This document outlines some of the details for a poster
presentation at the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) conference.
- Every
year, sometime during winter, the society will make a call for
abstracts. The best way to find out
the deadline for submitting an abstract is to periodically check their
website. As of 2004, the web
address is www.preventionresearch.org
- While
writing the abstract, keep in mind the purpose of the society. For information about the society, see
their website. In addition, the
conference will have a theme. Your
abstract should reflect why your poster is pertinent to this theme. Do not
wait until the deadline to submit your
abstract. You will receive an email
notice a couple months later notifying you whether or not your abstract was accepted.
In 2004, SPR introduced a new type
of presentation format called an Organized Poster Symposia. This is a hybrid between the standard poster
session (where you stand by your poster and answer questions) and a facilitated
discussion period. You will not need to
prepare any additional materials for the discussion. After being notified that your
abstract was accepted for this type of session, SPR should send an email with
additional information on the format of the session and specifications for the
poster size. Even if these
specifications allow for a 4 foot by 8 foot poster board, your final poster
should be smaller (probably 3 feet wide by 6 feet long).
- Your
poster will be made from a pre-designed template in Power Point. This template is actually just old
posters, which you can download and type over (Herle’s poster is probably
not the best one to use as a template; it’s formatted to be larger than
what you should need). The dimensions
are specified in the page setup area, so it is best to not change the
layout or font sizes. The template (which
consists of 2 Power Point slides that will need to be printed
side-by-side) can be found on Susan’s web-site (http://www.stat.lsa.umich.edu/~samurphy/nida/posters.html). When changing the colors, choose
carefully, since the colors on the screen in Power Point will not
necessarily print the same way (dark blues tend to print purple). There is a sample color wheel in Susan’s
office that will show you what the colors will look like when they are
printed (choose the colors you like on the sample color wheel and the
select the corresponding colors in Power Point). Once the poster is completed, you most
likely will take the file to Kinko’s for printing (as of 2004, the branch
on Liberty Street
is the only local branch to have poster and banner printing capabilities). There someone will help you choose paper
(a matte finish is better for viewing than a glossy finish)
and arrange other details. Payment
for printing will need to be arranged in advance. Kinko’s should allow a credit card
number to be called in by the secretary, and you will just need to save
the receipt. Be sure to proof-read
your poster carefully before taking it to be printed – before it’s too
late to change anything!
You will need to get some type of
container (a long tube) to carry your poster in. Choose something sturdy that will not be
damaged in transit. You may be able to
borrow one from someone, so ask around.
There is also a web-site that sells them: http://www.posterdocs.com/pages/carriers.html.
- In
addition to having a poster at SPR, you will prepare a handout to give to
people who show interest in your poster.
This handout can be about 4 pages long (each page having a front
and a back). Handouts should be
printed at the University (not at Kinko’s); the secretary should be able
to do this for you. The poster can
be printed “fit to page” and included as a page (front and back) in your
handout. SPR may recommend that you
bring 50-75 handouts. This is way
too many for a poster. You should
only bring 15 copies of your handout to the poster session for
distribution. If you run out, you
can write down names and email addresses to email the handout to those who
show interest. Paper of some kind
will also be useful for recording interesting questions/comments you
receive.
- Have
fun!
You can email me questions at: hmcgowan@umich.edu