what is scientific research poster

How to Create a Research Poster

• Poster Basics
• Design Tips
• Logos & Images

What is a Research Poster?

Posters are widely used in the academic community, and most conferences include poster presentations in their program.  Research posters summarize information or research concisely and attractively to help publicize it and generate discussion. 

The poster is usually a mixture of a brief text mixed with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. At a conference, the researcher stands by the poster display while other participants can come and view the presentation and interact with the author.

What Makes a Good Poster?

• Important information should be readable from about 10 feet away
• Title is short and draws interest
• Word count of about 300 to 800 words
• Text is clear and to the point
• Use of bullets, numbering, and headlines make it easy to read
• Effective use of graphics, color and fonts
• Consistent and clean layout
• Includes acknowledgments, your name and institutional affiliation

A Sample of a Well Designed Poster

View this poster example in a web browser .  

Image credit: Poster Session Tips by [email protected], via Penn State

Where do I begin?

Answer these three questions:.

• What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my research project?
• How can I visually share my research with conference attendees? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?
• What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

What software can I use to make a poster?

A popular, easy-to-use option. It is part of Microsoft Office package and is available on the library computers in rooms LC337 and LC336. ( Advice for creating a poster with PowerPoint ).

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Feature-rich professional software that is good for posters including lots of high-resolution images, but they are more complex and expensive.  NYU Faculty, Staff, and Students can access and download the Adobe Creative Suite .

Open Source Alternatives 

• OpenOffice is the free alternative to MS Office (Impress is its PowerPoint alternative).
• Inkscape and Gimp are alternatives to Adobe products.
• For charts and diagrams try Gliffy or Lovely Charts .
• A complete list of free graphics software .

A Sample of a Poorly Designed Poster

View this bad poster example in a browser.

Image Credit: Critique by Better Posters

• Next: Design Tips >>
• Last Updated: Jul 11, 2023 5:09 PM
• URL: https://guides.nyu.edu/posters

Reference management. Clean and simple.

The key parts of a scientific poster

Why make a scientific poster?

Type of poster formats, sections of a scientific poster, before you start: tips for making a scientific poster, the 6 technical elements of a scientific poster, 3. typography, 5. images and illustrations, how to seek feedback on your poster, how to present your poster, tips for the day of your poster presentation, in conclusion, other sources to help you with your scientific poster presentation, frequently asked questions about scientific posters, related articles.

A poster presentation provides the opportunity to show off your research to a broad audience and connect with other researchers in your field.

For junior researchers, presenting a poster is often the first type of scientific presentation they give in their careers.

The discussions you have with other researchers during your poster presentation may inspire new research ideas, or even lead to new collaborations.

Consequently, a poster presentation can be just as professionally enriching as giving an oral presentation , if you prepare for it properly.

In this guide post, you will learn:

• The goal of a scientific poster presentation
• The 6 key elements of a scientific poster
• How to make a scientific poster
• How to prepare for a scientific poster presentation
• ‘What to do on the day of the poster session.

Our advice comes from our previous experiences as scientists presenting posters at conferences.

Posters can be a powerful way for showcasing your data in scientific meetings. You can get helpful feedback from other researchers as well as expand your professional network and attract fruitful interactions with peers.

Scientific poster sessions tend to be more relaxed than oral presentation sessions, as they provide the opportunity to meet with peers in a less formal setting and to have energizing conversations about your research with a wide cross-section of researchers.

• Physical posters: A poster that is located in an exhibit hall and pinned to a poster board. Physical posters are beneficial since they may be visually available for the duration of a meeting, unlike oral presentations.
• E-posters: A poster that is shown on a screen rather than printed and pinned on a poster board. E-posters can have static or dynamic content. Static e-posters are slideshow presentations consisting of one or more slides, whereas dynamic e-posters include videos or animations.

Some events allow for a combination of both formats.

The sections included in a scientific poster tend to follow the format of a scientific paper , although other designs are possible. For example, the concept of a #betterposter was invented by PhD student Mike Morrison to address the issue of poorly designed scientific posters. It puts the take-home message at the center of the poster and includes a QR code on the poster to learn about further details of the project.

• Anticipate who your audience during the poster session will be—this will depend on the type of meeting. For example, presenting during a poster session at a large conference may attract a broad audience of generalists and specialists at a variety of career stages. You would like for your poster to appeal to all of these groups. You can achieve this by making the main message accessible through eye-catching figures, concise text, and an interesting title.
• Your goal in a poster session is to get your research noticed and to have interesting conversations with attendees. Your poster is a visual aid for the talks you will give, so having a well-organized, clear, and informative poster will help achieve your aim.
• Plan the narrative of your poster. Start by deciding the key take-home message of your presentation, and create a storyboard prioritizing the key findings that indicate the main message. Your storyboard can be a simple sketch of the poster layout, or you can use digital tools to make it. Present your results in a logical order, with the most important result in the center of the poster.
• Give yourself enough time to create a draft of your poster, and to get feedback on it. Since waiting to receive feedback, revising your poster, and sending the final version to the printers may take a few days, it is sensible to give yourself at least 1-2 weeks to make your poster.
• Check if the meeting has specific poster formatting requirements, and if your institution has a poster template with logos and color schemes that you can use. Poster templates can also be found online and can be adapted for use.
• Know where you will get your poster printed, and how long it typically takes to receive the printed poster.
• Ensure you write a specific and informative poster abstract, because specialists in your field may decide to visit your poster based on its quality. This is especially true in large meetings where viewers will choose what posters to visit before the poster session begins because it isn’t possible to read every poster.

➡️ Learn more about how to write an abstract

The technical elements of a scientific poster are:

• Images and Illustrations

Don’t be tempted to cram your entire paper into your poster—details that you omit can be brought up during conversations with viewers. Only include information that is useful for supporting your take-home message. Place your core message in the center of your poster, using either text or visual elements. Avoid jargon, and use concise text elements (no more than 10 lines and 50 words long). Present your data in graphs rather than in tabular form, as it can be difficult for visitors to extract the most important information from tables. Use bullet points and numbered lists to make text content easy to read. Your poster shouldn’t have more than 800 words.

Poster sections should have a logical visual flow, ideally in a longitudinal fashion. For example, in an article on poster presentations published in Nature , scientific illustrator Jamie Simon recommends using the law of thirds to display your research—a 3-column layout with 3 blocks per column. Headings, columns, graphs, and diagrams should be aligned and distributed with enough spacing and balance. The text should be left-aligned while maintaining an appropriate amount of "white space' i.e., areas devoid of any design elements.

To ensure the title is visible from 5 meters away, use a sans serif 85pt font. The body text should use a minimum of 24pt serif font so that it can be read from a one-meter distance. Section headings and subheadings should be in bold. Avoid underlining text and using all capitals in words; instead, a mixture of boldface and italics should be used for emphasis. Use adequate line spacing and one-inch margins to give a clean, uncluttered look.

Appropriate use of color can help readers make comparisons and contrasts in your figures. Account for the needs of color-blind viewers by not using red and green together, and using symbols and dashed lines in your figures. Use a white background for your poster, and black text.

Include no more than 4 figures, with a prominent centerpiece figure in the middle of the poster of your study system or main finding. Dimensions for illustrations, diagrams, and figures should be consistent. When inserting charts, avoid gray backgrounds and grid lines to prevent ink consumption and an unaesthetic look. Graphics used must have proper labels, legible axes, and be adequately sized. Images with a 200 dpi or higher resolution are preferred. If you obtain an image from the internet, make sure it has a high enough resolution and is available in the public domain.

Tools for poster design include Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, Adobe Illustrator, In Design, Scribus, Canva, Impress, Google Slides, and LaTeX. When starting with the design, the page size should be identical to the final print size. Stick to one design tool to avoid formatting errors.

Have at least one proofreading and feedback round before you print your final poster by following these steps:

• Share your poster draft with your advisor, peers, and ideally, at least one person outside of your field to get feedback.
• Allow time to revise your poster and implement the comments you’ve received.
• Before printing, proofread your final draft. You can use a spelling and grammar-checking tool, or print out a small version of the poster to help locate typos and redundant text.

Before giving a poster presentation, you need to be ready to discuss your research.

• For large meetings where viewers of your poster have a range of specialties, prepare 2-3 levels for your speech, starting with a one-minute talk consisting of key background information and take-home messages. Prepare separate short talks for casual viewers with varying levels of interest in your topic, ranging from "very little" to "some".
• Prepare a 3-5 minute presentation explaining the methods and results for those in your audience with an advanced background.
• Anticipate possible questions that could arise during your presentation and prepare answers for them.
• Practice your speech. You can ask friends, family, or fellow lab members to listen to your practice sessions and provide feedback.

Here we provide a checklist for your presentation day:

• Arrive early—often exhibition halls are large and it can take some time to find the allocated spot for your poster. Bring tape and extra pins to put up your poster properly.
• Wear professional attire and comfortable shoes.
• Be enthusiastic. Start the conversation by introducing yourself and requesting the attendee’s name and field of interest, and offering to explain your poster briefly. Maintain eye contact with attendees visiting your poster while pointing to relevant figures and charts.
• Ask visitors what they know about your topic so that you can tailor your presentation accordingly.
• Some attendees prefer to read through your poster first and then ask you questions. You can still offer to give a brief explanation of your poster and then follow up by answering their questions.
• When you meet with visitors to your poster, you are having a conversation, so you can also ask them questions. If you are not sure they understand what you are saying, ask if your explanation makes sense to them, and clarify points where needed.
• Be professional. Stand at your poster for the duration of the session, and prioritize being available to meet with visitors to your poster over socializing with friends or lab mates. Pay due attention to all visitors at once by acknowledging visitors waiting to speak with you.

A scientific poster is an excellent method to present your work and network with peers. Preparation is essential before your poster session, which includes planning your layout, drafting your poster, practicing your speech, and preparing answers to anticipated questions. The effort invested in preparing your poster will be returned by stimulating conversations during the poster session and greater awareness of your work in your scientific community.

➡️ How to prepare a scientific poster

➡️ Conference presentations: Lead the poster parade

➡️ Designing conference posters

A scientific poster can be used to network with colleagues, get feedback on your research and get recognition as a researcher.

A scientific poster should include a main heading, introduction, methods, results, conclusion, and references.

An e-poster is a poster fashioned as a slideshow presentation that plays on a digital screen, with each slide carrying a sliver of information.

A handful of tools can be used to design a poster including Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Publisher, Illustrator, In Design, Photoshop, Impress, and LaTeX.

Start the conversation by introducing yourself and requesting the attendees' names, affiliations, and fields of interest, and offering to explain your poster briefly. Alternatively, you can give attendees ample time to read through your poster first and then offer to explain your poster in 10 seconds followed by questions and answers.

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A Guide to Designing a Scientific Poster: Content, Layout, and More

By Michael G. Lemieux

You’ve done great research and made interesting discoveries. You’ve analyzed the data and generated beautiful figures. And, you can’t wait to tell your story. But, before you can show off your work at a conference, you need to first make your poster. While a poster generally contains the same sections as a primary research article, it’s important to understand that presenting your work in poster format differs in many ways from writing a manuscript.

If you have ever attended a scientific conference , or even a lab recruiting session at your university, you are likely aware of how different posters can be. You have also probably thought about why certain posters resonate with you (or not). It is important to reflect on these impressions when thinking about crafting your own poster.

What sets a scientific poster apart?

First, a good poster should catch the audience’s eye and draw people in. That can be accomplished with an exciting title and attractive figures. Next, the poster should be legible from a distance. This means big font and fewer words. Further, the poster should be easily navigable and efficient; your questions, data, and conclusions should be clearly identified and interpreted in less than a couple of minutes.

How does one accomplish all of that? What follows are some tips to help you build a great poster. 

Tips for designing your poster

Check conference guidelines.

To begin, you should always follow conference rules when designing your poster, since they can differ. 48” x 36” tends to be the most common poster size, but this can vary as well. 

Sections of your poster

In almost all scientific posters you will find a title, author names and affiliations, introduction, methods, results, conclusions, and acknowledgements sections. Some other additions you might wish to include are a references section, contact information, and potentially a photograph of yourself. A photo can be very useful in the event that you will not be physically present at your poster at all times, so other participants can identify you. You may also wish to make creative use of a footer in your poster. This is a section where you can insert your references and contact information, and it is generally acceptable for the font here to be much smaller than in other poster sections, so you can include a lot more.

Font size: Making your poster readable

While we are talking about font, remember this: bigger is better! Your poster should be readable from several feet away. It can also be useful to use two different font styles; one for your section titles, and a different one for the body of those sections. This strategy helps your sections stand out, and makes the entire poster more navigable. 

Choose your content wisely

Remember that less is more! Posters should not look like a primary research article condensed into one big page. Your sections should be as concise as possible, communicating only the most important results to your audience. With a poster, you have the advantage of being able to verbally communicate your work, so you don’t need every little detail on the board. 

Poster layout

While it’s good to let your ingenuity shine, and you generally have free reign over how you put your poster together, be aware that there are some particular styles recognized to work well. It is important that your readers can navigate your poster and follow the logical progression of your work, and you can accomplish this by employing a neat and organized format. 

• “Better Poster.”  This  new take on scientific poster design  was conceived by Mike Morrison, a psychology doctoral student at Michigan State University. The idea is that the main research finding is written across the center of the poster in a large font. Hence, spectators can read the text from many feet away and immediately understand the point of the work. The other poster sections like the introduction, methods, and figures flank the central region, and a scannable barcode is included that links readers to more information if they desire it.

Background and color

One of the best ways to grab your audience’s attention is with the background and color of your poster. You can choose essentially any background, but two common approaches are either a solid color, or a “themed” background that is relevant to the work you are presenting. The latter is catchy, but beware. A distracting background or clashing colors can take away from what should be the focus of your poster - the data and your story. If you choose a single-color background but want to add a bit more “flash,” you can include a subtle gradient (as is shown in all of our illustrations above) so that the color fades to a lighter or darker version of itself from the top of the poster to the bottom. Depending on the color you select for the background, you’ll want to make sure that the color of your font is compatible. Use high-contrast between these colors so that your text is easily read. Similarly, be cognizant of audience members that are color-blind; avoiding red and green is a good idea for this reason but there are many other ways to make your poster more accessible .

