Reporting Results

Abstract

By the end of the course, students will be required to present the outcomes of their team experiments. For this purpose, poster and oral presentations are convenient ways to summarize these efforts. This last chapter covers the standard guidelines that should be followed for the preparation and format of poster and oral presentations. The key elements of each such as a title, introduction, methods, results, conclusion, acknowledgments, and references section are conferred. The issues of contrast between the font color and the background, the sizes of the fonts, and the use of figures and cartoons as means to make the presentation more attractive and easier to understand are discussed. An additional educational value can be provided by including peer-to-peer evaluations.

Self-Check Questions

• Q.12.1. The main goal of the poster presentation is to

  • A. Present all the data in detailed format

  • B. Produce stunning visual effects

  • C. Include all relevant references

  • D. Outline results and conclusions in a visually clear way

• Q.12.2. The recommended number of slides for oral presentation is

  • A. One slide per minute

  • B. One slide per 5 minutes

  • C. Three slides per minute

  • D. Ten slides per minute

• Q.12.3. In order to use the same figures for other types of publications, it is recommended to format poster figures using

  • A. Light colors on a dark background

  • B. Dark colors on a light background

  • C. A close match between background color and graphics

  • D. Red color on yellow background

• Q.12.4. Choose the correct statement.

  • A. Humor is not allowed in an oral presentation.

  • B. Poster content should be visible from approximately 2 m.

  • C. Oral presentation needs to include all methodological details.

  • D. Acknowledgment section should only include funding sources and not the names of the people who assisted authors with their studies.

• Q.12.5. Most space in a typical science poster has to be given to the ____ section.

  • A. Introduction

  • B. Methods

  • C. Results

  • D. Conclusion