oral presentation and poster presentation in academic conferences

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Poster and oral presentations are typically delivered to academic colleagues at conferences or congresses. Here are some best practices and resources to help develop the content and visuals for a high-impact poster, and plan and practice memorable oral presentations. 

The "Related Resources" on this page can be used to tap into Duke’s hub of templates, guides, and services to support researchers developing their presentations.

The Duke Medical Center Library has tips for things to keep in mind before working through the development of a poster presentation, and the Duke University Libraries' Center for Data and Visualization Sciences recorded a talk on preparing effective academic posters .

• Just like with any other publication, the specifications from the conference should be read and understood – there are often size limits or font requirements to keep in mind.
• A good title is critical for posters since presenters get just a few seconds to attract conference goers who are passing by. Make sure the title briefly and memorably portrays the most interesting or central finding of the work.
• Energy should be focused on a solid abstract, as the poster is simply a blown-up visualization of that summary.
• Less is more in poster design. Rather than shrinking fonts to fit the commentary, the commentary should be shrunk to fit the space on the poster, while retaining a readable font and plenty of white space.  

The Thompson Writing Program has great general guidance on oral presentations, summarized throughout this page. There are several training opportunities listed in this page's "Related Resources" that can help researchers at all stages to hone their presentation skills.

• Preparing for an oral presentation will take the majority of a researcher's time. The goal of the talk should be fully understood as typically no more than 3-5 key points will be covered in a presentation; the audience and the time allotted should be carefully considered.
• Consideration of “guideposts” for the audience should be given. It is especially important in oral deliveries that information is organized in to meaningful blocks for the audience. Transitions should be emphasized during the presentation.
• Rather than creating a word-for-word speech, researchers should create a plan for each section, idea or point. By reading written points, delivery can be kept fresh.
• To engage audiences, it is a good idea to make strongest points first, and in a memorable way. While background and introduction sections are common in academic presentations, they are often already known to the audience.

The Duke Medical Center Library has tutorials, best practices for general design, and strategies for a high-impact poster presentations. Bass Connections also provides guidance on poster design.

Some important things to keep in mind are:

• Keeping posters simple and focusing on two things: Strong visualizations and small blocks of supporting text. Remember the audience; they will be standing a few feet away. Make sure the content is visible from afar. 
• Follow brand guidelines from Duke or Duke School of Medicine . When representing Duke at a conference, it is best practice to align the presentation with institutional standards, including appropriate logos and color schemes.
• Avoid violating copyright protections. Include only images created specifically for this purpose, or use stock photography provided by Duke or other vendors.
• Visualizing data tells the story. The Center for Data and Visualization Sciences has workshops, consultations and other resources to ensure that graphical representations of data are effective.
• Poster presentations can be designed using a variety of software (PowerPoint, Illustrator, Keynote, Inkscape), and templates. When choosing software or templates, consideration should be given to accessibility and understanding by everyone involved in creating the presentation.   
• Contact information, citations and acknowledgements: On posters, key articles may be noted or images needing references included. For oral and poster presentations, key contributors should be recognized. Funding sources should also be mentioned on posters and in oral presentations.
• A link or QR code should be included for supplemental materials, citations, movies, etc.
• Before a poster is printed, someone with fresh eyes should review it! Reprinting posters is costly and can take time. There are many options for printing, some on paper and some on fabric, with production times varying. The Medical Center Library has some local options to suggest. 
• Practicing in a space that is similar to the actual presentation is a good idea, and doing so within the allotted time. Finishing early to allow good Q&A is also a good idea.
• Family, trusted friends, or colleagues can be great test audiences, and can provide valuable feedback.
• Preparation and practice should be started early and repeated often.
• If it is an important address, researchers may want to videotape a rehearsal run to review and improve performance.
• If a presentation is being digitized, release or permission forms may be needed. Duke has resources available via Scholarworks.
• Once a poster session or oral presentation has been completed, researchers should be sure to add it to their CV or biosketch.

Preparing oral and poster presentations for conferences

As a PhD student, attending conferences is an exciting part of academic life. Conferences are a chance to share your research findings, learn novel ideas or techniques and travel, whether that is locally, further afield or even internationally. A crucial aspect to conference attending is conveying your research to the wider scientific community, through either a poster or oral presentation.

Preparing your research to present at a conference is a balance. You need to include the same details as you would put in a paper or report, but make it concise to fit reasonably in a poster format, or within a specific talk length, such as 10 minutes. When writing a talk or poster for a specific conference, investigating the style and content of previous years abstracts may help to peg yours at a suitable level. Before you start, check the conference guidelines on oral presentation outlines, poster size, and orientation. Although most conferences allow A0 portrait posters, some are different and it’s advisable to check this before writing.

Preparing your poster

Generally, posters follow a bullet point style divided into four main sections:

• Introduction or Background
• Discussion or Conclusions.

However, there are some other areas of the poster that need attention too.

Firstly, a snappy title is a must. The title must cover the basic outline of the study, yet be intriguing, making the viewer want to read on. The title must be considered during abstract preparation, as whatever you name your abstract will be your poster title. Author names and affiliations sit below the title; the order of this can be important but must be agreed by your research group before poster publication.

The introduction covers the background details of the research involved, using current literature and references. The aims and objectives of the research must be in the introduction, and generally sits well at the end just before the method section to give a sense of flow.

Methods covers obviously what you did to achieve your results. It’s good to be aware of any ethical approval gained for the study, and noting participant numbers, genders and ages, statistical methods used and any chemical in their full unabbreviated names initially, with subsequent references to the ingredients by the standard abbreviations. If the method is tricky to explain, a diagram or photo may help to illustrate, and it is not necessary to repeat the methods in words.

The results section needs to cover all relevant findings. Tables or figures can really help show data, so be imaginative! You’ll need to include statistical p-values to show significances. Finally, the discussion or conclusion section highlights the key findings from your results in punchy language as a ‘take home message’. These need to be clear and concise, covering the exact findings and if possible the relevance of findings to the study and scientific community as a whole.

Oral presentations

For oral presentations the same headings should be followed, with clear simple slides. Keep the number of slides to a minimum to keep the length of the talk on track. A good guideline is around one slide per minute. Set the scene with a clear introduction to the work, indicating the relevance of the study to the general scientific community. Highlight the study aims and objectives, and unlike a poster, you may want to include a hypothesis for further clarity. Diagrams may also help to describe methodology, and helps to keep audience attention as they must listen to you fully to understand the technique.

Results can also be shown on graphs and figures; be careful with tables, as these can appear daunting to the viewer, unless you clearly highlight the numbers or significances of importance to your work. Throughout the results section explain what each experiment or figure means, what is the finding? This will help you lead directly into the conclusions, and you can repeat the key findings already covered in the results, and give a clear take home message to your audience.

And finally...

Whether you’re giving a poster or a talk at a conference, be confident. Who knows your work better than you? This will help you tackle any questions and comments posed, and give you a chance to meet fellow researchers and possible future collaborators. Project your voice, face your audience and above all enjoy yourself!

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Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference

A scientific poster is a visual presentation that summarises your research findings and is typically displayed at conferences or academic events. Presenting one can be intimidating, but it's a valuable opportunity for feedback and confidence-building. Check out our top 9 top tips for successfully presenting your poster at a scientific conference.

Be welcoming

You should do your best to stand at your poster for the entirety of the conference poster session. If you do need to leave your poster for any reason, ensure you include your email address on it, so you can be contacted by conference attendees who may read your poster while you are not there. Read more tips for making your poster stand out here.

To make everyone feel welcome, stand to the side of your poster. This will make it easy for your potential audience to move closer and see the whole thing.

Think of your poster as a conversation starter. Smile and say hello to everyone who walks past and looks at you or your poster. Invite them to read more and, if they seem interested, ask if they would like you to talk them through it or if they have any questions.

Engage your audience

Remember to be enthusiastic - your research is exciting! Even towards the end of the poster session, when your energy levels may be lower, it is important to remain enthusiastic. If it is clear you find your work interesting, your audience are more likely to as well!

As you are presenting your poster, point to relevant parts of the poster so that people can follow as your talk through it. Try to avoid putting your hands in your pockets or behind your back.

Remember to also keep looking back at the audience, to keep them engaged and feeling involved in the presentation.

If you are already presenting your research to someone or a small group and someone else walks up, acknowledge them by making eye contact with them and smiling. Once you have finished with your initial visitors ask the newcomer if there was anything they missed that they would like a further explanation of, or whether they have any questions.

The most important aspect of presenting a poster at a conference is to make the most out of the opportunity you’ve been given. Who knows what might become of an interaction that you have in front of that notice board?

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: Engage your audience

The “elevator” pitch

First impressions really count in poster presentations. To pique the interest of your potential audience you should have a very short synopsis (maximum three sentences and no longer than two minutes) of your research prepared, which contains three vital bits of information:

• What is your research topic?
• What have you found?
• Why is that important?

The aim here is to get your audience hooked and wanting further details. Keep the bigger picture in mind, as the audience first needs the background info to then get excited about the small details of your research. Make sure your pitch is punchy, intriguing and relevant.

Creating a story

Once you’ve reeled in your audience and they are eager to learn more, it’s time to build the narrative of your research. Like all great stories your research needs a beginning, a middle and an end. Aim for this to be 10 minutes long, or less.

The introduction should set the scene and introduce the main characters:

• What is the necessary background information about your research topic that the audience must know?
• How did this lead you to your research question, what were you hoping to find out and why?
• Who are the main characters (e.g. a disease, a drug, a cell type, a brain region, a technique)? What are the relevant parts of their “characteristics” to the story?

The middle section is the adventure, it answers:

• How did you get from your research question to your conclusion? Why did you choose to take that route?
• What did you find on your way? Were there any interesting twists to your research?