Final thoughts

Though we’ve just presented some standard formatting guidelines for making a scientific poster, you shouldn’t hesitate to be creative. After all, your poster is a representation of your work and a reflection of you, so make it your own!

Additional resources on the Addgene blog

• Check out this blog post on navigating the poster session
• Find tips to make the most of your conference attendance
• Read all of our blog posts about conferences

Topics: Science Careers , Conferences , Early Career Researcher

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Preparing and Presenting Effective Research Posters

Associated data.

APPENDIX A.2. Comparison of Research Papers, Presentations, and Posters—Contents.

Posters are a common way to present results of a statistical analysis, program evaluation, or other project at professional conferences. Often, researchers fail to recognize the unique nature of the format, which is a hybrid of a published paper and an oral presentation. This methods note demonstrates how to design research posters to convey study objectives, methods, findings, and implications effectively to varied professional audiences.

A review of existing literature on research communication and poster design is used to identify and demonstrate important considerations for poster content and layout. Guidelines on how to write about statistical methods, results, and statistical significance are illustrated with samples of ineffective writing annotated to point out weaknesses, accompanied by concrete examples and explanations of improved presentation. A comparison of the content and format of papers, speeches, and posters is also provided.

Each component of a research poster about a quantitative analysis should be adapted to the audience and format, with complex statistical results translated into simplified charts, tables, and bulleted text to convey findings as part of a clear, focused story line.

Conclusions

Effective research posters should be designed around two or three key findings with accompanying handouts and narrative description to supply additional technical detail and encourage dialog with poster viewers.

An assortment of posters is a common way to present research results to viewers at a professional conference. Too often, however, researchers treat posters as poor cousins to oral presentations or published papers, failing to recognize the opportunity to convey their findings while interacting with individual viewers. By neglecting to adapt detailed paragraphs and statistical tables into text bullets and charts, they make it harder for their audience to quickly grasp the key points of the poster. By simply posting pages from the paper, they risk having people merely skim their work while standing in the conference hall. By failing to devise narrative descriptions of their poster, they overlook the chance to learn from conversations with their audience.

Even researchers who adapt their paper into a well-designed poster often forget to address the range of substantive and statistical training of their viewers. This step is essential for those presenting to nonresearchers but also pertains when addressing interdisciplinary research audiences. Studies of policymakers ( DiFranza and the Staff of the Advocacy Institute 1996 ; Sorian and Baugh 2002 ) have demonstrated the importance of making it readily apparent how research findings apply to real-world issues rather than imposing on readers to translate statistical findings themselves.

This methods note is intended to help researchers avoid such pitfalls as they create posters for professional conferences. The first section describes objectives of research posters. The second shows how to describe statistical results to viewers with varied levels of statistical training, and the third provides guidelines on the contents and organization of the poster. Later sections address how to prepare a narrative and handouts to accompany a research poster. Because researchers often present the same results as published research papers, spoken conference presentations, and posters, Appendix A compares similarities and differences in the content, format, and audience interaction of these three modes of presenting research results. Although the focus of this note is on presentation of quantitative research results, many of the guidelines about how to prepare and present posters apply equally well to qualitative studies.

WHAT IS A RESEARCH POSTER?

Preparing a poster involves not only creating pages to be mounted in a conference hall, but also writing an associated narrative and handouts, and anticipating the questions you are likely to encounter during the session. Each of these elements should be adapted to the audience, which may include people with different levels of familiarity with your topic and methods ( Nelson et al. 2002 ; Beilenson 2004 ). For example, the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association draws academics who conduct complex statistical analyses along with practitioners, program planners, policymakers, and journalists who typically do not.

Posters are a hybrid form—more detailed than a speech but less than a paper, more interactive than either ( Appendix A ). In a speech, you (the presenter) determine the focus of the presentation, but in a poster session, the viewers drive that focus. Different people will ask about different facets of your research. Some might do policy work or research on a similar topic or with related data or methods. Others will have ideas about how to apply or extend your work, raising new questions or suggesting different contrasts, ways of classifying data, or presenting results. Beilenson (2004) describes the experience of giving a poster as a dialogue between you and your viewers.

By the end of an active poster session, you may have learned as much from your viewers as they have from you, especially if the topic, methods, or audience are new to you. For instance, at David Snowdon's first poster presentation on educational attainment and longevity using data from The Nun Study, another researcher returned several times to talk with Snowdon, eventually suggesting that he extend his research to focus on Alzheimer's disease, which led to an important new direction in his research ( Snowdon 2001 ). In addition, presenting a poster provides excellent practice in explaining quickly and clearly why your project is important and what your findings mean—a useful skill to apply when revising a speech or paper on the same topic.

WRITING FOR A VARIED PROFESSIONAL AUDIENCE

Audiences at professional conferences vary considerably in their substantive and methodological backgrounds. Some will be experts on your topic but not your methods, some will be experts on your methods but not your topic, and most will fall somewhere in between. In addition, advances in research methods imply that even researchers who received cutting-edge methodological training 10 or 20 years ago might not be conversant with the latest approaches. As you design your poster, provide enough background on both the topic and the methods to convey the purpose, findings, and implications of your research to the expected range of readers.

Telling a Simple, Clear Story

Write so your audience can understand why your work is of interest to them, providing them with a clear take-home message that they can grasp in the few minutes they will spend at your poster. Experts in communications and poster design recommend planning your poster around two to three key points that you want your audience to walk away with, then designing the title, charts, and text to emphasize those points ( Briscoe 1996 ; Nelson et al. 2002 ; Beilenson 2004 ). Start by introducing the two or three key questions you have decided will be the focus of your poster, and then provide a brief overview of data and methods before presenting the evidence to answer those questions. Close with a summary of your findings and their implications for research and policy.

A 2001 survey of government policymakers showed that they prefer summaries of research to be written so they can immediately see how the findings relate to issues currently facing their constituencies, without wading through a formal research paper ( Sorian and Baugh 2002 ). Complaints that surfaced about many research reports included that they were “too long, dense, or detailed,” or “too theoretical, technical, or jargony.” On average, respondents said they read only about a quarter of the research material they receive for detail, skim about half of it, and never get to the rest.

To ensure that your poster is one viewers will read, understand, and remember, present your analyses to match the issues and questions of concern to them, rather than making readers translate your statistical results to fit their interests ( DiFranza and the Staff of the Advocacy Institute 1996 ; Nelson et al. 2002 ). Often, their questions will affect how you code your data, specify your model, or design your intervention and evaluation, so plan ahead by familiarizing yourself with your audience's interests and likely applications of your study findings. In an academic journal article, you might report parameter estimates and standard errors for each independent variable in your regression model. In the poster version, emphasize findings for specific program design features, demographic, or geographic groups, using straightforward means of presenting effect size and statistical significance; see “Describing Numeric Patterns and Contrasts” and “Presenting Statistical Test Results” below.

The following sections offer guidelines on how to present statistical findings on posters, accompanied by examples of “poor” and “better” descriptions—samples of ineffective writing annotated to point out weaknesses, accompanied by concrete examples and explanations of improved presentation. These ideas are illustrated with results from a multilevel analysis of disenrollment from the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP; Phillips et al. 2004 ). I chose that paper to show how to prepare a poster about a sophisticated quantitative analysis of a topic of interest to HSR readers, and because I was a collaborator in that study, which was presented in the three formats compared here—as a paper, a speech, and a poster.

Explaining Statistical Methods

Beilenson (2004) and Briscoe (1996) suggest keeping your description of data and methods brief, providing enough information for viewers to follow the story line and evaluate your approach. Avoid cluttering the poster with too much technical detail or obscuring key findings with excessive jargon. For readers interested in additional methodological information, provide a handout and a citation to the pertinent research paper.

As you write about statistical methods or other technical issues, relate them to the specific concepts you study. Provide synonyms for technical and statistical terminology, remembering that many conferences of interest to policy researchers draw people from a range of disciplines. Even with a quantitatively sophisticated audience, don't assume that people will know the equivalent vocabulary used in other fields. A few years ago, the journal Medical Care published an article whose sole purpose was to compare statistical terminology across various disciplines involved in health services research so that people could understand one another ( Maciejewski et al. 2002 ). After you define the term you plan to use, mention the synonyms from the various fields represented in your audience.

Consider whether acronyms are necessary on your poster. Avoid them if they are not familiar to the field or would be used only once or twice on your poster. If you use acronyms, spell them out at first usage, even those that are common in health services research such as “HEDIS®”(Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set) or “HLM”(hierarchical linear model).

Poor: “We use logistic regression and a discrete-time hazards specification to assess relative hazards of SCHIP disenrollment, with plan level as our key independent variable.” Comment: Terms like “discrete-time hazards specification” may be confusing to readers without training in those methods, which are relatively new on the scene. Also the meaning of “SCHIP” or “plan level” may be unfamiliar to some readers unless defined earlier on the poster.

Better: “Chances of disenrollment from the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) vary by amount of time enrolled, so we used hazards models (also known as event history analysis or survival analysis) to correct for those differences when estimating disenrollment patterns for SCHIP plans for different income levels.” Comment: This version clarifies the terms and concepts, naming the statistical method and its synonyms, and providing a sense of why this type of analysis is needed.

To explain a statistical method or assumption, paraphrase technical terms and illustrate how the analytic approach applies to your particular research question and data:

Poor : “The data structure can be formulated as a two-level hierarchical linear model, with families (the level-1 unit of analysis) nested within counties (the level-2 unit of analysis).” Comment: Although this description would be fine for readers used to working with this type of statistical model, those who aren't conversant with those methods may be confused by terminology such as “level-1” and “unit of analysis.”

Better: “The data have a hierarchical (or multilevel) structure, with families clustered within counties.” Comment: By replacing “nested” with the more familiar “clustered,” identifying the specific concepts for the two levels of analysis, and mentioning that “hierarchical” and “multilevel” refer to the same type of analytic structure, this description relates the generic class of statistical model to this particular study.

Presenting Results with Charts

Charts are often the preferred way to convey numeric patterns, quickly revealing the relative sizes of groups, comparative levels of some outcome, or directions of trends ( Briscoe 1996 ; Tufte 2001 ; Nelson et al. 2002 ). As Beilenson puts it, “let your figures do the talking,” reducing the need for long text descriptions or complex tables with lots of tiny numbers. For example, create a pie chart to present sample composition, use a simple bar chart to show how the dependent variable varies across subgroups, or use line charts or clustered bar charts to illustrate the net effects of nonlinear specifications or interactions among independent variables ( Miller 2005 ). Charts that include confidence intervals around point estimates are a quick and effective way to present effect size, direction, and statistical significance. For multivariate analyses, consider presenting only the results for the main variables of interest, listing the other variables in the model in a footnote and including complex statistical tables in a handout.

Provide each chart with a title (in large type) that explains the topic of that chart. A rhetorical question or summary of the main finding can be very effective. Accompany each chart with a few annotations that succinctly describe the patterns in that chart. Although each chart page should be self-explanatory, be judicious: Tufte (2001) cautions against encumbering your charts with too much “nondata ink”—excessive labeling or superfluous features such as arrows and labels on individual data points. Strive for a balance between guiding your readers through the findings and maintaining a clean, uncluttered poster. Use chart types that are familiar to your expected audience. Finally, remember that you can flesh out descriptions of charts and tables in your script rather than including all the details on the poster itself; see “Narrative to Accompany a Poster.”

Describing Numeric Patterns and Contrasts

As you describe patterns or numeric contrasts, whether from simple calculations or complex statistical models, explain both the direction and magnitude of the association. Incorporate the concepts under study and the units of measurement rather than simply reporting coefficients (β's) ( Friedman 1990 ; Miller 2005 ).

Poor: “Number of enrolled children in the family is correlated with disenrollment.” Comment: Neither the direction nor the size of the association is apparent.

Poor [version #2]: “The log-hazard of disenrollment for one-child families was 0.316.” Comment: Most readers find it easier to assess the size and direction from hazards ratios (a form of relative risk) instead of log-hazards (log-relative risks, the β's from a hazards model).

Better: “Families with only one child enrolled in the program were about 1.4 times as likely as larger families to disenroll.” Comment: This version explains the association between number of children and disenrollment without requiring viewers to exponentiate the log-hazard in their heads to assess the size and direction of that association. It also explicitly identifies the group against which one-child families are compared in the model.

Presenting Statistical Test Results

On your poster, use an approach to presenting statistical significance that keeps the focus on your results, not on the arithmetic needed to conduct inferential statistical tests. Replace standard errors or test statistics with confidence intervals, p- values, or symbols, or use formatting such as boldface, italics, or a contrasting color to denote statistically significant findings ( Davis 1997 ; Miller 2005 ). Include the detailed statistical results in handouts for later perusal.

To illustrate these recommendations, Figures 1 and ​ and2 2 demonstrate how to divide results from a complex, multilevel model across several poster pages, using charts and bullets in lieu of the detailed statistical table from the scientific paper ( Table 1 ; Phillips et al. 2004 ). Following experts' advice to focus on one or two key points, these charts emphasize the findings from the final model (Model 5) rather than also discussing each of the fixed- and random-effects specifications from the paper.

Presenting Complex Statistical Results Graphically

Text Summary of Additional Statistical Results

Multilevel Discrete-Time Hazards Models of Disenrollment from SCHIP, New Jersey, January 1998–April 2000

Source : Phillips et al. (2004) .

SCHIP, State Children's Health Insurance Program; LRH, log relative-hazard; SE, standard error.

Figure 1 uses a chart (also from the paper) to present the net effects of a complicated set of interactions between two family-level traits (race and SCHIP plan) and a cross-level interaction between race of the family and county physician racial composition. The title is a rhetorical question that identifies the issue addressed in the chart, and the annotations explain the pattern. The chart version substantially reduces the amount of time viewers need to understand the main take-home point, averting the need to mentally sum and exponentiate several coefficients from the table.

