SON2026 Presentation Guidelines

ORAL PRESENTATIONS

Each oral presentation in the regular scientific sessions is allotted 15 minutes in the agenda, 12 minutes of presentation plus 3 minutes for discussion. Your PowerPoint presentation should be compatible with a Windows PC. The projected display will be in widescreen format.

Please preload your presentation to the SON Drive (instructions in Full Program) so that the Local Arrangements team or Session Chairs have time to download your presentations to the computer in the designated presentation room. Label your file starting with the last name and initial of the presenter (e.g. WangKH_XXXX”). If you do have to change your power point, make sure you go to your presentation session early to reload from the Google Drive. You are always welcome to bring your presentation on a USB flash drive at least 20 min before your session start time and upload it to the laptop dedicated to your session. 

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Poster sessions are an integral (and fun!) part of academic annual meetings, and an important opportunity for researchers at all career stages to present and discuss their work with other researchers and industry representatives in their field. Preparing a good poster takes some time and work, but it is well worth the effort in order to give you and your research a chance to shine.

Poster Design:

Each poster will be given a number and allotted a space 3′ high x 3′ wide (or 91 cm x 91 cm) (Portrait).

Indicate the title and name(s) of author(s) at the top of your poster so that it may be identified easily; the lettering for this heading should be at least 1″ (30.5 cm or 72 points) high.

As a general guideline, text and illustrations should be comfortably read from a distance of 3 to 4 feet (or 1 m), so make them large enough to be seen clearly. Charts, drawings, photographs and illustrations might well be similar to those used in making slides and more heavily drawn. Simple use of color can effectively add emphasis.

Your poster should be printed on lightweight materials that could be supported by pushpins. Hand-lettered material is generally unsuitable for professional and effective poster presentation. Typed material should use the largest font possible, but at least 30 points in size. Illustrated materials should be kept simple. It also might be useful to have small copies of the poster for handouts.

• Poster Set Up and Take-Down: 

• • Please plan to make room in your schedule to both hang and take down your poster.  Please hang your poster in Lobby B anytime after 3:00 PM on Monday, July 6th or on Tuesday morning, July 7th. Poster board spaces will be numbered according to the program book. Please set up your poster in the assigned location corresponding with your poster numbered in the program. Pins will be provided on display boards. Posters must be taken down by 10:00 AM on Wednesday, July 8th. 

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• Presentation: 

• • During the poster session, conference attendees can wander around the poster hall to browse the posters. The presenters are expected to stay by their poster for the duration of the session so that attendees can come and listen to you describe your research and discuss or ask questions. These sessions are the best place to show off your impressive research results and are excellent for networking as well. You may even end up meeting a future employer!  

STUDENT COMPETITIONS

When you submit your abstract for the 2026 Society of Nematologists Annual Meeting in Baltimore, you will have the opportunity to sign up for one of two student competitions (students may not enter both competitions) in the Category selections. Due to the generous support of our Sponsors we are able to increase the amount and number of student presentation awards this year!

• Poster Competition: 
• • • $300 first place (sponsored by Bayer CropScience), $150 second place (sponsored by BASF)

The Traditional Competition will be limited to 12 students. If more than 12 students sign up, the abstracts will be used to select the 12 students. The abstracts will be judged on quality of writing and science. Students who are not able to be in the Traditional Competition will be given a choice to present in the Three Minute Thesis Competition or in the regular paper session that coincides with the category of their research.

3MT Presentation Requirements and Guidelines

• A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description are allowed.
• No additional embedded electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.
• No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.
• Presentations are limited to three minutes maximum, and competitors exceeding three minutes are disqualified.
• Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).
• Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through either movement or speech.
• The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

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