Presentation Guidelines
Important Information and Deadlines
If you are a presenter, please read this section carefully.
Technical Support
For technical support with uploading the presentation to the online meeting platform, please contact Confex at setac@confex.com.
Virtual and In-Person Presentations
We are excited to be offering both in-person and virtual components of the meeting for a hybrid experience. Presentations are offered in three formats: virtual-only presentations, posters and platform talks.
To make traditional in-person presentation more accessible, the following applies:
POSTER PRESENTATIONS: All in-person poster presenters are required to provide a virtual component (either a PDF poster or slide deck, video or enhanced poster), which must be uploaded by the 2 November deadline.
PLATFORM PRESENTATIONS: All platform sessions will be live streamed with synchronous Q&A and recorded for virtual accessibility. Platform presenters can upload their slides in advance by 7 November or during the annual meeting.
VIRTUAL-ONLY PRESENTATIONS: Presenters who do not plan on attending in person must upload a virtual presentation and will be able to take advantage of asynchronous interaction with meeting participants. Virtual presentations can take the form of PDFs, videos or enhanced posters. All virtual presentations are on-demand only and will not be presented live.
All registrants will have access to the virtual content for three months after the end of the meeting.
Presenter Responsibilities
To provide an open and professional forum for scientific exchange, all attendees are expected to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. It is critical that you adhere to the SETAC presenter responsibilities as related to copyright, advertisements and disclosures. Presenters are expected to disclose conflicts of interest, both obvious or those that could be perceived by the scientific community as such, as well as research funding or support from others. Please note that SETAC does not allow presentations that are advertisements of a service or products. Moreover, presenters are expected to adhere to all meeting policies and SETAC policies, including the code of conduct and code of ethics.
Presenters can use the no recording icon on their slides or poster to discourage content copying. Further, please understand that while SETAC will respect the use of these icons, there is no way for SETAC to proactively enforce compliance with the policy. Therefore, you are encouraged to censor any material you do not wish to share publicly.
SETAC does NOT retain copyright on presentations. However, upon submission of a presentation, presenters grant SETAC permission to use, reproduce, display, distribute from the presentation. For instance, SETAC can report on presentations in SETAC communication outlets (e.g., newsletters, social media).
Presentation Content Tips
- Aim for clarity and simplicity.
- Be clear and concise in all statements.
- Use bullets and keep text to a minimum.
- Ensure that lettering and numbering is readable (i.e., not excessively small font).
- Use simple backgrounds so as not to distract from the message.
- Deploy graphs to convey trends, comparisons and relationships.
- List your preferred pronouns (optional, but encouraged) and use and respect the preferred pronouns of others.
- Consider accessibility needs
- Consider using an innovative format
Presentation Formats
The following list describes session formats at this SETAC meeting.
In-Person Poster Presentation
In-person poster presentations will be displayed onsite and must also be uploaded to the virtual platform by 5:00 p.m. ET on 2 November for online viewing. See instructions for virtual presentations.
Meet the Presenters – in person at Pittsburgh
The meeting schedule will include daily poster sessions in the exhibit hall, which will allow participants to mingle, meet and get into in-depth discussions about their work.
We have provided an easy-to-use 47×23-inch poster Powerpoint template for all presenters. (Please note, the presentation ID is your poster number, for example, 1.01.P-Mo001.)
If you use the poster template, please select a printer who will print at 200% of the original template size. The printed poster size should be 94×46 inches, which will fit inside of the 4×8-foot poster display.
Poster Content Design
- Poster presentation could be innovative and it is suggested to prominently feature the conclusion in the title. Displaying the online/virtual presentation number is also advised.
- Poster should be understandable without oral explanations.
- Posters should be readable from five feet away.
- Posters should be clear and simple. When designing a poster, make an initial rough layout, keeping in mind the proportions of figures, tables, and text and try to maintain a balance of utilizing approximately 50% of the poster board area.
- Good posters should avoid being a short manuscript. Be clear and brief in all statements. Include your objective, the design/methods, the results and conclusion in a concise fashion.
- Posters ideally have tables and figures displayed chronologically in vertical progression.
- Increase accessibility by using larger font sizes, keeping contrast high and considering color blindness, and embracing white space. For the virtual version of your poster, consider using alt text for images and providing labels for buttons.
- Posters should include acknowledgements and disclosures of obvious conflicts of interest (and those that may be perceived by the scientific community as such) as well as research funding or other sources of support.
- Presentations should not promote a commercial product, process or service nor denigrate (falsely accuse) the work or product of others.
In-Person Poster Display
Posters are displayed all day in the exhibit area. Poster sessions will be grouped by topic. Each poster display will be 4ft tall x 8ft wide (122cm x 244cm) mounted horizontally. This measurement includes a 2-inch metal frame border. All poster material should be confined to the space provided.
One 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 at 7:00 a.m. Poster viewing is throughout the day. Posters must be removed immediately at the end of each day, so that the boards may be prepared for the next day. The poster board surface consists of fabric over cork board. Push pins or Velcro can be used to mount the poster. EACH PRESENTER MUST PROVIDE PUSH PINS OR VELCRO FOR THEIR DISPLAY. A program committee member will be present in the poster area and available to provide assistance and answer any questions.
In-Person Poster Presenter Responsibilities
In-person poster presentations will be displayed onsite and must also be uploaded to the virtual platform by 5:00 p.m. EST on 2 November for online viewing. See instructions for virtual presentations.
Each poster presentation can only have one person listed as the presenter and that person must be registered for and attend the meeting. Presenters are expected to attend their poster during poster sessions to discuss their work with scientists visiting their poster. Should circumstances prevent you from making your presentation, you must arrange for a substitute to present your poster and you must notify SETAC (pittsburgh@setac.org).
