Presentation tips and tricks
Scientific Presentation Guidelines
About
This document aims to help you create effective slides for scientific communication, suitable for conferences, thesis defenses, candidacy exams, and other academic presentations. We cover the basics, offer tips and tricks, and end with a comprehensive checklist you should review systematically and carefully before presenting.
You’re encouraged to discuss your presentation’s content and structure with senior lab members or your supervisor once you’ve implemented these fundamentals. Doing so saves everyone time and enhances the quality of feedback.
Basics
Template
Using a clean, consistent template will save you time and improve clarity. If your institution provides templates, start there (check your department or lab resources). Otherwise, consult prior presentations from colleagues in your group or create a clean, minimalist layout yourself.
- Example templates: Google Slides templates, Canva academic templates, Overleaf Beamer Templates
- Don’t reinvent the wheel — reuse and improve!
Font
Stick to one sans serif font throughout (e.g., Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica). Fonts should be large and readable — minimum 18–20 pt for text. Maintain consistent font sizes and styles (e.g., if your slide titles are bold 36 pt, make them all that size).
Use the same font style within figures and diagrams to maintain cohesion.
Color
Use color to guide attention, not decorate. Choose a consistent color scheme (e.g., red for drawbacks, green for advantages) and stick to it throughout.
- Explore color palettes with Coolors or Adobe Color
- Whenever possible, ensure your palette is colorblind-friendly: Color Universal Design (CUD) or ColorBrewer
Bullets
Bullets organize content visually, but they must be used carefully:
- Don’t use bullets if there’s only one point
- Don’t mix different types of information in a single bulleted list
Animations
Only use simple appear/disappear animations to reveal content progressively. This helps reduce cognitive overload and keeps your audience focused.
- Avoid distracting transitions (spins, fly-ins, etc.)
- Match your spoken flow to your animations
Tips and Tricks
Be Structured
Use consistent titles and headers. Include visible slide numbers to help viewers follow along or jot down questions.
Make it clear whether a slide represents:
- Background info
- Previous work
- Your contribution
- Ongoing/future work
Be Consistent
Consistency enhances clarity. Double-check:
- Fonts, colors, and text sizes
- Slide layout and figure styles
- Terminology and abbreviations
Avoid changing the meaning of colors (e.g., don’t represent the same method in red on one slide and blue on another).
Be Clear
Less is more. Use short sentences, and simple phrasing. Try adding “take-home messages” at the bottom of each slide.
- General rule: 1 slide per minute of talk
- Speak slowly and enunciate
- Prioritize clarity over quantity
Be Scientific
Maintain rigor:
- Support all claims with references
- Label all figures clearly
- Introduce abbreviations before use
- Avoid cluttered or context-less plots
The goal isn’t to impress with complexity but to communicate your work effectively and maturely.
Be a Storyteller
Don’t list results — tell a story:
- Frame your work as a logical narrative
- Connect each slide with cause/consequence logic
- Use transitions that bridge one idea to the next
- Consider using a visual summary or diagram to orient the audience
Final Checklist
Before you present or seek feedback, go through this checklist carefully. Most first drafts can be improved substantially.
✅ Structure and Clarity
- Can a distracted viewer understand the current slide if they just woke up mid-talk?
- Is the font readable from the back of the room?
- Are slide numbers visible?
✅ Consistency
- Are fonts, font sizes, colors, and layouts uniform?
- Are texts, headers, and columns aligned?
✅ References
Follow a consistent citation style (e.g., ACS, IEEE, or APA). I like shortened ACS style, for example:
- Gallarati, S.; Laplaza, R.; Corminboeuf, C. Org. Chem. Front. 2022, 9, 4041.
- Aspuru-Guzik, A. et al. ACS Cent. Sci. 2018, 4, 268.
Use tools like:
Quick Memo
Before you consider your draft “done,” double check:
- Structure
- Story
- Scientific Rigor
- Clarity
- Consistency
- References