Ten steps to a great poster
(compiled from various sources, including the American Chemical Society web site)
1. Title
The title is the first thing your audience will read. It is essentially a one sentence abstract of your presentation. Choose carefully to attract the attention of an educated audience.
2. Objective
Formulate the objective of what you are presenting in a single sentence; e.g.,
* To show that increasing levels of lead, not PCBs, in New York Harbor has led to the decline in shellfish.
* To describe the methods of achieving environmental equilibrium within NYC
Use this sentence as a guide for selecting the data you need to include.
3. Introduction
Identify the problem you address, what is known about it, and what your approach is to investigate the problem. Use short sentences and keep this section concise. As much as possible, use a bulleted list or a graphic.
4. Results
Select the most pertinent results that support your message. Think about attractive ways to present the data, especially as figures. Figures and captions should be easy to read. Consider adding a brief conclusion below every figure.
5. Discussion
Discuss (in bulleted form) what the results are teaching.
6. Conclusion
Write the conclusions in short statements. Assess what you’ve achieved relative to your objectives
7. References and acknowledgments
8. A poster needs a Beacon
How are you going to get people’s attention? The title partly serves this function, but more is needed. Select one of your most important results, a photo, a scheme explaining the scientific background, or whatever you consider the highlight of your presentation and give it a prominent place on your poster – perhaps in the middle. It should raise your audience’s interest and stimulate them to read your poster.
9. Layout
Add headers if necessary to clarify the structure of your poster.
10. Review, revise, optimize
Ask your co-authors and friends to comment on a draft version of the poster. Critically assess whether the poster conveys the message you want.
A good poster enables the reader to grasp the message in a short time. If s/he finds the subject of interest s/he will stay to learn about the details, and discuss the work with you.
Guidelines for Poster Presenters
* The title should be in very large type, 84 pt or larger. Your names and Hunter College should also be in large type – consider 72 pt. Headings and sub-headings should be at least 36 pt. You need not use all capitals for titles and headings.
* Text on panels should be between 18 and 24 pt. Material will have to be read by attendees from a distance of 3 feet or more. Use double or 1.5 spacing between lines of text. Keep each panel relatively short and to the point. More than 25 lines won’t get read, but 15 to 18 usually will. Framing the text by putting a box around it will help readers to focus.
* Material is to be displayed in logical sequence (introduction, development, conclusion) and each sheet should be numbered. Make sure your presentation flows.
* The presentation needn’t be “arty” but the effectiveness of a poster presentation will be enhanced by using techniques such as mounting the sheets on colored construction paper, etc., to improve the graphic impact. Note, however, that simplicity and ease of reading are more important than artistic flair. Illustrations should not be mounted on heavy stock as this could make them difficult to mount on poster boards.
* In a room full of posters, consider the visual impact your presentation needs to make in order to attract readers. Use colored mounting paper behind panels to increase contrast, but avoid fluorescent papers which will make things hard to read when someone gets closer.
* Choose a simple font such as Times or Helvetica. Avoid overuse of outlining and shadowing – it can be distracting; to make something stand out, use a larger font size, bold or underline.
* Whenever possible, use graphs, charts, tables, figures, pictures or lists instead of text to get your points across.
* Arrange the poster ahead of time to make sure it fits the space provided. It will take longer than you think to cut mats and put things together.
