The Evaluation and Judging
Students who present posters in the Student Competition for
the President's Prize will be evaluated in two areas:
- Scientific Content (60%)
- Title and abstract (maximum of 250 words) from the poster
presentation request form—Clarity of information, organization, and
grammar (15 points)
- Poster content—Background and literature cited, study
design or approach to problem, results, interpretation and significance
to field. Quality of research will be judged on its scientific rigor and
significance as conveyed by the poster. Be certain to address why the
research was conducted and why the results are important. Poster displays
must be self-explanatory. Although judges may discuss poster displays
with students, such interaction is not included in the evaluation of the
display. (45 points)
- Poster Display (40%)
- Organization—Logical order, smooth transitions, minimum
redundancy, and effective use of space (20 points)
- Figures, Tables, Text Boxes—Legibility, grammar and
spelling, and graphics coordinated with text (20 points)
Each poster display is judged independently by three judges
who were selected by the Section Presidents. Judges are encouraged to provide
constructive comments for each presentation; however, comments may be very
brief or absent because of the limited time available to comment. A sample of
the
poster display
evaluation form is included in this section.
In the event of a tie or a major discrepancy in scores, the
judges will meet with the Student Competition Chair(s) to resolve the issue(s).
Students who finish in second place will be identified for honorable mention.
The Sessions
Students compete only against the students in their poster
display session. Students have been grouped into judging sessions that
typically include no less than six, but no more than 12, posters, although up
to 13 is allowed. The size of each poster session depends on the initial number
of posters submitted to a specific Section. Some Sections are subdivided to accommodate the
large number of submissions. Others are combined because of the low number of
submissions or to maintain the maximum
limit of 12 papers per session.
The Poster
Poster design can significantly enhance or severely diminish
the effectiveness of your presentation. The following guidelines are general
considerations:
§ Focus
of attention: The focus of attention must be on the subject content. If the
design overshadows the subject matter, the message is likely to be lost.
§ Size
and selection of visuals: Larger visuals attract more attention. Visuals not
relevant to the content will distract the viewer.
§ Density
of visuals and text (labels): Too many visuals (pictures) and text (labels) in
a small space decreases readers’ attention, because each object is in
competition with the others. Minimize these to prevent stimulus overload!
Generally, a maximum length of 50-75 words per label results in a higher
probability of people reading it.
§ Ability
to read text: Letters should be large so that they can easily be read from 2-3
feet away. Letters should be easily read (avoid Old English and other
"fancy" fonts).
§ Poster
layout:
o Use
a consistent layout with heading and subheading font and size standardized;
o Use
bulleted lists to facilitate reading;
o Relate
the content of the text to the picture it describes;
o Reduce
competing stimuli—Avoid placing a large number of labels and visuals next to
one another; and
o Provide
good contrast between the text and background (avoid white on white, blue on
navy, etc.).
From Visitor Evaluation: A Workshop Manual by
Stephen Bitgood, Center for Social Design, P.O. Box 1111, Jacksonville, AL
36265
