This document provides guidance on how to effectively present a technical paper. It discusses topics such as getting started by creating an outline rather than a script, selecting important content for the audience, and displaying text and visuals in a clear and concise manner. Effective presentation involves using bullets, short phrases, headings, and parallel structure in text, as well as simple visuals, color, and animation to enhance understanding. Proper delivery through posture, eye contact and voice is also covered, along with handling questions. Sample slides are critiqued to demonstrate best practices.

1. How to Present a
Technical paper
Presented by:
Shahidul Islam Khan
Asst. Professor, CSE

2. How to Present a Scientific Paper
Topics to Cover
 Getting started
 Displaying text
 Displaying graphics
 Animating
 Presenting
 Critiquing sample slides

3. Getting Started
• Create a slide show that is an outline,
not a script
• Use the slide show...
 to select important information and visuals
 to organize content
 to create a hierarchy

4. Getting Started
• Set up Slide Master
 Allows you to design the “look” of your
slide show
• Browse design templates or create
your own

5. Getting Started
To select a design, ask yourself:
 In what type of room will I give my talk?
• Well-lit room: use light background / dark
text and visuals
• Dimly-lit room: use dark background / light
text and visuals

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10. Selecting Content
• Consider your audience!
• State problem/question clearly & early
(title, abstract, intro)
• Include significance
• Include background: organism/system
• Concisely state the “point of departure”
for work

11. Selecting Content, Part 2
• Results: include the how & the why!
 Hypothesis
 Method (remember audience)
 Show figures and guide audience through them
 State authors’ conclusions; your agreement or
disagreement
• Summarize paper’s overall conclusions
• Suggest areas for improvement; future
investigations

12. Displaying Text
• Remember that your audience...
 skims each slide
 looks for critical points, not details
 needs help reading/ seeing text
• Help your audience by…
 Projecting a clear font
 Using bullets
 Using content-specific headings
 Using short phrases
 Using grammatical parallelism

13. Project a Clear Font
• Serif: easy to read in printed documents
 Times New Roman, Palatino, Garamond
• Sans serif: easy to see projected
across the room
 Arial, Helvetica, Geneva

14. Use Bullets
• Bullets help your audience
 to skim the slide
 to see relationships between information
 organize information in a logical way
• For example, this is Main Point 1, which
leads to...
 Sub-point 1
• Further subordinated point 1
• Further subordinated point 2
 Sub-point 2

15. Use Content-Specific Headings
• “Results” suggests the content
area for a slide
• “Substance X upregulates gene Y”
(with data shown below) shows
the audience what is observed

16. Use Short Phrases
• Be clear, concise, accurate
• Write complete sentences only in certain cases:
 Hypothesis / problem statement
 Quote
 ???
Difficult to read
DNA polymerase catalyzes
elongation of DNA chains in
the 5’ to 3’ direction
Better
DNA polymerase
extends 5’ to 3’

17. Use Grammatical Parallelism
• Use same grammatical form in lists
• Not Parallel:
 Cells were lysed in buffer
 5 minute centrifuging of lysate
 Removed supernatant
• Parallel:
 Lysed cells in buffer
 Centrifuged lysate for 5 minutes
 Removed supernatant

18. Displaying Visuals
• Select visuals that enhance understanding
 Figures from paper: evidence for argument
 Figures from other sources (web; review
articles):
• Model a process or concept
• Help explain background, context
• Design easy-to-read visuals
 Are the visuals easy to read by all members of
your audience?
• Draw attention to aspects of visuals

19. Simplify and Draw Attention
http://www.indstate.edu/thcme/mwking/tca-cycle.html

20. Displaying Visuals
Harvey et al. (2005) Cell 122:407-20

21. Choose Color Carefully

22. Cite Others’ Visuals
http://www.bioc.rice.edu/~shamoo/shamoolab.html
Harvey et al. (2005) Cell 122:407-20

23. Animating
• Allows you to add text, visuals, or
line work sequentially to the slide
• Should be used purposefully (and
sparingly!)
 To aid in the audience’s ability to
comprehend your message
 Not solely for aesthetic purposes

24. Animating
Use professional animation methods
for text (avoid fly in, typewriter, etc.)

25. Presenting
• Delivery
• Handling questions

26. Delivery
• Physical Environment
• Stance
 Body language
 Handling notes
• Gestures
• Eye contact
• Voice quality
 Volume
 Inflection
 Pace

27. Handling Questions
• LISTEN
• Repeat or rephrase
• Watch body language
• Don’t pretend to know

28. Samples
Features to consider:
• Text
 Fonts, use of phrases, parallelism
• Visuals
 Readability, drawing attention
• Slide design
• Organization/ hierarchy
 Titles, bullets, arrangement of information, font
size

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The Calcium IonThe Calcium Ion
Calcium is a crucial cell-signaling moleculeCalcium is a crucial cell-signaling molecule
–Calcium is toxic at high intracellular
concentrations because of the phosphate-
based system energy system
–Intracellular concentrations of calcium are
kept very low, which allows an influx of
calcium to be a signal to alter transcription

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MicroarraysMicroarrays
Phillips G. (2004) Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.