Scientific Method,

Scientific Abstract &

Scientific Poster
Dr. Juan F. Arratia
Executive Director
Student Research Development Center
Ana G. Méndez University System
Six steps of the scientific method
• State the problem
▫ Why is that doing that? or Why isn’t it working?
• Gather information
▫ Research information and gather a background of
the problem at hand.
• Form a hypothesis
▫ Form a possible explanation to the problem at
hand.
Six steps of the scientific method
• Test the hypothesis
▫ Make observations and conduct an experiment.
• Analyze data
▫ Record the data and organize it in tables and
graphs.
• Draw conclusions
▫ Base on the data you’ve collected, determine if you
either approve or disapprove your initial
hypothesis.
The Scientific
Method
Ten steps to writing an effective
abstract
1. Identify mayor objectives and conclusions
2. Identify phrases with keywords in the methods
section
3. Identify the major results from the discussion
or results section.
4. Assemble the above information into a single
paragraph.
5. State your hypothesis or method used in the
first sentence.
Ten steps to writing an effective
abstract
6. Omit background information, literature review,
and detailed description of methods.
7. Remove extra words and phrases.
8. Revise the paragraph so that the abstract conveys
only the essential information.
9. Check to see if it meets the guidelines of the
targeted journal.
10. Give the abstract to a mentor or teacher and ask
him/her whether it makes sense.
What is a Scientific Poster?
• It is a large representative poster that
communicates your research outcomes to an
audience.
• The poster should be well organized and concise
enough for the viewer to read it in less than 10
minutes.
Posters vs. Talk
• The poster allows you to more personally
interact with the people who are interested in
your research, but at the same time it allows you
to reach people who are not in your specific field
of research.
Creating a poster
• Choose the correct software
▫ PowerPoint, InDesign, Illustrator, among others.
▫ PowerPoint is the most common used software
and there are many free templates available on the
Internet.
• Poster dimensions and layouts
▫ Most conferences have predetermined dimensions
for the posters, as well as the orientation (portrait
or landscape).
▫ Common dimensions for posters are 36” x 42”, 42”
x 48”, 42” x 52”, among others.
Sequence
• When creating a poster think of it as a story.
• Every story needs a logical sequence.
• Try going in columns from left to right and up to
down.

The Abstract
is an
exception that
goes in line
with the title.
Sample Poster
Main Parts of a Poster
• Title
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Materials/Methods
• Results
• References
• Acknowledgments
• Further information
Title
Title
• The title is what grabs the attention of the
viewer. Because of this, it should be catchy in
order to “capture” the passersby.
• It should convey the “issue,” the approach and
the system.
• It should have no more than one or two lines.
Title

Investigation Title
Authors’ names
Affiliations including mentors

Affiliation Logos
Parts of the Title
• Investigation title
▫ It should have the biggest font size of the poster.
The title should be readable from 15-20 feet away.
▫ Bold and not all caps.
• Authors’ names & affiliations
▫ Should be grouped together.
▫ If you have the space use first names.
• Affiliation logos
▫ Include the logos of your research site, affiliated
university and any other necessary logo.
Abstract
Abstract
• The abstract should contain Background,
Research Question and Results.
• Depending on the rules of the poster session you
may or may not be asked to include this section
on your poster.
• If you are to include it keep it brief and precise.
• The abstract should be a very brief summary of
your investigation and the purpose of this
investigation.
Introduction
Introduction
• In this part you get your viewer interested in the
question your research proposes.
• Place your issue in a context and then “pitch” an
interesting hypothesis.
• Although hard to do, try to limit the text in this
section. You do not want to overwhelm the
reader.
• This is a wonderful section to add a couple of
pictures to get the reader excited.
Introduction

Title

Content

Pictures

Picture Description
Materials and Methods
Materials and Methods
• Briefly describe experimental equipment and
methods, but NOT in a very detailed manner.
• In this section you explained in a very concise
way how you reached the conclusion of your
research.
• It is optional to use graphs here, but they are
usually reserved for the results section.
Results
Results
• This will be the largest section of the poster.
• In this section you will explain the results of
your hard work.
• Start by mentioning whether the experiment
worked or not. (Should be the first paragraph)
• After this, present the data analysis that
addresses the results of the research.
• Use graphs and/or images to support your data
analysis.
Results

Title

Results

Data Graphs and

Description
Future Experiments
Future Experiments
• If you feel there can be additional experiments
with your research, feel free to add them to this
section.
• This is an optional part and only applies to
certain researches.
References
References
• In this section you will add all the references
that helped you do your research.
• Use reliable sources that back up your research.
• Cite them in the appropriate format, according
to the symposium or activity you are going to
present in. (Usually APA format)
• Do not use only Internet refernces.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
• Thank individuals for specific contributions to
the project.
• Do not lapse too much information onto this
section.
• Do not forget funding acknowledgments.
• Do not make references to religious preferences.
Do’s
• Leave breathing space around your text
• Plain fonts
• Be consistent in text size, color and type in the
whole poster.
• Whenever possible, use lists rather than blocks
of sentences.
• Keep your posters visual (Images say more than
words).
• Use high resolution pictures that can be seen at a
fair distance.
Don’ts
• Make your poster too long. (“Less is more”)
• Use all caps anywhere in the poster.
• Give your graphs color background.
• No more than 2 or 3 colors in your poster.
• Dark font on light background or vice versa.
Your poster
• Your poster is the result of your hard work so be
very detailed with it.
• Express yourself in the poster but be sure that
the “expression” is readable by your audience.
• There are no specific rules on posters, just some
guidelines so be sure to include your own style
into it.
• Above else have fun doing it.
Scientific Paper
Scientific Paper
Resources
• http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/posterpres.html
• http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/examples
• http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/po
steradvice.htm
• http://www.sfedit.net
• http://www.sciencespot.net/Media/scimethodwk
st.pdf
• http://srdc.suagm.edu
Juan F. Arratia, Ph.D

Ana G. Méndez University System

Vice-Presidency for Planning and Academic Affairs
Student Research Development Center
P.O. Box 21150
San Juan, P.R. 00928-1150
Tel.(787)766-1717 Ext.6000
Fax.(787)751-5386
E-mail:um_jarratia@suagm.edu
Web Page: http//srdc.suagm.edu