Poster Sessions
Poster Sessions are held Monday through Wednesday, with Late-Breaking Poster Sessions on Thursday morning. Authors are assigned to a specific Poster Session, and on the day of their assigned session, their posters are displayed all day during ToxExpo hours (9:00 am–4:30 pm), allowing attendees to visit the posters at their convenience. Authors will attend their posters only during the assigned Poster Session time frame.
This page contains instructions and tips for accepted poster presenters, including how to prepare/design your poster, when and how to display your poster, author attendance expectations, and FAQs. SOT also has provided guidelines and information for Poster Session Chairs, such as pre-meeting preparation and on-site roles and responsibilities.
Scientific ePosters
SOT is pleased to offer poster presenters the opportunity to share their research electronically as well as in their assigned Poster Session at the 2020 Annual Meeting. Poster authors will receive emails about uploading ePosters beginning in mid-February. This email will be sent to presenting (first) authors only. Additionally, you will be able to upload your ePoster throughout the Annual Meeting.
Please note that uploading an ePoster does not replace your physical poster; ePosters should be provided in addition to your physical poster, which must be displayed all day on the assigned day. Your ePoster and physical poster should be identical.
Instructions for Poster Session Presenters
Preparing Your Poster
Poster Preparation Tips and Layout Suggestions 
4’ x 8’ (122 cm x 244 cm) Display Area
Posters are mounted horizontally on usable space of 3.75’ x 7.6’ (114.3 cm x 231.1 cm). All poster material should be confined to the space provided and should not exceed it.
Headers Come First
At the top of each poster you should post a label stating the title, authors, and author affiliations, in addition to the abstract final ID number. The lettering of this title strip should be at least 1” (2.54 cm) high.
COI and Logos
Conflict of interest disclosures should be included on your poster. Institutional logos, but not product logos, are allowed on your poster.
Aim for Clarity and Readability
Make sure your poster is understandable without an oral presentation and readable from five feet away. Remember that your poster will be on display all day.
Keep Visual Balance in Mind
Make an initial rough layout, paying attention to the proportions of figures, tables, and text. Try to maintain a balance of using ~50% of the poster board area for figures and tables.
A Good Poster Is Like a Good Paper
Include your objective, the design/methods, the results, and the conclusion, but avoid displaying a short manuscript. Experimental details should be concise. Tables and conclusions should be clearly stated.
Keep It Simple
Don’t overload your poster with excessive text and data. Where possible, organize tables and figures chronologically in vertical progression.
Poster Board Details
The poster board surface consists of fabric over a corkboard. You may use pushpins or Velcro to mount the poster. Pushpins are provided on-site.
Choose Photographs with Caution
Illustrative drawings should be used to depict animals. Photographs of animals should be used only where absolutely necessary for the scientific presentation. Because SOT does not condone inhumane treatment of animals, photographs depicting such treatment (as well as data derived from such treatment) will not be permitted under any circumstances. Posters for which human subject data are presented should indicate on the poster that protocols were reviewed and approved by a Human Subjects Institutional Review Board.
No Active Promotion of Exhibitor Booths
SOT policy prohibits the active promotion of ToxExpo exhibitors on scientific posters (e.g., “visit xxx in Booth Number yyy”). SOT reserves the right to remove scientific posters that specifically promote a ToxExpo booth. Listing author affiliations in the poster title is not considered active promotion.
Poster Retrieval after All-Day Poster Display
Posters are required to be displayed during ToxExpo hours (9:00 am–4:30 pm) on the day of the author’s assigned Poster Session.
On Monday and Tuesday, posters that are left on the boards after 5:00 pm will be placed in a poster retrieval area near that Poster Session’s presentation area and can be picked up by the author the next morning. Any posters in the retrieval area that are unclaimed by 10:00 am the day after the poster presentation will be destroyed.
On Wednesday, posters left on the boards after 5:00 pm will be removed and placed on tables outside the Exhibit Hall entrance. Any posters unclaimed by 10:00 am on Thursday will be destroyed.
Optional: Alternative Format for Poster Design
The SOT Scientific Program Committee (SPC) encourages authors to format their posters in a way that best portrays their research and fosters discussion. There are many philosophies and recommendations regarding poster displays, and the SOT community on LinkedIn engaged in a discussion of a new poster format dubbed Poster 2.0. More information on Poster 2.0 is available on the creator’s YouTube account.
The SPC does not endorse or recommend a particular poster format. The only rules related to poster display, such as use of photographs and promotion of exhibitor booths, are outlined on this web page.
