Primary Contact: Linda Curran (linda-curran@uiowa.edu [1])

Manuscript Preparation

I need someone to edit my paper, what do I do?

I need someone to format my paper, what do I do?

I am starting to prepare a new manuscript. What resources are available for creating tables?

How to cite articles and format references using the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th edition format [2]

NIH Public Access Compliance (NIH-supported research only):

Do I need to complete the Public Access notification process?

How do I complete the Public Access notification process?

Poster Preparation

College of Nursing Poster templates

I am ready to make my poster. Where do I start?

What is included in a poster?

What are the sections included in a poster?

How is information presented on a poster?

What is included in a poster?

How do I print a large format poster?

How do I complete the page setup for my poster?

Where can I go to have a poster made and how much will it cost?

What happens at a conference poster session?

Click here [3] for tips on how to give a conference poster presentation.

Click here [4] for more tips on the Dissemination of Nursing Knowledge.

Do I need to complete the Public Access notification process?

The NIH Public Access Policy implements Division G, Title II, Section 218 of PL 110-161 (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008) which states:

The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: Provided, That the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law.

The Policy applies to any paper that: Is peer-reviewed, and is accepted for publication in a journal on or after April 7, 2008, and arises from any direct funding from an NIH grant or cooperative agreement active in Fiscal Year 2008, or

• Any direct funding from an NIH contract signed on or after April 7 2008, or
• Any direct funding from the NIH Intramural Program, or
• An NIH Employee

For more information, visit the University of Iowa Hardin Health Sciences Library website [5]

Back to question list

 

How do I complete the Public Access notification process?

There are three actions grantees must take to comply with the policy:

Authors of articles arising from NIH funds are responsible for ensuring that publishing agreements allow for full compliance with the NIH policy.

Authors must submit to PubMed Central an electronic version of every peer-reviewed article arising from NIH research funds, once an article is accepted for publication. NIH has worked with publishers to develop several ways to submit articles:

Authors must include PubMed Central ID numbers in NIH applications and reports when citing their articles covered by the policy. For assistance in learning how to submit your manuscript to PubMed Central, contact Linda Curran in the Research Office.

1. Address Copyright
2. Submit Article
   
   1. The author or someone in their organization may deposit a copy of the peer-reviewed manuscript in the NIH Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) system. The link to this is http://www.nihms.nih.gov/ [6] Author verifies content.
   2. The journal may offer to send the peer-reviewed manuscript files to the NIHMS. Author verifies content.
   3. Publishing in a PubMed Central Journal. No additional effort required from the author. See: http://publicaccess.nih.gov/submit_process_journals.htm [7] for a list of these journals.
3. Cite

In addition, all investigators and members of their research team who conduct human subjects research at the University of Iowa or at the Iowa City VAMC are required to complete an education program and become "certified" in human subject protections. To hit the ground running when your funding arrives, you can ensure that all staff on your project complete this program as soon as possible. The CITI training program fulfills the NIH requirement for certification and is available via an online tutorial course. To learn more about certification and instructions for how to use the CITI program for University research, visit http://www.research.uiowa.edu/hso/index.php?get=edu [8].

For more information, visit the University of Iowa Hardin Health Sciences Library website [5].

Back to question list

 

I need someone to edit my paper, what do I do?

The research office has contracted with an excellent editor to help faculty in need of grant or paper editing. Please contact Linda Curran to let her know you would like to have your grant or manuscript edited by the editor. When you make your request, please provide a deadline of when the editor will need to complete her review. Linda will then contact the editor with your request to see if the editor is able to complete your request by the deadline you provided. If the editor is able to, you will need to send your grant or manscript to Linda, who will then send it to the editor and facilitate your contact with the editor. Linda will provide payment for this service to the editor.

I need someone to format my paper, what do I do?

If you need help in formatting your manuscript for the publisher, please contact Linda Curran to make arrangements for her to assist. You will need to provide Linda with the journal’s formatting rquirements in order to assist her in formatting your manuscript correctly.

I am starting to prepare a new manuscript. What resources are available for creating tables?

Click here [9] to read about our table repository.

What is included in a poster?

Most poster sessions will require that posters read from left to right (like a book). Start with the upper left hand corner. Check with poster guidelines of your conference/presentation to be sure of individual poster set-up.

Determine one or two major concept(s) that you want to say with your poster.

What is the objective of your poster? For example: To share your research with others? To find potential collaborators? To meet and engage potential funding sources? To get people’s feedback on what your next piece of research should focus on?

Back to question list

 

What are the sections included in a poster?

