Poster/Talk Guidelines

General Information

The poster and talk sessions will be held in the Lobby and OC Marsh Lecture Hall at the Yale Science Building. 

  • During these sessions, you will present research you are currently working on at Yale to other postgrads and members of the Yale community. 

  • There will be 2 poster sessions and 2 talk sessions. Each presenter will be assigned to present during a certain session. Postgrads should prepare an oral summary to be presented to others and should be prepared to answer questions. 

    • During the poster sessions, you may engage with other presenters and ask questions to learn from them.

  • Review the event schedule when you receive it. 

    • You are encouraged to attend each of the poster/talk sessions and panels. Lunch will be provided.

  • Please feel free to invite your lab members to listen to your presentation.

  • The YPGA has collaborated with the OPA to provide workshop sessions on honing your presentation skills and practicing your presentation in the coming weeks. 

General Tips on Preparing your Presentation

Understand the Audience

  • Assume audience will have a less complete understanding of your topic than yourself

  • Use language that the audience members will understand

  • Understand the amount of time available

Practice the presentation

  • Simulate the actual environment - place and timing

  • Do not read from the slides or notecards; elaborate on the points instead

  • Talk to the audience

  • Be professional - no slang please

  • Think of how to handle questions:

    • Generate a list of questions

    • Prepare in advance supporting materials for points that are likely to arise (back up)

Poster Presentation

Preparing your Poster Presentation

  • Your poster should cover the KEY POINTS of your work. The ideal poster is designed to 1) attract attention; 2) provide a brief overview of your work; and 3) initiate discussion and questions. 

  • Please use Microsoft Powerpoint or Google Slides to create your poster in order to be able to change the dimensions to match our requirements. 

    • The size of your poster should be 48” x 36” (horizontal/landscape orientation)

  • Make your poster as self-explanatory as possible. This will save your time for discussions and questions.

  • Clearly state the title of your poster. Below the title, put the author(s)’ name(s) and affiliation(s).

Poster Contents and Design

At a minimum, your poster should have the following information:

  • Title

  • Authors

  • Introduction/Purpose

  • Methods/Approach

  • Results (include figures or graphs when able)

  • Conclusions/Impact

  • References/Acknowledgements

Make your poster attractive. Think about what attracts you to posters and other visual displays. Wherever possible, use pictures, diagrams, cartoons, figures, etc., rather than only text.

  • Please refer to the font size legend provided in this document in order to ensure that your text is an adequate size and will be legible for viewers.

Printing your Poster

  • Discuss with your PI and lab manager about payment for the poster. Some labs will cover payment for the poster, while others will require you to independently purchase and print your poster.

    • Please reach out to us if you are having major concerns about printing independently, and we will help find lower cost printing options for you.

  • Here is a link through the Yale Library containing information on how to print posters, including links to the Yale Printing and Publishing Services: https://guides.library.yale.edu/academic-poster-resources/logistics 

    • Be sure to reserve 3-5 business days before the symposium to have your poster printed in time.

  • TYCO printing also offers poster printing services: https://www.tycoprinting.com/poster-printing-custom-posters/

    • They are located at 296 Elm Street (at Broadway), New Haven, CT 06511. 

  • Your local UPS and FedEx stores may also offer poster printing services.

Presenting your Poster

  • Please bring your poster with you to the Yale Science Building.

    • We will assist with hanging your poster on the poster boards if help is needed. 

    • Posters are NOT submitted to us prior to the symposium.

  • Your poster board assignment and push pins for hanging your poster onto the poster board will be provided.

  • Carefully prepare your poster well in advance of the presentation. It is recommended that you prepare an “elevator pitch” type of verbal discussion about 5 minutes long, so if someone is interested in hearing a walk through of your poster, you are prepared.

    • It is helpful to present your poster to other members in your lab to receive constructive comments before you print your poster.

    • Poster presentations should include interactive Q&A with the audience.

Talk Presentation

Talk Presentation Guidelines

  • Please prepare to present your research for about 8 minutes max, leaving 2 minutes for questions

    • ​We will be cutting your presentation short if you exceed 9 minutes.

  • Please create your presentation using Google Slides or Microsoft Powerpoint. When you submit your presentation before the symposium, please submit through the link below. Submitting as a PDF is NOT an acceptable format.

    • Submit your slides to the following form by August 15th: https://forms.gle/vTU6Wkbh9DjKRYZL6

      • If not submitted, you will not be allowed to present.

    • We cannot guarantee any animations if you plan on using them.

  • We ask that you include graphics and visually appealing figures to engage the audience, and refrain from using an excessive amount of text on each slide.

  • It is helpful to present your talk to other members in your lab to receive constructive comments before you submit the presentation.

Talk Presentation Contents

At a minimum, your presentation should include:

  • Title slide with authors and affiliations listed

  • Introduction and Background

  • Methods and Approach

  • Results (include graphs and figures when able)

  • Conclusions and Impact

  • References and Acknowledgements

Each slide should have a topic header. Each topic header should have a key set of bulleted points.

Tips on making slides

  • 1 - 2 slides per minute

  • Slides should highlight key points; less is more (rule of thumb: 6 words x 6 lines per slide)  

    • Slides should not be flashy

  • Highlight selected points of the outcome, rather than details

  • Distance of the audience from the screen should be considered when making graphics and font sizes

  • Cite sources: journals (author, year) and images (URL or webpage root if it is too long) on the slide