The final section is the conclusion to the story:

• What is the ultimate consequence of your journey? What does this mean for your characters?
• Is this really the end of the adventure or are there plenty more adventures still to come? What might they look like?

Remember: You are the narrator; it is up to you as the story teller to make the content both compelling and exciting. Attendees are not all experts in your field.; if you are unsure how familiar your audience is with your subject area, ask them.

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: Create a story

The importance of practice

Presenting your poster is ultimately a form of performance. In performances, whether they involve acting, music, sport or presenting, practice is a major factor in success. After all, however much of a cliché it is: practice makes perfect. Rehearse what you will say and practice presenting on your friends and family. Once you begin speaking at your poster session you will be pleased that you spent time preparing and practising.

Before the poster session starts make sure that you:

• Understand exactly what all the figures on the poster show, that you can explain them fully and know their full implications.
• Have your elevator pitch memorised
• Know all the key points to your research story without referring to written notes
• Are ready to answer likely questions with confidence, and know how to deal with difficult questions that you might not be able to answer fully.

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: Practice, practice, practice

Check the audience's understanding

Ask members of the audience whether you have been clear or if you should go into more detail, rather than asking if they understand, as this could make them feel stupid or ignorant.

For example, say something like “Have I been clear enough” or “should I go into more detail about……?” instead of “do you understand how this works?”

The handout

There are pros and cons to having a handout with additional supporting materials or key information from your poster. You must decide for yourself if it will be of benefit to you depending on several factors including:

• What is the purpose of your poster?
• What are you hoping to achieve with your presentation?
• Will it enhance your audience’s engagement with your research or not?

The major positive outcome of a handout is that gives your audience something to take away with them to remind them about you, your research and why they were interested in it. It also gives them a way to get in touch with you should they have further questions.

The main negative is that some people who may be interested and could benefit from speaking to you about your poster will take the leaflet, read it (or not) and never engage with your research again. It is an easy way for them to avoid talking to you, for whatever reason that may be.

If you decide to go ahead with a handout there are several items that should be included:

• The project title
• Your name and affiliation
• Your professional email address (and phone number if your happy for people to contact you that way)
• The key information from your poster (including a link to the relevant paper if it has already been published.
• Any supporting materials not included on the poster that may be of help.

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: The handout

Expand your network

Look for opportunities to exchange contact information. If someone is particularly interested in your poster and wants to know all the details of your research, it may be better to suggest meeting them for a coffee after the poster session, or arranging another time for further discussions. This will ensure that other potential audience members don’t get bored and wander off without talking to you because they have been waiting too long.

Exchanging contact information and having further discussions can be a great way to expand your network and find potential collaborators for the future.

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: Expand your network

Dealing with feedback

It is important to welcome feedback, be prepared for discussion and not to be too defensive in the face of criticism.

If someone asks you a question or makes a comment that you don’t think is relevant, ask them to explain the relevance of their comment. They may have stumbled across something that you haven’t thought of because of their fresh perspective on the topic, or they might just not understand your research. Also, a negative comment or question might not actually be a criticism, but a genuine desire to understand why you’ve done something so they can fully interpret the poster. It is unlikely that someone has visited your poster to be vindictive, and if they have it is important not to engage them, shrug off their comments and move on to the next person who is genuinely interested.

Remember to thank the audience for listening and thank them for their feedback. People who have visited your poster could potentially be employers or colleagues in the future.

You got this!

In summary, presenting your poster at a conference is a chance to showcase your research, receive feedback, and connect with peers. Embrace the opportunity, be welcoming and enthusiastic, and enjoy the experience of sharing your work with others.

Neurowire blog posts

How to make your scientific posters stand out

Less is more: Advice for keeping your poster concise

10 tips for presenting your poster online at a virtual conference

How to get the most out of a scientific conference

9 simple and effective public speaking tips for scientists

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Home Blog Design How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How are research posters like High School science fair projects? Quite similar, in fact.

Both are visual representations of a research project shared with peers, colleagues and academic faculty. But there’s a big difference: it’s all in professionalism and attention to detail. You can be sure that the students that thrived in science fairs are now creating fantastic research posters, but what is that extra element most people miss when designing a poster presentation?

This guide will teach tips and tricks for creating poster presentations for conferences, symposia, and more. Learn in-depth poster structure and design techniques to help create academic posters that have a lasting impact.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• What is a Research Poster?

Why are Poster Presentations important?

Overall dimensions and orientation, separation into columns and sections, scientific, academic, or something else, a handout with supplemental and contact information, cohesiveness, design and readability, storytelling.

• Font Characteristics
• Color Pairing
• Data Visualization Dimensions
• Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Scientific/Academic Conference Poster Presentation

Digital research poster presentations, slidemodel poster presentation templates, how to make a research poster presentation step-by-step, considerations for printing poster presentations, how to present a research poster presentation, final words, what is a research poster .

Research posters are visual overviews of the most relevant information extracted from a research paper or analysis.   They are essential communication formats for sharing findings with peers and interested people in the field. Research posters can also effectively present material for other areas besides the sciences and STEM—for example, business and law.

You’ll be creating research posters regularly as an academic researcher, scientist, or grad student. You’ll have to present them at numerous functions and events. For example:

• Conference presentations
• Informational events
• Community centers

The research poster presentation is a comprehensive way to share data, information, and research results. Before the pandemic, the majority of research events were in person. During lockdown and beyond, virtual conferences and summits became the norm. Many researchers now create poster presentations that work in printed and digital formats.

Let’s look at why it’s crucial to spend time creating poster presentations for your research projects, research, analysis, and study papers.

Research posters represent you and your sponsor’s research 

Research papers and accompanying poster presentations are potent tools for representation and communication in your field of study. Well-performing poster presentations help scientists, researchers, and analysts grow their careers through grants and sponsorships.

When presenting a poster presentation for a sponsored research project, you’re representing the company that sponsored you. Your professionalism, demeanor, and capacity for creating impactful poster presentations call attention to other interested sponsors, spreading your impact in the field.

Research posters demonstrate expertise and growth

Presenting research posters at conferences, summits, and graduate grading events shows your expertise and knowledge in your field of study. The way your poster presentation looks and delivers, plus your performance while presenting the work, is judged by your viewers regardless of whether it’s an officially judged panel.

Recurring visitors to research conferences and symposia will see you and your poster presentations evolve. Improve your impact by creating a great poster presentation every time by paying attention to detail in the poster design and in your oral presentation. Practice your public speaking skills alongside the design techniques for even more impact.

Poster presentations create and maintain collaborations

Every time you participate in a research poster conference, you create meaningful connections with people in your field, industry or community. Not only do research posters showcase information about current data in different areas, but they also bring people together with similar interests. Countless collaboration projects between different research teams started after discussing poster details during coffee breaks.

An effective research poster template deepens your peer’s understanding of a topic by highlighting research, data, and conclusions. This information can help other researchers and analysts with their work. As a research poster presenter, you’re given the opportunity for both teaching and learning while sharing ideas with peers and colleagues.

Anatomy of a Winning Poster Presentation

Do you want your research poster to perform well?  Following the standard layout and adding a few personal touches will help attendees know how to read your poster and get the most out of your information. 

The overall size of your research poster ultimately depends on the dimensions of the provided space at the conference or research poster gallery. The poster orientation can be horizontal or vertical, with horizontal being the most common.  In general, research posters measure 48 x 36 inches or are an A0 paper size.

A virtual poster can be the same proportions as the printed research poster, but you have more leeway regarding the dimensions. Virtual research posters should fit on a screen with no need to scroll, with 1080p resolution as a standard these days. A horizontal presentation size is ideal for that.

A research poster presentation has a standard layout of 2–5 columns with 2–3 sections each. Typical structures say to separate the content into four sections; 1. A horizontal header 2. Introduction column, 3. Research/Work/Data column, and 4. Conclusion column. Each unit includes topics that relate to your poster’s objective.  Here’s a generalized outline for a poster presentation:

• Condensed Abstract 
• Objectives/Purpose
• Methodology
• Recommendations
• Implications
• Acknowledgments
• Contact Information 

The overview content you include in the units depends on your poster presentations’ theme, topic, industry, or field of research. A scientific or academic poster will include sections like hypothesis, methodology, and materials. A marketing analysis poster will include performance metrics and competitor analysis results.

There’s no way a poster can hold all the information included in your research paper or analysis report. The poster is an overview that invites the audience to want to find out more. That’s where supplement material comes in. Create a printed PDF handout or card with a QR code (created using a QR code generator ). Send the audience to the best online location for reading or downloading the complete paper.

What Makes a Poster Presentation Good and Effective? 

For your poster presentation to be effective and well-received, it needs to cover all the bases and be inviting to find out more. Stick to the standard layout suggestions and give it a unique look and feel. We’ve put together some of the most critical research poster-creation tips in the list below. Your poster presentation will perform as long as you check all the boxes.

The information you choose to include in the sections of your poster presentation needs to be cohesive. Train your editing eye and do a few revisions before presenting. The best way to look at it is to think of The Big Picture. Don’t get stuck on the details; your attendees won’t always know the background behind your research topic or why it’s important.

Be cohesive in how you word the titles, the length of the sections, the highlighting of the most important data, and how your oral presentation complements the printed—or virtual—poster.

The most important characteristic of your poster presentation is its readability and clarity. You need a poster presentation with a balanced design that’s easy to read at a distance of 1.5 meters or 4 feet. The font size and spacing must be clear and neat. All the content must suggest a visual flow for the viewer to follow.

That said, you don’t need to be a designer to add something special to your poster presentation. Once you have the standard—and recognized—columns and sections, add your special touch. These can be anything from colorful boxes for the section titles to an interesting but subtle background, images that catch the eye, and charts that inspire a more extended look. 

