Top 10: Mistakes People Make on their Boards
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We've all seen some of these issues on boards - something we just plain out forget to do - this list gives some of the top 10 design sins on your science fair board!
10. Really Small Font
9. Too Much Text
A board filled with text does not attract people and could confuse judges and the general public. The bare necessities: Hypothesis, Small Summary of Results, Conclusions and Acknowledgements (if appropriate) should be included.
8. Too Many Graphs
Data is fundamental, it is the crux of your project. It is important not to crowd your board with too much detailed information, especially quantitave data that can risk confusing your audience. You want to include the most significant graphs and tables, those which demonstrate the trend of your results and will be most commonly referred to in the analysis. This will minimize confusion for your audience and emphasize key points in your project.
7. No Focus
As previously mentionned, your oral presentation as well as your visual one(s) need to be organized and coherent. Displaying your information in a logial and sequential manner allows your audience to better assimilate the information and understand the big picture. In order for a puzzle to be completed properly, the pieces need to be arranged so that they fit into each other and go together. The elements of your poster board are the same. In order for your entire project to be coherent, all of the seperate sections need to be linked and organized in a way that they lead up to the big picture, your conclusion!
6. No Name
The research that you are presenting is phenomenal and is the product of months of hard work! People are impressed that high school students are displaying such high-level project material. Don't you want to take credit for your work? Never forget to put your name on your poster and take pride in what you have accomplished!
5. Not a lot of Colour
When buying posters and postcards, people tend to favour those that have a lot of colour and are aestetically pleasing. The same rules apply to your board.Use eye-catching colors to attract people and enhance the overall look of your presentation. The best thing to accompany a dynamite oral presentation is an appealing board. Never be shy to use colour, all the while mainting a professional look!
4. Poorly Chosen Colours
Green, purple and brown may be your favourite colours but it doesn't necessarily mean its a good choice. Try to look at your project and look at what colours are linked to your project and what colours will make your project stand out. Ex. Cancer Research: Yellow is the colour representation of cancer, therefore Yellow would be a good colour.
3. Confusing or Misleading Title
It is always best to have a scientifically informative title, especially for judging purposes. Judges, particularly Special Awards judges, do not have time to evaluate all of the projects and therefore rely on the titles to make a preliminary selection of candidates for special awards. To appeal to a spectrum of audiences, you can have a very short catchy title followed by a colon and then your more informative one.
2. No References or Acknowledgements
It is suggested at some fairs to put references and acknowledgements on your board. Sometimes, however, you have too many references to conceivably place them on your board. It is then suggested to have a binder with all of your references inside so you can have easy access to them. Your judges are also very likely to have a copy of your bibliography along with your project report. In contrast, it is more difficult to decide when and at which fair to place acknowledgements on a poster board. It is usually acceptable at regional fairs, however not highly recommended at higher levels such as at the Canada-Wide Science Fair and the Intel ISEF, one such reason being that it elminiates biased judgements that can be formed. Always acknowledge your mentor, if you worked with one, but try to avoid direct references on your board.
1. Putting Too Much Detail on your Board
When visiting a science fair, people do not have time to read detailed boards. The same goes for judges. It is important to keep the information on your board concise to enable you to effectively emphasize key points and allow your audience to understand the crux of your project. Too much detail takes away from the appeal of your board and will not demonstrated your ability to categorize and organize information properly. The important thing is quality, not quantity!
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