Attendees
Consult the conference program for session times, format (in-person presentations, hybrid with some in-person and some remote presentations, or remote), and room number or virtual presentation link. All contributed papers are scheduled for 30 minutes (20 minutes presentation, 9 minutes Q&A) to facilitate moving among sessions.
In-person conference participants should join in-person and hybrid sessions by going to the indicated room number. All conference participants, including in-person participants, should join remote sessions by navigating to the virtual presentation link in the program on their computers.
All conference participants can find other attendees' contact information by visiting the Attendee page (login required) and clicking "Request vCard." If granted, you'll be provided with the attendee's email. We encourage you to make your profile public and update whether you'll be attending the conference in person for other attendees' information.
There is also a Slack channel set up for attendees to use, which will help facilitate remote participation. There, you can send people messages, start discussions, and even set up private video calls. You should have received the link to join in your registration confirmation email; however, you can also join by clicking the "Join Slack" link in the Info menu. To access this link, you must have registered and be logged in.
Paper Presenters
Speaking Time
If you are a contributed paper presenter, you will have 20 minutes to speak, followed by 9 minutes for questions/discussion. If you are a presenter in a symposium or cognate society sessions, the organizer of your session will set the schedule; please consult with them to find out how much time you have been allotted to speak.
Please be in the room assigned to your session or, if presenting remotely, log into your session 10 minutes before the session starts to troubleshoot any last-minute details or AV difficulties.
Publish Preprints
All PSA presenters are encouraged to post preprints of their papers on PhilSci-Archive under the designated "[2020] PSA2020: The 27th Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association (Baltimore, MD; 18-22 Nov 2020)" conference heading. This provides a chance to share more details of your work despite limited time for presenting it at the meeting. Papers can be easily updated with new drafts and links to published versions at a later date. For instructions, see the following video instructions and print Instructions.
Once posted, all papers will be available under the PSA2020 conference heading at http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/view/confandvol/. A PDF Preprint Volume, which includes all of the posted papers in one PDF with a linked table of contents, will also be available for download there before the conference. The PSA2020 section will remain open after the conference, so it will be possible to post or update your paper then as well. Please note that PhilSci-Archive can only accept preprints of papers, not journal-paginated PDFs or slides.
Get in Touch With Fellow Speakers
Find other speakers' info by visiting the Attendee page (login required) and clicking "Request vCard." If granted, you'll be provided with the attendee's email. We encourage you to make your profile public and update whether you'll be attending in person.
We also have a Slack channel set up for attendees to use. There, you can send people messages, start discussions, and even set up private video calls. You would have received the link to join in your registration confirmation email; however, you can also join by clicking the "Join Slack" link in the Info menu. To access this link, you must have registered and be logged in.
In-Person Presenters
The conference room will have a projector available for your use, but it will *not* have a computer; you should bring your own computer or arrange to use that of another speaker in the session. Please also bring any adapters that you might need to hook up your laptop to the cables for the projector. Adapters should be HDMI. If you are planning to show videos during your presentation, please be aware that the conference rooms will not have speakers for projecting sound from your computer. We encourage presenters to use a single laptop throughout the session and to transfer all presentations to it before the session starts in order to avoid delays at transition points. Each room will include an instruction sheet with contact information for an AV specialist who can help if there is a problem with the audio-visual equipment.
Remote Presenters
All presenters in remote sessions, whether physically in Baltimore or not, should join their session via the link in the online conference program. These sessions will use Zoom. The session chair will be assigned the meeting host role.
HYBRID PRESENTERS
The conference room will have a projector, computer, and AV setup to enable remote presentation. We encourage all in-person presenters in hybrid sessions to load their presentations onto the provided computer to avoid delays at transition points or technology complications and to maximize the ability of remote presenter(s) to participate in the session. Remote presenters in hybrid sessions will receive a Zoom link to join their session.
Chairs
Thank you so much for volunteering for this important role! Your main responsibility as chair is to ensure that your session runs smoothly and on schedule. You will briefly introduce each speaker, help them remain aware of the time during their talk, manage the discussion following the talk, and close the session by thanking all of the speakers. You will also help with logistical problems as far as possible. Please reach out to Angela Potochnik, Program Chair, at psa2020@philsci.org with any questions. Please remember that chairs, like all other participants, must register for PSA2021.
We encourage you to contact the speakers in your session ahead of time. See Instructions for Participants above for how to access speakers' contact information. (Alternatively, a quick internet search also usually does the trick.)
SESSION LENGTH AND TIMING: Please join your session 10 minutes before the scheduled start time to ensure that the session begins on time and to help with any last-minute problems the speakers might have. Please consult the schedule details to confirm the exact session length and whether there is a coffee break during the session.