Storytelling is a presenting technique involving writing techniques to make information flow. Firstly, storytelling helps give your poster presentation a great introduction and an impactful conclusion. 

Think of storytelling as the invitation to listen or read more, as the glue that connects sections, making them flow from one to another. Storytelling is using stories in the oral presentation, for example, what your lab partner said when you discovered something interesting. If it makes your audience smile and nod, you’ve hit the mark. Storytelling is like giving a research presentation a dose of your personality, and it can help turning your data into opening stories .

Design Tips For Creating an Effective Research Poster Presentation

The section above briefly mentioned how important design is to your poster presentation’s effectiveness. We’ll look deeper into what you need to know when designing a poster presentation.

1. Font Characteristics

The typeface and size you choose are of great importance. Not only does the text need to be readable from two meters away, but it also needs to look and sit well on the poster. Stay away from calligraphic script typefaces, novelty typefaces, or typefaces with uniquely shaped letters.

Stick to the classics like a sans serif Helvetica, Lato, Open Sans, or Verdana. Avoid serif typefaces as they can be difficult to read from far away. Here are some standard text sizes to have on hand.

• Title: 85 pt
• Authors: 65 pt
• Headings: 36 pt
• Body Text: 24 pt
• Captions: 18 pt

If you feel too prone to use serif typefaces, work with a font pairing tool that helps you find a suitable solution – and intend those serif fonts for heading sections only. As a rule, never use more than 3 different typefaces in your design. To make it more dynamic, you can work with the same font using light, bold, and italic weights to put emphasis on the required areas.

2. Color Pairing

Using colors in your poster presentation design is a great way to grab the viewer’s attention. A color’s purpose is to help the viewer follow the data flow in your presentation, not distract. Don’t let the color take more importance than the information on your poster.

Choose one main color for the title and headlines and a similar color for the data visualizations. If you want to use more than one color, don’t create too much contrast between them. Try different tonalities of the same color and keep things balanced visually. Your color palette should have at most one main color and two accent colors.

Black text over a white background is standard practice for printed poster presentations, but for virtual presentations, try a very light gray instead of white and a very dark gray instead of black. Additionally, use variations of light color backgrounds and dark color text. Make sure it’s easy to read from two meters away or on a screen, depending on the context. We recommend ditching full white or full black tone usage as it hurts eyesight in the long term due to its intense contrast difference with the light ambiance.

3. Data Visualization Dimensions

Just like the text, your charts, graphs, and data visualizations must be easy to read and understand. Generally, if a person is interested in your research and has already read some of the text from two meters away, they’ll come closer to look at the charts and graphs. 

Fit data visualizations inside columns or let them span over two columns. Remove any unnecessary borders, lines, or labels to make them easier to read at a glance. Use a flat design without shadows or 3D characteristics. The text in legends and captions should stay within the chart size and not overflow into the margins. Use a unified text size of 18px for all your data visualizations.

4. Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Finally, the last design tip for creating an impressive and memorable poster presentation is to be mindful of the layout’s alignment, margins, and white space. Create text boxes to help keep everything aligned. They allow you to resize, adapt, and align the content along a margin or grid.

Take advantage of the white space created by borders and margins between sections. Don’t crowd them with a busy background or unattractive color.

Calculate margins considering a print format. It is a good practice in case the poster presentation ends up becoming in physical format, as you won’t need to downscale your entire design (affecting text readability in the process) to preserve information.

There are different tools that you can use to make a poster presentation. Presenters who are familiar with Microsoft Office prefer to use PowerPoint. You can learn how to make a poster in PowerPoint here.

Poster Presentation Examples

Before you start creating a poster presentation, look at some examples of real research posters. Get inspired and get creative.

Research poster presentations printed and mounted on a board look like the one in the image below. The presenter stands to the side, ready to share the information with visitors as they walk up to the panels.

With more and more conferences staying virtual or hybrid, the digital poster presentation is here to stay. Take a look at examples from a poster session at the OHSU School of Medicine .

Use SlideModel templates to help you create a winning poster presentation with PowerPoint and Google Slides. These poster PPT templates will get you off on the right foot. Mix and match tables and data visualizations from other poster slide templates to create your ideal layout according to the standard guidelines.

If you need a quick method to create a presentation deck to talk about your research poster at conferences, check out our Slides AI presentation maker. A tool in which you add the topic, curate the outline, select a design, and let AI do the work for you.

1. One-pager Scientific Poster Template for PowerPoint

A PowerPoint template tailored to make your poster presentations an easy-to-craft process. Meet our One-Pager Scientific Poster Slide Template, entirely editable to your preferences and with ample room to accommodate graphs, data charts, and much more.

Use This Template

2. Eisenhower Matrix Slides Template for PowerPoint

An Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful tool to represent priorities, classifying work according to urgency and importance. Presenters can use this 2×2 matrix in poster presentations to expose the effort required for the research process, as it also helps to communicate strategy planning.

3. OSMG Framework PowerPoint Template

Finally, we recommend presenters check our OSMG Framework PowerPoint template, as it is an ideal tool for representing a business plan: its goals, strategies, and measures for success. Expose complex processes in a simplified manner by adding this template to your poster presentation.

Remember these three words when making your research poster presentation: develop, design, and present. These are the three main actions toward a successful poster presentation. 

The section below will take you on a step-by-step journey to create your next poster presentation.

Step 1: Define the purpose and audience of your poster presentation

Before making a poster presentation design, you’ll need to plan first. Here are some questions to answer at this point:

• Are they in your field? 
• Do they know about your research topic? 
• What can they get from your research?
• Will you print it?
• Is it for a virtual conference?

Step 2: Make an outline

With a clear purpose and strategy, it’s time to collect the most important information from your research paper, analysis, or documentation. Make a content dump and then select the most interesting information. Use the content to draft an outline.

Outlines help formulate the overall structure better than going straight into designing the poster. Mimic the standard poster structure in your outline using section headlines as separators. Go further and separate the content into the columns they’ll be placed in.

Step 3: Write the content

Write or rewrite the content for the sections in your poster presentation. Use the text in your research paper as a base, but summarize it to be more succinct in what you share. 

Don’t forget to write a catchy title that presents the problem and your findings in a clear way. Likewise, craft the headlines for the sections in a similar tone as the title, creating consistency in the message. Include subtle transitions between sections to help follow the flow of information in order.

Avoid copying/pasting entire sections of the research paper on which the poster is based. Opt for the storytelling approach, so the delivered message results are interesting for your audience. 

Step 4: Put it all together visually

This entire guide on how to design a research poster presentation is the perfect resource to help you with this step. Follow all the tips and guidelines and have an unforgettable poster presentation.

Moving on, here’s how to design a research poster presentation with PowerPoint Templates . Open a new project and size it to the standard 48 x 36 inches. Using the outline, map out the sections on the empty canvas. Add a text box for each title, headline, and body text. Piece by piece, add the content into their corresponding text box.

Transform the text information visually, make bullet points, and place the content in tables and timelines. Make your text visual to avoid chunky text blocks that no one will have time to read. Make sure all text sizes are coherent for all headings, body texts, image captions, etc. Double-check for spacing and text box formatting.

Next, add or create data visualizations, images, or diagrams. Align everything into columns and sections, making sure there’s no overflow. Add captions and legends to the visualizations, and check the color contrast with colleagues and friends. Ask for feedback and progress to the last step.

Step 5: Last touches

Time to check the final touches on your poster presentation design. Here’s a checklist to help finalize your research poster before sending it to printers or the virtual summit rep.

• Check the resolution of all visual elements in your poster design. Zoom to 100 or 200% to see if the images pixelate. Avoid this problem by using vector design elements and high-resolution images.
• Ensure that charts and graphs are easy to read and don’t look crowded.
• Analyze the visual hierarchy. Is there a visual flow through the title, introduction, data, and conclusion?
• Take a step back and check if it’s legible from a distance. Is there enough white space for the content to breathe?
• Does the design look inviting and interesting?

An often neglected topic arises when we need to print our designs for any exhibition purpose. Since A0 is a hard-to-manage format for most printers, these poster presentations result in heftier charges for the user. Instead, you can opt to work your design in two A1 sheets, which also becomes more manageable for transportation. Create seamless borders for the section on which the poster sheets should meet, or work with a white background.

Paper weight options should be over 200 gsm to avoid unwanted damage during the printing process due to heavy ink usage. If possible, laminate your print or stick it to photographic paper – this shall protect your work from spills.

Finally, always run a test print. Gray tints may not be printed as clearly as you see them on screen (this is due to the RGB to CMYK conversion process). Other differences can be appreciated when working with ink jet plotters vs. laser printers. Give yourself enough room to maneuver last-minute design changes.

Presenting a research poster is a big step in the poster presentation cycle. Your poster presentation might or might not be judged by faculty or peers. But knowing what judges look for will help you prepare for the design and oral presentation, regardless of whether you receive a grade for your work or if it’s business related. Likewise, the same principles apply when presenting at an in-person or virtual summit.

The opening statement

Part of presenting a research poster is welcoming the viewer to your small personal area in the sea of poster presentations. You’ll need an opening statement to pitch your research poster and get the viewers’ attention.

Draft a 2 to 3-sentence pitch that covers the most important points:

• What the research is
• Why was it conducted
• What the results say

From that opening statement, you’re ready to continue with the oral presentation for the benefit of your attendees.

The oral presentation

During the oral presentation, share the information on the poster while conversing with the interested public. Practice many times before the event. Structure the oral presentation as conversation points, and use the poster’s visual flow as support. Make eye contact with your audience as you speak, but don’t make them uncomfortable.

Pro Tip: In a conference or summit, if people show up to your poster area after you’ve started presenting it to another group, finish and then address the new visitors.

