FISH 506M

Effective Scientific Poster Communication

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Credit Value: 1 Credit

Schedule: Not offered, 2025/2026

Description: Most scientists, particularly in the early phases of their career, are expected to present the results of their research in the form of a conference poster. Yet unlike oral presentations, students receive little training on this mode of scientific communication.

The course material will be conveyed through a series of weekly instructor and student-led seminars that include presentations and group discussion. Presentations will be made by the instructor, with each student expected to also make a presentation on one of the focal topics. It is expected that each week will entail two to three hours of work, including self-directed study, presentations, and group discussion. 

Focal Topics:

Week 1: The history of poster presentations as a tool in life science communication

Week 2: Basic “Do’s and Don’ts” of poster design – Preference vs. design flaws

Week 3: Accessibility in poster design – Thinking beyond the majority

Week 4: Thinking outside the box – Using modern technology to enhance traditional posters

Week 5: Putting it into practice – Group design exercise for a conference poster

Learning Objective: 

  • To develop an understanding of some best practices in the development of poster presentations for engaging audiences of varying levels of scientific understanding.
  • To demonstrate the ability to communicate scientific research from an accessibility standpoint, focusing on features such as easy to follow layout and accessible colour schemes for colour blind individuals.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Display effective scientific communication skills from literary, visual, and oral perspectives.
  • Demonstrate the ability to convey information at various levels of understanding.
  • Experience with leading graduate-level discussions and effective communication techniques.

Assessment: Weekly contribution to group discussions; presentation on a focal topic.

Textbook and Materials: This list will include selected passages from the following sources, and will be amended and supplemented as needed.

  • Briscoe, M. H. (1996) Preparing scientific illustrations: a guide to better posters, presentations, and publications. New York: Springer, 1996.
  • Fraser, J., Fuller, L., & Hutber, G. (2009). Creating Effective Conference Abstracts and Posters in Biomedicine. CRC Press 2016.
  • Katsnelson, A. (2021). Fixing Figures For Colours Blindness. Nature, 598, 224-225.
  • Mineiro, J. P. (2015). Accessible urban posters to blind people: a proposal for a design template for all, based on a mobile solution. InfoDesign: Brazilian journal of information design, 12(1), 143.
  • Patience, G. S., Boffito, D. C., & Patience, P. A. (2015). Communicate Sience Papers, Presentations, and Posters Effectively. Academic Press, 2015.

Course Instructor: Dr. David Rosen