Poster presentations disseminate research in a visually appealing way. This visualization of data allows researchers to share their findings in memorable and much more interesting way.
A study conducted by JR Goodhand in 2011 showed that the more visually appealing a poster is, the better the perceived scientific merit and originality appears to be. It also found that the factors which increased a posters' visual appeal included their scientific content, picture/graphs and limited use of words" (Goodhand, 2011)."
So, when planning your poster remember the saying, "quality over quantity!"
Goodhand JR, Giles CL, Wahed M, Irving PM, Langmead L, Rampton DS. Poster presentations at medical conferences: an effective way of disseminating research?. Clin Med (Lond). 2011;11(2):138–141. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.11-2-138
Start by creating an outline for your poster. To focus your topic, answer the following questions:
Titles should be:
Authors should be listed just under the title.
Your introduction sets the stage for the project and serves to give the reader an overview. It should peak their interest. Best practices include:
Approximate word count goal: 200 words
Font size:
Headings: about 44 pt
Main text: about 32 pt
This is the place to describe your experimental equipment and the research methods you used - but in brief. In addition to the text, you might want to add:
This section may be about 200 words.
Font size:
Headings: about 44 pt
Main text: about 32 pt
Captions: about 28 pt
Did it work or not? Cut to the point and add additional details about what was observed as well as the data that support your hypothesis. Key items to include are:
This is the largest section of your poster. Your images & charts will speak volumes so the goal here is to keep the text to approximate 200 words.
Font size:
Headings: about 44 pt
Main text: about 32 pt
Captions: about 28 pt
This is the place to sum up and remind readers of your hypothesis and the results. A few things to cover include:
The text of this section may be 200-300 words.
Font size:
Headings: about 44 pt
Main text: about 32 pt
Your research is based on what is already known. You may have a long list or a short one. The poster should have a concise list of extremely pertinent articles. If it is a long list - have a reference list as a handout to your poster. Keep in mind:
Font size:
Citations: about 24 pt
The authors would like to thank The University of California San Diego Library, the National Institute of Health, and the University of Michigan Library for allowing us to adapt material from their LibGuides and presentations.