SAC Poster Guidelines

EDA Project Poster Guidelines (SAC)

Overview

This poster presents the results of an exploratory data analysis (EDA) project.
Unlike a traditional research poster, this is not hypothesis-driven. The goal is to:

  • Explore patterns in a dataset
  • Communicate findings using clear, well-chosen visualizations
  • Interpret patterns directly alongside figures

Organize content clearly and visually. Avoid large blocks of text.

Poster Template

Use one of the templates provided by the SAC:

Copy the template to your OneDrive account and share it with your group members so everyone can edit it.

Required Poster Sections

  • Introduction
  • Research Focus
  • Data Description
  • Exploratory Findings
  • Limitations & Next Steps
  • References
  • Acknowledgements

General Design Guidelines

  • Use headings and bullets only (no paragraphs)
  • Keep text concise and readable
  • Prioritize figures and interpretation
  • Avoid clutter; include only essential content
  • Place figures with bullets directly next to them (not separated)
  • Use font size 28 for text and 48 for headings
  • Adjust margin between column borders and text boxes to 1 to 1.5 in. to improve readability (full column width text boxes should be 13.5” wide)

Introduction

  • 5-8 bullets, including the following:
    • Study system: what/where/who is being studied
    • Why it matters: ecological, societal, or scientific relevance
    • Data source: dataset name or organization
    • Data scope: sample size, time frame, and/or geographic extent
    • Goal: what you aim to explore (not a hypothesis)
  • Visual requirement
    • Include at least one non-graph figure, such as:
      • Photo of organism/system
      • Diagram of study system
      • Maps that add context to your question (e.g. historical distribution of the study organism).
    • This figure should provide context, not analysis
    • Include a figure caption, with appropriate attribution of the image source.

Research Focus

  • 2–4 bullets, each bullet is a question
  • Questions should address:
    • Distribution (e.g., a single variable)
    • Comparison (differences among groups)
    • Relationships (between variables)
  • Examples:
    • What is the distribution of sleep duration?
    • How does sleep duration differ by age group?
    • What is the relationship between sleep and health status?
  • Rules:
    • Be specific (name variables)
    • No hypotheses or predictions
    • No vague or overly broad questions

Data Description

  • 4–6 bullets
    • Data source name with in-text citation
    • Unit of observation (what one row represents)
    • Sample size (n)
    • Key variables (with sub-bullets); example:
      • Human-readable variable name — numeric or categorical
      • Human-readable variable name — numeric or categorical
      • Human-readable variable name — numeric or categorical
    • Scope (time period and/or location)
  • Rules:
    • No interpretation

Exploratory Findings

This is the core of the poster.

  • Include 2–6 well-chosen visualizations
    • At least one must be a histogram or bar chart showing a key variable distribution
  • Each figure should function as a self-contained analysis
    • Each figure must be paired with 2–4 bullets (more if necessary)
    • Place bullets next to the figure (right, left, or below)
    • Each figure’s bullets should include:
      • Pattern (1-2 bullets): What is observed in the data
      • Inference (if applicable): report any parameter estimates or hypothesis test results, if any were done; for example if you have a graph comparing two means, you could give the estimates here and the results of a \(t\)-test
      • Interpretation: What the pattern suggests, or what the inference shows with regard to one or more of your Research Foci.
      • Implication (optional): How do these findings relate to the broader topic?
      • Caveats (if applicable): Any limitations, outliers, or uncertainty
    • Example:
      • Distribution of Average number of hours of sleep per night is right-skewed with several high-value outliers (14+ hours)
      • Most observations fall within a narrow lower range, from 5 to 9 hours
      • The mean was 7.8 hours, which is not significantly different from 8, the recommended number of hours of sleep for an adult (t=0.75, df=100, p=0.63).
      • Suggests people are getting enough sleep, on average, although there are a significant proportion who get more or less than recommended.
      • Note: Outliers may influence summary statistics
  • Do not include a figure caption or figure number, unless you refer to the figure elsewhere in your poster. Having the bullets next to the figure is sufficient.
  • Suggestions:
    • Write complete, specific statements
    • Refer to variables explicitly
    • Maximum ~12–15 words per bullet, for readability
    • Do not describe the plot mechanically (“this graph shows…”)
  • For help with preparing images for your poster, see How to How to Export a Graph from RStudio for a Poster

Limitations & Next Steps

This section takes the place of a traditional Discussion section.

  • 4–6 bullets
  • Data limitations (e.g., bias, missing data, sample size issues)
  • Constraints of the analysis
  • Logical next steps (e.g., hypothesis testing, modeling, additional data); 2-3 bullets

References

  • Bullet list of citations (typically 2-8)
  • Use a consistent citation style
  • Do not include bare URLs
  • Citations to include:
    • Dataset citation (required)
    • Associated publications (if applicable)
      • For example, Dryad datasets are usually associated with a journal publication
    • tidyverse package (required); cite as a single package, do not cite individual packages such as dplyr, ggplot2
    • Any non-tidyverse packages you used
    • Any sources cited in the Introduction or Limitations & Next Steps sections
  • Do not cite lecture slides, class notes, the class website, or the textbook.
TipGetting citations for R packages

You can get the citation for any R package using the citation() function in R.

For example:

citation("tidyverse")

Format the resulting citation in the same style as other citations on your poster.

Acknowledgements

  • Instructor (Chris Merkord)
  • Anyone who provided substantive help (e.g., data access, feedback)
  • Only include individuals who provided direct assistance
  • Do not acknowledge authors already listed in References, unless they offered some direct assistant with the project beyond publishing the article or dataset
  • Examples:
    • We thank Chris Merkord for guidance on project design and analysis.
    • We thank Jane Doe for assistance with data access.

Summary of Expectations

A strong poster will:

  • Clearly describe the dataset and context
  • Pose focused exploratory questions
  • Use a small number of effective visualizations
  • Provide direct interpretation alongside each figure
  • Communicate findings concisely and visually