In-Person Oral Plaform
Platform presentations are 12-minute oral talks given with the aid of projected slides, followed by 3 minutes of Q&A.
Platform Presentation Content Design
- Platform presentations could be innovative and start with a “highlights slide” that features the title of the presentation, the presenter’s name and affiliation and main conclusion. Adding the main conclusion into a highlight slide is what makes it different from the traditional title slide.
- Slides should communicate ideas, not details.
- Slides should be legible from 30–50 feet away.
- Slides should be clear and simple. For example, a table in a published article is much too detailed for a slide presentation. A graph or photograph may better communicate your data. Minimize distracting animations.
- Create accessible content as you create your slides, such as standard, non-decorative fonts (e.g. arial), high foreground-to-background contrast with simple colors, keeping color blindness in mind. It is advisable to leave a bit of space at the bottom of the slide so the live transcription will not interfere or overlap with the slide information.
- Presentations should include acknowledgements and disclosures of obvious (or potentially perceived) conflicts of interest, as well as research funding or other sources of support.
- Presentations should not promote a commercial product, process or service nor denigrate (falsely accuse) the work or product of others.
Platform Presentation Format
Platform presenters can use digital projection of a PowerPoint presentation. Slide orientation should be landscape 16:9 while 4:3 is also acceptable. English live transcription will be automatically enabled for in-person platform presentations.
Platform Presenter Responsibilities
- Presenters have two options to upload the PowerPoint file of slides:
- In advance: One of the most effective contributions to a presentation is being well-prepared! Upload your slides in advance of the meeting by 9:00 ET on 7 November, which takes away any last-minute hassle.
- On-site: You can also upload your presentation by 17:00 ET the day before your session in the Speaker Ready Room 308.
- Each platform presentation can only have one person listed as the presenter and that person must be registered for and attend the meeting.
- Presentations uploaded in advance of the deadline will be downloaded onto the computer before the session starts. However, please bring a backup of your PowerPoint presentation to the meeting on a USB memory device.
- Arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the beginning of your session and introduce yourself to the session chairs. Provide appropriate information to the chairs for your introduction.
- The chair will remind you to stay on time. Please do not take longer than your allotted time.
- Should circumstances prevent you from making your presentation, you must arrange for a substitute to present your paper and you must notify SETAC (pittsburgh@setac.org).
Virtual-Only Presentation
Virtual presentations can take the form of PDFs, videos (12 minutes or less) or enhanced posters (see below).
Presenters of virtual presentations or in-person poster presentations must upload PDFs, videos or e-posters associated with their presentation for the virtual component by 5:00 p.m. EST on 2 November. All virtual presentations are on-demand only and will not be presented live.
- Presentations will be organized within track and then by sessions, regardless of type (e.g., videos of slides, poster PDF or enhanced poster).
- Each presentation will have a textual Q&A chat box tied to it. This Q&A chat box will be available throughout the live meeting from 13-17 November and accessible for all attendees. Questions and answers can be captured at all times and will remain accessible during the live meeting and will be viewable for at least three months after the conference.
- Each presentation will be linked to a blinded email function (presenters’ email doesn’t show) so participants can email the presenter.
- PDF files of posters or slides are welcome and must be in landscape orientation.
- An aspect ratio of 16:9 is preferred while 4:3 is acceptable.
- The maximum file size is 200 MB.
- To keep file size low, export your files for online viewing instead of print when prompted. Your typical screen resolution is 72 dpi (print is 300 dpi).
- Poster files cannot contain embedded links, but presenters can upload supplementary information, such as a PDF handout with embedded links, when uploading materials to the Confex platform.
Enhanced Poster
Enhanced posters (e-posters) are PDFs with interactive capabilities. Available functions include interactive slides that zoom into specific content on your poster, with optional video and audio syncing. You can add these features to your poster presentation in the Confex platform editor when you upload. Detailed instructions will be provided in your presentation upload letter before the presentation upload deadline.
- The maximum number of pages (slides) should be one (1).
- The maximum file size is 200 MB.
- Set the dimensions of your poster to 43.6″ (110.7 cm) width x 24.5″ (62.2 cm) height in landscape orientation, or start with this template.
Note: The intent of the template is merely to ensure the dimensions are appropriate for the display screens that will be used at the meeting.
Video
- Accepted file formats include MP4, AVI, WMV and MOV
- Compress pictures to “on-screen” quality before saving.
- One of the easiest ways to create a recording of your presentations is through the PowerPoint recording tool. Check out this YouTube video for instructions.
- Presentations should include a voice-over or a video insert of presenter speaking.
- If you place a video of the presenter speaking, be sure to not place content on your presentation in that area.
- You can also use Skype, Zoom or any other recording technology.
- Any attached recording (video or audio) should NOT exceed 12 minutes. Shorter presentations are welcomed if they are deemed enough to convey the message.
- To make videos accessible to a larger audience, we strongly encourage you to include transcriptions or closed captions in your recorded presentation.
- Subtitles typically contain a transcription of the dialogue.
- Closed captions also describe audio cues such as music or sound effects that occur off-screen.
- Video description means audio-narrated descriptions of a video’s key visual elements. These descriptions are inserted into natural pauses in the program’s dialogue. Video description makes video more accessible to individuals who are legally blind or visually impaired.
Presentation Upload
- The presenting author will receive upload instructions from the SETAC office by email.
- At upload, presenters will have to grant permission to SETAC to allow presentations to be made available for a specified period of time.
Publications
- All accepted abstracts are published in the meeting abstract book under ISSN 1087-8939. SETAC retains the rights to all material published therein.
- If you are interested in additional opportunities to publish your work, SETAC offers additional opportunities before and after the meeting.