SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Scientific Posters: From Boring to Better

Alana Flexman, MD, FRCPC
Arney Abcejo, MD
SNACC Scientific Affairs Committee

Alana Flexman, MD, FRCPC

Arney Abcejo, MD

We know that many of you are working on your abstract poster submissions for the upcoming SNACC Annual Meeting as we write this – and we can’t wait to see them all in September! Although this task can sometimes feel mundane, the scientific poster is often the first opportunity scientists have to share their work with their peers. These poster sessions at the SNACC meeting are a particular highlight where junior investigators mingle with established researchers and hone their presentation skills. Most importantly, new discoveries are shared amongst our diverse, international neuroanesthesia community. As a presenter, moderator and attendee we’ve seen a lot of posters: the good, the bad and the (sometimes) ugly…and yes, we’ve presented all of the above!

"Sick of the old “wall-of-text” poster design?”
– Mike Morrison, PhD Student, Michigan State University, @mikemorrison

While we all want to include as much information on our poster as possible, sometimes this means that our message can get lost. Mike Morrison, a PhD Student at Michigan State University, likened the poster session to driving down a highway looking at billboards full of text, unable to engage. What we really want to do is quickly and efficiently convey our findings to our colleagues, and make sure we don’t miss those who want to learn more. The next question is:

How do I draw people to my poster AND share my message?

Attracting a crowd is one thing. But keeping their attention long enough to share your message is another. Mike Morrison’s “better poster” is an excellent template to achieve both goals. However, converting from our preconceived notion of how a traditional scientific poster should look into a modernized, audience-centric design can be challenging to say the least.

While attendees are strolling through poster sessions looking through the “highway billboards” of scientific research, most of the presenters are eagerly awaiting for someone to ask a question and show off their hard, dedicated work.

Most attendees to your poster are there for three reasons:

They heard about your talk because they know you or heard about your research.
They saw your title in the conference program and it may have interplay with their research.
They were walking around and saw your attention-grabbing poster.

The latter - for the most part - is what the drastic aesthetic changes in the “better poster” aims for. However, the format changes to the left and right panels are what is essential for maintaining their attention and forms a basis for learning.

Out with the Old and in with the New: The Better Poster

Figure 1: Example of a “Better Poster” format presented at the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS) Annual Meeting 2019 in Montreal, Canada. Rights to the abstract publication belong to IARS (image of the presented poster, which is not published anywhere.)

Here is Dr. Abcejo’s most recent version of Mike Morrison’s “better poster” (Figure 1). There are a couple things to note on what might make this version successful.

Accepting empty space in the middle. This may be the most difficult part for most people to accept, including Dr. Abcejo. But the impact of the message of the research project carries so much more gravity when left alone. Notice, the full title of the project is tucked in the corner on the left.
The abstract is still there—just off to one side. Having the full abstract to one side, allows the presenter to interact with one individual or small group while giving the opportunity for those waiting in line to read the abstract in more detail. The font is still surprisingly big enough to read from three feet away.
For those who want more in depth information, QR codes are available. Below the main point are QR codes, which are easily made online. Just a quick photo with most cell phones will prompt the webpage attached to the QR code to open. In this case, the QR codes go to Dr. Pasternak and Abcejo’s biographies.
The column on the right is data. This is the ammunition for the presenter to refer to while speaking to the audience. What was the significance? How were two values different? What does the trend look like? Those answers and any references can all go in the column on the right.

Something Befitting SNACC’s Poster Symposium Format

At SNACC, the dedicated poster sessions offer an opportunity for the presenters and attendees to collaborate, encourage growth, engage enthusiasm, and foster relationships. As such, this year the program will include a mix of abstract formats designed to enrich your experience. Abstracts will be presented as printed posters, electronic posters, and those assigned to electronic poster sessions may choose a nontraditional mini-slide format if they desire. New this year, we will include a formal presentation of the top basic science and clinical abstracts.