QA Sessions 

When you’ve finished the oral presentation, offer the audience a chance to ask questions. You can tell them before starting the presentation that you’ll be holding a QA session at the end. Doing so will prevent interruptions as you’re speaking.

If presenting to one or two people, be flexible and answer questions as you review all the sections on your poster.

Supplemental Material

If your audience is interested in learning more, you can offer another content type, further imprinting the information in their minds. Some ideas include; printed copies of your research paper, links to a website, a digital experience of your poster, a thesis PDF, or data spreadsheets.

Your audience will want to contact you for further conversations; include contact details in your supplemental material. If you don’t offer anything else, at least have business cards.

Even though conferences have changed, the research poster’s importance hasn’t diminished. Now, instead of simply creating a printed poster presentation, you can also make it for digital platforms. The final output will depend on the conference and its requirements.

This guide covered all the essential information you need to know for creating impactful poster presentations, from design, structure and layout tips to oral presentation techniques to engage your audience better . 

Before your next poster session, bookmark and review this guide to help you design a winning poster presentation every time. 

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• Published: 25 January 2021

The ABCs of academic poster presentation

• Tulsi Patel 1  

BDJ Student volume  28 ,  pages 14–16 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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Tulsi Patel , DCT1, Royal London Hospital, Barts NHS Trust

Academic posters are an excellent way to summarise and display your work

It is important to read the conference requirements carefully before preparing your poster

Adopt a clear, concise and easy to follow design

Preparing the poster in advance, practising your presentation and formulating answers to anticipated questions is essential

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Hamilton C. At a Glance: A Stepwise Approach to Successful Poster Presentations. Chest 2008; 134 : 457-459.

Daud D. How to make a scientific poster: a guide for medical students. Available from: http://cures.cardiff.ac.uk/files/2014/10/NSAMR-Poster.pdf (Accessed October 2020).

Birmingham.ac.uk. Tips for effective poster design. 2020. Available from: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/schools/metallurgy-materials/about/cases/tips-advice/poster.aspx (Accessed October 2020).

Sousa B, Clark A. Six Insights to Make Better Academic Conference Posters. Int J Qual Methods 2019; 18 : 160940691986237.

Rossi T. How to Design an Award-Winning Conference Poster. 2018. Available from: https://www.animateyour.science/post/how-to-design-an-award-winning-conference-poster (Accessed October 2020).

Gundogan B, Koshy K, Kurar L, Whitehurst K. How to make an academic poster. Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2016; 11 : 69-71.

Shelledy D. How to make an effective poster. Respiratory Care 2004; 49 : 1214.

Wolfrom J. The magical effects of color. Lafayette, Calif. C & T Pub. 2009.

Beamish A, Ansell J, Foster J, Foster K, Egan R. Poster Exhibitions at Conferences: Are We Doing it Properly? J Surg Educ 2015; 72 : 278-282.

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How to prepare and deliver an effective oral presentation

• Related content
• Peer review
• Lucia Hartigan , registrar 1 ,
• Fionnuala Mone , fellow in maternal fetal medicine 1 ,
• Mary Higgins , consultant obstetrician 2
• 1 National Maternity Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
• 2 National Maternity Hospital, Dublin; Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medicine and Medical Sciences, University College Dublin
• luciahartigan{at}hotmail.com

The success of an oral presentation lies in the speaker’s ability to transmit information to the audience. Lucia Hartigan and colleagues describe what they have learnt about delivering an effective scientific oral presentation from their own experiences, and their mistakes

The objective of an oral presentation is to portray large amounts of often complex information in a clear, bite sized fashion. Although some of the success lies in the content, the rest lies in the speaker’s skills in transmitting the information to the audience. 1

Preparation

It is important to be as well prepared as possible. Look at the venue in person, and find out the time allowed for your presentation and for questions, and the size of the audience and their backgrounds, which will allow the presentation to be pitched at the appropriate level.

See what the ambience and temperature are like and check that the format of your presentation is compatible with the available computer. This is particularly important when embedding videos. Before you begin, look at the video on stand-by and make sure the lights are dimmed and the speakers are functioning.

For visual aids, Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Mac Keynote programmes are usual, although Prezi is increasing in popularity. Save the presentation on a USB stick, with email or cloud storage backup to avoid last minute disasters.

When preparing the presentation, start with an opening slide containing the title of the study, your name, and the date. Begin by addressing and thanking the audience and the organisation that has invited you to speak. Typically, the format includes background, study aims, methodology, results, strengths and weaknesses of the study, and conclusions.

If the study takes a lecturing format, consider including “any questions?” on a slide before you conclude, which will allow the audience to remember the take home messages. Ideally, the audience should remember three of the main points from the presentation. 2

Have a maximum of four short points per slide. If you can display something as a diagram, video, or a graph, use this instead of text and talk around it.

Animation is available in both Microsoft PowerPoint and the Apple Mac Keynote programme, and its use in presentations has been demonstrated to assist in the retention and recall of facts. 3 Do not overuse it, though, as it could make you appear unprofessional. If you show a video or diagram don’t just sit back—use a laser pointer to explain what is happening.

Rehearse your presentation in front of at least one person. Request feedback and amend accordingly. If possible, practise in the venue itself so things will not be unfamiliar on the day. If you appear comfortable, the audience will feel comfortable. Ask colleagues and seniors what questions they would ask and prepare responses to these questions.

It is important to dress appropriately, stand up straight, and project your voice towards the back of the room. Practise using a microphone, or any other presentation aids, in advance. If you don’t have your own presenting style, think of the style of inspirational scientific speakers you have seen and imitate it.

Try to present slides at the rate of around one slide a minute. If you talk too much, you will lose your audience’s attention. The slides or videos should be an adjunct to your presentation, so do not hide behind them, and be proud of the work you are presenting. You should avoid reading the wording on the slides, but instead talk around the content on them.

Maintain eye contact with the audience and remember to smile and pause after each comment, giving your nerves time to settle. Speak slowly and concisely, highlighting key points.

Do not assume that the audience is completely familiar with the topic you are passionate about, but don’t patronise them either. Use every presentation as an opportunity to teach, even your seniors. The information you are presenting may be new to them, but it is always important to know your audience’s background. You can then ensure you do not patronise world experts.

To maintain the audience’s attention, vary the tone and inflection of your voice. If appropriate, use humour, though you should run any comments or jokes past others beforehand and make sure they are culturally appropriate. Check every now and again that the audience is following and offer them the opportunity to ask questions.

Finishing up is the most important part, as this is when you send your take home message with the audience. Slow down, even though time is important at this stage. Conclude with the three key points from the study and leave the slide up for a further few seconds. Do not ramble on. Give the audience a chance to digest the presentation. Conclude by acknowledging those who assisted you in the study, and thank the audience and organisation. If you are presenting in North America, it is usual practice to conclude with an image of the team. If you wish to show references, insert a text box on the appropriate slide with the primary author, year, and paper, although this is not always required.

Answering questions can often feel like the most daunting part, but don’t look upon this as negative. Assume that the audience has listened and is interested in your research. Listen carefully, and if you are unsure about what someone is saying, ask for the question to be rephrased. Thank the audience member for asking the question and keep responses brief and concise. If you are unsure of the answer you can say that the questioner has raised an interesting point that you will have to investigate further. Have someone in the audience who will write down the questions for you, and remember that this is effectively free peer review.

Be proud of your achievements and try to do justice to the work that you and the rest of your group have done. You deserve to be up on that stage, so show off what you have achieved.

Competing interests: We have read and understood the BMJ Group policy on declaration of interests and declare the following interests: None.

• ↵ Rovira A, Auger C, Naidich TP. How to prepare an oral presentation and a conference. Radiologica 2013 ; 55 (suppl 1): 2 -7S. OpenUrl
• ↵ Bourne PE. Ten simple rules for making good oral presentations. PLos Comput Biol 2007 ; 3 : e77 . OpenUrl PubMed
• ↵ Naqvi SH, Mobasher F, Afzal MA, Umair M, Kohli AN, Bukhari MH. Effectiveness of teaching methods in a medical institute: perceptions of medical students to teaching aids. J Pak Med Assoc 2013 ; 63 : 859 -64. OpenUrl

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• Research Guides

Poster Presentations

Introduction.

• Poster Elements & Layout
• Virtual Posters
• Printing your Poster
• The Chicago School Research Forum
• Thre Chicago School Dissertation Conference Virtual Poster Session

Research posters are a visual representation of your paper or project. They typically include both blocks of text and images (photos, charts, graphs, etc.). A poster will quickly educate the viewers it attracts about your work, as well as serve as a visual aid when you present your work to your viewers.

Creating and presenting a poster allow you to showcase how your research fits within your discipline and the scholarly conversation happening with your topic. Not only do you get to present your work, but also discuss the ways you are adding to, critiquing, responding to, or filling a gap in your field of study.

A poster can be a great starting spot where you can check in with other people, get feedback on your work, and begin to think of your next steps, whether it's publishing an article, presenting at a conference, or more!

Poster Planning

Something to consider when you're in the early stages of planning your poster:

Format Requirements

 When creating a print poster, you're probably creating your poster for a class or a conference and you'll be given a set of required dimensions. The standard size for academic posters is 48 inches wide by 36 inches high (which happens to be a 4:3 ratio).   Posters are usually presented in a horizontal orientation, but some organizations ask presenters to use vertical orientations instead. When vertical orientation is required, this will be specified.  Sometimes there will also be layout or content requirements (especially if you're presenting your poster for a class). Although creativity is always encouraged during the design process, you'll want to make sure you follow all of the requirements first!  

