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a logical flow similar to the abstract subheadings. The slides help you relay your information but should not detract from your talk. A few simple rules to follow in preparing your slides: 1. Do not use animation or sound — this is distracting and takes away from the content. 2. Use bullet points — no more than five words a line and no more than four lines a slide (three is preferable). 3. Font should be a minimum of 20 point with larger fonts for main points and headings. 4. Make sure colors are readable — use dark colors for words and figures (black or blue) on white backgrounds and light colors (preferably white) on darker backgrounds. FIGURE 7-1. Poster template example. Title Author Names xxxx Schoole of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine BACKGROUND METHODS RESULTS FIGURE (IF APPLICABLE) RESULTS LIMITATIONS CONCLUSIONS OBJECTIVE(S) CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT LOGO 40 CHAPTER 7 — PRESENTING THE RESULTS OF RESEARCH The oral presentation format is usually 10 minutes for the presentation with a 5-minute period for questions. The time limit is strict and if you go over the allotted time, you will not be allowed to finish your presentation so practice the presentation and time it many times before the actual meeting. A total of 15 slides should be sufficient. A brief personal introduction is fine (“Good afternoon, I’m Deb Houry from Emory University and I’d like to present our project on xxxx”). The first slide should list the title, your name and coauthors, and institutions. You should not read out loud each coauthor’s name. A general acknowledgment of the collaborative effort is sufficient. The second slide should disclose any conflicts of interest, and many societies have a specific format to use for this. Background information should include no more than two or three slides. It is good to mention BRIEFLY what has been done before, but this should not be an elaborate literature review as many people in the audience will be familiar with this research. The methods section should follow a format parallel to how the study was conducted— what were enrollment criteria, who approached patients, and what was the study flow. Psychometrics on specific instruments should be briefly mentioned when available. When possible, use graphics to highlight results instead of words. Progress from general information: demographics, response rate, eligible patients, etc. to specific results that are relevant to the study hypothesis. Finally, wrap up the presentation with one slide on limitations and future studies followed by the conclusion slide. Do not end with limitations as this is not what you want the audience to walk away remembering. End with a conclusion slide with two or three succinct points summarizing your study results. CONCLUSIONS Presenting your research in abstract format is an exciting first step but should not be the final step in your project. After the presentation you can incorporate feedback from meeting attendees into your manuscript and submit your work to a peer-reviewed journal. REFERENCES 1. Gilbert EH, Lowenstein SR, Koziol-McLain J. Chart reviews in emergency medicine research: Where are the methods? Ann Emerg Med. 1996;27(3):305-308. 2. Schulz KF, Altman DG, Moher D, for the CONSORT Group. CONSORT 2010 Statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomized trials. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152. Epub 24 March. CHAPTER 8 — BASICS OF SCIENTIFIC GRANT WRITING 41 THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH FUNDING TO YOUR CAREER All research costs money. Any suggestion to the contrary stems from incomplete accounting of the effort and resources needed to accomplish the work. Accordingly, an unavoidable feature of doing research is establishing a means by which to monetarily support it. At its least formal, this support may involve an investigator spending their own time or unstructured effort within their academic appointment to carry out a project. Such efforts typically require no written budget and no record keeping. The work is not free—the time spent could be spent doing something else with either one’s personal time or the time for which one is being paid — but avoids any formal planning for funding. At its most complex, research support may involve tens of millions of dollars over several years with detailed federal budgetary oversight. Fortunately, the complexity of research funding typically evolves apace with the sophistication of one’s research program, such that young investigators usually work with relatively modest budgets and minor administrative headaches. As a scientist at the beginning of your career, it is not important for you to understand the nuances of countless funding mechanisms. Rather, it is most essential to internalize the necessary link between research and money and to develop a sense for why it is that organizations are giving money away and how best to successfully receive that gift. Most research funding is allocated on the basis of some type of peer review and is inherently a competition. From this fact flow two additional realities of grant writing. First, an awarded grant is an acknowledgment of you, your ideas, your past performance, and your promise. Awarded grants thereby bring not only funds but also nonmonetary prestige to you, your department, and your institution and make available opportunities to 

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