Guidelines for General Poster Sessions
The vast majority of papers presented at the Convention will be in poster format. Poster sessions facilitate a researcher to discuss his or her research for an extended period and allow attendees to select the presentations in which they are most interested. A successful poster requires care and planning so that information is self-explanatory. An extra hour or two spent preparing your materials and organizing your display will contribute toward achieving both coverage and clarity for a successful session. ABCT has adopted a new, innovative poster format that has been making the rounds on social media. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND using this format, as we believe it will increase both efficiency and effectiveness in poster preparation and communication of data.
Setting and Materials
Posters are presented within groups of similar research topics. All posters will be presented in the Exhibit Hall and each will be allocated a board, measuring approximately 8 feet x 4 feet (width x height), which is approximately 3 feet off the ground. The poster itself should be 42” X 44” if you are printing at the Marriott Marquis Fedex office. Otherwise, the suggested size can be 48” X 36”.
Ribbons identifying you and your co-authors as poster presenters will be issued to you at the beginning of the session. Pushpins for mounting your poster materials will also be provided; if your poster requires any special materials that cannot be mounted via pushpins, you should bring your own mounting supplies. No electrical outlets or audio-visual equipment will be provided in the poster area even if you requested it in your submission. You must be prepared to deliver your presentation based solely on the materials that can be directly affixed to the poster board.
Setting Up and Tearing Down
Each poster board will carry a number in the upper corner corresponding to the poster’s listed number found in the electronic program. Poster presenters should arrive at the poster display area 15 minutes before the scheduled beginning of their poster session to set up their display materials. At the end of the session, display materials and all other materials must be taken down and removed from the areas.
Display Materials
It is critically important that your display materials be both clear and visible. Most people will be viewing your poster from a distance. A note to keep in mind is that your material should be easily read from a distance of 4 to 6 feet.
ABCT has adopted an innovative poster design that should increase both efficiency in poster preparation as well as impact. You can view the YouTube video describing the rationale for this new approach here: https://bit.ly/2Wt6I7F and can find the SIMPLE, easy templates here: https://osf.io/ef53g/. No color coding of backgrounds suggested in the video will be utilized this year; although in future years this may be considered. Though traditional poster designs will be accepted, it is assumed that most presenters will utilize one of the innovative design templates and this format will be primary in future years.
Poster Content
In both innovative and traditional poster formats, it is important to provide a short, clear, non-technical description of what you did, why you did it, and what you found. In both poster formats, sections related to a brief Introduction, a Methods section are typically included with a brief overview of such things as subjects, apparatus, or details of procedure, Results, and a brief Discussion. You should keep references and reviews of the literature to a minimum; in a few sentences (or bullet points), say what you did, why you did it and what you think it means. The format, in other words, requires you to be a bit bolder in your style compared to research reports (especially so in the innovative format), and to condense complicated events into a few short sentences. The way to think about a poster is that it is a simplified scientific report, with a discussion-oriented format. The poster should communicate the issue and conclusion, as well be eye-catching to individuals walking by. The actual in vivo discussion should fill in the details.
The Presentation
Your materials should be on display and you and your co-authors should be available to discuss the materials and answer questions. At least one author must be present at the board at all times.
Please consider including a QR code on your poster, as described here: https://bit.ly/2Wt6I7F Though handouts will be accepted, using a QR code is both more environmentally-friendly as well as more efficient in terms of materials and outreach.
Recommended Poster Format
You can find additional templates for this format by clicking here.
Traditional Poster Arrangement:
