CERN — The European Laboratory for Particle Physics

E-mail to: lhcb-sb-chair@cern.ch


Please follow these simple rules and guidelines in preparing your presentation or poster. You save us work and help us speed up your rehearsal. Before you get started, have a look also at our collection of Materials for Presentations and FAQ (list of questions raised in previous talks with corresponding answers). Thanks a lot for your collaboration!

LHCb results:

  • As a general rule, you are only allowed to show LHCb results (plots and numbers) from published papers (we regard papers as published when they have been submitted to arxiv) and from approved conference notes. The cds entry for each submitted paper and conference note should have a ZIP file with the individual plots attached to it. Please use these original files rather than copy/paste from other people's presentations. You are not allowed to show figures or numbers from analysis notes.
  • All results (plots and numbers) from conference notes must be clearly marked as "preliminary".
  • Each LHCb plot or number you show must have a reference to the corresponding paper or conference note; in the case of papers, this should be the journal reference if the paper has been published or a reference to the arxiv otherwise. In cases where several plots and/or results are shown on a slide and where they are all taken from the same source a single clearly visible reference per slide is sufficient. The same applies also to results from other experiments and to theory input. This rule is to ensure that references don’t get lost when slides are copied out of context, e.g. in conference summaries.
  • In exceptional cases, you might be allowed to show results from papers that have not yet been submitted to arxiv but have completed collaboration-wide circulation. These exceptions are decided by the Physics Coordinator on a case by case basis. In such cases, all quoted results (plots and numbers) must be clearly marked as "preliminary". A reference to the LHCb paper number has to be added with the remark "in preparation".
  • Other exceptions are seminars and talks at regional level, or poster presented at the LHCC, where other material, such as personal plots and numbers, may be shown. The approval to present these results is left to the project leader or WG convener, and all quoted results (plots and numbers) will be marked as "unofficial". Unofficial results can not be included in proceedings.
  • Concentrate on recent results (new conference note, new arxiv, paper just published in Journal). If a result is shown for the first time at a conference, clearly mark it as "new".
  • In case of doubts, don't hesitate to contact the speaker's bureau

Other LHCb plots and LHCb performance numbers:

Results from other experiments, theory predictions:

Layout for presentations:

  • The title slide has to have
    • the title of the talk,
    • your name "on behalf of the LHCb collaboration",
    • the LHCb logo, and
    • the name and date of the conference.
    We leave it up to your discretion if you want to add the name and logo of your institute.
  • Number your slides and make sure page numbers are visible on each slide.
  • Avoid jargon and define abbreviations that might not be obvious to your audience.
  • Be consistent throughout your presentation in the use symbols and nomenclature, both in figures and text (e.g. do not mix φ and Φ to refer to the same quantity; do not mix B → [f]D K and B → D(f) K, etc.).
  • Quote results and other numbers with meaningful units (e.g. use "k" for "kilo", "K" for "Kelvin").
  • Avoid line breaks in between numbers and units. When quoting results, avoid line breaks in between mean value and uncertainty.
  • If a result is quoted with several uncertainties, indicate clearly what each uncertainty means
  • Make sure that equations and symbols are easily readable and good quality: if you copy/paste using screen shots from exisiting documents, make sure the resolution is good enough and the result does not look pixelated.
  • Make sure figures are large enough and good quality: legends, axis labels and axis titles should be readable; when including plots and figures from LHCb publications, use the original files that are attached to the cds entry for each paper and conf note; if you have to copy/paste using screen shots from exisiting documents, make sure the resolution is good enough and the result does not look pixelated.
  • We do not impose a specific layout for slides, but please use common sense when preparing your presentation. Make sure all text is easily readable on a beamer: use large enough fonts, avoid dark backgrounds, avoid yellow or green font colours.
  • Slides should not be too dense: as a rule of thumb, more than 13 lines of text on a slide is too much.
  • Avoid to put material (plots or numbers) that you will not discuss during the presentation. Put it into backup slides instead.
  • Finally, run a spell-checker over your slides.

Layout for posters:

  • The author(s) should be your name(s) "on behalf of the LHCb collaboration".
  • References to LHCb papers / CONF notes (see above) should be clearly visible: either next to the text or the plots referring to them or in a reference section at the bottom of the poster of appropriate size.
  • Write a consistent story, best if in a schematic way. Suggest to group material in boxes to improve the layout. Use bold or coloured font to highlight relevant text (keywords, definitions).
  • Avoid to put too much text. Typically > 50 % of the space on the poster should be plots, equations, diagrams, tables, etc., and < 50 % text.
  • Do not use font size below 11 pt.
  • Do not overdo with plots or pictures.
  • Do not overdo it with brightly coloured backgrounds - these can obscure the material.

(*) These rules apply for all presentations and posters at events that fall under the responsibility of the LHCb Speakers' Bureau as defined in its Mandate.