Figure 2 uses bulleted text to summarize other key results from the model, translating log-relative hazards into hazards ratios and interpreting them with minimal reliance on jargon. The results for family race, SCHIP plan, and county physician racial composition are not repeated in Figure 2 , averting the common problem of interpreting main effect coefficients and interaction coefficients without reference to one another.

Alternatively, replace the text summary shown in Figure 2 with Table 2 —a simplified version of Table 1 which presents only the results for Model 5, replaces log-relative hazards with hazards ratios, reports associated confidence intervals in lieu of standard errors, and uses boldface to denote statistical significance. (On a color slide, use a contrasting color in lieu of bold.)

Relative Risks of SCHIP Disenrollment for Other * Family and County Characteristics, New Jersey, January 1998–April 2000

Statistically significant associations are shown in bold.

Based on hierarchical linear model controlling for months enrolled, months-squared, race, SCHIP plan, county physician racial composition, and all variables shown here. Scaled deviance =30,895. Random effects estimate for between-county variance =0.005 (standard error =0.006). SCHIP, State Children's Health Insurance Program; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval.

CONTENTS AND ORGANIZATION OF A POSTER

Research posters are organized like scientific papers, with separate pages devoted to the objectives and background, data and methods, results, and conclusions ( Briscoe 1996 ). Readers view the posters at their own pace and at close range; thus you can include more detail than in slides for a speech (see Appendix A for a detailed comparison of content and format of papers, speeches, and posters). Don't simply post pages from the scientific paper, which are far too text-heavy for a poster. Adapt them, replacing long paragraphs and complex tables with bulleted text, charts, and simple tables ( Briscoe 1996 ; Beilenson 2004 ). Fink (1995) provides useful guidelines for writing text bullets to convey research results. Use presentation software such as PowerPoint to create your pages or adapt them from related slides, facilitating good page layout with generous type size, bullets, and page titles. Such software also makes it easy to create matching handouts (see “Handouts”).

The “W's” (who, what, when, where, why) are an effective way to organize the elements of a poster.

• In the introductory section, describe what you are studying, why it is important, and how your analysis will add to the existing literature in the field.
• In the data and methods section of a statistical analysis, list when, where, who, and how the data were collected, how many cases were involved, and how the data were analyzed. For other types of interventions or program evaluations, list who, when, where, and how many, along with how the project was implemented and assessed.
• In the results section, present what you found.
• In the conclusion, return to what you found and how it can be used to inform programs or policies related to the issue.

Number and Layout of Pages

To determine how many pages you have to work with, find out the dimensions of your assigned space. A 4′ × 8′ bulletin board accommodates the equivalent of about twenty 8.5″ × 11″ pages, but be selective—no poster can capture the full detail of a large series of multivariate models. A trifold presentation board (3′ high by 4′ wide) will hold roughly a dozen pages, organized into three panels ( Appendix B ). Breaking the arrangement into vertical sections allows viewers to read each section standing in one place while following the conventions of reading left-to-right and top-to-bottom ( Briscoe 1996 ).

• At the top of the poster, put an informative title in a large, readable type size. On a 4′ × 8′ bulletin board, there should also be room for an institutional logo.

Suggested Layout for a 4′ × 8′ poster.

• In the left-hand panel, set the stage for the research question, conveying why the topic is of policy interest, summarizing major empirical or theoretical work on related topics, and stating your hypotheses or project aims, and explaining how your work fills in gaps in previous analyses.
• In the middle panel, briefly describe your data source, variables, and methods, then present results in tables or charts accompanied by text annotations. Diagrams, maps, and photographs are very effective for conveying issues difficult to capture succinctly in words ( Miller 2005 ), and to help readers envision the context. A schematic diagram of relationships among variables can be useful for illustrating causal order. Likewise, a diagram can be a succinct way to convey timing of different components of a longitudinal study or the nested structure of a multilevel dataset.
• In the right-hand panel, summarize your findings and relate them back to the research question or project aims, discuss strengths and limitations of your approach, identify research, practice, or policy implications, and suggest directions for future research.

Figure 3 (adapted from Beilenson 2004 ) shows a suggested layout for a 4′ × 8′ bulletin board, designed to be created using software such as Pagemaker that generates a single-sheet presentation; Appendix C shows a complete poster version of the Phillips et al. (2004) multilevel analysis of SCHIP disenrollment. If hardware or budget constraints preclude making a single-sheet poster, a similar configuration can be created using standard 8.5″ × 11″ pages in place of the individual tables, charts, or blocks of text shown in Figure 3 .

Find out well in advance how the posters are to be mounted so you can bring the appropriate supplies. If the room is set up for table-top presentations, tri-fold poster boards are essential because you won't have anything to attach a flat poster board or pages to. If you have been assigned a bulletin board, bring push-pins or a staple gun.

Regardless of whether you will be mounting your poster at the conference or ahead of time, plan how the pages are to be arranged. Experiment with different page arrangements on a table marked with the dimensions of your overall poster. Once you have a final layout, number the backs of the pages or draw a rough sketch to work from as you arrange the pages on the board. If you must pin pages to a bulletin board at the conference venue, allow ample time to make them level and evenly spaced.

Other Design Considerations

A few other issues to keep in mind as you design your poster. Write a short, specific title that fits in large type size on the title banner of your poster. The title will be potential readers' first glimpse of your poster, so make it inviting and easy to read from a distance—at least 40-point type, ideally larger. Beilenson (2004) advises embedding your key finding in the title so viewers don't have to dig through the abstract or concluding page to understand the purpose and conclusions of your work. A caution: If you report a numeric finding in your title, keep in mind that readers may latch onto it as a “factoid” to summarize your conclusions, so select and phrase it carefully ( McDonough 2000 ).

Use at least 14-point type for the body of the poster text. As Briscoe (1996) points out, “many in your audience have reached the bifocal age” and all of them will read your poster while standing, hence long paragraphs in small type will not be appreciated! Make judicious use of color. Use a clear, white, or pastel for the background, with black or another dark color for most text, and a bright, contrasting shade to emphasize key points or to identify statistically significant results ( Davis 1997 ).

NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY A POSTER

Prepare a brief oral synopsis of the purpose, findings, and implications of your work to say to interested parties as they pause to read your poster. Keep it short—a few sentences that highlight what you are studying, a couple of key findings, and why they are important. Design your overview as a “sound byte” that captures your main points in a succinct and compelling fashion ( Beilenson 2004 ). After hearing your introduction, listeners will either nod and move along or comment on some aspect of your work that intrigues them. You can then tailor additional discussion to individual listeners, adjusting the focus and amount of detail to suit their interests. Gesture at the relevant pages as you make each point, stating the purpose of each chart or table and explaining its layout before describing the numeric findings; see Miller (2005) for guidelines on how to explain tables and charts to a live audience. Briscoe (1996) points out that these mini-scripts are opportunities for you to fill in details of your story line, allowing you to keep the pages themselves simple and uncluttered.

Prepare short answers to likely questions about various aspects of your work, such as why it is important from a policy or research perspective, or descriptions of data, methods, and specific results. Think of these as little modules from an overall speech—concise descriptions of particular elements of your study that you can choose among in response to questions that arise. Beilenson (2004) also recommends developing a few questions to ask your viewers, inquiring about their reactions to your findings, ideas for additional questions, or names of others working on the topic.

Practice your poster presentation in front of a test audience acquainted with the interests and statistical proficiency of your expected viewers. Ideally, your critic should not be too familiar with your work: A fresh set of eyes and ears is more likely to identify potential points of confusion than someone who is jaded from working closely with the material while writing the paper or drafting the poster ( Beilenson 2004 ). Ask your reviewer to identify elements that are unclear, flag jargon to be paraphrased or defined, and recommend changes to improve clarity ( Miller 2005 ). Have them critique your oral presentation as well as the contents and layout of the poster.

Prepare handouts to distribute to interested viewers. These can be produced from slides created in presentation software, printed several to a page along with a cover page containing the abstract and your contact information. Or package an executive summary or abstract with a few key tables or charts. Handouts provide access to the more detailed literature review, data and methods, full set of results, and citations without requiring viewers to read all of that information from the poster ( Beilenson 2004 ; Miller 2005 ). Although you also can bring copies of the complete paper, it is easier on both you and your viewers if you collect business cards or addresses and mail the paper later.

The quality and effectiveness of research posters at professional conferences is often compromised by authors' failure to take into account the unique nature of such presentations. One common error is posting numerous statistical tables and long paragraphs from a research paper—an approach that overwhelms viewers with too much detail for this type of format and presumes familiarity with advanced statistical techniques. Following recommendations from the literature on research communication and poster design, this paper shows how to focus each poster on a few key points, using charts and text bullets to convey results as part of a clear, straightforward story line, and supplementing with handouts and an oral overview.

Another frequent mistake is treating posters as a one-way means of communication. Unlike published papers, poster sessions are live presentations; unlike speeches, they allow for extended conversation with viewers. This note explains how to create an oral synopsis of the project, short modular descriptions of poster elements, and questions to encourage dialog. By following these guidelines, researchers can substantially improve their conference posters as vehicles to disseminate findings to varied research and policy audiences.

CHECKLIST FOR PREPARING AND PRESENTING AN EFFECTIVE RESEARCH POSTERS

• Design poster to focus on two or three key points.
• Adapt materials to suit expected viewers' knowledge of your topic and methods.
• Design questions to meet their interests and expected applications of your work.
• Paraphrase descriptions of complex statistical methods.
• Spell out acronyms if used.
• Replace large detailed tables with charts or small, simplified tables.
• Accompany tables or charts with bulleted annotations of major findings.
• Describe direction and magnitude of associations.
• Use confidence intervals, p -values, symbols, or formatting to denote statistical significance.

Layout and Format

• Organize the poster into background, data and methods, results, and study implications.
• Divide the material into vertical sections on the poster.
• Use at least 14-point type in the body of your poster, at least 40-point for the title.

Narrative Description

• Rehearse a three to four sentence overview of your research objectives and main findings.
• Summary of key studies and gaps in existing literature
• Data and methods
• Each table, chart, or set of bulleted results
• Research, policy, and practice implications
• Solicit their input on your findings
• Develop additional questions for later analysis
• Identify other researchers in the field
• Prepare handouts to distribute to interested viewers.
• Print slides from presentation software, several to a page.
• Or package an executive summary or abstract with a few key tables or charts.
• Include an abstract and contact information.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Ellen Idler, Julie Phillips, Deborah Carr, Diane (Deedee) Davis, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this work.

Supplementary Material

The following supplementary material for this article is available online:

APPENDIX A.1. Comparison of Research Papers, Presentations, and Posters—Materials and Audience Interaction.

Suggested Layout for a Tri-Fold Presentation Board.

Example Research Poster of Phillips et al. 2004 Study.

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Biological Sciences: 03-345: Experimental Cell and Developmental Biology: How to Make a Science Research Poster

• Finding Research Articles
• Popular Science News Resources
• PubMed Tutorial
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• Example Posters and Critiques
• Citation Management with Zotero

What is a science research poster?

• A unique format that combines a visual aid with an oral presentation
• A major component of scientific conferences
• Allows one to share a scientific project in an informal manner with their peers over a set time period (often 1-4 hours)
• A reader should be able to roughly understand it without the verbal component

Illustration credit: Yoo Jung Kim

The goal of a scientific poster

The main goal of a scientific poster is to communicate your scientific project in a clear and concise manner. It also provides an excellent opportunity to network and showcase and get feedback on unpublished work.

Image credit: Conference presentations: Lead the poster parade, Chris Woolston, Nature 536 ,  115–117  (04 August 2016)  doi:10.1038/nj7614-115a

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Table of Contents

Ai, ethics & human agency, collaboration, information literacy, writing process, scientific posters.

• CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 by Candice Welhausen

Scientific posters are a common type of genre created by researchers in science and engineering-related fields to communicate information about a study usually to other experts.

As a student, you may be assigned a scientific poster in a technical communication or science writing course or in a class that focuses on writing in your discipline.

Scientific posters give readers a ‘visual overview’ of a particular project. In contrast to primarily text-based documents like research or lab reports, posters are visual-dominant. That is, they rely primarily on visuals—illustrations and drawings, graphics such as charts and bar graphs, photographs, and design features like use of color and typography—to convey information.

Posters may differ in terms of content, design, and organizational structure depending upon the discipline. Before creating your poster, look at examples from researchers in your area of study to ensure that you follow the appropriate conventions for your field. This article gives an overview of this genre, offers guidelines for creating effective scientific posters, and includes two example posters.

Display Venues for Scientific Posters

Scientific posters are usually displayed during professional conferences, formal events in which researchers in a particular discipline gather to share and discuss their work with each other as well as network and socialize. Posters are often shown in a prominent area such as an exhibition hall. ‘Poster sessions’ held during the conference allow poster creators to interact with their readers and engage in one-on-one and/or small group discussions about the poster’s content and answer questions. In addition to the more formal events routinely held during a conference, these sessions offer another venue for attendees to learn about the work of their peers, meet colleagues with similar interests, and forge new collaborations.

While many posters are created for professional conferences, researchers on college campuses might also create a poster to showcase a particular project. For instance, a biology professor may want to publicize the work they and their graduate students are conducting in their lab. In this case, the professor and their students might display the poster in the hallway outside of the lab or in another public forum in the department or on campus. Unlike at a professional conference, in this scenario the professor and their students will want to assume that many of their readers will not be as knowledgeable as readers attending a conference about the subject matter. Some readers may be the professor’s colleagues who specialize in another area, others may be faculty in other disciplines, still others may be students. The professor and their students will want to carefully consider their audience in adapting their information so that readers who are not subject matter experts will understand the project and find it interesting (see Audience).

Keep in mind that if you display your poster at a professional conference, you will have the opportunity to interact with many of your readers—but you will not be able to interact with all of them. Consequently, your poster needs to be able to ‘stand-alone.’ That is, the information in your poster must be immediately understandable to your intended readers without any additional information.

Organizing Your Poster

This section provides guidelines for organizing the main sections of a scientific poster. Much like research reports, scientific posters often follow what is known as the IMRaD format (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion) as explained below.

