Dear Poster Presentation Judge,
This letter contains specific information on judging criteria and procedures. During the session, please remember that the emphasis is on presentation, not content, due to the wide range of subjects. The two most important parts of the judging procedure are (1) to give an overall score and (2) write specific comments, particularly for high-scoring posters. If you wish, you can judge the overall score after visiting all the posters in each session in order to precisely rank the presentations.
The competing presenters were told which time to be at their poster for judging. If they are not at their poster when you come to judge it, you should indicate this on the judging sheet. Please return to the poster at least once more during the judging session in attempt to judge the presentation.
Below is a brief explanation of the criteria on the judging sheets:
The evaluation will be based on timing, clarity of expression, effective use of illustrations, organization and logic. All of these are primarily or completely under control of the student. For presentation, a 1-5 scale will be used, with 1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good But Not Great, 4 = Consider for Award, and 5 = Award Winner. A summary of some of the key criteria is provided on the score sheet, which can be used along with comments to give the judges a basis for the cumulative score.
Criteria for Poster Presentation
Students should be able to speak clearly - no "um, er, you know." They should say enough to explain any item, without going into excessive detail (unless asked for). They should explain the poster logically, starting with background and going on to results and conclusions. The figures need not be photographic quality, but should be neat and legible. The poster should be arranged logically, not just a collection of figures tacked up in no particular order. The title should be legible from a moderate distance, and there should be an abstract or some short summary for people who just want to read the overall concept. While there is no “correct” amount of text to include in a poster, it is usually possible to judge if a poster has either too much text or not enough, affecting the quality of the presentation. There should be some sort of summary diagram or list of conclusions. The figures should be designed to be informative in a poster context, not just copies of something for publication. Extra credit might be given for a visually catchy set-up and use of color. Student should be able to handle poster alone; points should be deducted if he/she turns to the advisor for help. If the advisor attempts to take over, the judge should continue to address questions to the student.
Criteria for Content of a Poster
Arrangement should be logical; it should explain the problem to be addressed, describe methods (briefly), present results, and draw explicit conclusions. Points should be deducted for diverging into unnecessary details. The purpose of the study should be clear, not just a description of data. There should be enough data to support the conclusions but not too much -- a few illustrative results are usually more effective than trying to include all the data. Either verbally or visually, there should be a statement of the problem and of the conclusions. With a poster it is easier to determine whether student understands the work.
Determination of Winner
The top three posters will all be given monetary rewards. The winners will be determined by the cumulative scores from the judges. On each judging sheet you will see a place at the top for the total score of all the values you awarded the presenter. The sums of all three judges for a poster will be accumulated, and the top cumulative score will be awarded first prize and so on down to third prize. If there is a tie, we (the committee) will look at which presenter received the most “5’s” and we will look at the comments to determine the winner. The committee will announce the overall winners and will be involved in the process, but it is your evaluations as judges that decide who the winners will be. The committee will take no part in that evaluation.
Thank you once again for all of your time and effort for making this event great!
Sincerely,
2009 Research Review Committee