Poster Guidelines

CEDAR Poster Guidelines

Abstracts are required for all posters, and should be submitted via the on-line poster submission form. Abstracts can be added or revised in post-registration editing.

General Information on Posters

There are usually two poster sessions. Abstracts are available for all sessions and authors have the option to upload their poster to a website for display.

Each presenter is required to be available to discuss the poster for at least one hour during the assigned poster session. Each poster will have maximum size (most times this is 1.2 m x 1.2 m (4 x 4 ft)). Push pins will be provided. The title should be legible from at least 4 m distance, and the rest of the poster, including informative figures and diagrams, should be legible from 2 meters distance. It should include a short summary of objectives, methodology, and results, and a list of conclusions. Tips on what makes a good poster are listed at the end of this page after information on the CEDAR student poster competition.

Starting in 2013, pdfs of posters could be linked to the poster lists. This is encouraged for archive purposes and required for students in the poster competition. Starting in 2014,  students with posters in competition are required to upload their poster prior to the meeting so judges could look at them. Other poster presenters are encouraged to upload their posters as well.

CEDAR student competition posters

Anyone can have 2 posters as first author, but only one can be in competition. Previous first place winners should not re-compete in the student poster competition, but second place, honorable mention, and undergraduate winners can re-compete. See the list of past poster winners.

All CEDAR student competition posters should be posted by the morning of the first poster session, and should remain up for 2 hours past the end of the poster session. This allows the judges the maximum amount of time to look at their posters, since the first round of judging is on the poster itself. The second round of judging is on the oral presentation during the assigned poster session. Everyone should be at their poster at least 1 hour during their poster session, with the hour marked on a designated space when the poster is put up.

Student posters will be judged on:

1. Scientific content and effective poster organization (from poster only)
2. Scientific content and effective oral presentation (by student presenter)
3. Ownership of the poster by the student presenter (be able to show it is substantially their work and not the work of their adviser)

Further information about requirements and judging criteria is provided on the Student Poster Competition web page.

Tips on What Makes a Good Poster

• State objectives clearly at the start
• An abstract is not an introduction
• Assume viewers know nothing (or are not specialists)
• Don't crowd the space with too many results (font size!)
• State conclusions for each figure nearby, not only at the end of the poster
• Emphasize (and state) scientific significance and originality of your work
• Extract essence of the work for the viewer, both orally and visually