Title: describe the research project briefly and concisely using a short phrase that forecasts what the research study is about. In some disciplines, the title might highlight one or two major research findings of the study. The title should be no more than two lines.

Author Name(s) and Affiliation (s): Include the name of each author on the line underneath the title. Include each author’s institutional or organizational affiliation on the next line. If more than one author has the same affiliation, you only need to list the institution or organization once. Use superscript numbers at the end of each author’s name to indicate the same affiliation (see University Apiary).

Introduction: introduce the specific research question, explain why the question is important, conduct a very short literature review , and state the purpose of the study.

Note: Include your list of references in a separate section (see References). In some disciplines it is conventional to include in-text citations in the Introduction (and the Discussion), while in other disciplines only the list of references is included. It may also be conventional in some disciplines to include a separate section before or after the Introduction entitled ‘Study Objective’ or ‘Study Design,’ a one to two line phrase or sentence that states the overall purpose of the project. You might also use a bulleted list to include multiple study objectives.

The literature review is a fundamental component of most scientific research reports. The purpose is two-fold:

• Explain how the current research project fits in with what is currently known in the field by summarizing and citing the most relevant research conducted to date, and
• Outline the gap in scientific knowledge that the current project addresses.

In the literature review of a research report you should discuss the published, peer-reviewed studies that other researchers have already conducted related to your research question or topic. Then explain how your project addresses what is still not known about the research question or topic.

As you’ve probably guessed, posters have a very limited amount of space. Thus, you will not be able to include a full literature review. This means you will need to carefully select and discuss the most relevant sources to frame your project. Look at a few sample posters in your field to determine how the literature review is conducted as well as how many sources tend to be included.

Materials and Methods: explain the methodology used to conduct the research as well as the materials used. This section should explain:

• What you did to conduct your research project, and
• How you did

For example, let’s say you interviewed 100 college students about their exercise habits. The previous statement explains what you did—you interviewed 100 college students about their exercise habits. But you also need to explain how you did this:

• What questions did you ask during the interview?
• How did you conduct the interviews? Did you use an online survey or did you talk to the students in person? (Were the interviews one-on-one, or did you conduct small focus groups?)
• How did you recruit the students to participate?
• Did you interview students from all years in school or just freshmen or just sophomores, for instance? How did you decide which groups of students to interview?

In a research report, you would be to be very specific about your materials and methodology. Researchers in your field want to know detailed information about your materials and methods to ensure that your research approach is sound. In a research report, you would need to provide enough detail that your readers could repeat the study. In your poster, however, you won’t have the space to provide this level of detail. Much like in the Introduction, you’ll need to decide what your audience most needs to know about your methods (see Audience), and then streamline that information. Use visuals, if possible, to show key features of your methodology.

Note: In some disciplines this section may be referred to as ‘Methods’ or ‘Study Design.’

Results: report the results/major findings of your research project. Show the results using visuals—charts, graphs, maps, drawings, photographs. Use captions to briefly explain your visuals and to tell your readers what information is important in each of your visuals. The Results is usually the longest section of a scientific poster.

Discussion: explain and interpret the results/major findings. As the title of this section suggests, discuss how the findings support and/or refute similar and/or related studies in the field. Forecast the next steps for research in the field. What should future research on this topic focus on?

Acknowledgements: many science and engineering research projects receive grant funding. List any organizations that provided funding for the project and include the grant number. This section can also be used to acknowledge other project contributors and/or advisors. Students often use this section to acknowledge their faculty advisor here.

References: include full citation information for all of your sources. Cite references in the citation style used in your field. APA (American Psychological Association) is commonly used in the social sciences, and CSE (Council of Science Editors) is commonly used in scientific disciplines. Check with your professor, advisor, or another professional working in your field to determine the correct style.

Writing and Designing Your Poster

As previously mentioned, space on a poster is limited—very limited. Thus you will need to make strategic decisions about what information (text and images) to include and how to organize this information in each section.

Posters should aim to show, not tell. Regardless of where your poster is displayed—the exhibit hall of a conference or in the hallway by your lab—your readers will look over your poster very quickly . In fact, they’ll probably just skim over it, looking for information that interests them. Review the guidelines in this section to make strong writing decisions that engage your audience, engender interest in your project, and guide your readers through your main points.

Before creating your poster, carefully analyze your audience by considering the following questions:

• What do your readers already know about the topic or research question?
• (equally important) What do they not know?
• What information do they care about, and what details will you need to provide?

Writing for Expert Readers

As mentioned earlier, scientific posters are often created for expert readers—that is, colleagues and peers in your field. When communicating with other people in your discipline, you can generally assume that they will have a high level of knowledge and interest in the topic. You’ll be able to use technical terms specific to your field in your poster without defining these terms or explaining why they’re important. You also don’t need to provide as much ‘background’ or contextual information about the topic as you would for non-expert readers because expert readers are probably already familiar with this information.

Expert readers have very different informational needs than non-expert readers. Researchers in your field will generally be most interested in the Results and Discussion sections of your poster. They’ll want to know what you found, how these findings contribute to what is already known and accepted in the field, and where future research in the field may be headed.

Writing for Non-expert Readers

On the other hand, when you’re creating a poster for readers who are non-experts in your field or the specific research question, you’ll need to consider 1) why people who are not in your field or familiar with the research question might find your project interesting and 2) what aspects of your project they might want to know about.

Generally speaking, non-experts are not interested in technical details. They don’t need to know as much about your methodology because unlike expert readers, they probably won’t be critiquing your research approach to ensure that your approach was scientifically valid. They care less about references and the specific details of studies that other researchers are conducting in your field. They also don’t care or need to know about specific details related to your findings. They do, however and unlike expert readers, need more background and contextual information about the topic. They may not have much knowledge about the topic or know why it’s important—the kind of stuff that expert readers would already know. Non-experts are generally more interested in scientific research projects from a ‘big picture’ perspective—that is, how the topic might affect them either personally or on a broader, societal level.

To illustrate, let’s use our previous example of the biology professor and their students. Before creating their poster, the professor and their students will need to carefully assess the reasons that faculty and students in other disciplines might find their work interesting, and what these readers might want to know about it. Let’s say the group is studying algae blooms, and let’s say certain types of algae blooms are increasing as global temperature levels rise. Expert readers, other researchers in the biology professor’s field, are interested in the specific details of their study—details about how the study was conducted, the particular strain of algae used, how the strain reacted to precise temperature fluctuations in differing water conditions in different geographic region, for instance.

Non-expert readers probably don’t need to know the properties of the strain of algae investigated or the detailed measurements that were collected at the study sites or the range in temperature fluctuations that were observed. But, let’s say the geographic regions under study are nearby and increasing algae growth of this particular strain might adversely affect local water quality. Non-experts living in the area might want to know about this. Thus the professor and their students might frame the information in their poster from this perspective. Another option might be to relate the project to the larger societal issue of global warming. Either way, the group will need to broaden their focus as well as make assumptions about what their non-expert readers might be interested in learning about in terms of how it affects them.

The professor and their students will also need to simplify the information they provide including any field-specific terminology. They’ll need to decide if their readers need to know any technical terms or if they can just use everyday words and phrases. Let’s say the professor and their students are studying a strain of algae that is particularly invasive and is posing serious local water quality problems. In this case, the group may decide to use the technical term because the entire poster is about this algae strain and/or readers are likely to encounter more information about the strain in the future. At the same time, they may choose to not give details about other strains that they mention but which are not the main focus of the study.

In deciding whether to use technical terms and concepts when communicating with non-experts, determine if non-experts readers need to know the term or concept in order to achieve your purpose (see Purpose) as you may be able to simplify this information. If you provide too much technical detail, you run the risk of loosing the attention of your non-expert audience. If you decide you must use the technical term, define it using everyday words and phrases. You might also provide an example that compares the term or concept to something that the audience is already familiar with.

A Few Additional Points about Audience…

Expert and non-expert readers differ primarily in terms of their level of knowledge about a particular topic. Someone who is an expert in one communicative context will not be an expert in a different communicative context. For example, the biology professor is an expert reader when reviewing information in their field of study—specifically, algae blooms and water quality. They are a non-expert reader when reviewing information in other areas of biology that they are less knowledgeable about as well as other scientific fields such as zoology or geology. They will need more background info about research projects in areas they are unfamiliar with and field-specific terms will need to be defined for them.

Non-expert readers are a very broad audience and can encompass a wide range of knowledge levels about the particular topic at hand. Some non-expert audiences will be more knowledgeable than others about a particular topic. Thus, you will always still need to assess your readers as a group and make assumptions about what you think they already know, what they don’t know, and what information they care about.

Brevity – Say More with Less

Clarity (in Speech and Writing)

Coherence – How to Achieve Coherence in Writing

Flow – How to Create Flow in Writing

Inclusivity – Inclusive Language

The Elements of Style – The DNA of Powerful Writing

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Research Posters

• Elements of a poster

CREATING YOUR POSTER

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• WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR POSTER
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You have two choices when creating a research poster:

• You can create your poster from scratch by using PowerPoint, Adobe InDesign, or a similar design program. 
• You can use one of the  University of Illinois Research Poster Templates .

Sizing your Poster

• If you are presenting for the  Undergraduate Research Symposium , resize your slide to width 48 inches by height 36 inches.
• If you are presenting at a  professional conference , your instructions should indicate the size limits of your poster. Standard U.S. conference poster size is 48" by 36". 

​ IMPORTANT: You must change the size of your slide before you start working on your poster. This will ensure that your images and text do not become pixilated when the poster is printed. See below for specific instructions. 

How to correctly size your poster in PowerPoint:

• Select the "Design" tab
• Click "Slide Size"
• Select "Page Setup"
• Under the "Slides sized for:" dropdown menu, select "Custom"
• Set the "Width" and "Height" to what is needed for your poster
• Click "OK" 

How to correctly size your poster in Adobe InDesign:

When a new document is created in Adobe InDesign, a dialogue box prompts you to enter dimensions:

• Change the dimension metric to inches from the drop down box.
• Margins are intentional space from an object to the edge of the poster, intended not to be trimmed. You can set this to 0 inches on all sides unless you have a specific plan to use margins in your design.
• Bleed shows the printer where to trim white space that occurs when printing color onto white poster paper. If you are printing your poster, include at least a 0.25 inch bleed on each side; remember not to place any content in the bleed as it will be trimmed by the printer.
• Slug is a space for the creator to leave any notes for the printer. You can set this to 0 inches unless you have notes. 

If you ever want to change your poster dimensions after starting the poster, you can do so through the Document Setup Menu .

Using multiple font styles can really make your poster stand out and look professional. Consult this graphic to understand different font styles, what fonts work best together, and what fonts to avoid.

Sticking to a color scheme can help your poster look professional. Consistent use of color can help your viewer understand how information is organized on your poster. Not sure where to start with color?

• Pick colors from an image (including a custom one you're planning to use on your poster)
• Use Illinois branding colors

Not sure what to do with the hex code from a brand guide or color palette generator?

• Adobe InDesign

Always check that your text is accessible on background colors using WebAIM's free contrast checker.

If printing your poster, it's a good idea to do a small-scale test print of your poster before getting it printed. Colors often appear brighter and more vibrant on a screen than when printed. There still might be some variation in color depending on the color scale the printer uses, but it will be a closer match on paper than what you see on screen.

• << Previous: Examples
• Next: Visualizations & images >>
• Last Updated: May 13, 2024 2:05 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.illinois.edu/poster

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How to design an effective scientific poster

The Challenge

Every year, thousands of scientists present their latest findings in poster format at scientific conferences, workshops, and symposia. Posters can be a highly effective way to communicate science—but every year, poster halls are full of cluttered, hard-to-read sheets that are full to the brim with text and anything but straightforward to understand. It turns out that making a scientific poster is easy. Making an effective scientific poster is less so.

The reality of poster sessions at scientific meetings is that, in general, most people will not spend long at a given poster, will not specialize in the topic it describes, and will not proactively ask questions of the presenter (assuming she/he is at hand). But the goal of any presentation should be to help the audience understand something they didn’t before—so given these constraints, how can we use posters to explain our science as quickly and effectively as possible?

The Concept

In short, a poster should be as close to an infographic as possible.

Infographics (a combination of “information” and “graphic”) are an increasingly common tool for data visualization, designed to communicate a message quickly, easily, and with as few assumptions about the background of the reader as possible. Most infographics we’re likely to encounter are about topics less complex than a scientific research project—think a timeline for the exploration of Saturn , Napoleon’s Russian campaign , or arguably the London Underground map or the Golden Record cover —but the fundamental approach holds true. The most effective poster will therefore:

• contain a single, key take-home message;
• convey that message by itself (but will make the reader want to talk to you/read your paper);
• be accessible to those not in your immediate field; and
• be quickly accessible to the reader.

It might help to think of what a poster should not be: a straightforward conversion of a meeting abstract (or, worse, a manuscript) to poster format. Instead, a poster is your tool with which to take advantage of how the human brain takes in and processes visual information to deliver a presentation your audience will benefit from (and might even enjoy)! 

The Approach

There are a few simple steps to help improve the clarity and accessibility of a scientific poster, which can broadly be broken down into figures, text, and layout.

However you illustrate your work, put the graphical elements of your presentation front and center. For example, a geochemist might build their poster around a particular plot that conveys their single biggest finding, or a geologist could use a topographic map to underpin the rest of the poster. Whether you put a single image in the middle of the poster and arrange everything else around it, or even use an image as the background of the entire poster, a core graphic will not only tie your content together but will help in attracting the attention of a visitor who might otherwise pass by.

The golden rule is to keep text to a minimum. Various sources give approximate word counts (e.g., no more than 800 words ), but however many words you end up with, it’s probably too much: less is definitely more when it comes to text. And, just as for scientific talks (and indeed scientific presentations of any kind), it’s vital to minimize jargon and acronyms as much as possible.

There is no single “correct” way to arrange the content of your poster, although a lot will depend on the size and orientation of the poster board (see “Logistics”). Your personal preference might be to place text (with or without bounding boxes) around a central image, or place the text in blocks along the top or side of the poster. Sometimes even a straightforward “matrix” (e.g., two text boxes across, three down) will work.

