Poster Session Information

The 16^th American Peptide Symposium Program Committee notes with great pride the outstanding quantity and quality of submitted abstracts. After making the selections for oral presentations, all remaining abstracts were selected for poster presentation. In addition, a subset of the poster presenting authors are being invited to submit 2-page manuscripts for the Symposium Proceedings. For general information about the Symposium, return to the home page.

All posters for which abstracts were received by April 30, 1999 are listed in the Program and Abstracts book, and can be viewed by clicking here. Presenting authors only are listed, but a searchable index is now available listing coauthors. Posters are up all week and will be the focus of sessions held Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served at the three formal poster sessions.

Posters are a very important means for presenting scientific information at the Symposium. Abstracts for posters are grouped by category, numbered consecutively within each category (numerical gaps have been inserted deliberately between topics in order to accommodate late submissions), and published in the "Program and Abstracts" book which participants receive when they arrive at the Symposium. Very late posters are printed as an insert to the "Program and Abstracts" book; they will receive numbers at the end of the sequence of each topic. Selected posters correspond to some of the lectures, and have the original L numbers.

Posters will be on display from 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 27 through 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 1. The times for unattended review are: Sunday, June 27, 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.; Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, June 28, 29, and 30, 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.; and Thursday, July 1, 8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Three formal poster sessions with the presenting author(s) available for discussion have been designated in the Symposium program at times when no oral presentations are scheduled, i.e., 4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 27; Monday, June 28; and Wednesday, June 30. Presenting authors should plan to place their poster on the assigned board space either from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 26 or from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 27. The poster number indicates at which of the three formal sessions the author should make him or herself available for in-depth discussion, i.e., Sunday is P001–P230 and the Junior Symposium; Monday is P258–P536; and Wednesday is P563–P873. The posters must be removed by 12:00 noon on Thursday, July 1, 1999, but no sooner than 10:00 a.m. (start of the first refreshment break for final day of Symposium).

For those anxious to start planning their posters, instructions are provided below:

Effective Poster Presentation Suggestions

Design your poster to be self-explanatory to anyone viewing it when you are not present. Begin with an introduction and close with clear conclusions. People often look at the conclusions first to decide whether they want to read the entire poster. Important material should be in large enough print to be read by people six feet away; methodological detail should be held to a minimum. The space available for you is 4 feet x 4 feet. That will accommodate a maximum of 16 panels of regular size paper. Fewer panels, leaving space between each, will provide a better visual appearance.
The poster boards are plywood panels covered with white vinyl plastic. Attach your materials to the poster board with pushpins or thumbtacks. Be sure to bring your own! You will need at least 4 pins per letter-size panel.
The top of the poster should have a 3-4 foot-wide banner printed with type one inch high (72 points; 2.5 cm) or larger, stating the title of the poster and the names and affiliations of the authors (underline or boldface the presenting author).
Start the poster with an introduction in large print that explains what you are doing and why. The introduction should give any necessary background information, the rationale for the work, and the scope of the study. An effective way to interest viewers is to focus on one or two questions that are answered by your research. Your poster will be less effective if you are excessively ambitious or include too much information.
Make the flow of information in the poster clear by using inch-high numerals on each panel and using simple self-explanatory headings for each major point. Organize the flow of information in columns running down the poster. Transitions from one section to the next should be explained. Using different colors of background matting for different parts of the work can be an effective way to help the viewer.
Each Table or Figure should have a heading in large print describing the essential finding or point. The text below each figure, in smaller type, should describe results and/or conclusions. Highlights or arrows can direct the viewer’s attention. Use clear labels on Figures and Tables to identify each curve, bar, or other result. Keep things simple! It is usually not necessary to include all of the data.
The conclusions, in large print, should state the key principles shown by the results, the answers to the questions raised in the introduction, and the significance of the results. It can be useful to identify the Figure or Table that supports each conclusion in parentheses after the conclusion. Cartoons or simplified schematic drawings are a way of summarizing the big picture.
A list of key references or available preprints or reprints can be useful for interested readers. Many Symposium participants will want a copy of your poster, or a preprint of your paper for the Symposium Proceedings. For the convenience of presenters and viewers alike, we are providing through the courtesy of AnaSpec, Inc. special "Preprint Request" envelopes on each poster board. Viewers interested in more information can place their business cards, etc. into these envelopes.
Audiovisual equipment can not be accommodated in the poster sessions, and electrical outlets are not available.

Adapted from E. Miles and P. Chivers (FASEB), who in turn used many suggestions from Daniel and Esther Gardner who wrote the Society for Neuroscience’s "Suggestions for Preparing Effective Posters". For additional information, see "Poster Sessions Can Lead to Networking Opportunities" in The Scientist (January 25, 1993).