Researchers, stop making boring slides (+9 tips)
9 presentation mistakes smart scientists make (and how to fix them) 👇
Even brilliant researchers lose the room.
Not because their science is wrong.
But because their audience is confused, bored, or both.
As every Monday morning, this email series is meant to make you a better scientist in two minutes (or less).
Fix those 9 mistakes and you’ll be ahead of other presenters 👇
Mistake #1: Statistics
Most scientists use asterisks in figures—and don’t know when to use p-values.
• Use asterisks (e.g., *, **, ***) for posters, talks, and mixed audiences
• Use actual p-values (e.g., p = 0.003) for technical reports, journals, and formal evaluations
Why? This post has a detailed answer.
But for now, remember:
✅ Visual for speed. Numbers for scrutiny.
Mistake #2: Goal
If you don’t state a working hypothesis, the audience will wander.
State the goal. Your North Star.
Steal this plain-language sentence:
“We asked: Can machine learning predict this outcome earlier than traditional methods? The hypothesis of my project is…”
Mistake #3: Fonts
Never go below 30 pt font on a slide.
Mistake #4: Space
Stop jamming slides with figures.
60% of your slides should be empty. Preferably even more.
Pro tip: When switching slides, don’t display multiple figures at once. Instead, show them gradually (one by one). Show one figure every time you click the button.
Mistake #5: Jargon
Cut 90% of your technical jargon.
Nobody needs to know the temperature, buffer composition, or machine model on your slides.
Mistake #6: The “How”
How scientists often present:
Why? 5%
How? 90%
Results? 5%
What the audience wants:
Why? 40%
How? 20%
Results? 40%
✅ Lead with the why. End with the impact.
Mistake #7: Unsmooth Sailing
Don’t show 10 unrelated experiments.
Tell one coherent story.
How?
End each slide with a question that leads to the next:
✅ “So this result made us curious: What happens when we inhibit this pathway?"
Then flip the slide
Mistake #8: Axes
The time per slide is rarely enough to understand a chart.
So don’t show a graph without saying what the axes are.
Steal this sentence:
✅ “The y-axis is survival measured by cell confluence, and the x-axis is time.”
Mistake #9: Not telling your colleagues about Wildtype One
They need useful lab tips too.
✅ Invite them to join you and 400+ elite researchers getting weekly lab hacks with our newsletter (it’s free) 👉 wildtypeone.substack.com/about
As promised, better science in two minutes or less.
Much love,
Carl from Wildtype One