What’s critical here is that the narrative of your poster is clear: that the reader can follow the flow of information on the poster, and can find your key take-home message with as little effort as possible. Numbers or arrows, for example, guide the reader through the poster and help ensure that their attention is focused where you want it (such as finishing up on your take-home message). Regardless of shape and size, however, try to avoid filling up every bit of available space on your poster so as to give it, and the reader, room to breathe.

The Logistics

You know what you’re going to say. You know how you want it to look. Now let’s talk about how you’re going to make an awesome poster.

Size and Orientation

It goes without saying that before even planning what to put on your poster, find out the poster presentation guidelines for the meeting you’ll attend. Generally, conference websites include not only the amount of real estate (e.g., 44” inches square for both LPSC and DPS in 2018), but also the orientation of the poster boards if the horizontal and vertical dimensions differ (e.g., posters at the 2017 AGU Fall Meeting had “landscape” orientations). A poster jammed into a space too small for it (or swimming in empty poster board) is certainly eye catching, but not in a good way.

What Program?

A common program for drafting scientific posters is PowerPoint. More recent editions of that software have ever increasingly capable graphics functions, but a dedicated graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW is best. However, many institutions and individuals don’t have access to expensive software like the Adobe Creative Suite—so what matters less is the program, and more how you use it. (Indeed, all of these points apply just as much to a poster drafted by hand! 

Just as for text, less is more when it comes to color. A simple color scheme, with no more than four colors (excluding black and white), can make a strong visual impact. (This advice doesn’t necessarily pertain to images on the poster, but to the colors you choose for the text and any other major poster elements.) There is a huge volume of material available online about color theory , the use of contrast in graphic design, and even how to break the rules , but sticking to a simple set of colors will go a long way toward making an attractive and visually appealing poster.

A vital thing to remember when making posters (or anything you print) is to use CMYK color space. In printing, colors are produced in a different way than on a computer screen, and so what looks like red on a PC monitor might print as pink. Because it is built for slideshows, PowerPoint handles image data only in RGB color space—it can’t export CMYK images. So if you do use PowerPoint to build your poster, it’s best to be prepared for the possibility of some strange color changes in the final product.

There are lots of online tools to help you pick a color palette, including ones that identify colors in an image you already have, or that start with a random palette you can fully customize, or even ones that start with a single color and let you go from there. There are also tools to help convert colors from one format to another (as many websites represent colors with hexadecimal codes instead of CMYK or RGB values).

Whatever figures you choose for your poster, it’s important to be aware of their resolution when printed. A common guideline is that images should be printed at a resolution of at least 300 dots per inch (although really it’s pixels per inch that matters), but a lower-resolution image will still look OK on a large poster from a few feet away. Numerous resources online will help you determine how big a figure should be (in pixels) for it to look OK at a given size (in inches) on your poster, but the bottom line is that the bigger an image you have, the better for printing purposes.

The font you choose for telling your story is almost as important as the story itself. (Almost.) Whereas most fonts in books, journals, and newspapers are serif fonts (i.e., the letters feature small lines at the ends of strokes), most online content uses sans serif fonts . Serif fonts can help guide the reader’s eye along lines of text, and certainly have a use in poster design. But serifs can also clutter text. Generally, sans serif fonts are best in graphic design, and widely available examples such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Verdana, and Tahoma can dramatically enhance the legibility of a poster over, say, Times New Roman or Garamond.

Just as essential for clarity as the font you pick is how you display it. Many programs (including PowerPoint and Illustrator) allow you to change the leading and kerning of text—the spacing between lines and between letters, respectively. Sometimes a smaller font with greater leading is a better choice than larger text that’s closer together. Other things to aim for include: making the text legible from about 4–6 feet away (so a visitor can still read your poster even if you’re entertaining a gaggle of people right beside it); ensuring that columns of text aren’t so wide that the reader will need to swivel their head to take it all in; and a title that’s short enough to fit on the poster when set in extra-large (and so extra-visible) letters. (Short titles are a good idea in general, not only for posters but for talks, abstracts, and even papers.) 

The Outlook

Personable preference and aesthetic, scientific discipline, data types, and software access will certainly influence how scientists prepare and present their posters for the foreseeable future. However, whether these tips and strategies are old hat or brand new, incorporating even a few in your next poster will enhance its message in an ever-more-crowded poster hall.

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Blog Data Visualization 12 Scientific Poster Examples [And How To Create One]

12 Scientific Poster Examples [And How To Create One]

Written by: Ivonna Cabrera Jul 02, 2023

Truth be told, scientific posters are effective at piquing interest. It’s incredible how graphics and presentation style can attract audiences.

Want to make a scientific poster but don’t know how? Well, you no longer need to be a design guru if you use Venngage’s Poster Maker .

You can speed up the process even more by using our scientific poster templates.

Before I dive right into scientific poster examples, let’s discuss what scientific posters are in the first place.

Click to jump ahead:

What is a scientific poster?

Best examples of scientific posters, how to create a scientific poster, what makes a good scientific poster.

• What you need to make a scientific poster
• What’s the purpose of a scientific or research poster?

A scientific poster is a visual presentation of research findings or scientific information shared with audiences at conferences, symposiums, and academic events. Scientific posters generally provide information on topics their authors are currently discussing.

Many scientists, researchers and medical experts use scientific posters to explain their findings in a simple and easy-to-understand format.

Of course, text isn’t the best way to show how scientific posters work.

So, I’ll let these examples do the talking.

Academic scientific poster examples

An academic scientific poster presents complicated information in a visually appealing manner.

Choosing the right poster layout is important here. Generally, sections such as an introduction, use, process, and takeaways allow students to understand a process or concept in a step-by-step method.

Here’s a great example of a scientific poster that discusses distillation:

Just so you know, some of our scientific poster templates are free to use and some require a small monthly fee. Sign up is always free, as is access to Venngage’s online drag-and-drop editor.

Often, it’s also important to separate information into categories and develop data in a clear and concise manner.

Is your scientific poster focused on environmental issues? Explore our gallery of environmental poster templates for inspiration and designs tailored to your topic.

Chemistry poster examples

Chemistry posters play a vital role in the scientific community by highlighting the importance of chemistry as a subject.

They also promote a deeper understanding of its principles and applications.

Here’s a great example:

A chemistry poster is usually organized in a logical and structured manner to effectively convey information.

Here are some common elements you can find in chemistry posters:

• Introduction

Here’s another example of a chemistry poster that displays only the abstract to hook the reader.

Lab poster examples

Lab posters are effective at sharing scientific knowledge, promoting discussion and collaboration, and disseminating research findings.

They provide a visual platform to showcase research efforts and contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge in various fields of study.

In the lab poster below, the impact of overeating and binge drinking on the health of college students is presented in a format that anyone can understand the takeaway in a single glance.

Now that you know everything about scientific posters, it’s time to create your own.

Step 1 – Sign up for a free Venngage account

Start the process by  signing up  for Venngage with your email, Gmail or Facebook account.

Step 2 – Select a template from our library

Besides the examples above, you’ll find a sizeable collection of poster templates and specifically scientific posters to choose from.

There’s a template for every need, from a scientific poster for a case study review to templates focused on presenting complex data.

Step 3 – Edit your scientific poster with our editor

All our scientific poster templates can be edited using a simple drag-and-drop interface.

Feel free to change the colors, text, icons, or illustrations to make the design your own or simply input your data to have an optimized scientific poster in minutes.

Step 4 – Bring your scientific poster to life with icons, illustrations and branding elements

Venngage offers 40,000 icons and illustrations to help you visualize and bring a scientific poster to life.

If you upgrade to a  Business  account, you can also enjoy  My Brand Kit  — the one-click branding kit that lets you upload your logo and apply brand colors and fonts to any design.

Step 5 – Share a link to your scientific poster or upgrade to download

Once you upgrade to a  Business  account, you can download your scientific poster as a PNG, PDF, or interactive PDF.

But you can always share your scientific poster online for free.

Searching for a tech poster template? Explore these tech poster designs for useful and innovative templates.

A good scientific poster is often an attractive and easy-to-read presentation of scientific research .

They may include images, diagrams, graphs and tables, and they often focus on one or two main points.

Combining data and design together makes it easy for readers to dissect information easily, thanks to an attention-grabbing layout, simplified language and easy-to-follow jargon explanations where necessary.

A lot of layouts allow you to prioritize information and separate it into circles or boxes, like in the template above.

This type of poster design allows the reader to consume less time when reading the full context of a situation.

What do you need to make a useful scientific poster?

This is the section you’ve been waiting for — the best way to make a scientific poster from scratch.

Read on to learn about the steps below, and they come with easy-to-follow examples, too.

Study good scientific or academic poster examples

Venngage has great scientific poster templates for your first scientific poster. You can customize these templates using Venngage’s drag-and-drop editor.

Let’s take a look at each of them below.

The sparse but surgically precise use of text here contrasts the lush use of plants to explain photosynthesis.

Short explanations can be accompanied by explainer text in corner resource boxes that discuss the other details of photosynthesis.

Good science poster examples are readable from 10 feet away

There are many reasons why posters should be readable from 10 feet away.

The main reason is to allow readers to fully understand the concept from where they stand or walk.

For example, in a school or office hall, bulletin boards are usually 5 to 10 feet away from potential viewers. A poster that can be viewed within this range entices the audience to come closer and read the details.

School posters effectively engage students by presenting visual content that reinforces learning objectives or communicates important information. Browse our collection of school poster templates for inspiration and ideas.

The second reason is to allow readers to quickly comprehend the poster.

People usually don’t have time to stop and read a poster. In a school or office, everyone’s walking to do something urgently.

Thus, you don’t want to take up too much of your time reading jargon and difficult concepts that even academic peers can take hours to read and interpret.

Being readable from 10 feet away makes it easy for readers to understand your research.

You can use varying font sizes to create great posters. For digital campaigns, make sure that your posters are suitable for modern browsers.

Venngage’s  My Brand Kit  feature allows you to create posters that help your audience understand valuable info.

This is a special tool for Business accounts that allows you to upload logos, choose fonts, and set color palettes to your scientific posters .

Use our real-time collaboration feature to invite team members and work together. You can also leave comments and get feedback instantly.

Alternatively, share your design online, on social media, or via email completely for free.

Make an attention-grabbing, short headline

Attention-grabbing headlines are easy for science articles and posters.

It’s always thrilling to find out about a new plant species or discoveries that debunk old theories.

It’s a good idea to use best practices in making attention-grabbing headlines, even if it is just casual scientific content for social media.

Titles that draw attention and engagement include:

• Trending topics Create headlines according to what is trending. For example, if your study discusses climate change , align your headline to this topic to engage readers.
• Controversial developments An old textbook fact being false is a controversial and surprising topic which you can easily sum up in a headline.
• Issues that address curiosity Humans are naturally curious, so tickling the audience’s curiosity is a great way to create a compelling and attention-grabbing headline.

Use bullets and numbering to make a list easier to read

Bullets, lists and clear language are all tools that improve readability.

Even without fancy graphics and poster backgrounds , a short-sentence, simple-worded post with bullets and lists makes it easy to understand any topic.

Bulleted lists make each subtopic of your scientific poster easy to read. Plus, it allows readers to jump from one subtopic to another without feeling like they missed information along the way.

Designers of scientific posters find it easier to design bulleted and list content because they can place every bullet in different sections, making the poster easy to read.

If you used bullets instead of boxes to explain each subtopic in this poster, you could still read it easily — just not from 10 feet away.

Ensure layout consistency

Layout consistency is the uniform appearance of elements within a design.

It is achieved by employing the same layout, color and typography throughout an entire design.

For example, if a web page uses a consistent layout, each page will be uniform in appearance but not necessarily in content.

Layout consistency is achieved by employing the same pattern, color and typography throughout an entire design. This uniform appearance helps readers navigate for better organization. 

Creating layout consistency is of crucial importance in scientific poster design because coherence creates a familiar mood and attachment for readers.

This template uses the same fonts and complementary colors that give the scientific poster its own coherent, attention-grabbing and informative personality

Related:  Stay ahead of graphic design trends that can help you with your scientific poster design!

Include acknowledgments, names and affiliations

Lastly, all scientific posters include their acknowledgments, researcher names and affiliations underneath the poster.

You can use a footnote to include these details or a resource box. Plus, if you used any links as references in your research, add them to this section.

If you were the researcher involved in this scientific poster , you could include all the information I’ve mentioned underneath the last paragraph using a line to indicate that they are acknowledgments and author information.

Searching for a research poster? Browse through our collection of research poster templates in to get started!

What is the purpose of a scientific poster?

Academics are the only ones who can read and understand a technical scientific paper.

To a normal reader, a research paper’s language and syntax are challenging. Scientific papers don’t prioritize reading flow in their outlines or exposition of data, methods and results.

But with a well-made and creative poster , reading a technical paper becomes easier.

For example, effective scientific posters include images that explain complicated terms.

At the same time, the poster layout makes data and text easy to read. Lastly, scientific posters use simple language that allows even young children to understand concepts.

FAQ about scientific posters

I know you’re all set to make your own designs, but you might want to have these questions answered too.

What should a scientific poster include?

A scientific poster should include an easy-to-follow layout, graphics and color schemes that don’t take away from the reading experience. Successful scientific posters also use short sentences, simple language and bullet points.

How do you write a good scientific poster?

Researchers must focus on the evidence behind the research. Afterward, they can concentrate on using simple language and short sentences to explain their point. Short text and simple words make it easier for graphic designers to create posters with an intuitive layout.

How do you write a scientific title for a poster?

Focus on aligning your title with human emotions and curiosity. Outside human emotions, you can align your titles toward controversial or trending issues. This article dedicates an entire section to writing a great scientific title for a poster, so you should head there to learn more!

Our  Poster Maker guarantees that you’ll make the most intuitive and well-designed scientific posters in a single session.

Make the best scientific posters within minutes today!

Now, you’re ready to make your own scientific posters for print or website use!

If you’re short on ideas, you can use Venngage’s scientific poster templates for inspiration. Besides access to scores of templates, you also get a free drag-and-drop web-based editor by signing up for a FREE Venngage account today. Register now!

