Information for Presenters

Apart from special events, oral presentations will be scheduled for 20 minutes, which should include 2-3 minutes for questions. To give fair time to all speakers within the tight constraints of each session, you should expect the program and session chairpersons to be highly diligent in enforcing the 20 minute limit. Enforcement may include power being cut off to the microphone and projectors. If space permits, we will provide a rehearsal room for those who wish to practice giving their talks (see the final published program for location).

Powerpoint presentations should be copied to USB memory and provided to the organizers the day before one’s scheduled session (during lunch break or immediately after the last session of the day). The title of the file should be in the format: day of talk + time of talk + author's last & first name (e.g., Thursday 1515 hrs Owings Don ). You can learn the time of your talk by examining the detailed schedule posted on the website. When giving your talk to the organizers, be prepared to quickly view your file on the computer used for projection to ensure that fonts and format are consistent with the available software versions.

Information for Posters

Preparation and layout for posters at Biology of Lizards largely follow the guidelines per JMIH 2017.

(https://conferences.k-state.edu/JMIH-Austin-2017/files/2015/07/Guidelines-for-Poster-Presentations-1u00t9o.pdf)

The poster session will be in the main gallery of the Chiricahua Desert Museum.

GUIDELINES

Draw a rough sketch of the poster you plan to develop.

The size of the presentation boards on which you will display your poster will be 8-feet L x 4-feet H. We will be arranging 4 posters per side, for a total of 8 posters per table. Each poster cannot exceed the following dimensions: 44-inches L x 22-inches H

Include the title and authors of the poster as listed in your abstract.

Information on the poster should read like a book – from left to right and from top to bottom. It may be helpful to use arrows or identifiers (sequential letters or numbers) to guide the reader through the poster. You can also arrange it in two or three vertical columns, but not horizontal strips.

The introduction or rationale should be placed at the upper left and the outcome or concluding comments should appear at the lower right. Objectives and other information will fill the remaining space.

Keep your poster simple – too much information can be frustrating to the reader. Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information, i.e. too many numbers, words, and or complicated graphs. Place emphasis on several main points. Get feedback from others before printing.

Double-space all text, using left justification. Use short sentences, simple words, and bullets to illustrate discrete points. Written material should be concise. Avoid using jargon, acronyms, or unusual abbreviations. The printed outcomes should permit observers to focus on a concise statement of your central findings that lends itself to discussion.

All information should be large enough to read easily from at least 4 feet away. Suggested text size is no smaller than 24 point; Author(s) and affiliation(s) should be at least 42 point; Subheadings should be at least 60 point. The title should be printed across the top of the poster in characters of 80-150 point. San serif fonts. The small finishing strokes that stem from the upper and lower ends of a character) are easiest to read. Suggested options include Arial, Century Gothic, Franklin Gothic Medium, Lucida Sans. Choose one font and then use it throughout the poster. Add emphasis by using boldface, underlining, or color. (Italics are sometimes difficult to distinguish from regular.

Do not use all caps unless it is for one or two word headings. All caps text is not easy to read.

The success of a poster directly relates to the clarity of the illustrations and tables.

Self-explanatory graphics should dominate the poster (at least 50% of your poster space).

Keep captions brief.

A minimal amount of text should supplement the graphic materials.

Graphic materials should be visible from a distance of four (4) feet. Only include essential information in graphs and tables.

Label data lines in graphs directly, using large fonts and color. The use of legends and keys requires the viewer to take more time to interpret your message. Lines in graphs should be thicker than normally provided in printed letter-sized paper reports or manuscripts. Use colors to distinguish different data groups in graphs. Avoid using patterns or open bars in histograms. Overuse of color can be distracting.

Two to three related background colors will unify the poster. Use a light background with darker photos; a dark background with lighter photos. Use a neutral background (gray) to emphasize color in photos, a white background to reduce the impact of colored photos.