Scientific Poster Printing Services
SOT offers poster presenters the ability to have a poster printed and picked up on-site in Anaheim, instead of carrying it to the meeting. Shepard Exposition Services is the official general service contractor providing this service on behalf of SOT. Follow the instructions in the Shepard Poster Pro PDF to place an order; orders must be received by February 24, 2020.
Presenting Your Poster
The Chair of each Poster Session will be present at the session and available to provide assistance and answer any questions. This individual will be wearing a “Session Chair” ribbon.
Poster Mounting Information
The presenting author of each poster abstract is responsible for the proper assembly, mounting, and presentation of the poster. Presenters will be allowed to begin mounting their display on their assigned board per the following schedule:
| Day | Poster Display Times | Begin Mounting Posters | Location | Entrance for Mounting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday | 9:00 AM–4:30 PM | 7:30 AM | Exhibit Hall | Main Exhibit Hall entrance |
| Thursday (Late-Breaking Session) | 8:30 AM–11:30 AM | 8:00 AM | Hall A | Main doorway |
Poster presentations have unique identifying numbers known as the abstract number (also known as the abstract final ID number). Abstract numbers do not specify poster board locations; presentations have separate poster board numbers. Poster presentations are mounted on prenumbered boards throughout the Exhibit Hall. The Program PDF and SOT Event App include an Exhibit Hall layout listing the poster board number preceded by the abstract final ID number. Poster board numbers are preceded by a “P.” Example: 279–P101 reflects Abstract #279 and Poster Board Number P101.
Presenters should display posters ONLY on the assigned day. Posters must be removed immediately at the end of each day so that the boards may be prepared for the next day’s Poster Sessions.
Poster Session Times and Expectations
All posters must be displayed during ToxExpo hours (9:00 am–4:30 pm) on the day of the author’s assigned Poster Session. This is an expectation of SOT Annual Meeting poster presenters and is enforced by SOT staff and Poster Session Chairs.
Monday through Wednesday will consist of three Poster Session time periods. Presenters are required to attend their posters during their assigned Poster Session time period—the poster itself will be displayed all day. The three Poster Session times are:
- 9:00 AM–10:45 AM
- 10:45 AM–12:30 PM
- 2:15 PM–4:30 PM
Presenters will be informed of their assigned Poster Session time, and the assigned session times also will be available in the SOT final Program PDF and the SOT Event App and with the Poster Session Chairs.
Presenters are expected to discuss their work with scientists visiting their poster. Should circumstances prevent you from making your presentation, you must arrange for a co-author or colleague to present your poster and you must notify your session Chair as well as SOT Headquarters.
Poster Sessions FAQs
Based on attendee comments in the Annual Meeting Surveys, many attendees were often unable to attend Poster Sessions due to busy schedules. SOT leadership agreed to follow other scientific society models and offer an all-day poster display to maximize the experience of all attendees.
SOT policy is to not allow any photography of posters unless permission is expressed by the author. SOT staff and security staff will be enforcing the “no photography” policy on-site to curtail concerns about the all-day display format. “No Photography” signs will be displayed on all poster boards. Attendees who violate the no photography policy risk ejection from the Annual Meeting.
No. Presenting authors will attend their posters during their assigned Poster Session time frame, but the poster will remain displayed for the entire day.
The presenting authors are encouraged to include an email address or other contact information on their poster so attendees who view the poster when the author is not in attendance can contact the authors with questions or other information.
Poster Sessions and their corresponding time blocks are defined by topic (e.g., Neurotoxicology, Metals) so that attendees interested in that topic have access to the authors at the same time. In addition, the Scientific Program Committee will make every effort to ensure that no Scientific Sessions, including Platform Sessions, related to a specific topic occur during the same time period as the Poster Session for that topic.
As in previous years, the Program, SOT Event App, and other materials will include annotations to indicate the Poster Session time, which corresponds to the author-attended time. In addition, signs will be placed on the ToxExpo floor to explain and define the session times.
On Monday through Wednesday, authors may enter the Exhibit Hall as early as 7:30 am to mount their posters. On Thursday, authors may begin setting up their posters at 8:00 am. As always, pushpins will be provided.
Poster “tear-down” will occur between 4:30 pm and 5:00 pm Monday through Wednesday.
On Monday and Tuesday, posters that are left on the boards after 5:00 pm will be placed in a poster retrieval area near that Poster Session’s presentation area and can be picked up by the author the next morning. Any posters in the retrieval area that are unclaimed by 10:00 am the day after the poster presentation will be destroyed.