For CONTRIBUTED PAPER SESSIONS, each speaker is allocated 20 minutes for presentation and 9 minutes for discussion. This leaves 1 minute for each transition between speakers. Please give only a brief introduction (name, affiliation, and paper title) for each speaker, as it will cut into the speaker's limited time. If it is necessary to switch laptops between speakers, please encourage the next speaker to start this while the Q & A is ongoing, to minimize transition time. If speakers exceed their allotted time for presentation, please shorten their Q&A time accordingly. After 30 minutes, you need to introduce the next speaker. Likewise, if a speaker is late for their session and misses part of their allotted time, the presentation + Q&A should be shortened by the appropriate time to keep the session as a whole on track. The sessions need to keep on schedule to facilitate moving among sessions for audience members who wish to do so. For the same reason, speakers must present in the order they appear on the program.
There is no time allocated for a general Q&A in contributed paper sessions. If, however, there are fewer papers than the maximum for the time slot, then you have the option of holding a general discussion in the final 30 minutes. You should not lengthen the time allocated to each speaker in order to fill the full time; again, this is to facilitate moving among sessions for those audience members who wish to do so.
For SYMPOSIA SESSIONS AND COGNATE SOCIETY SESSIONS, you should consult with the symposium or cognate society session organizer regarding the time allocated to each speaker and the schedule for Q&A. (This is typically about 30 minutes per speaker but can vary.) The organizer may decide to have general Q&A rather than Q&A following each talk, and some proposals include a commentator who will also be given some time to speak. Please give only brief introductions – speaker name, affiliation and paper title – and keep speakers to whatever schedule is set by the organizer.
It is a good idea to email the symposium or cognate society session organizer in advance of the meeting to find out their desired schedule for the session. If they have been in touch with all their participants to make sure they know the plan for the session and the AV situation, you probably don't need to worry about contacting the other speakers. Feel free to contact me if you are unable to get in touch with the organizer.
IN-PERSON SESSIONS: The conference room will have a projector and screen but not have a computer. We strongly encourage the speakers to use the same laptop throughout the session and to transfer all of their presentations to it before the session starts in order to avoid delays. Each room will include an instruction sheet with contact information for an AV specialist who can help if there is a problem with the audio-visual equipment and a folder with instructions for chairs. There will also be three laminated signs reading "5 minutes," "2 minutes," and "Stop." Please use these signs during each talk to help speakers monitor their remaining time. At the end of the session, please leave all these in the folder at the front of the room for the next session chair to use.
HYBRID SESSIONS: The conference room will have a projector, computer, and AV setup to enable remote presentation. We encourage all in-person presenters in hybrid sessions to load their presentations onto the provided computer to avoid delays at transition points or technology complications and to maximize the ability of remote presenter(s) to participate in the session. Remote presenters in hybrid sessions will have a Zoom link to join their sessions. The chair should start the Zoom session by opening the provided link. Each room will include an instruction sheet with contact information for an AV specialist who can help if there is a problem with the audio-visual equipment and a folder with instructions for chairs. There will also be three laminated signs reading "5 minutes," "2 minutes," and "Stop." Please use these signs during each talk to help speakers monitor their remaining time. At the end of the session, please leave all these in the folder at the front of the room for the next session chair to use.
REMOTE SESSIONS: The chair and all presenters in remote sessions, whether physically in Baltimore or not, should join their session via the link in the conference program. These sessions will be Zoom meetings hosted through the meeting website. You will be assigned the meeting host role.
Poster Presenters
Instructions for In-Person Presenters
In preparing a poster for the in-person forum during Fall 2021, please keep in mind:
1) Size - The maximum size is 36 inches in width and 48 inches in height. This vertical format allows us to include more poster presentations.
2) Printing - Posters should be printed in advance of arriving at the in-person meeting. This is the responsibility of poster authors and co-authors
3) Font Size - Here are standard recommendations for in-person posters; title (72-84 or larger), headings (36-48), and body text (28-36). Do not use less than 24-point font.
4) Preparation - Most people create posters in PowerPoint or similar presentation software. Online, one can find a number of free templates for posters. Here is one example: http://www.makesigns.com/SciPosters_Templates.aspx and https://www.posterpresentations.com/free-poster-templates.html
5) Setting Up - You will be able to set up your poster in the Key South Foyer of the Hilton between 9am and 4pm on Friday 11/12. Poster boards with push pins and Velcro will be available. Each poster will be assigned a number shortly (look for an email for this). Please hang your poster in your numbered spot. The poster boards will be removed at 8am on Saturday 11/13. Please take down your poster before this time.
Note: Some presenters have contacted us because they mistakenly printed their poster in landscape format rather than portrait format. We will try to accommodate presenters who have already done so. If you have printed in landscape, please contact posterforum2020@
If you have a disability or are otherwise unable to stand for the length of the poster session, please contact posterforum2020@philsci.org so we can arrange a chair for you.
Instructions for the Virtual Poster Gallery
All poster presenters are invited to participate in the PSA Virtual Poster Gallery, which will be available to PSA 2021 attendees.