Don't underestimate how long it will take! If you are making a poster for class, you'll want to start working on it sooner than the night before it's due. If you are making a poster for a conference, you'll also have to meet specific deadlines -- sometimes months in advance.  If you find yourself up against a deadline, don't hesitate to use a template to get things started. Submitting a Poster to a Conference

Submitting a poster to a conference is a great way to show off your work -- and it's never too soon to start thinking about submitting one. Conference committees will send out calls for poster abstracts in advance and to apply, you'll be asked to submit a short abstract describing what your research is about. You do not need to have a poster completed at this point; all you need is the title of your presentation and a written abstract. Poster abstract submissions typically occur through an online form.

The committee will decide if your research content fits into the conference and let you know whether your poster has been accepted. If it's accepted, you'll be in charge of printing the poster and bringing it to the conference.  

Quick Tips:

 You don't need to have completed your research project in order to make a poster! Many researchers present their findings while their projects are still ongoing.

If you feel nervous about presenting a poster by yourself, find a classmate or colleague who wants to co-author a poster with you. Conferences always allow researchers to collaborate and present posters with others. Make sure your poster is self-explanatory and stands out! Unlike a class presentation or a slide presentation where you -- the presenter -- are in charge of how much time is spent on the content, the viewers at a conference are in charge of how much time they give to each poster. Your poster will be displayed in a room with a bunch of other posters, so you'll want yours to stand out and to be easy for viewers to understand quickly.

Design Software

You get to choose the software you want to use to create your poster. The most common poster design program is Microsoft PowerPoint, but there are other options. Feel free to choose whichever option is available to you and is most comfortable to use.  There is no specific setting or template in PowerPoint for creating a poster -- you'll just be using a single slide.  If you're submitting your poster to a conference, you may also be asked to submit your poster in PDF form prior to the conference (in addition to bringing a print copy).

• Next: Poster Elements & Layout >>
• Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024 3:55 PM
• URL: https://library.thechicagoschool.edu/poster

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Cochrane Training

Presenting at conferences.

Academic conferences are a useful way to present the results of a Cochrane review to people either through an oral presentation, a poster presentation, or a booth. Conferences also have the additional benefit of networking and an opportunity to promote both Cochrane and the results of your review to peers.

How to present at conferences  

Oral presentation.

Good oral presentations should be captivating, get the message across clearly, consider the language and context of the audience, and keep people engaged throughout. Not everyone can be an expert public speaker, and in many ways, it takes practice to become good at delivering engaging oral presentations. Our resources below can help.

The ‘Community Templates’ section on the brand resources page provides templates for PowerPoint presentations that can be used at conferences. There is a video on Creating a PowerPoint Presentation to explain how to use the template.

This video gives some tips for effective presentations at conferences such as:

• Choosing your content
• Using an appropriate structure
• Eliminating jargon
• Creating effective slides
• Finding your passion!

Poster presentation

Make your poster one that people want to stop and look at when you are at a conference. If you are preparing a poster presentation, these resources will help your work stand out in a sea of posters:

• The ‘Community Templates’ on the brand resources page provide pre-branded poster templates. They are very simple to use – you just need to download and add in the content.  
• Cochrane officially endorses the #betterposter design. These new templates offer posters with less text and a decluttered design with the main finding in plain English as the highlighted feature. Learn more about the design and watch a quick introduction.  
• This  information sheet contains useful questions for preparing a poster for a conference.

Conference booth

At some conferences, you may have the opportunity to showcase your work at a booth. If you have multiple dissemination products that you created, you can display them here. You might also want to bring screens or computers to make your booth more interactive. Like posters, you want to make sure your booth is one that people want to visit and interact with.

You can contact Cochrane to discuss your event , get clarification on Cochrane event policies, or help with event branding such as special banners, flyers or branded items to give away.

If you are hosting the symposium or conference, contact Cochrane to have it listed and promoted on our website.

Sharing your presentation

When you know you'll be presenting at a conference, share the details on social media. For more information on social media platforms and how to use them effectively, visit this page.   On social media, tell people where you are going, what you'll be presenting, and provide a link to sign up to attend (if possible).  

During your presentation, you might want to consider having a colleague or peer live-tweeting. This will give you content to re-tweet later, and give people in the room content to share as well. Others in the room might also be tweeting about your presentation, which you can re-tweet later. You might want to consider live streaming your presentation on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram so your followers who aren’t in attendance can watch you present in real time.  

If you don’t have your own social media accounts, we can share a picture of you at a conference on Cochrane’s social media. It is great to get a picture beside your poster, at your booth, or beside something with the conference name. If you are interested, please send the following to Muriah Umoquit at [email protected] : - Your name - Your Instagram/Twitter handle if you want it included - The related Review or Centre group - Title of your poster or presentation - Link to Cochrane Review if appropriate - Title of the conference - Official conference hashtag - A picture

After your presentation, you can distribute materials to your audience so that the information stays with them. This could be copies or recordings of the presentation, or another dissemination product related to what you presented. You can distribute in person at the conference, afterwards if you have the details of who attended your session, or through social media for anyone who may have followed you on a social media platform because of your presentation.

Evaluating the effect of your presentation

Many conferences will do their own evaluation of their conference programming, including oral presentations that were given. They may ask attendees questions about the topic that was presented, the effectiveness of the presenters, and the quality of the presentation. Ask your conference host whether they evaluate presentations. If they do, you can request feedback on your presentation that way.

You can also seek feedback on your own from your audience if you gave a presentation. You can do this through hard copy surveys at tables or chairs that you can collect, through email after your presentation, or you can do live evaluation surveys. These work by surveying people in real time through posing a question you can embed in your presentation, and have audience members provide input on their phones by visiting a link you give them. Sli.do and Menti are popular tools for this.

Examples of presenting at conferences by Cochrane groups

This is a great case study of how Cochrane UK used a booth at a conference – with great tips on what to do before, during, and after the conference.

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Academic Presentations and Posters

Reccomendations and resources.

Last updated: August 2023

General Presentation Advice: (presenting academic research, communicating to a lay audience)

• Presenting with PowerPoint

Designing Posters for Specific Disciplines

• Poster Design Information from UNC Sources
• Using PowerPoint to design posters
• Using InDesign or Illustrator to design posters
• UNC Computer Labs with Design Software
• Poster Templates
• Poster Examples
• Printing Resources at UNC-Chapel Hill
• Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science (Stony Brook University)
• 12 Tips for Scientists Writing for the General Public (American Scientist)
• Presenting in the Sciences : A Guide (Tulane University Library)
• Houston, We Have a Narrative- Why Science Needs Story (book) - Randy Olson,The University of Chicago Press
• Poster Presentations: Tips and Tricks (Inside Higher Ed: Gradhacker)
• There's a movement for better posters at science conferences (Inside Higher Ed)
• On Research Presentations at Conferences (Inside Higher Ed)
• Communicating Research to a General Audience (Inside Higher Ed: Gradhacker)
• Making Data Talk: A Workbook (Communicating Public Health Data to the Public, Policy Makers, and the Press) - National Cancer Institute
• How to write for a non-academic audience: Communicating about research is more important than ever - American Psychological Association

• How to Prep for a Presentation (Lifehacker)
• Art of the Conference Paper- advice from a graduate student (Inside Higher Ed)
• Giving a Good Scientific Presentation (American Society of Primatologists)
• Effective Presentations for Chemists and Other Scientists (Lab Manager Magazine)
• Preparing Effective Oral Presentations (University of Kansas)
• Informative Speaking (Colorado State)
• Dos & don'ts of giving a good 15 minute talk (Australian National University)
• The Art of Communicating Effectively
• Impromptu Talks: Addressing a nonscientific audience (NC State)
• Ten Secrets to Giving a Good Scientific Talk
• Designing Effective Oral Presentations (Rice University)
• Dazzle 'em with Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation (Book)
• How to Give a Bad Talk- Oral Presentation Advice (UC Berkeley)
• How NOT To Give a Scientific Talk (York University)
• Presentation Zen (Garr Reynolds)
• Presentation Skills (Decker Communications)
• Presentation Tips (Garr Reynolds)

Presenting with PowerPoint:

• Effective Virtual Presentations
• Effective Hybrid Presentations
• How to build a slide deck in PowerPoint that isn’t god awful
• PowerPoint Accessibility Tips - Penn State Accessibility Group
• 48 Effective PowerPoint Presentation Tips
• Tips for Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations
• 5 Ways to Make PowerPoint Sing! (And Dance!)
• Simpler is Better in Presentation Slides
• PowerPoint Does Rocket Science--and Better Techniques for Technical Reports (Edward Tufte)

• Oral Presentations and Writing for PowerPoint (George Mason University)
• Some Tips for Preparing a Research Presentation (Swarthmore)
• Learning from Bill Gates & Steve Jobs (Presentation Zen)
• Life After Death by PowerPoint (Funny video clip: How NOT to do PowerPoint )
• 14 Tips for Better Presentation Slides (Viget Labs)
• PowerPoint Is Evil (Edward Tufte in Wired Magazine)

Visual Communication & Design

• Effective Communication with Visual Design (Association of American Universities)
• 11 Design Tips for Beautiful Presentations
• 10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea, from TED's in-house expert
• Selecting the correct font size for slides