On Wednesday, posters left on the boards after 5:00 pm will be removed and placed on tables outside the Exhibit Hall entrance. Any posters unclaimed by 10:00 am on Thursday will be destroyed.
Authors are required to have their poster mounted on the board for the full duration of the ToxExpo hours (9:00 am–4:30 pm). Poster Session Chairs will be assigned to assist authors during the Poster Sessions, to note any empty boards, and to check compliance with the all-day poster display requirement.
Only late-breaking posters will be programmed for Thursday, from 8:30 am to 11:30 am.
It is very common for Poster Session Chairs to present a poster in the session they are chairing; that is why SOT assigns up to four Chairs per Poster Session. You may split the poster Chair duties with the other Chairs. If the other Chairs also are presenting posters in your Poster Session, you are authorized to leave your poster for a few minutes during the session to fulfill the Chair duties as explained in the Poster Session Chair Guidelines.
Objectives
The primary objective of the Poster Session is to foster and encourage discussion and debate of important scientific questions relevant to the major themes of the session. Secondary objectives include providing specific feedback to the authors concerning their data and its interpretation and fostering interchange between the presenters and the observers of the poster material.
Rationale
Poster Sessions are composed of related abstracts, which are presented in a poster format. There can be anywhere from five to 40 abstracts programmed together under one of several themes. Authors are required to display their poster on their assigned board from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm on the day of their Poster Session (Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday). Authors will present their posters during the assigned Poster Session, during which the viewers can discuss their work with them on an individual or small group basis. There is no formal discussion period, but Chairs are expected to attend and foster discussion among the authors and the viewers. Since the majority of abstracts presented at the meeting will be scheduled in this format, the role of the Chair is extremely important.
Preparation for the Annual Meeting
The Chairs will be assigned to each Poster Session before the Annual Meeting and should have some degree of expertise in the topic being presented. The abstracts to be presented during the Poster Sessions can be downloaded by using the SOT Online Planner and SOT Event App before the meeting. It is highly recommended that the Chairs be familiar with the abstracts being presented during the assigned Poster Session.
Chairs are encouraged to contact their colleagues to inform them of the Poster Session and the major themes and to ask that they attend the session. These colleagues should have expertise in the major areas being addressed, and when possible, new investigators specifically should be invited.
Poster Session Times and Author Attendance
Scientific posters must be displayed between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm on the day of the author’s assigned Poster Session. However, presenting authors are asked to stand by their posters only during the assigned Poster Session time period. Due to the all-day poster display format, up to four Chairs may be assigned to each Poster Session, depending on the number of posters in the session. Duties may be split between Chairs. For example, one or two Chairs may tend to the session during the actual Poster Session, and the other Chair(s) may visit the posters in that session during the rest of the day to ensure all posters are in compliance and being displayed. Chairs are not asked to stand by the poster boards in their session all day.
Responsibilities as a Poster Chair
Encourage attendees to view the posters.
Guide viewers to posters that will be of particular interest to them, and foster discussions between attendees and authors.
Check all displayed materials for appropriateness.
Photographs that depict inhumane treatment of animals are not permitted and must be removed. If there are any questions regarding the appropriateness of any presented material, contact the on-site SOT Headquarters Office.
Keep it clean.
Make sure that the area around the session is kept clean and free of refuse.
Solicit feedback from presenters and attendees.
The SPC requests that you ask those participating in your session for comments, concerns, and suggestions to improve the Annual Meeting. Any information received should be noted on your Evaluation Form (sent electronically by SOT Headquarters).
Monitor all-day poster display compliance.
Poster Chairs are asked to visit the posters in their session throughout the day to ensure all posters are on display in accordance to the all-day poster display requirement.
Responsibilities during the Poster Session
Interact with each poster presenter.
Welcome the authors’ participation and reduce any nerves or discomfort of any presenter. This function is particularly important when the poster’s author is a new or younger investigator.
Guide experts to relevant posters.
Expert feedback is important to presenting authors. Again, this function is particularly important when the author is a new or younger investigator.
Serve as a bridge between authors of different posters.
Often, presenting authors are not able to review other posters at the same session because they are committed to standing by their own poster during the session. Help facilitate interaction between presenting authors.
Ensure posters are attended by authors.
It is expected that each board will be attended by the presenter or alternate during the Poster Session. Any unattended displays should be listed on your session Evaluation Form.