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Quick guide to designing a scientific research poster

What is a research poster.

A scientific research poster (or conference poster) is a tool that researchers use to present information in a structured way.

It may be used instead of a talk and can often prove more effective, particularly in a situation where a researcher doesn’t feel confident presenting in front of large audiences.

Related: 18 cool and creative poster design ideas

One of the key advantages to using a scientific research poster is that it allows the researcher to interact with their audience in a one-on-one or small group setting. This gives the researcher plenty of opportunities to measure the reaction to their findings and listen to important feedback from their audience.

That audience might consist of colleagues within the same field, fellow scientists in a different field, or members of the public who have no background in conducting or analyzing scientific research. It’s crucial that the researcher tailors the information within their poster to suit the intended readers’ level of ability.

While a scientific research poster may be primarily used within a conference setting, where the researcher is on hand to elaborate and discuss their method and findings, the poster should also be able to stand alone. It might be left on display following the event, so it needs to include all the relevant information that a reader could be looking for.

What to include in your scientific research poster

To meet the expectations of your audience and provide them with thorough but concise insight into your work, your scientific research poster should include:

• An introduction
• Your research method
• The results
• Your recommendations/conclusion
• Your contact details
• Funding acknowledgements
• Institutional affiliation

You should also prepare:

• A short verbal explanation of your research
• Handouts that accompany the poster

Design tips for your scientific research poster

Now that you have a good understanding of what a scientific research poster is and what it should include, it’s time to look at how to design one that’s appealing and effective.

Your scientific research poster should be a simplified version of your full research paper. But, rather than just cutting and pasting sections of text from your paper, you should carefully consider how best to present the information in a visually appealing way.

Your poster should be attractive and attention-grabbing, but you also need to ensure that it’s easy to read and follow.

Try to focus on just two or three major points, and limit the word count. Leave plenty of white space, and use charts and visuals wherever possible.

Here are our top tips and tricks for designing an effective scientific research poster that stands out:

1. Catch their attention with a big headline

It’s important that you stand out among your rival researchers if you want to arouse interest in your work. To catch the attention of passers-by, use a large, bold font and leave plenty of white space around your heading. Choose a heading that highlights the most interesting aspect of your research.

2. Keep it simple with a plain background

When a document contains too much clutter, it can cause confusion and distract us from where we should be focusing our attention. Use dark type on a light, plain background, and your scientific research poster will be easy to read.

Here’s an example of a poster with dark text on a light background.

3. Use no more than three colors

Too many colors can wreak havoc on our eyes. The rule of three is simple to follow, and it produces stunning results. It’s simple: pick one key color, then pick two other complementary colors. As long as you don’t put three strong colors together, you can’t really go wrong.

4. Choose easy-to-read fonts

Fonts like Georgia, Helvetica, Open Sans and Verdana are all popular choices for print materials. Try running a test print of your poster and looking at it from a few steps away. If you can’t read the text, try a larger size or a simpler, bolder typeface.

5. Use small blocks of text

Your scientific research poster should tell an engaging story, but it’s essential that you keep it brief. Long rambling paragraphs and big clumps of data won’t make anyone happy, especially not when they’re standing in a crowded conference room. Use short sentences and paragraphs, and keep your text blocks small. If you need to, you can go into more detail in the handout and the short verbal explanation you prepare for the event.

Here’s an example of a poster with small blocks of text.

6. Add simple data displays and visuals

Any scientific research poster that’s worth its salt will contain photos, visuals and charts that present the data in an appealing way. Many of us are visual learners, and it is these details—the graphics—that will really help your reader understand and appreciate your work. Ensure all graphics are a high resolution and are captioned with a brief explanation.

Make it simple with Lucidpress

To get started designing your scientific research poster now, sign up for a free account with Lucidpress. Our drag-and-drop editor makes it simple for anyone to customize our free, professionally designed templates or create their very own design from scratch.

As if that wasn’t enough, our cloud-based storage makes collaborating easier than ever before. You can forget the hassle of sending PowerPoint, InDesign or Illustrator files back and forth—with Lucidpress, your team can make updates in real-time and you’ll each have access to the latest version at all times. Once you’re done, you can download your poster in print-ready files or order a glossy print version directly from Lucidpress.

You’ve already worked hard on your research. Let us simplify the design process.

Feeling inspired? You can design and order your brand new poster right here in Lucidpress.

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How to Make a Successful Scientific Poster

Published on 18 Apr 2023

Good science goes nowhere if it’s not communicated well.

Poster sessions at scientific conferences are a hub for knowledge dissemination and research networking. So, knowing how to design a good conference poster is a big part of becoming a successful scientific communicator and sharing your work with a larger community.

Making a scientific poster can be an exciting and rewarding experience. A well-designed poster can help you showcase your research to attract the attention of fellow scientists and potential collaborators or sponsors.

So, to help you get started, this scientific poster guide covers all the bases. From a step-by-step poster creation process to useful examples and templates, you’ll find everything you need here to put together a successful scientific poster.

Students discussing during a scientific poster session.

What is a scientific poster?

A scientific poster is a visual representation of research or scientific work presented at a conference or other professional gathering. The goal is to present complex research information in a way that is easy to understand and visually engaging for conference attendees. You want to concisely tell the story behind your science, all while making it accessible to non-expert audiences.

Scientific posters can include text, figures, tables, graphs, infographics, charts, and images to convey the key findings of a research project (these elements may also be used to highlight the significance or implications of the research). A scientific poster typically consists of a large, printed sheet of paper or fabric, on which the presenter displays the results of their research in a clear, concise, and visually appealing manner. If you’re presenting at a virtual poster session , your “poster” might be a digital file, a presentation, or a recorded video.

During a conference poster session, a researcher usually stands by their poster display while other conference participants wander through the room, viewing presentations and interacting with various authors as they go.

What is a good size for a scientific poster?

The ideal size for a scientific poster will vary depending on your conference or event requirements. However, the most common size is 48 inches (122 cm) wide by 36 inches (91 cm) tall. This size allows for easy transportation and can fit on most poster boards or display areas.

Regardless of the common size given here, it's still important that you check the specific requirements of the event where you will be presenting, as they may have different size limitations or guidelines (the event or conference website is usually a good place to find this information). Resizing a finished poster can be a real pain. So, it’s best to check the conference requirements first thing so you can start your poster off on the right track.

One important thing to keep in mind when designing your academic poster with any digital software: It’s better to start bigger (when it comes to pixels). Also, make sure to send a high DPI image (eg. 300 DPI) for printing to ensure a high quality print.

What is the best software to make a scientific poster?

Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides are two of the most common and easy-to-use programs for making scientific posters. Adobe Illustrator is sometimes used by individuals with more advanced design skills. The best software to make an effective poster will depend on your personal preference and/or familiarity with the tools available.

Here’s a handful of popular software options for making scientific posters (and their benefits):

Microsoft PowerPoint : PowerPoint is a widely used software for creating presentations, and it can also be used to create scientific posters (by designing an entire poster on a single presentation slide). It also offers a variety of design templates and tools to create visually appealing posters. Many university computers give students and staff access to the Microsoft suite of tools, so this can be a good free option.

Google Slides : Similar to PowerPoint, Google Slides is a popular software for creating presentations (with the added ability to create scientific posters). It’s free to use which makes it one of the preferred options for early-career researchers.

Adobe Illustrator : Illustrator is a vector-based design software that is ideal for creating high-quality graphics and images. It offers advanced features for typography, color management, and image editing. However, using any Adobe software often comes with a hefty subscription price (and a steep learning curve if you’re unfamiliar with the tools).

Canva : Canva is a web-based graphic design platform that offers a variety of templates and tools for creating posters and other visual media. It is user-friendly and requires no design experience. You can get a free personal account (or pay for upgraded features).

LaTeX : LaTeX is a document preparation system that is often used for scientific publications and presentations. It offers advanced features for typesetting equations and mathematical symbols.

Mac Pages : I made 3 posters during my PhD using Mac Pages. I found it quite easy to work with to add text boxes and colored sections. It’s very similar to PowerPoint in many ways. This is an excellent option for Mac users since it’s free.

InkScape : InkScape is a great tool for students on a budget (it’s free). It offers a simple and efficient way to create vector designs or scientific illustrations.

If you’re attending a virtual conference, you may have additional options for creating a virtual scientific poster. In this case, recording on Zoom, adding audio to a slideshow on PowerPoint, or recording on Quicktime are all good options to consider. Check out our article on guidelines for a virtual poster presentation for more advice.

How to make a good scientific poster for a conference

A well-designed and informative poster that effectively communicates the key findings of your research is your primary goal.

You’ll want to make sure you tailor your poster to the context you’ll be presenting in (i.e. the size of the space, your presentation format, and the level of knowledge your audience is likely to have about your research topic). You’ll also want to give yourself enough time to finish your poster (anywhere between 5 days to a few weeks depending on how much experience you have).

Before we dive into the details of the scientific poster creation process, here’s a highlight of what makes a great scientific poster (and common mistakes to avoid):

So, keeping the above highlights in mind, here’s our step-by-step guide to help you make a scientific poster that will stand out at any conference:

1) Decide on the poster narrative and key messages

Before you begin designing your poster, plan the core content. Start by considering the purpose of your poster and the key message that you want to convey. Identify the main findings of your research and the most important conclusions that you want your audience to take away from your poster. Keep these messages in mind and then think of the varied ways you could weave them into a connected narrative (both visually and verbally) when presenting your poster. This is a great exercise to help you get better at storytelling in science in general.

Later on, when you design your poster and format it, these key messages will need to visually stand out so that someone walking by or scanning your poster can pick them up without stopping to read the full thing.

2) Decide on the sections of your scientific poster

Once you’ve determined your key message(s), you’ll need to organize your research content into sections that make logical sense. Like the abstract in a scientific paper, your poster should have sections summarizing the background and rationale, methodology, results, and the implications of your work. Some common sections included in a scientific poster include:

Title, Key Finding or Takeaway - Highlight the core message in a catchy way.

Introduction - Provide background information and a clear research question or hypothesis. Introduce only what’s necessary to address any knowledge gap.

Methods - Explain the methodology used in your research. This is often the easiest section to skip (or merge with the results to save space and tell your story better).

Results - Present the key findings of your research in a visually appealing way in the results section. Use graphs and tables with legends and titles.

Discussion - Interpret and discuss the implications of your findings.

Conclusion - Summarize your research and its significance. Comment on possible future research. This section can easily be combined with the discussion section.

Citations & Acknowledgements - Reference important materials, your institutional affiliation and thank individuals for specific contributions to your research. This can be smaller than other text so as not to distract from the core message, but it should be included somewhere.

Prompt to Find Out More - Give interested readers an easy option to dive further into your research. Include a resource link (or a QR code) to additional materials.

Keep in mind: these are common sections included in a poster, NOT required sections. Feel free to get creative with more descriptive headings or combine sections if it helps you communicate your message better (and in fewer words). And, wherever possible, think of ways to tell your story through figures and illustrations rather than through text. Biorender and the Noun Project are both great resources to help you find and create visuals for your poster.

3) Create your poster layout and structure

Once you have a clear idea of the content that you want to include, create a rough layout of your poster. Decide on the overall structure of your poster and the placement of each section. This is a great time to pull out a sketchbook and a pencil to mess around with a few different ideas. Or, if you prefer a digital drafting process, you can start making your layout in your software of choice right away.

To make the design process easier, you might want to choose a poster template to customize. There are heaps of useful scientific poster templates available online that you can use ( this collection is a good starting point). Some universities and research centers even provide poster templates that use a specific color scheme and already include the necessary logos. Check whether your institution has a template like this and consider using it if they do - it will save you a lot of time!

Your poster layout should be well-organized, with each section following clearly from the previous one, creating a visual path that tells a coherent story. Decide what will be the direction that the information flows (i.e. left to right and then down? OR top to bottom and then to the right?). Someone who is looking at your poster should not have to jump from one side to the other in order to understand your work. Consider the use of numbers or arrows to indicate the flow of what comes next. Or get creative with eye-catching visuals that naturally draw the reader's eye through the sections in a logical order.

4) Spruce up your scientific poster with a bit of style

The visual design elements (especially colors and fonts) that you choose for your poster can have a big impact on its effectiveness. When choosing a font, consider both the font type and the font size. Picking to read and size is important to help to structure the poster content.

Choose a color scheme that is visually appealing and easy to read (free generators like Material Palette are handy for this if you don’t have an eye for design). Be sure to use high-contrast colors to make important information stand out and to help visually impaired visitors.

Choose fonts that are easy to read and make sure your chosen font size is readable from a distance. Also, consider using a pattern of varying font sizes and/or types to help visually differentiate between poster title, body text, headings, and poster highlights. Use no more than two or three different fonts in your poster overall to avoid clutter and confusion.

If you’re planning to feature a specific image or illustration in your poster, consider using it for inspiration for your color scheme or fonts. It will ensure that your final poster has a more cohesive and less cluttered look.

5) Put all the pieces of your poster together

If you’re using software like Powerpoint: First, choose your page size. Then, start to create content blocks and insert text where appropriate.

If you’re uploading pictures of any sort to your poster design, be sure to use high-quality, high-resolution images. Only import images with 300 dpi resolution (saved in PNG or TIFF formats) to your poster. Double-check to be sure you’ve uploaded good pictures: a high-quality image should not appear blurry or pixelated at 100% zoom.

Once you have your template and design elements in place, it's time to add your content. Begin with the main sections of your poster, such as the introduction, results, and discussion. Use graphs, charts, tables, and images to present your data in a clear and visually appealing way.

When adding text, use short sentences and bullet points to make it easy to read. Use headings and subheadings to break up the content and make it more visually appealing.

6) Print your scientific poster and get ready to present it

Once your poster is complete, it's time to print it so it’s ready to present at the conference. Again, it’s important that you read the conference guidelines very carefully and print your poster in the correct size and orientation. Make sure you print in the highest-quality as well.

