Creating abstracts and posters – tips for success Colette Smith UCL Research Department Infection and Population Health JUSTRI Skills Tool Kit Training 12 th December 2015

Designing the ‘perfect’ poster When we present a poster at a conference, we want people to read it, and remember it! Think about the last time you attended a conference e.g. EACS, Barcelona, October 2015; CROI, Seattle, February 2015, National conference, Hospital meeting When you looked at the posters in the hall, how did you decide which ones you were going to read in detail?

What do I do…… Look to see whether I like the general look of the poster Read the title of the poster Glance at the conclusions Read the full text

Task (10 minutes) Consider the poster in your hand-out Do you think it is a good poster? How could it be improved?

My suggestions for improvement….. Layout Do not use too many colours (remember colour blind) Improve general structure (keep margins the same size) Ensure conclusions are prominent Check spelling, grammar, consistent fonts Title does not ‘stand out’ Text Most people have a limited attention span so keep it short – if people are interested in your work, they’ll ask you about it Could use bullet points (or divide text with paragraphs) Information from tables repeated in the text Present text in a logical order (e.g. methods!) Avoid long sentences (e.g. results)

My suggestions for improvement….. Content Include a separate “Aims” section? Include a demographics table Give units and define acronyms (e.g. CD4 count and IMD) Include CIs where appropriate Replace tables with figures? More informative titles for tables and column headings Who is your audience? Methodology/statistics conference – more methods than results? Non-HIV conference – more background info (e.g. on ARVs)? International conference – more information on local situation?

General advice (Content) Make sure title and author's name are prominent and eye-catching Include contact details Provide clear flow of information from introduction to conclusion Focus on your major findings - a common fault is to try to cover too much. Few delegates are going to read everything on your poster, so get to the point. Use graphs, tables, diagrams and images where appropriate. Use boxes to isolate and emphasise specific points. Always follow the conference guidelines, which may be specific about what you are expected to present.

General advice (Design 1) Use all space available, but do not cram in the content - white space is an important part of the layout, and good use of it can make a poster elegant and arresting. Use colour sparingly - limited use of a few colours is more striking than a 'rainbow' approach. Think about why you are using colour; it is especially useful for emphasis and differentiation. Avoid colour combinations that clash (e.g. red on blue) or cause problems for people with colour-blindness (e.g. red and green in proximity). Use white or muted colour background (e.g. pastel shades)

General advice (Design 2) Clearly label diagrams/drawings and provide references to them in the text where necessary. Title text should be readable from 6 metres away - at least 48-point text Body text should be readable from 2 metres away - at least 24-point text Choose a clear font with large inner space (i.e. the space inside the loops of letters such as 'o', 'd', 'p'). Good examples are Arial, Verdana, Georgia or Helvetica. Keep the word count as low as possible.

Writing abstracts Short summary/overview of research Typically between words Should explain the aims of the study and background Should define and describe the patients included in the analysis Main results of analysis Clinical significance of results

Before starting… Become familiar with the meeting - Is your research relevant? - What themes/research tracks are there? - Read (and follow!) abstract guidelines - Be aware of deadlines Decide on main message - Focus on this message – avoid presenting results that are peripheral to this - Do not present 5 figures just because you can Agree authorship! Allow plenty of time to submit – it can be a nightmare!

Abstract format Introduction - Very brief - discuss the problem and describe the aim Methods - Short and succinct – describe the population and important assessments - Don’t describe assays but do describe statistical analysis Results - Describe important population demographics - Include numeric results relating to primary endpoint and (relevant) secondary endpoints Conclusions - Very brief

Other tips Avoid technical terms or abbreviations (you will have to define these – uses extra words) Don’t include references unless requested Don’t interpret results in the Results section Don’t write “extra results will be presented”….