Create a Research Poster

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 Goes in a Poster?

Answer these three questions:

1. What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my research project?

2. How can I visually share my research with conference attendees? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?

3. What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

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
• Try to keep at least 40 percent of your poster free from text or images
• Use standard serif fonts, as these are the most readable.