Academic Poster Design

• #betterposter: There's a movement for better posters at science conferences. But are they really better? - Inside Higher Ed
• Better Posters - A resource for improving poster presentations
• Create a More Impactful Scientific Poster with UX Design Tips - Mike Morrison, YouTube
• How to Create a Better Research Poster in Less Time - Mike Morrison, YouTube
• Visual and UX design principles can improve the effectiveness of poster sessions - Derek Crowe
• How to Choose the Best Layout for Your Scientific Poster (Animate Your Science)
• A Graphic Design Revolution For Scientific Conference Posters (Forbes)
• How to make an academic poster (Annals of Medicine and Surgery)
• How to design an award-winning conference poster (Animate Your Science)
• Poster Perfect- How to drive home your science with a visually pleasing poster (The Scientist)
• How to design an effective scientific poster - The Planetary Society
• Designing conference posters - excellent tips and examples (Colin Purrington)
• Better Posters: A resource for improving poster presentations (Blog from DoctorZen)
• Conference Posters (Organizing Creativity)
• So, Your Poster Got Accepted--Now What? (recorded webcast from the Natonal Library of Medicine)
• The Scientist's Guide to Poster Design (Katie Everson, University of Alaska Fairbanks)
• Creating Effective Poster Presentations: An Effective Poster- excellent overall (NC State)
• The Basics of Poster Design- useful for all disciplines
• Designing Effective Posters- online tutorial (Kansas University)
• Intro to Designing Conference Posters (University of Minnesota)
• Neuroscience Poster Design
• Presenting Conference Papers and Posters in the Humanities (Texas Tech University)
• Developing Poster Presentations in the Social Sciences (George Mason University)
• Poster Presentations in the Natural Sciences (George Mason University)

Poster Design Information from UNC Sources:

• Research Poster Creation (Carolina Population Center)
• Designing Effective Posters (Health Sciences Library)
• Poster Design and Printing Resources (UNC School of Pharmacy)

Poster Design Software

• Advice on Designing Scientific Posters (Microsoft PowerPoint)
• How to create beautiful and effective academic posters in PowerPoint (BrightCarbon)
• Creating a research poster in PowerPoint (Indiana University)
• Designing Effective Posters Using Powerpoint (UNC-Health Sciences Library)
• Designing Effective Posters Using Powerpoint 2016/2011 for Macintosh (UNC-Health Sciences Library)
• Creating a Poster in PowerPoint (University of Washington)
• Creating Posters with PowerPoint (Northwestern University)
• Designing Effective Posters Using InDesign (UNC-Health Sciences Library)
• Designing a Poster with Adobe Illustrator (Whitman College)

UNC Computer Labs with Design Software:

• List of all ITS campus computer labs
• ITS Virtual Computing Lab (VCL)
• UNC Library Data Services
• Health Sciences Library Media Design Services
• Medical Campus/Health Sciences Library Computer Labs
• SILS Lab Facilities and Equipment
• House Undergraduate Library Design Lab
• University Libraries Media Resources Center Media Lab
• School of Journalism Park Multimedia Lab
• School of Education Technology Services

Poster Templates:

• Poster Templates (UNC-Health Sciences Library)
• Google template search
• Poster Example Files (UC Davis)
• PowerPoint Poster Templates (Wake Forest University)
• PowerPoint Poster Templates (Penn State)
• PowerPoint Poster Templates (Rice University)

Poster Examples:

• Poster Sessions Flickr Group (Colin Purrington)
• Academic Poster Examples (UC Davis)
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/89596909@N05/sets/72157631922038937/
• Pimp My Poster Flickr Group
• Poster Examples (NC State)
• Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium

Printing Resources:

• PhD Posters (UNC on-campus pick up)
• Lab Poster Service (located in Chapel Hill, NC)
• FedEx Office Print & Ship Center
• MegaPrint- PosterSession.com
• UNC Print Stop and Copy Center
• Health Sciences Library Media Design Studios: Poster Printing
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10 Essential Tips for a Successful Academic Presentation at Conferences and Events

Introduction

Academic conferences are an excellent opportunity for like-minded individuals to come together and share their interests with each other. These events provide attendees with a chance to learn and share experiences with others who have similar interests, all under one roof. Conferences are usually large in nature, bringing together people from across the country or even across the world.

If you're scheduled to present at an upcoming conference, it's important to remember that the stakes are high. With a lot of people in attendance, you want your presentation to go flawlessly when you have your moment to shine. That's why we've put together this in-depth blog post to help you master your conference presentation with some actionable tips.

As a researcher or academic, finding the right conference with the right audience and effectively sharing your latest research findings can boost your career and keep you updated on developments in your field.

Developing a conference presentation is similar to developing any other presentation - it requires proper preparation, consistency, and the ability to engage with your audience.

Presenting can be nerve-wracking, even for experienced speakers and performers. However, with practice, anyone can become a skilled presenter.

But, before creating your presentation, there are some other issues that will increase your presentation success that you should start considering well before creating your slides.

Here are some tips that you should keep in mind before starting to prepare your presentation.

• Know Your Audience:

Understanding the background, interests, and needs of your audience is essential to deliver an effective presentation. This will help you tailor your content, language, and delivery style to engage your audience and ensure they can easily understand and relate to your message.

• Define Your Objectives:

Before developing your presentation, you should define your objectives, such as what you want to achieve, what message you want to convey, and what action you want your audience to take. This will help you stay focused and make sure your presentation is clear and coherent.

• Develop a Clear and Concise Message:

Your presentation should have a clear and concise message that is easy to understand and remember. Avoid using jargon, complex language, or unnecessary details that could confuse or bore your audience.

• Create an Engaging Presentation:

An engaging presentation should be visually appealing, interactive, and informative. Use storytelling, humor, anecdotes, or case studies to keep your audience interested and involved.

• Use Visual Aids:

Visual aids such as slides, charts, graphs, or videos can enhance your presentation and help your audience understand complex information or data. However, make sure your visual aids are relevant, clear, and easy to read.

• Practice, Practice, Practice:

Practicing your presentation several times before the conference can help you gain confidence, improve your delivery, and identify areas that need improvement. Consider practicing in front of a mirror, recording yourself, or asking a friend to give you feedback.

• Time Yourself:

Keeping track of time during your presentation is crucial to ensure you don't run over or under the allocated time. This will also show your respect for your audience's time and demonstrate your professionalism.

• Prepare for Questions:

Anticipating and preparing for questions that your audience may have can help you deliver a more effective and engaging presentation. Be ready to provide evidence, examples, or references to support your arguments and handle any challenging or unexpected questions.

• Dress Appropriately:

Dressing appropriately for the conference and your presentation can help you make a good first impression, show your professionalism, and convey your respect for your audience and the event.

• Bring Business Cards:

Bringing business cards with your contact information can help you network with other attendees and potential collaborators or employers.

• Follow Up After the Conference:

Following up with your audience and fellow presenters after the conference can help you build relationships, gain feedback, and explore opportunities for future collaborations or publications.

What is an academic conference presentation?

First, let’s get an understanding of what an academic conference presentation is.

An academic conference presentation is a talk given by a researcher or scholar at an academic conference. The purpose of the presentation is to share the researcher's findings or ideas with other researchers and scholars in the same field. The presentation usually includes the researcher's research objectives, methodology, results, and conclusions. Academic conference presentations can be given in various formats, such as oral presentations, poster presentations, or panel discussions. The audience for academic conference presentations is typically composed of other researchers and scholars in the same field, as well as students and professionals interested in the topic.

How to deliver a presentation at an academic event?

An academic should pay attention to several main points while delivering a presentation at an academic conference:

• Start with a clear message:

Before creating your presentation, establish a clear message you want to convey to your audience. This will help you stay focused and deliver a presentation that is consistent and engaging.

• Keep it simple:

Avoid using complicated jargon or technical terms that your audience may not understand. Keep your presentation simple and clear.

• Use visuals:

Incorporate visuals such as graphs, charts, and images to support your presentation and help your audience understand your message.

• Engage your audience:

Engage your audience by asking questions, inviting participation, and making eye contact. This will keep them interested and attentive throughout your presentation.

• Pace yourself:

Keep a steady pace throughout your presentation, and don't rush through your slides. This will help you maintain your audience's attention and avoid losing them.

• Be enthusiastic:

Show your passion and enthusiasm for your research, and convey it to your audience. This will help keep them engaged and interested in your presentation.

• Be confident:

Believe in yourself and your research, and have confidence in your ability to deliver a great presentation.

• Use humor (if appropriate):

Humor can be a great way to break the ice and keep your audience engaged. Just make sure it's appropriate and relevant to your presentation.

• Manage nerves

Finally, don't let nerves get the better of you. Practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing and visualization, and remind yourself that everyone gets nervous before a presentation.

How to prepare your presentation slides?

Preparing effective presentation slides is crucial for delivering a successful presentation. Here are some main rules of slide design that you should observe:

• Keep it simple

Avoid cluttering your slides with too much information. Stick to one main point per slide and use bullet points to highlight key information.

• Use visuals

Incorporate images, charts, and graphs to make your presentation more engaging and visually appealing. However, make sure that the visuals are relevant to your content and are not distracting.

• Use legible fonts

Use legible fonts such as Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica, and avoid decorative or fancy fonts. Also, make sure that the font size is large enough to be easily readable by the audience.

• Use contrasting colors

Choose colors that are easy on the eyes and have high contrast to make your text and visuals stand out. Avoid using too many colors or bright colors that can be distracting.

• Limit the amount of text

Avoid putting too much text on a slide. Use short phrases or bullet points to highlight key information. The audience should be able to understand the main message at a glance.

• Use animations and transitions sparingly

Animations and transitions can add interest to your presentation, but use them sparingly. Too much animation or transition can be distracting and take away from the content of your presentation.

• Keep a consistent design

Use a consistent design throughout your presentation, including fonts, colors, and layout. This will help your audience focus on the content and not get distracted by changing designs.

• Test your slides

Before the presentation, make sure to test your slides on the equipment you will be using. Check the font size, color contrast, and overall design to ensure that everything is visible and clear for the audience.

• The maximum number of words

There is no hard and fast rule for the maximum number of words or lines on a slide for optimal readability, as it depends on various factors such as font size, typeface, spacing, and the amount of information being presented. However, as a general guideline, it is recommended to keep the text on each slide concise and to the point, using bullet points rather than full sentences.