Some institutions have dedicated printing facilities, but you can also visit a copy shop that has a large-format printer. If you haven’t had to get a poster printed before, it’s worth asking a colleague for recommendations on a good local spot. Or, if you are feeling creative, you might want to go a different route and print your poster on fabric (this gives you the option to reuse it as a unique table cloth or picnic blanket in the future).

Whatever your printing format, make sure you budget enough time for a reprint if disaster strikes (a week or more of buffer time is a good bet). It’s also worth testing printing out with a “dummy poster” on a small piece of paper. This will allow you to check that everything looks okay when printed before you spend a good chunk of change on the final, full-sized poster.

Finally, when preparing for the conference, be sure to bring all of the necessary materials with you, such as pins or velcro strips, to hang your poster. It doesn’t hurt to also have a digital copy of your poster on a thumb drive just in case something happens to yours in transit. Many conferences have onsite printing services that you could resort to in the event of a mishap.

A few extra tips to help you make a scientific poster

Just a few more helpful things to keep in mind when designing your scientific poster:

1) Quality over quantity

A little bit of text goes a long way on a poster - in fact, the fewer words the better. Posters with less text are more inviting and easier to absorb. Don’t forget that you will be there to explain your work, so there is no reason to try to include everything in the text. Shorten your text by summarizing sections with bullet points and highlighting the key messages.

As mentioned in this article on designing conference posters: If all of your text is kept to a minimum (500 words), an average person could fully read your poster in about 5 minutes. Think about how long you’d want to spend reading through a poster, and use that as motivation to chop your content down to even less than that 5-minute reading mark.

2) Use color, visuals, and white space strategically

Great posters maintain a good amount of white space around the text boxes and figures. A cramped poster is hard to read (and intimidating to passing attendees looking for catchy, quick takeaways). A safe bet is to always include more white space than you think you’ll need.

As much as graphics and visuals can help, they should only be used if they truly are helpful. Don’t get too wrapped up in “decorating your poster.” Get rid of any images or illustrations that aren’t directly related to your research and that don’t help you highlight the key messages you want to deliver.

Finally, resist the urge to use a blown up photo as your poster background. All it adds is confusion and clutter. You’re better off using a light, neutral tone in the background and adding interest with relevant, informational graphics.

This image from brightcarbon shows how good visuals and spacing can make a poster catchier and better at quickly delivering information. They’ve also got great templates for posters if you’re looking.

3) Get picky about your poster fonts and formatting

After you’ve looked at the big picture design and made sure your key message is coming across clearly, dive into the details to perfect your poster:

• Try to make all of your text boxes the same width. It keeps things visually consistent.
• If possible, keep paragraphs to 1-2 sentences rather than big blocks of text.
• Use italics instead of underlining. Underlining draws too much attention to a word.
• Don't use fancy fonts. They make your poster look busy and can make it harder to read (especially for people with dyslexia). In general, sans serif fonts are easiest to read.
• Except for a few words that you might want to highlight, ensure that all of your text is black or a dark color to create better contrast and readability.

4) Don’t be afraid to get a bit creative

We’ve listed some common poster elements and templates in this article, but that doesn’t mean you should hesitate to be creative. Think about design elements or images that are relevant to your research and that could make your poster stand out from the crowd. A few ideas to get your creative brainstorming started:

• Add hidden informational panels behind paper flaps on your poster to make the experience more interactive.
• Attach objects or physical things to add some dimension/interest to your poster.
• Bring props or handouts to supplement your poster beyond what exists on it.

The same goes for your poster layout. Don’t be afraid to completely switch things up in a way that suits your research. A twitter-famous example of this was Mike Morrisons take on the best conference poster layout:

Mike displays his poster layout (Image Source: NPR )

Mike’s innovative take on the research poster template prompted other researchers to think about how to reinvent the wheel. His video on poster sessions captures the need for this kind of creative approach perfectly. A few conferences even adopted it as their required template.

5) Get a second (and third) opinion on your scientific poster

Before you finalize your poster, make sure to review it carefully for accuracy, completeness, and visual appeal. Check for spelling and grammar errors and make sure that all of your data is presented accurately.

Print out a draft of your poster and ask a colleague or mentor to review it and provide feedback. It’s also worth getting feedback from someone with limited understanding of your research topic (they’ll be able to give you an idea of how accessible the wording is and a good review on your design without being bogged down in the technical details). Based on the feedback you receive, make any necessary revisions before finalizing your poster.

Some scientific poster examples (and reviews)

So far, this article has outlined the theory behind making a great poster. But, putting it into practice isn’t always as simple as a 6-step process. You might still be having difficulty visualizing what a good poster looks like (or thinking of ideas for your own). So, take this next section as a bit of creative inspiration. I’ve gathered a handful of posters from my network and given them a quick review based on the design recommendations above.

POSTER ONE - A Fine Figure (or a Few)

Made with: Mac Pages Shared by: Matthieu Chartier (Founder, Fourwaves)

Poster highlights:

• The use of figures and visuals helps to explain the method developed.
• Paragraphs are short and highlight key information.
• The poster isn’t divided into the classic scientific poster sections (let that creativity through!). Instead, because it’s describing a newly developed method, it’s divided into an introduction, method, validation, and applications.

Pieces to improve:

• There are a lot of different colors used. This makes it hard to identify the different sections and the structure of the poster at a glance. Converting the figures and fonts to a more uniform color scheme could help with the visual appeal to people walking by.
• The use of white space could be better (it feels a bit cramped). It would be better to leave some text out and simply mention that information when speaking with visitors during the poster session.

POSTER TWO - An Effective Contrast

Made with: Powerpoint (and figures with BioRender) Shared by: Simon Fournier (Business Development, CQDM)

• The poster contains clear sections with headings that have good contrasting colors to draw the eye (dark blue on white).
• The figure generated with Biorender is clear and is a good support material to use during the actual poster presentation.
• The use of bullet points helps distinguish the key messages.
• The title of the poster could be a bit more punchy to attract attention.
• Figures could be incorporated more to illustrate the data and draw the eye to the poster.

POSTER THREE - Colorful

Made with: Inkscape Shared by: Vincent Nault (CEO, Lumed)

• The use of figures helps to illustrate the data and break up the paragraphs.
• A good amount of information is delivered with a relatively small amount of text.
• The combination of colors is distracting at times. It’s not a complementary palette.
• The font sizes seem to vary widely and the bright yellow font is difficult to read.
• Sections don’t flow in a continuous logical order (gives the sensation of jumping around a bit when you’re trying to find the next section).

POSTER FOUR - Beauty in Simplicity

Made with: Adobe Illustrator (contains 3D rendered images created in Autodesk Maya). Shared by: Mouhanad Babi (PhD, Microscopist and Scientific Illustrator)

• The best thing about this poster is its simplicity. It only has 3 main sections.
• It’s not cramped with text and data and has a lot of white space.
• Easily read and understood in a short period of time.
• Bullet points are used well to share key information.
• The title could be a tad bit catchier.
• There is no contact information if someone wanted to reach out to the presenter.

FUN FACT: This poster was presented at the Biophysical Society of Canada in Montreal in 2017 and won the best poster prize 🏆!

POSTER FIVE - Room to Breathe

Made with : PowerPoint Shared by: Maxime Descoteaux (CSO at Imeka, Research chair in neuroinformatics)

• This poster really breathes! It’s mostly white with only darker colors used to clearly delineate the different sections.
• The content is straight to the point. It highlights the problems with existing compression formats then goes straight into the developed method and results.
• A short sentence to summarize the key conclusions would be helpful. However, leaving it out could also encourage the reader to ask the presenter and spark a conversation!

POSTER SIX - Curiosity and QR Codes

Made with: PowerPoint Shared by: Natália Teruel (from the Najmanovich Research Group )

• The presenter used small lines to link each bordered section. This guides the viewer well from one section to the next.
• The quality of the figures is high and gives a good first impression.
• The use of QR codes with a small label is a handy way to get people to dive deeper.
• A larger font-size or unique section header style would help make the structure clearer.
• The font color is far too light. It’s hard to read.

Conclusion: Making a great scientific poster

You’ve read the advice. You’ve reviewed the examples. You’ve heard what NOT to do.

What’s next?

As daunting as the task may seem, creating a scientific poster can be a lot of fun. It’s extremely rewarding to set up on the day of the poster session and see your work summarized and displayed in one big, visually appealing package.

So, plan your content carefully, choose a template that works for you, experiment with design elements, and present your research in a clear and visually appealing way. And, as always, don’t be afraid to get creative as you work toward your finished poster!

Acknowledgements

I'd like to thanks all those who contributed some tips and poster examples: Maxime Descoteaux, Natália Teruel, Rafael Najmanovich, Mouhanad Babi, Vincent Nault and Simon Fournier.

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Scientific Posters: An Effective Way of Presenting Research

Scientific publications such as manuscripts, abstracts, posters, and oral presentations aid in disseminating clinical data to the scientific world and maintain transparency of the research outcome and interest in a medical brand.

Publication of a manuscript in a scientific journal generates peer-reviewed citable references. Whereas, the presentation of an abstract, poster, and oral presentation at scientific conferences ensure that research data is made available in the public domain prior to the peer-reviewed publication.

Creating Effective Scientific Posters

Amongst different publication types, poster presentation is a unique mode of scientific communication. It is a popular method of presenting research findings succinctly through a combination of text and graphics. A scientific poster is a design hybrid between an oral presentation and a manuscript; it is more detailed and interactive than an oral presentation but less than a manuscript.

Poster development includes two major elements, content and layout development.

• Content development requires expertise in presenting complex data into a concise and simple form. Generally, the content is developed by a medical writer with scientific knowledge on the topic and exceptional writing skills.
• Poster layout is developed by graphic designers; they work closely with medical writers and ensure the scientific story is creatively presented in a visual format as per the conference guidelines.

A good poster conveys the research as a simple, clear story in the form of bulleted text and diagrams/images. The “W’s” (who, what, when, where, why) are an effective way to organize the elements of a poster. 1

The content of the poster should interest the audience and provide them with a clear take-home message that they can grasp in the few minutes they spend near your poster. Create the title, charts, and the text to emphasize the key message. The poster starts with a title, aim, background, methods, results, and concludes with the summary of findings and their implications for research. The best poster is a perfect mix of content, color, figures, fonts, and a defined layout.

In our next article, “ Most Effective Tips When Presenting Your Scientific Poster ,” we will share the prerequisites and tips on how to develop a good presentable poster.

Poster illustration: An effective poster with relevant and focused content under various headings

Jane E Miller. Preparing and Presenting Effective Research Posters. Health Serv Res. 2007 Feb; 42(1 Pt 1): 311–328.

Enago Life Sciences is a medical writing company with specialization in medical communications services. We provide a full poster (print / electronic format) and encore poster development services. We work closely with the authors/client to develop the poster from initiation up to final approval. A full poster is developed within a typical turnaround time of 6 weeks (kickoff – print ready file). Keeping the focus on the target audience, our team of writers and graphic designers convert your research into a simple succinct eye-catching poster. Our highly qualified, experienced team, with an excellent knowledge across therapy and industry standards, develops posters as per the conference guidelines and good publication practices.

Click here to download an effective sample poster.

clear and to the point

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Niemi Lab Seeks UG Researcher for FA24

We are seeking an undergraduate student in the Niemi Lab ( https://www.niemilab.com/ ) within the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics on the medical campus. This undergraduate would start in the Fall 2024 Semester.

Our lab focuses on how mitochondria are built, regulated, and maintained across physiological contexts. Projects in the lab include understanding the mechanisms and regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis, determining how select mitochondrial proteins are targeted for degradation, and characterizing how post-translational modifications influence mitochondrial form and function. We work with cell culture systems, mouse-derived primary cells, and mouse model systems. Our long-term goal is to translate our discoveries into new therapeutics options that restore mitochondrial function in human disease.

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Interested applicants should reach out to Tessa Lochetto ( [email protected] ) directly with:

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We hope you can join us!

When:  Friday, May 31, 2024

Where:  E Building, E130A/B  UW Medicine South Lake Union / 850 Republican Street

2-3:30pm: HAPPY HOUR

Researchers, come enjoy pizza, snacks, and refreshments while connecting with myotonic dystrophy patients and their family members. All are welcome!

Out of respect for the patients and their families, please keep conversations respectful and positive, and refrain from recording information in any matter.

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“Once I learned about the modifiable risk factors [for Alzheimer’s disease], I realized I could use my dietetics background in this field,” Jackson said.  “As a health communication scholar, I’m trying to put out messages that are evidence-based and theoretically supported to hopefully curtail all the misinformation out there.”

Community Connections

Through one of her mentors, Elizabeth K. Rhodus, PhD, MS, OTR/L, an assistant professor with the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging , Jackson connected with the First Baptist Church Frankfort in Frankfort, Ky., a city with the nation’s second-highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s in Black adults. She conducted focus groups with church members to refine messaging from the Alzheimer’s Association so that it was better tailored for their community.

“To start, I evaluated what they know, believed, and thought about Alzheimer’s disease. Then I showed them an Alzheimer’s Association handout that was very wordy and asked what they liked and disliked about it.”

She found that limited knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease led to feelings of powerlessness, whereas awareness and education led to hope. She also found that past healthcare experiences significantly influenced beliefs and behaviors among the focus group participants and that cultural norms played a crucial role in how health messaging was received.

Based on the feedback of the focus groups, Jackson converted the information from the text-heavy Alzheimer’s Association handout into a regionally specific infographic that uses visual cuses and simplified lists to explain warning signs and modifiable risk factors for the disease.  It also includes prominent information about how to find local care and support.

Jackson describes her community-engaged research as an “amazing bi-directional transfer of knowledge” between the community and the research world.

“The participants’ first comment on the new handout was ‘Oh my gosh, look what you’ve created!’ and I said ‘No, look what we created!’ I think the process changed their perspective about what participating in research can look like. I am so thankful to the First Baptist Church Frankfort for helping with this research and being so kind with their time. They treat me like I’m their granddaughter. They’re just the nicest people.”

Making an Impact

For the second and final year of her TL1 appointment, Jackson is working with her mentors, Rhodus and Nancy G. Harrington, PhD, professor of communication, to develop additional infographics focused on modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. She’s also working with the UK Office of Technology Commercialization to copywrite the infographics and get them published.

