Time: Please identify yourself as a poster presenter when registering, either on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. We’re hoping for all posters to be set up by 12pm on Tuesday.
   • Location: Volunteers at the registration desk can direct you to your assigned poster board (these will be relocated prior to the poster session).
   • Mounting Materials: Mounting materials such as push pins or velcro will be provided. If you need special materials, please bring them with you.
   • Schedule: Check the conference’s programme to ensure you know when the poster session is held.
2. During the Session
   • Presence: Be present at your poster during the designated poster session times to discuss your work with attendees.
   • Engagement: Prepare a brief summary of your research to engage viewers quickly. Be ready to answer questions and discuss your work in more detail.
   • Handouts: Consider bringing handouts with additional information or contact details.
3. Interaction Tips
   • Be Approachable: Be ready to engage in conversation.
   • Clarity: Communicate your work clearly and concisely. Tailor your explanation to the audience’s level of expertise.
   • Feedback: Be open to feedback and suggestions from viewers. Use the opportunity to network and gather insights.
4. Virtual Poster Q&A
   • Your poster will be available via the virtual poster galleries within both the Oxford Abstracts programme and Canapii conference platform. There will be an option for them to ask questions via its page on Canapii, and we encourage you to monitor and respond to these questions in writing during the conference. This will enable remote participants to fully engage with your poster. More details will be provided when the virtual poster galleries have been setup.

Poster Lightning Talk

1. Preparation
   • Time Limit: Prepare a concise summary of your poster that can be delivered in two minutes. Please be aware that the session chair will stop your presentation after two minutes to allow all presenters their allocated time.
   • Key Points: Focus on the most important aspects of your poster—introduction, key findings, and significance.
   • Slide: Prepare a maximum of three slides to accompany your lightning talk. Keep them and visually engaging.
   • Upload: Upload any slides for your lightning talk to the the same Google Drive directory as your poster by 5pm on Monday 2nd September. If slides are not provided, a single slide containing a copy of the digital poster will be used by default.
2. Presentation
   • Practice: Rehearse your talk to ensure you can deliver it clearly and within the time limit.
   • Engagement: Be enthusiastic and make your presentation engaging to capture the audience’s interest quickly.
   • Clarity: Speak clearly and avoid jargon. Tailor your talk to a general audience.
3. Timing and Logistics
   • Schedule: Check the conference’s programme for the timing of the poster lightning talks.
   • Setup: Arrive at least 10 minutes early to familiarise yourself with the presentation setup.
   • Delivery: Stick to the two-minute limit strictly. A timer may be used to ensure all presenters have equal time.
   • Order: The order of presenters within the poster lighting talks has been based on the order of submission IDs within Oxford Abstracts and can be found here.

Poster Competition

1. Voting: Conference attendees will be able to vote for posters, from the start of the lighting talks until the end of the poster session.

2. Judging: From the top 6 posters selected by the attendee vote, the judging panel will decide the top 3 posters on the basis of:
   • Creative use of artwork/images/graphs/visualisation
   • Logical flow and layout
   • Clarity, readability and accessibility.
3. Awards: Cash prizes (£200 for first, £100 for second, £50 for third) will be awarded for the top 3 posters during the conference’s awards ceremony, please check the conference’s programme to ensure you are in attendance.

Post-Conference

1. Dismantling
   • Take Down: You should remove your posters before you leave the conference, please ask a volunteer if you require assistance. Posters left behind will be discarded.
2. Follow-Up
   • Contacts: Follow up with any contacts or potential collaborators you met during the poster session.
   • Feedback: Reflect on the feedback received and consider how it might improve your future research or presentations.

If you require any adjustments or clarifications to help you deliver your poster at the lighting talks or poster session, please contact the programme team.