• Proportion and alignment

In terms of proportion-related issues, it is important to ensure that the text and any accompanying visuals on the slide are properly aligned and balanced. The use of white space or negative space can be effective in achieving this balance, allowing the eye to rest and making the slide easier to read. It is also important to use appropriate font sizes, making sure that the text is large enough to be easily read from a distance but not so large that it overwhelms the slide.

Managing the presentation time and allocating a Q&A Session at the end of the presentation?

Managing time and conducting a Q&A session at the end of a presentation is crucial to ensure that the audience can engage with the speaker and get their questions answered.

Here are some tips on how to manage time and conduct a successful Q&A session:

• Time Management

When preparing your presentation, be sure to allocate enough time for the Q&A session at the end. Plan to finish your presentation at least 5-10 minutes before the scheduled end time to allow enough time for questions. It's also important to stick to your allotted time during the presentation to ensure that you have enough time for the Q&A session.

• Encourage Questions

Encourage your audience to ask questions throughout your presentation, but also let them know that you will have a dedicated Q&A session at the end. This can help you avoid interruptions during your presentation and ensure that all questions are addressed during the Q&A session.

• Repeat Questions

When someone asks a question, repeat it back to the audience to ensure that everyone heard it and understands what is being asked. This can also help you clarify the question if it's not clear.

• Stay Focused

During the Q&A session, it's important to stay focused on the questions being asked and keep your responses concise. Avoid going off-topic or providing too much detail in your responses, as this can eat up valuable time and make it difficult to address all questions.

• Be Respectful

Be respectful of all questions, even if they are challenging or critical. Avoid getting defensive or dismissive, as this can create a negative atmosphere in the room.

• End on Time

Be sure to end the Q&A session on time, even if there are still unanswered questions. Let the audience know that you are happy to continue the conversation after the presentation and provide your contact information for further discussion.

By following these tips, you can effectively manage your time and conduct a successful Q&A session at the end of your presentation.

In conclusion, delivering a successful presentation at an academic conference requires thorough preparation, clear and concise messaging, engaging presentation design, and effective delivery skills. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can effectively manage your nerves, engage your audience, and communicate your research findings in a compelling way. Remember to practice, time yourself, and be prepared for questions. With these strategies in mind, you can confidently present your work and make a meaningful contribution to your field.

If you enjoyed this article, please do not forget to share it with your friends. And if you need to know how MeetingHand can assist you in planning great academic events, please visit our website or just BOOK A PERSONAL DEMO ith us.!

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How to make an academic poster

Buket gundogan.

a University College London Medical School, London, UK

Kiron Koshy

Langhit kurar.

b Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, UK

Katharine Whitehurst

Academic posters are an excellent way to showcase your work at conferences and meetings. They can be used in poster presentations and serve as a summary of your project. In this how to article, we demonstrate how trainees can make and deliver a successful academic poster.

• • Academic posters are an excellent way for trainees to showcase their work at conferences and meetings.
• • When done effectively they provide a succinct and attractive summary of your project.
• • This guide aims to provide trainees with a practical and concise method to prepare their academic poster.

Academic posters, when done effectively, are a succinct and attractive way to showcase your work at conferences and meetings. Unlike oral presentations, your audience may not be static so clear design and distilled content are all the more important. Similarly to oral presentations, successful posters can generate discussion amongst the audience members therefore its important to have a clear plan of what to say when stood alongside your poster. In this article, we highlight the important aspects to creating an effective academic poster.

1. Why make an academic poster?

A poster presentation allows you to summarise your project into a concise and aesthetically pleasing format. It is one of the main ways you will present your work when at conferences [1] , [2] . For this reason, you need to make sure your poster is of good quality. This guide will serve to help you with this.

2. How to prepare a poster

There are many computer programs you can use to create your poster. Many use Microsoft Publisher or PowerPoint. It is important that you are comfortable using these programs as you will likely be doing a lot of editing. If you are not familiar with these programs, librarians that are present in most universities will be able and usually willing to help you out.

2.2. Design

It is useful to attend a variety of scientific meetings to collate ideas on how to create an informative and aesthetically pleasing poster. The most important concept for the overall design is not to overly embellish the poster with formatting and pictures, as this may distract from the content. The information should be minimal, as in a slide presentation, stating only key points rather than complete sentences.

The colour system should have effective contrasting backgrounds (e.g. blue and yellow, black and white) to ensure the text is easy to read. The flow of the poster should also be logical and ideally follow a longitudinal algorithm. This should begin with aims and objectives and flow downwards in columns to methods, results, conclusions and finally references. The same format is also adopted when writing scientific abstracts. Once the poster is drafted, it is important to adhere to the instructions provided by the congress you are attempting to submit to. Failure to comply to guidelines may result in your poster not being considered for a poster award, or perhaps even result in expulsion from the meeting altogether.

Prior to submission it is also important ask as many senior colleagues for feedback on your poster as possible. They will be able to provide feedback on the overall readability of the poster, including formatting. Start preparing your poster early – one month is sufficient time to allow for revisions to be made [3] .

3. Information to include in the format – our top tips

3.1. headings.

This should be clear in bold and grab the reader's attention. It is recommended you use a short, sharp heading relevant to your study. Long scientific titles can often bore the reader and distract from the main body of text. The heading should also include the centre at which the study was conducted and the main contributory authors (as per the authorship critera of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)). Logos for the trust you are working at, as well as the conference/congress you are attending can be placed on either side of the title.

• • Title: this needs to have the largest font size of your entire poster to be eye catching. Keep the title as short as possible – it doesn't need to be a paragraph long [1] , [3] .
• • Type of manuscript: whether systematic review, research article or another manuscript type.
• • Authors: include everyone who has contributed [4] .
• • Affiliations: should come directly under authors. This should show which organisations are represented by the authors and/or where the research took place and also contact details.

3.2. Main body

This should follow a logical structure guiding the reader through the poster. The more concise your poster, the better – approximately 100 words per section is ideal [5] , [6] . It is very important that your poster is not wordy. Too much text can be off-putting for the audience. The structure should follow a simple abstract outline.

These are the following sections we recommend as a rough guide, but do check the requirements at your specific conference:

• • Introduction

This should include a short background of the topic to set the context and state the main aims and objectives of your piece of work. What differentiates your work from your competition? Why is your work novel in the field?

• • Methods

The methods section (poster space permitting) should include basic parameters including target sample, setting, duration of study, inclusion/exclusion criteria, statistical techniques, key interventions assessed and primary outcome measures.

• • Results

The results section should include data analysis and stratification and should only include the results which answer the stated hypothesis. Moreover, essential to the results section is the inclusion of pertinent and key graphs, graphics, images and tables. These need to be large enough for the audience members to see and be as attractive and clutter-free as possible.

• • Conclusion

The conclusions must derive directly from the results section and answer solely what has been proposed at the start of the paper. Obvious confounders and limitations should also be acknowledged. Key improvements as well as potential for project expansion should also be considered.

• • References

Only cite key references integral to your study, as references are wordy and space consuming. Use a smaller font to the main body text to reduce this.

3.3. Templates

Your host institution or the conference may require you to use a specific template for the poster. This may include a logo, colour scheme or a certain layout. You should check this before you start designing your poster.

Numerous templates for designing poster exist online and within your local trust library. Computer software may also have inbuilt templates to assist with the design process.

3.4. Tables and figures

It is a good idea to include graphs/images/tables as this will make your poster look more aesthetically pleasing [1] , [6] , [7] . They can also provide more information without crowding the poster with text. Make them colourful, though avoid colours that clash with the text colour [8] . Tables and figures can add new information or graphically present what has already been said in the poster. The arrangement of figures and tables varies and there is no universal rule, however figures interspersed within text is popular and looks attractive. Furthermore, ensure that the figures and images chosen are of a good resolution to avoid blurring when printed and presented.

3.5. Font size

The conference may specify this, however, generally for the main body, size 24 is used for text and size 32 for titles. The introduction section at the top of the poster should have a larger font than this [2] .

3.6. Colour

It is a good idea to stick to one or two colours for main text; anymore and your poster may look too busy. It is also important to check colours in advance at the place you wish to print your poster, as certain colours may come out in a different way to that expected [9] .

3.7. Printing

Make sure to factor in the time (and cost) of printing the poster if this is required. Some companies will print the same day, while others may take longer. Check with your host institution/conference if they use a specific company, as they may be able to provide a discount.

3.8. Electronic posters

A growing number of conferences are using electronic posters (e-posters), which are screens that display an electronic copy of your poster, rather than a paper version. These can either be static images which are laid out similarly to a paper poster, or they can be slide shows of your work, which are displayed like a PowerPoint presentation which then go on rotation at the conference. They may also include videos and animations, so bear this in mind when you are selecting content for your poster [7] , [8] .

4. On the day

Poster presentations are generally more relaxed than oral presentations. You will need to arrive on time to put your poster up – bring extra pins or Velcro tabs as these aren't always in supply. Many presenters also place a plastic pocket to the bottom or side of their poster on the day which provides a small version of their poster for readers to take away – this can be useful.

Delegates of the conference will usually be able to look at the posters throughout the day or during tea/lunch breaks. However, there will usually be a set time when judges will inspect the posters. During this time, you will need to stay with your poster, perhaps present it and answer the questions which the judges or audience members will have.

4.1. Presentation

While presenting, the intention is to guide the reader through your poster which if organised in a logical order, should not be read off but simply used to illustrate your point. What you say can then be substantiated by pictures which you can refer to for emphasis. Do keep your presentation succinct and highlight the salient points of your study. Moreover, its good practice to provide some background to your work at the start – it may sound obvious, but the audience may not necessarily know why this work is important and it is up to you to set the scene on the relevance of the project.