• Title
• Background
• Theoretical or Conceptual Framework
• Methods - May include Design, Sample/Participants, Setting, Instruments, Intervention, Procedures
• Findings/Results
• Conclusions
• Discussion
• Any source of funding, either for the research or trainee support
• University of Iowa Logo
• References

How is information presented on a poster? Font

• Use the same font style throughout the poster
• The title should be readable from 20 feet away (40-60 size)
• Headlines should be readable from 6 feet away (36-40 size)
• Body writing should be readable from 4-6 feet away (18-40 size)
• Remember to keep it as simple as possible, with the main points highlighted throughout poster: Add emphasis with underline, bold, or bullets.

Position

• Use consistent spacing rule between each element
• Use a consistent color scheme
• Align corners and borders with vertical and horizontal lines

What is included in a poster?

• www.postersession.com [10]
• www.makesigns.com [11]

Follow the links for “scientific posters”.

• Also, remember also to ask faculty and colleagues to show you their posters.

Back to question list

I am ready to make my poster. Where do I start?

• Poster templates for the College of Nursing. Templates are in powerpoint presentation size. You will need to change the size in order to prepare the dimensions for when you order the poster.
• Decide whether you are going to order your poster to make one large printed poster or print out individual powerpoint presentation slides to pin onto a bulletin board at your conference or presentation site.
• Know what your venue will allow and the resources available to post the poster.
• If you wish to print out one large poster, click here.

 

College of Nursing Poster templates

 

		Poster Size
Descriptive name	Sample	18x36	21x36	24x48	36x48	36x54	42x42	42x48
Black Headers, Gold Body Fade	[12]		21x36 Black Headers, Gold Body Fade [13]	24x48 Black Headers, Gold Body Fade [14]	36x48 Black Headers, Gold Body Fade [15]	36x54 Black Headers, Gold Body Fade [16]	42x42 Black Headers, Gold Body Fade [17]	42x48 Black Headers, Gold Body Fade [18]
Corner Curve	[19]	18x36 Corner Curve [20]	21x36 Corner Curve [21]	24x48 Corner Curve [22]	36x48 Corner Curve [23]	36x54 Corner Curve [24]	42x42 Corner Curve [25]	42x48 Corner Curve [26]
Gold Header, no fade	[27]		21x36 Gold Header, no fade [28]	24x48 Gold Header, no fade [29]	36x48 Gold Header, no fade [30]	36x54 Gold Header, no fade [31]	42x42 Gold Header, no fade [32]	42x48 Gold Header, no fade [33]
Nightfall	[34]		21x36 Nightfall [35]	24x48 Nightfall [36]	36x48 Nightfall [37]	36x54 Nightfall [38]	42x42 Nightfall [39]	42x48 Nightfall [40]
White Headers, Gold Body Fade	[41]		21x36 White Headers, Gold Body Fade [42]	24x48 White Headers, Gold Body Fade [43]	36x48 White Headers, Gold Body Fade [44]	36x54 White Headers, Gold Body Fade [45]	42x42 White Headers, Gold Body Fade [46]	42x48 White Headers, Gold Body Fade [47]

Back to question list
 

How do I print a large format poster?

Instructions for printing large format posters:

1. Figure out the size of your poster: Oftentimes there will be poster presentation guidelines for the size of poster presentations. Know these well!
2. A common poster size, for example at MNRS, is 4’ (48”) by 8’ (96”).
3. As you are making your poster in powerpoint (.ppt), the page setup for your poster should be in dimensions that are divisible by the poster size in your guidelines. Powerpoint may not allow you to create a poster 48” by 96” inside of one document. To solve this problem, create a document that can be multiplied to fit the dimensions of your desired poster size.
4. For example: If your dimensions for MNRS are 48” by 96”, you can set up your powerpoint document to be 24” by 48”. When you send in your document to order a poster, you can request to duplicate the size dimensions according to your preference.
5. You can change the size of any slide inside of powerpoint following these steps:
   • Click on “File”.
   • Select “Page Setup”.
   • Select the appropriate height and width of your poster according to this chart.

Back to question list

How do I complete the page setup for my poster?

The page setup for your poster in powerpoint must preserve the aspect ratio (height x width) of the poster size set forth in the guidelines. In other words, you must create a document that is a multiple of the dimensions of your desired poster.

Where can I go to have a poster made and how much will it cost?

It is less costly to print out individual powerpoint slides than it is to print out one large poster. However, large format posters may be more commonly used for your venue and look more attractive.

The University now requires that UI vendors be used to print all posters. Below are links to two options for printing posters at UI:

University of Iowa Print Service:

http://www.uiowa.edu/printmail/printsvc/prices/colorposter.shtml [48]

UIHC Department of Internal Medicine - Design Center:

http://www.int-med.uiowa.edu/DesignCenter/Research.htm [49]

If you have any questions about uploading posters, please contact Linda Curran (linda-curran@uiowa.edu [1]).

Back to question list