Design of scientific posters

Posters are a special type of presentation. When well designed, they are not simply journal papers pasted onto boards. Rather, posters, when effectively designed, are something in between. This page discusses the special situation that a student faces when designing a poster and then suggests some guidelines to address that situation.

The purpose of posters is to present work to an audience who is walking through a hallway or exhibit. In poster presentations at conferences, the presenter usually stands next to the poster, thus allowing for passers-by to engage in one-on-one discussions with the presenter. In other situations such as the hallways of laboratories, universities, and corporations, posters are stand-alone presentations for passers-by. For a poster to communicate the work, the poster first has to orient an audience that is not seated, but that is standing. Often the audience has distractions of noise and movement from other people. Given those distractions, a journal article tacked onto a board fails as an effective poster because the audience cannot concentrate for a time long enough to read through the paper. In fact, given the distractions that the audience faces, many in the audience will not even bother trying to read a journal article tacked onto a board.

So what then makes for an effective poster?

First, the title of an effective poster should quickly orient the audience. Here are some guidelines for poster titles:

1. Make the title the most prominent block of text on the poster (in the center, at the top).

2. Do not typeset the title in all capital letters (such text is difficult to read).

3. Use small words such as of, from, with, to, the, a, an, and to separate details in the title.

While phrase titles are most common, some scientists and engineers effectively use sentence titles for posters that present one main result.

Second, the poster should quickly orient the audience to the subject and purpose. One good test is whether the audience recognizes the subject and purpose within 20 seconds of seeing the poster. Usually, a poster accomplishes this goal with a well-crafted title and with supporting images.

Third, the specific sections such as the results should be easy to locate on the poster. Once readers recognize what the work is, they decide how much energy to invest into the poster. For instance, many will read only the motivation for the work, the objectives (or goals) of the work, and then the final results. Others, who have a deep interest in the topic, will try to read the poster from beginning to end. Given these different approaches to reading posters, another characteristic of an effective poster is that specific sections are easy to locate.

Fourth, you should design the individual sections of a poster so that they can be quickly read. The poster should not contain large blocks of text. Neither should the poster contain long sentences. If possible, the sections should rely on images: photographs, drawings, and graphs.

© Virginia Tech – College of Engineering at URL = http://writing.engr.psu.edu/posters.html

POSTERTIPS How much work does a poster require?

A poster does not have to generate a lot of work. Imagine giving a five-minute report to a peer. What would you say? Write down what you would say, and organize the key points in the following way:

1) Statement of problem (need for project)

2) Purpose of the poster (can also be clearly stated in title)

3) Who prepared the poster

4) Description of the program and target outcomes (should not be more than three to five sentences—can be depicted in a logic model)

5) At least one graphic (can be a photograph) illustrating the program’s progress, who is involved, or how the program works

6) Lessons learned so far (if the program is currently underway)

7) Implications for future action (where will this lead?)

8) Source of funding for the project

What are elements of an effective poster?

A poster should have enough information to paint a relatively clear picture without overwhelming the viewer. Ideally, viewers should not have to spend more than five minutes reading through text on a poster. Select graphics carefully, choosing information that conveys the most important message from the poster. Graphics and font sizes should be easy to read from at a distance of at least five feet.

• Focused, limited topic

• Statement of problem addressed by project or research/evaluation question

• Clear title, author and funding source

• Selected graphic depictions of data, participants, or before/after program effects

• Clear source of information

• Logical flow of information

• Explicit implications or lessons

• Handouts summarizing poster and contact information

“Tips on preparing a conference poster” by Mary Michaud, University of Wisconsin

Possible poster layouts are presented below:

Poster heading (Arial: 44 Points, Bold)

The first section of the poster should define the topic and show its importance. A good test is whether the poster can orient the audience to these two aspects in 20 seconds. Shown in Figure 1 is a possible layout for a poster. This section was set in Arial, 36 points.

Heading (Arial: 44 Points, Bold)

The second section of the poster might serve a number of purposes: background information, methods, or system design. An important point with posters is to rely on visuals rather than long blocks of text to communicate. Figure 2 shows a possible layout for poster. This section was set in Arial, 36 points.

Heading (Arial: 44 Points, Bold)

One section of a poster should present the results. Often the results can be depicted with graphs, such as for an experiment, or with drawings such as with a design. Shown in Figure 3 is another possible layout for a poster. This section was set in Arial, 36 points.