1) Create an account and confirm your email.
2) Go to the poster submission page: https://posters.philsci.net/form
3) Enter the details for your poster (title, abstract, etc.)
4) Upload an image of your poster. The poster should be 1200 px by 1600 px and less than 1MB in size. You'll likely need to resize the print version of your poster.
5) Submit your poster. Please note that your submission will be made publicly available immediately. You can edit/update your poster at any time by logging into your account and editing your submission.
Organizational Principles
A few key principles should be kept in mind when preparing your poster: (1) be concise, (2) make information accessible, and (3) ensure that your central ideas, questions, and/or arguments are comprehensible. Several design elements contribute to these principles being fulfilled:
1) Logical layout: most posters are intended to be read from (top) left to (bottom) right, usually by adopting a column format. This is the best way to make the information readable and makes it easier for many people to read your poster simultaneously.
Although not necessary, many people begin with an abstract or summary, which makes it possible for readers to quickly glean the core ideas. It is important to clearly state the problem(s) or question(s) being addressed so the poster is well-motivated, as well as provide the necessary background to the topic. Glossaries of keywords can be helpful sometimes with technical terminology. Make sure the conclusions or implications are easy to ascertain; sometimes bullet point lists help accent them. Typically, a small set of references and acknowledgments appear at the end (i.e., bottom right).
2) Readability: Your poster should be readable from a distance of ~6 feet (2 meters). Sans serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Helvetica) are best for titles and headings, as well as body text. Serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman) should be used for body text only (if at all). See font-size guidelines above.
3) Choice of title and headings: people often "skim" posters before deciding whether to zoom in on the details. Therefore, it is to your advantage to have a title and headings that clearly signal what you are talking about and, where possible, have a hook that attracts the reader.
4) Create "flow": cue the reader on how to process the information in your poster. There should be no ambiguity in where next to go as one reads. Think about telling a story and drawing the reader into a narrative arc. Your aim is for them to want to continue reading. The logical layout can assist with this but does not constitute it. Arrows and numbering can be helpful as well.
5) Proofread: this may go without saying, but a typo at 84 point font on a poster looks worse than a typo at 12 point font on a sheet of paper. We recommend you have someone else proofread your poster at some point during its preparation and (for sure) before you send it off to be printed.
Aesthetics and Design
Posters allow for a variety of creative design choices and viewing an aesthetically pleasing poster is a real treat. To that end, keep in mind that a sharp contrast using 2-3 basic colors works best (e.g., blue, black, and white). Using no colors will mean your poster doesn't garner attention; using too many colors and too bright of hues will make it difficult to read. Three standard approaches to color choice using a color wheel are:
1) Complementary (use two or more colors opposite one another, potentially varying shades and tints)
2) Monochromatic (use different shades and tints of one color)
3) Analogous (use three adjacent colors, potentially varying shades and tints)
Remember that some individuals cannot see particular colors and contrasts. Consider using a website such as Vischeck (http://www.vischeck.com/) to determine if these issues are present in your poster.
Even though most philosophy is textually rich, too much text can be a distraction in a poster. Therefore, we recommend the incorporation of at least some imagery. Images are especially useful for balancing your poster with different elements. Use captions for images so they can be understood apart from the text. For any graphs, make sure axes are clearly labeled.
When using images, they should typically not be smaller than 5-6 inches (13-15 cm). JPEG (.jpg) is the best image format for poster creation because you get a high quality image with a relatively small file size. Make sure to check the resolution of your image file. Resolution (in relation to digital imagery) is the number of pixels per square inch on a computer screen. The higher this number is, the greater the quality of the picture. Use images with a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch (dpi); most web images are 72 dpi.
Try not to use more than 1 or 2 fonts throughout the poster (e.g., Arial for titles/headings and Times New Roman for body text). Too many typefaces will make a poster appear disjointed. Dark text on a light background usually works best. Avoid fully justified text because it can affect readability.
You can fulfill the organizational principles of being concise and making information accessible by confirming that blocks of texts have adequate cushions of space ("white space") and that line spacing is not too crowded. A poster should probably not exceed 2,000 words, though there is no strict cutoff. Just remember, less is more.
Presentation
Although a poster should be readable without the author present, the synchronous and in-person sessions will be a time when the presenting author will engage participants directly. Here are some tips for facilitating productive exchanges:
1) Prepare a concise statement of your question or problem to begin your presentation
2) Practice three versions of your core monologue (30-second; 2-minute; 5-minute)
3) Consider the audience's background and anticipate questions. Give listeners an opportunity to ask questions of clarification.
Don't forget the basics: introduce yourself, smile, show enthusiasm, make eye contact, and welcome those who join the discussion midstream.
For further tips, you might want to check out a nice discussion over at the Daily Nous about philosophy posters (http://dailynous.com/2015/08/28/poster-sessions-at-philosophy-conferences/).