STAR Presentation Guidelines

This blog documents guidances, including requirements and suggestions, for STAR presentations.

Guidance on Using Italic vs. Roman Fonts for Symbols

Guidance on using italic vs. roman fonts for symbols.

  • Note: It should be written as $p$+$p$ and $p$+Au, etc., which is different from the guidance.

Title Page

The presenter is required to add the following:

  • Speaker’s name, and “On behalf of the STAR Collaboration” or “For the STAR Collaboration”.
  • Speaker’s institution name and/or logo.
  • DOE logo: Please add “Supported in part by” above the DOE logo. Logos from other funding agencies are encouraged as well.
    • It is preferred to use the DOE logo with the text “Office of Science”.
  • STAR logo (some DOE & STAR examples can be found here.
  • Conference name/logo, date, and location.

These also apply to posters

It is suggested to add:

  • Speaker name
  • Conference name and date
  • Slide number
  • STAR logo

Institution name or logo should not be added.

Tips for Slides

Here are some tips for preparing your slides:

  • Maintain consistent capitalization of your slide titles.
  • You can use any font, but try to stick to at most two fonts. Font size should not be less than 20pt.
  • All plots need axis labels with units and STAR or STAR Preliminary on them.
    • Include a label with the collision system and energy.
    • Avoid excessive empty space in figures and around edges.
    • Reduce the ranges of axes as much as reasonably possible.
  • Avoid yellow or light green – they may look good on screen but do not project well.
  • Use both color, symbol shape, and filled/hollow symbols on graphs to accommodate color-blind individuals.
  • If you have more than three plots on a slide, it’s too many.
  • Each slide should have one key takeaway message that is clearly highlighted.
  • Make figures as large as possible – auditoriums are often large.
  • Use bullets, not full sentences – the audience should focus on your narration, not reading the slides.
  • Limit slides to one per minute – give the audience time to digest the content.
  • Check that figure axis labels don’t extend off the canvas and that text does not overlap with axis tick marks.
  • Use high-quality figures, not low-resolution bitmaps.

Tips for Posters

Here are some tips for preparing your poster:

  • If you include your abstract, it’s okay to modify it slightly to reflect what you are actually showing.
    • Major changes should be approved by your PWG convener.
    • Minor tweaks to the poster title are also acceptable.
  • Consistent capitalization of your poster title and section headings is important.
  • Avoid overcrowding your poster with text and figures.
    • People prefer to browse quickly and will not read a lengthy research paper.
    • Aim for one or two key messages.
  • Use at most two fonts, and make them large enough to be readable from a distance.
  • All plots need axis labels with units and STAR or STAR Preliminary on them.
    • Include a label with the collision system and energy.
    • Avoid excessive empty space in figures and around edges.
    • Reduce the ranges of axes as much as reasonably possible.
  • Avoid yellow or light green – they do not print well.
  • Use both color, symbol shape, and filled/hollow symbols to ensure clarity for all audiences.
  • Each section should have one key takeaway message that is clearly highlighted.
  • Make figures as large as possible – visuals convey more than text.
  • Use bullets instead of full sentences to encourage discussion.
  • Check that figure axis labels don’t extend off the canvas and text doesn’t overlap with axis tick marks.
  • Use high-quality figures, not low-resolution bitmaps, as posters are printed in large format.