Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Once you have uploaded your abstract, you probably will receive some sort of
confirmation of submission depending upon the conference. After several months, you
will find out whether or not your abstract has been accepted. Don't despair if it is not accept-
ed
d
there can be a number of reasons for this. If you did follow all the formatting and style
directions, then perhaps there was simply no room for your study or it may not have been
topically appropriate. Other possibilities could include a poorly written abstract, noninclu-
sion of results, or evident methodological flaws. If the latter option applies to your study,
you need to do a major reassessment of your work in conjunction with your advisor and
committee. If your study is not topically appropriate for that particular conference, figure
out which conference would be best. If there are issues with the way you wrote your abstract,
use this as a learning experience and find someone who can help you with your writing.
Refer to the upcoming section on scientific writing for more information.
Abstract AcceptancedWhat Next?
Once your abstract has been accepted, you will want to begin preparing your presentation.
The acceptance letter or e-mail will indicate whether or not you will be doing an oral presen-
tation or a poster. Most likely you will have requested one format or the other during the
submission process, but you may not get what you asked for based on the way the program
committee has decided to design the program. Major conferences will have guidelines on
how to prepare your Microsoft PowerPoint presentation or poster. As with the guidelines
for abstract preparation, adhere to these guidelines. See
Table 17.3
. They exist to help you
give the best presentation possible. In addition, it is crucial that you know in advance how
much time you will have if giving an oral presentation or what the maximum poster size
is so it fits in the space provided. I will not go through every possible guideline here, as these
already exist within the Call for Papers for each conference that you can find online; however,
I will provide for you some basic tips that will help you become a stronger presenter. See
Tables 17.5 and 17.6
.
Posters
Posters are great because they allow you to personally interact with other colleagues with
regard to your research. In addition, if you are not the best public speaker, doing a poster can
be a good alternative because you will only have to speak with one person at a time. If you
want to network and meet other people who have the same interests or who are working on
similar problems, presenting a poster is a good option. Each conference is slightly different
with regard to the poster presentation setup. At AAFS and AAPA, the posters will remain up
all day long with a set time for you to stand in front of yours to answer questions. Many
presenters will provide their business card as well as a small version of the poster or paper
as a handout.
Posters have become fancier and fancier with the advent of software programs and
printers that can print out pages three or more feet wide. There are many programs you
can use to create your poster, including Microsoft PowerPoint. Whichever program you
decide to use, make sure that you set the resolution high enough so that it does not appear
grainy or pixelated when it prints. Consider using a border for a more polished appearance.
