Research Posters and Poster Sessions

Title

Authors

• Affiliations
• Logos

Abstract

An abstract is a summary of the entire project. Include one sentence each about the Introduction, Material and Methods, Results and Discussion, and Conclusions.  It may be easier to write the abstract after the rest of the poster text has been written. An abstract is a paragraph with no bullet points.

Introduction

The Introduction provides a brief background and places the work in the context of the literature. Write it to interest the viewer in your topic. Posters are graphical representations of your project so text should be limited. Turn your paragraphs into bulleted points and, if you are able, use a picture. Don’t forget to include your hypothesis.

Materials and Methods

Briefly describe how you conducted the research project, touching only on the key elements. You can cite references. Because posters are visual representations of your work, consider using graphics and/or illustrations.

If your project is about developing a procedure, device, or artistic work, this section will be the main focus of the poster and take up the largest area.

Results and Discussion

The results are the analyzed data from your research. Present them in a visual format: graphs, charts, photos, equations, illustrations, etc. Each figure may have a title, figure number, legend, etc. to briefly describe to the viewer what is shown. 

This is usually the largest section of your poster.

Conclusions

For the Conclusions section, list the major results and relate it to the literature. You can also discuss any new hypotheses and future work.

Some disciplines may combine the Results, Discussion, and Conclusions into one section. Talk with a faculty advisor about the appropriate division of headings for your project.

References

You need to list any publications you referenced or cited in your poster. The purpose of listing the references is two-fold, to give credit where credit is due and to provide the reader with information on obtaining the publication. Follow the format used by your discipline, but to reduce the amount of poster space for references:

• Do not include the title of the article. Instead, list the author, abbreviated title of the journal, volume/issue number, and year.

• List only the first author and then follow it with “et al.”.

Creative Commons

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Acknowledgements

Acknowledge the people contributing to the project and, if funded, the agencies funding the research. 

• Do not include any of your coauthors. They are already listed in the Author section.

Open up one of the templates and follow along referring to the template from top to bottom. Before you actually start creating the poster collect all the images, logos, etc. you will possibly need and write up the text for the different sections of the poster (described below). Doing this first simplifies the procedure. Once all the elements are added to the poster, then you can rearrange to enhance the total image. Then you will then be able to select colors that will further enrich the overall look of the poster (described further in Graphic Design Tips and Tricks).

Guidelines, Gridlines and Rulers: These were added to each of the templates and how to add them is outlined in The Poster Workbook using MS Powerpoint 2010. The poster is large and the computer image is small in comparison. These tools assist in guiding you around the poster as you add elements and zoom in or out. The guidelines are shapes inserted from the Ribbon, which you can choose to keep or delete depending on the overall design of the poster.

Logos: The University has official logos as do most departments. If your department has a logo it is usually combined with the University’s logo and therefore you will not need to add a separate University logo. To obtain a departmental logo ask the professor you are working with or the Administrative Assistant to the department head.

Title: The title should convey the subject of the project and draw people to your poster. The minimum font for the title is 72pt, but make the font as large as you can (shorten the title).

Authors: If you are the only author give your complete name. If there are many authors using initials is ok to save space. Let the audience know who is presenting by underlining the name(s). The font size should be smaller - ½ to 2/3 the size of the font used for the title.

Affiliations: List the department or program in which you conducted the project, followed by the University of Utah. If there are multiple authors and departments, list each department/program once. If there are multiple authors for each department/program, then use superscripts to indicate affiliation.  List the University of Utah on a separate line or if space is tight, then leave it out. The logo will indicate the University.

Creative Commons: Your poster is your work, protect it.  To let people know that the work is yours, apply for Creative Commons.  It only takes a few minutes.  With a Creative Commons license, you keep your copyright, but allow people to copy and distribute your work provided they give you credit — and only on the conditions you specify. For additional information on copyrights and Creative Commons contact the Scholarly Communications and Copyright Librarian, Allyson Mower .