“I feel like I found my home with the UK CCTS TL1 program. It was the first time that people understood me and how my clinical background connects to my PhD research,” Jackson said. “Being a TL1 Scholar links that clinical background with health communication, which allows me to do research that can impact public health and chronic disease management. Communication is a science and not as easy as you might think.”

Drawing on her health communication training, Jackson recently won third place in the annual Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship (VACE) 60-Second Poster Pitch Competition at the 2024 CCTS Spring Conference . Although intimidated by the prospect of publicly pitching her research with a tight time constraint and no visual aids, she knew the coaching she could get through the process would benefit her.

“The coaching was phenomenal. Mariam Gorjian [assistant director of VACE] is amazing! She made me feel like I could conquer the world!”

Jackson additionally presented an oral presentation at the CCTS conference’s health equity session, which had a standing-room-only audience. Just days before that, she also presented her research at the Association of Clinical and Translational Science national conference in Las Vegas.

The professional growth and networking she’s gained through the TL1 program makes Jackson encourage health researchers from all fields to participate in the program.

“Regardless of your background, consider applying to the program. I’m glad that I was different from other participants. Even if you’re not a bench scientist or medical doctor, or if you don’t have an extensive research background, think about all the tools you have in your toolbox, how the program can sharpen or expand those tools, and what you can bring to the program.”

A Lexington native, Jackson will have completed her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, CTS certificate, and PhD at UK, in addition to working as a clinician and a faculty member here.

“UK has so many resources and my philosophy is ‘We’re not leaving opportunities on the table.’ I truly believe in training, and I know opportunities don’t always come twice. I’m doing things and sitting in rooms I never would have thought imaginable.”

If you are interested in learning more about participating in health research, visit UKClinicalResearch.com .

The project described was supported by the NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences through grant number UL1TR001998.  The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

Media Contact : Mallory Profeta, [email protected]

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Characteristics of References

• Provides the reader with information about who conducted the research, when it was published and the journal that published the work.
• Provides detailed information about author names, article title, journal name, volume, issue and page numbers so that readers can easily find the source of the information.
• Acknowledges the scientist(s) who conducted the research and/or the journal article where the research was originally published.  

The References (or Bibliography) section should list all the sources of information that were used in the poster.   This section appears at the end of the poster.   The References section ( Figs. 2 and 8 ) typically contains all journal articles (i.e., primary sources) but it can also contain secondary sources (e.g., newspapers, documentaries, government reports).   References tell the reader where the original data, information, technique, and/or method can be obtained, who conducted the work and when the paper was published.    

In posters, in-text citations are used to tell the reader where information was obtained.   An in-text citation should appear after every sentence in the poster that describes the work of others.   This includes all sentences that describe discoveries, findings, data, information, experiments, results, techniques, methods, dates, locations, etc.  

In-text citations can be done using either (1) superscript numbers or (2) authors last name, followed by year published.  

• Polar bear cubs were 25% larger when fed a high-protein diet compared to high-sugar diet. 1      
• Polar bear cubs were 25% larger when fed a high-protein diet compared to high-sugar diet (Jones and Smith, 2018).  

The “1” and “Jones and Smith, 2018” both refer to the same journal article:   E.J. Jones and W. A. Smith (2018), Journal of Natural Science, Vol. 53, Issue 12, pages 36-45.   Both types of in-text citations are acceptable for use in posters.   Authors typically choose superscript numbers to save space.      

Formatting References

You have likely been taught about MLA (Modern Language Association of America) or APA (American Psychological Association) formatting and style guide in middle or high school.   Many of you are likely proficient in these styles.   For most posters you likely will not follow the MLA nor APA styles when citing your sources.   There is a practical explanation for why these two styles often are not used in a poster. It is because there are thousands of different professional scientific societies around the world and each society has its own preferred formatting style that they use in publications for their journals and conferences.   Therefore, citation styles will vary depending on where a poster is presented.   In fact, many scientists use software, that, with a click of a button, will transform all of their citations into the proper style and format for any journal or conference.

Nonetheless, we provide 15 examples below of how one could cite primary sources (examples 1-5 below) and secondary sources (examples 6-15 below) of information in a scientific poster.  

Figure 8. References List

Citing Primary Sources

Peer-reviewed journal articles are considered primary sources.   Patents and Published Technical Reports from Government Agencies and Universities are also considered primary sources of information.   Five examples of how to cite primary sources are numbered below 1-5.  

1. Journal Article in Print:   Most journals are printed on paper others are entirely available online.   Authors Names. (Year Published in parenthesis). Article Title.   Journal Name, Volume Number (Issue Number in parenthesis): Page Numbers.  

1A. Journal Article with one or two authors:

McMurran, M. and Christopher, G. (2009). Bayes factors increases criminal sentence recommendations. Legal & Criminological Psychology, 14(1):101-107.

1B. Journal Article with more than two authors:  

Post, E., et al. (2009). Genome studies of quorum sensing organisms. Science, 325(5946):1355-1358.

2. Online Journal Article:   These journals are electronic and not printed on paper.   Authors Names. (Year Published in parenthesis). Title of article. Journal name. Volume number and or page numbers.   Include complete URL link in full or DOI if known.    

Dionne, M.S. and Schneider, D.S. (2002). Adaptive mutability in targeted microRNA infections. Genome Biol. 3:10.3559. http://genomebiology.com/2002/3/4/reviews/1010  

3. Government Technical Report in Print: Author names or name of organization. (Year Published in parenthesis). Report title.   Report Number. Name of government agency that published report, Place of publication.  

Smith, G.I. and Chen Y.P. (2018). Growth stages and tolerable fire intervals for Georgia’s native vegetation data sets. Report no. 247. U.S. Department of Interior. New York, NY, USA.

4. Government Technical Report Published Online: Author names or name of organization. (Year Published in parenthesis). Report title.   Report Number. Name of government agency that published report. Place of publication.   Date retrieved followed by complete URL link in full or DOI if known.  

Spandone, H.K. et al. (2017). Energy futures for Midwestern wind farms. Report no. C2.4715.12. U.S. Department of Energy. Washington D.C., USA.   Retrieved on February 15, 2017 from https://www.energy.gov/science-innovation/energy-sources/renewable-energy/wind

5. Patent : Author names. Date in parenthesis. Title of patented item, technique, method or process. Patent number.

Odell, J.C. (1970, April). Process for batch culturing. U.S. patent 484,363,770.

Citing Secondary Sources

Secondary sources report on and interpret results that have been presented in primary sources.   Secondary sources include books, documentaries, magazines, newspapers, podcasts, webpages from government agencies and universities.   Ten examples of how to cite secondary sources are numbered below 6-15.      

6. Book Chapter : Authors names. (Date of publication in parenthesis). Chapter title, page numbers. Editors of book, Book Title, Place of publication.   Name of publisher.  

Forman, M.S., and Valsamakis, A. (2003). Specimen collection, transport, and processing: virology, p. 1227-1241. Murray, P.R., et al. (Eds.), Manual of clinical microbiology, 8th ed, Washington, D.C. Penguin Press.  

Anderegg, D. (2007). Nerds: Who they are and why we need more of them. New York, NY. Jeremy P. Tarcher, Penguin Press.  

8. Magazine Article in Print :

Road map to a great deal. (2009, October). Consumer Reports, 74(10), 44-47.

9. Magazine Article Published Online :

Taibbi, M. (2009, September 3). Sick and wrong. Rolling Stone, 1086, 58-65. Retrieved on February 22, 2020 from http://www.rollingstone.com  

10. Newspaper Article in Print:

Lucchetti, A. & Craig, S. (2009, September 11). Morgan Stanley taps new boss. The Wall Street Journal, pp. A1, A16.  

11. Newspaper Article Published Online :

Moran, S. (2009, September 7). If you don’t snooze, you lose: Most Americans aren’t getting enough sleep. And for both adults and students, there are health consequences. Star Tribune. Retrieved on August 6, 2019 from http://www.startribune.com /  

12. Podcast :

Nature (Producer). (2009, July 16). Moon gazing in the Southern hemisphere, Audio podcast. Retrieved on November 5,2009, from http://www.nature.com/nature/podcast/index-2009-07-16.html  

13. Documentary, Video or Movie :

Donner, R. & Lee, S. (Producers), & Hood, G. (Director). (2009). X-Men Origins: Wolverine [DVD]. USA: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation.  

14. Personal Web Page : In most instances a web page is not used as a reference in a poster.  

Wilson, E.O. (1999, September). Biological Diversity: The Oldest Human Heritage, New York State Museum, Albany. Retrieved on July 12, 2020 from https://eowilsonfoundation.org/e-o-wilson/  

15. Web Page of Organization or Group of Authors : In most instances, a webpage is not used as a reference in a poster.  

National Museum of American History. (2006, July 7). National museum of American history displays recent hip-hop acquisitions. Retrieved from https://americanhistory.si.edu  

Scientific Posters: A Learner's Guide Copyright © 2020 by Ella Weaver; Kylienne A. Shaul; Henry Griffy; and Brian H. Lower is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Dalhousie's first AI Symposium creates platform for community dialogue

As Andrew Cochran opened the final panel discussion at the first Dalhousie AI Symposium, he summarized much of what was discussed throughout the day: we are living in AI times.  

“Sixteen months ago, I sat at my computer and asked a question to this new thing called ChatGPT,” explained Cochran, an instructor in the Faculty of Computer Science. “My biggest surprise was not how quickly it showed me an answer, but how spontaneously I typed back, ‘Thank you.’  Not long after, author Walter Isaacson summed it up when he said ChatGPT was the moment AI became personal for all of us.”

The impacts of AI on our daily lives were a recurring theme at the day-long event on May 9. The sell-out event saw over 300 attendees from across education, research, industry, and government come together to explore the big opportunities and potential risks of AI adoption across domains.

Connecting community

Arguably one of today’s most discussed topics, AI is transforming how industries, sectors, and organizations operate, opening the door to increased economic productivity and breakthrough innovations.

From improved skin cancer diagnosis and more sustainable oceans to confronting bias and bridging the digital divide, attendees engaged in talks, workshops, and panel discussions led by speakers and facilitators from industry, government, and academia. Keynotes were delivered by Dr. Doina Precup, a Canada CIFAR AI Chair from McGill University, Mila, and Google DeepMind; and Dr. Rada Mihalcea, from the University of Michigan. Students had the opportunity to showcase their AI research through a poster competition and were also invited to participate in a Generative AI and Oceans Hackathon, prior to the day, with student groups invited to present their ideas during an AI and Sustainability for Oceans workshop at the Symposium.

  Frank Rudzicz, committee chair, opens up the AI Symposium.

Collaboration was a key theme across the day and much of the motivation behind launching the event. The organizing committee chair, Dr. Frank Rudzicz, intended the event to act as a platform for the Nova Scotian AI community to engage in meaningful dialogue.

“AI is one of our most impactful and complex technologies and there are huge opportunities if we take advantage of this moment as a community across the province,” says Dr. Rudzicz, who is the Canada CIFAR AI Chair, as well as an associate professor in the Faculty of Computer Science and research faculty member at the Vector Institute.

“The AI Symposium is the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada and is intended to be the start of many initiatives aimed at connecting the AI community in Nova Scotia. It was fantastic to see folks from across disciplines engage in meaningful dialogue around how we can use AI to make a real difference and we’re now exploring how we can keep this momentum going.”

AI + Health

One domain that is becoming increasingly digital is health care. Nova Scotia Health’s Dr. Tara Sampalli, senior director, implementation science, evaluation and global health systems planning, and Scott McKenna, chief information officer with both Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health, took to the stage for the symposium’s invited talk to share how Nova Scotia's health-care system is adopting AI and testing new innovations to enhance patient care and increase productivity.

Scott McKenna and Dr. Tara Sampalli from NS Health during their invited talk

True to their ethos that technology adoption is always about people first, they also joined Dr. Rudzicz for an AI in Health workshop where they sought answers and feedback to some of their biggest questions around AI adoption and its impacts in health-care settings.

“Nova Scotia has been leading the way globally in bringing best practice innovations and partnerships to the province through the Health Innovation Hub,” said Dr. Sampalli. “These partnerships with academic and private industry partners are helping us address unique health-care needs of our communities across the province through virtual and digital solutions.”

Dr. Tara Sampalli interacts with the audience during an AI in Healthcare workshop

Some examples include Virtual Primary and Urgent care, Care Coordination Centre (Command Centre), Oncology Transformation Project, Robotics Centre of Excellence, and YourHealthNS. “These large-scale data and digital transformations and partnerships with regional and global experts show that we are well underway to leverage the potential of AI in health,” she added.

McKenna echoed this, saying, “The importance of digital health solutions has been embraced around the world in the past several years and the broader impact to our patients and systems shows even greater promise as AI adoption accelerates. The real power comes as we amass more data, it is higher quality, and we can unlock it through interoperability.

“We are already leading the country and the region in many ways and pushing innovation. The results are speaking for themselves - shorter wait times, more time for our clinicians with patients, better use of resources, streamlined services, and better health for all."

Leading the way

Dalhousie has become an emerging leader in AI research and talent development in recent years. The Faculty of Computer Science’s AI, Machine Learning, and Big Data research cluster has grown significantly in terms of the number of faculty, students, and research output; ‘AI and Digital Innovation’ has been prioritized as one of Dalhousie’s Strategic Research Clusters; and the institution is the first in the U15 group of research-intensive universities to appoint an institutional lead dedicated to AI strategy within education.

Student research poster session

Dr. Christian Blouin is that institutional lead as well as acting dean of the Faculty of Computer Science. He wrapped up the AI Symposium sitting on a panel discussing the question on the minds of everyone in attendance: should we speed up or slow down AI adoption?

“Dalhousie is prioritizing [its] AI strategy and for good reason. Whether we speed up or slow down, the reality is [that] AI is here to stay and we need to take advantage of it,” said Dr. Blouin. “I hope that, coming out of today, we can start to envision a strong, unified foundation for AI in this province, along with local industry and governments, and I hope that we continue to put our efforts together to make that vision a reality.”

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