Requirements for Presenting Your Talk at IEDM 2008

Conference Office Address:
Phyllis Mahoney
IEDM c/o Widerkehr and Associates
19803 Laurel Valley Place
Montgomery Village, MD 20886 USA
301-527-0900 ext. 103

Click on the following link to download all the information for author instructions ONLY AFTER reading the following instructions:


2008 Author Kit Instructions


Audio/Visual Needs - Overview

Electronic projection is required for all technical papers.

  • The projection medium is either Powerpoint or PDF (Adobe Acrobat). IBM PC versions ONLY.
  • NO 35MM SLIDE PROJECTORS WILL BE AVAILABLE.

When preparing your electronic presentation, carefully follow the instructions in this document. We also urge you to use the template on the IEDM web; follow the links to "PowerPoint Presentation Template". Following these instructions is critical to the preparation of your presentation.

Please bring an electronic copy of your presentation to the IEDM. You may use a USB drive or CD-ROM.

Uploading: At least one day prior to your session, you are required to go to the Speaker Presentation Room to upload your presentation to the IEDM computer. No uploading of presentations will be permitted the day of a session. Extra computers will be set up in the Speaker Preparation Room so that authors can preview but not change their presentations.

Confidentiality: The content of electronic presentations are assumed to be placed in the public domain at time of the IEDM. However, we will make reasonable attempts to delete all electronic files from IEDM computers after the presentations are completed. The IEDM will not publish or distribute the presentation material.

PREPARING YOUR PRESENTATION Read these instructions carefully and completely. Your audience is accustomed to presentations that rely on visual aids. Consequently, they expect material that is readable from all seats in the room. The following information will assist you in preparing your visuals and meeting the standards of quality expected by the Conference Committee and audience.

PowerPoint Presentation Template: Obtain a template of the IEDM presentation template by clicking here PowerPoint Template. The template file contains suitable colors and fonts, as well as examples of good and bad techniques. Even if you do not plan to use powerpoint, carefully review the information in the powerpoint template.

Use of animation is discouraged. Animation may only be used for its unique ability to show the evolution of a process over time. If you plan to use animation, you MUST have prior approval from your Session Chair.

Suggestions for a good presentation:

  1. Briefly outline your talk and what will be covered.
  2. Define your problem. What led to your work? What were your objectives?
  3. Use your presentation to visualize the essential points of your talk. Be selective.
  4. Keep concepts as simple as possible and limit each page to one main idea.
  5. Use several simple figures rather than one complicated one, especially if you plan to discuss it at length.
  6. Make a clear conclusion. Suggest potential applications.
  7. Rehearse your talk aloud with a private audience. Practice wit\h your final electronic presentation.

Presentation Preparation Instructions

  • Page set-up: Images must be sized for 8-1/2" x 11" paper. (Click on "File", "Page Set-Up", click on arrow for "Slides Sized For" and pick "Letter Paper: 8-1/2X11"). DO NOT size for A4 or 35mm slide.
  • Leave 1/2" or 1cm margin on all four sides.
  • All pages should be in a horizontal format, not vertical.
  • No logos are permitted except on the title page.
  • High contrast is important. Use white, or yellow text only on a medium blue background.
  • Use Arial Bold font. Do not use fonts smaller than 24 point.
  • For pages with text only, use no more than 30 words and no more than 6 lines, double spaced per slide.
  • For illustrations, make all lines, numbers, and captions of sufficient thickness and size so that they are projected clearly. Again, use Arial Bold font and do not use fonts smaller than 24 point.
  • Often graphical data that are imported from another application have inadequate line width and font size to be useful. If necessary, re-draw the material using native PowerPoint graphics.
  • Use duplicate copies of a page if you need to refer to it at different times in your presentation. Do not rely on moving back to previously shown pages.
  • Save your presentation using a file name with the pattern "S-P_author_n.ppt" (or .pdf) where S is the Session Number (number before the period, see acceptance letter), P is the Paper Number (number after the period, see acceptance letter). Author is your last name and n is the version number of your file.
    Sample file name: 5-3_smith_1.ppt.
  • Embed true type fonts in powerpoint files:
    To embed fonts, click on "File", "Save As", "Tools", "Embed True Type Fonts" or, click on "File", "Save As" and check "Embed True Type"

UPLOADING YOUR PRESENTATION Bring an electronic copy of your presentation to the IEDM. You may use a USB drive or CDROM.

Speaker Preparation Room: In order to assure the proper handling of your audiovisual material, please deliver it to the Speaker Preparation Room, at least one day prior to your presentation. The Speaker Preparation Room, will be open as follows (location will be announced in the Advance Program). Speakers are only allowed access to this room during these hours due to equipment security requirements.

Sunday December 14 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday December 15 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday December 16 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday   December 17   8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

PRESENTING YOUR PAPER Report to the room assigned to your presentation 30 minutes before the session begins. Your Session Chair will instruct you on use of the microphone and the controls to advance the images in your presentation.

You will have a laser pointer to direct the audience's attention to a particular area of an image during your presentation. Please observe proper etiquette with this pointer: do not turn it on when it is not needed. When it is needed, please point carefully to the area of interest rather than wave it carelessly across the screen.

The audience will have microphones available for the question-and-answer period. However, if a question is inaudible to everyone in the room, please repeat the question yourself before answering it. If there is difficulty understanding a question due to a language barrier, please ask your session chair for assistance.

Time Allowed for Presentation: Regular papers are allotted 20 minutes, with an additional 5 minutes for a question-and-answer period following each talk. Late news papers are allotted 10 minutes, with a 5 minute question-and-answer period. The Session Chairperson will introduce the speakers and will moderate the question-and-answer period.