A Poster to Show that Talks are Tops

Eva Amsen at Expression Patterns posted an informal poll for her readers, asking whether they prefer talks or poster presentations at scientific meetings. At her blog, Amsen presents — on a poster — data and comments to suggest that, while both are useful, talks trump posters. Of 165 voters, more than 75 percent indicated that they prefer communicating science through talks. In a comment, Ben K says that "posters are more work and often you get a smaller audience." However, Nicolau Werneck says that smaller audiences make it easier for researchers to tailor their poster presentations to the listeners. Commenter Amanda Szucsik says that while talks are great for "getting the word out on your work" to a larger audience, posters offer both presenters and their listeners "a more detailed, intimate discussion of specifics." Both, Szucsik adds, "are challenging, both are useful."