It's a good idea to refresh your memory on your project and be familiar with it before the presentation as the audience will likely have questions and there are often prizes for the best posters. Examples of common questions to prepare for include: how your work may be relevant to current clinical practice, how can it be developed further and what the limitations of your study were.

Attire is also often overlooked. You must maintain a professional appearance throughout and this can often add hidden points to your poster score under presentation. Be friendly and approachable and if there are any questions left unanswered, acknowledge this and offer to develop your study further.

• • Academic posters are a good way to showcase your work.
• • Preparing posters in advance is vital.
• • Stick to a clear format which is easy to read from 1 m away.
• • Practice your presentation in advance and think about questions you may be asked after your presentation.

Sources of funding

No funding received.

Author contribution

BG, KK, LK, KW contributed to writing the paper.

Conflicts of interest

Buket Gundogan.

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Common Formats for Conference Presentations

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The two most common formats for the presentation of research findings at conferences are:

• oral presentations ; and
• poster presentations

Oral Presentations

Depending on to whom you speak some individuals will tell you that oral presentations are preferable compared to poster presentations. Some people feel that oral presentations are more prestigious and offer more cache than do poster presentations.

Oral presentations are generally short talks or panel discussions delivered by one or more individuals to a room of interested meeting attendees. Depending on the meeting, the speaker(s) may read a prepared speech or the speaker may more informally discuss his/her work using visual aids such as a PowerPoint presentation using a laptop computer. A very brief time is allotted for individual oral presentations. An oral presentation is typically between 15 and 30-minutes in duration. Consequently, the presentation must be clearly and succinctly presented and there will be little if any time for questions from the audience.

There are two types of oral presentations:

• , which can be further categorized as:
• contributed; or

Panel Discussion

At some meetings oral presentations may be taped and available for purchase by meeting attendees. At many meetings, taping and/or photographs at oral presentations may be forbidden.

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Individual Oral Presentations

Contributed Anyone who submits a proposal or meeting abstract is potentially eligible to deliver a contributed talk. “Contributed” simply means that you as a conferee submitted your paper for consideration of presentation as versus “invited” which means the meeting organizers or symposium organizer invited you to speak. At some conferences, contributed talks are of shorter duration than invited talks but generally there are no substantive differences otherwise.

Invited In some sessions often referred to as symposia, organizers invite experts in a specific area to share their recent work. These presentations are called invited talks. Invited talks may be given slightly longer time periods than contributed talks. Invited speakers must also submit proposals or meeting abstracts.

Depending on the specific meeting, the organizers may or may not offer invited speakers benefits that contributed speakers may not receive. At some conferences, invited speakers may be offered free or reduced registration, lodging, travel, and even a small honorarium. However, an invited to be an invited speaker may come with none of these perks. If you are “invited” don’t make assumptions – ask the organizer what, if any, services the conference is providing to invited speakers. At some conferences simply being invited is considered to be a significant honor.

Presentations may be made by individuals or by panels. In panel discussions, two or speakers presenting different perspectives or different aspects of the presentation topic will sequentially summarize their work and relate it to that of the other panelists. Once all of the speakers have made their presentations there is generally an open discussion of the papers.

Poster Presentations

Poster sessions offer meeting organizers the opportunity to offer large numbers of meeting attendees the opportunity to present their work. Poster presenters are usually provided a significant amount of space (3′ x 4′ or more) on which to display a visually attractive poster summarizing their research project. Generally, poster presenters have the opportunity to share their work over an extended period of time often an hour or more. At some meetings, the poster may be displayed for an entire day! This allows the poster presenter to describe and discuss their research in greater detail than would be possible in an oral presentation to significantly more people. In my opinion, posters are in no way inferior to oral presentations and may in fact be far more useful.

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NAACL 2024 presentation modes, acceptance types, and participation experiences

Oral-poster and short-long equality.

At NAACL 2024, we are striving to set all main conference papers on equal ground. So whether you submitted a long paper or a short paper, whether you decide to attend the event in-person or virtually, and whether you are assigned an oral presentation or a poster presentation, you are allowed the same 13 minute video recording on the virtual site. Similarly, we have not taken any actual or perceived measures of paper quality into account when making oral vs. poster presentation decisions, so there is no prestige associated with getting to present in an oral vs. a poster format.

Main Conference vs Findings

There are two main differences between NAACL main conference papers and NAACL findings papers. The first is acceptance rate: main conference papers have a lower acceptance rate than findings papers. The second is registration: main conference papers will not be published unless at least one author pays full registration fees for the conference, while findings papers will be published even if no author registers for the conference.

To increase the visibility of NAACL Findings papers, authors who choose to attend the conference will be offered a poster presentation (either in-person or virtual, depending on how they attend). We hope this opportunity to showcase their work encourages more Findings authors to attend NAACL 2024!

In-Person vs Virtual Attendance

At NAACL 2024, we are trying to improve both the in-person and virtual experiences. For this, we are implementing the following two actions:

• A pre-conference virtual poster session that will be held on Thursday, June 13, 2024, avoiding conflicts with the conference’s in-person sessions. We are still finalizing the schedule, but the virtual event will include different sessions to accommodate various time zones. We hope this move will encourage all attendees, both virtual and in-person, to join the virtual poster session!
• Oral presentations will be in-person to avoid Zoom fatigue for in-person attendees. (Oral presentations will still be live-streamed for all virtual attendees.) We hope this move will encourage more in-person engagement with oral presenters!

In-person attendees can expect access to:

• Live keynotes, plenaries, and panels
• More than 100 live oral presentations
• More than 400 live poster presentations
• More than 200 virtual poster presentations (at the pre-conference event)
• Recorded presentations for all papers (on the virtual conference site)

Virtual attendees can expect access to:

• Live-streamed keynotes, plenaries, and panels
• More than 100 live-streamed oral presentations

We hope to see you all in Mexico City, in-person or virtually!

How to Present a Poster in a Conference?

• Open Access
• First Online: 24 October 2021

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• Samiran Nundy 4 ,
• Atul Kakar 5 &
• Zulfiqar A. Bhutta 6  

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Once your scientific experiment has finished you need to tell the world about its importance [1]. The usual ways are by writing a manuscript and sending it to a peer-reviewed journal, by giving a slide presentation at a conference or by the way of a poster presentation at a conference. There are usually workshops held in conferences about how to publish papers. However, little consideration is paid to how to present a good poster. This is also a common method of presenting your work, at a conference and needs to be given importance [2].

If you can’t make it good at least make it look good. — Bill Gates, American Software Developer (1955–)

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Poster Presentation at Scientific Meetings

How to Make a Good Poster Presentation

How to Prepare a Poster

1 what is the importance of a poster presentation.

Once your scientific experiment has finished you need to tell the world about its importance [ 1 ]. The usual ways are by writing a manuscript and sending it to a peer-reviewed journal, by giving a slide presentation at a conference or by the way of a poster presentation at a conference. There are usually workshops held in conferences about how to publish papers. However, little consideration is paid to how to present a good poster. This is also a common method of presenting your work, at a conference and needs to be given importance [ 2 ].

2 How to Start Preparing for a Poster Presentation?

The making of a poster starts with the acceptance of the abstract by the scientific committee of the conference. They will then separate the papers according to the importance of the subjects into those selected for oral presentations or traditional poster presentations. This letter of acceptance is the first step from which the journey to prepare the poster begins [ 3 ].

3 What Are Important Facts to Know Before You Start a Poster Presentation?

You should learn some preliminary facts about poster presentations before starting your project. These include [ 4 ]:

About 30% of posters are cluttered or ‘sloppy’.

About 20% have fonts that are too small to read from a distance.

In about 38% the research question cannot be located after a one-minute survey.

There is another interesting fact called the ‘10 ×10 rule for poster presentations’, i.e., the average attendee spends only 10 seconds to scan the poster as he/she strolls in from a distance of 10 feet. It is imperative therefore that the poster should be eye-catching and attract a potential reader to come close to it. Thus, poster making combines both the science and the art of scientific presentations [ 5 ].

4 What Are the Stages of a Poster Presentation?

The stages are the planning of the contents, organizing the data, drafting, and finally printing the poster. The final endorsement comes during the interaction with the audience as to how well you have been able to ‘sell’ your work and defend it at the same time.

The various steps for poster presentation are described below:

4.1 Step 1: Planning

Simplicity is the key mantra for a poster. A person does not spend more than a few seconds gazing at the poster, so there should be a minimum of clutter and a maximum of graphics.

The information provided by the conference organizers is vital at this stage. They usually specify details such as the poster size, poster number and on which day, place, and time it may be displayed.

Go through the abstract and make sure it contains all the necessary information.

Check all the data and tables and figures.

There are many paid and unpaid sites that provide templates for poster presentations (Table 37.1 ). The ideas may be borrowed from them but be creative and use your own ideas as well.

4.2 Step 2: Organization of the Poster

A poster has been compared to the story of a movie. It should contain the setting of the main plot (research question), methods, climax (results), and the ending (conclusions). Figure 37.1 shows how to organize a poster into various heading.

Organization of the poster

4.3 Step 3: Printing of the Poster

Before this stage, it is always better to show a draft of the poster to a friend or senior colleague who has more experience. Their inputs at this stage can be very useful.

There are two types of papers available for printing. Glossy paper is expensive but it is durable. There is glare as the light reflection can make it difficult to see the poster from a particular angle. There is, however, better resolution of clinical photographs, histopathology, and radiology illustrations. In comparison matte paper does not reflect light, is more economical but less durable, and also provides less resolution for illustrations [ 2 ].

5 How Should the Material Be Placed in the Poster?

A poster has three main components [ 5 , 6 ]:

Illustrations such as statistical graphs, flow diagrams, and photographs

6 Background

Make a plan for the poster and fix a space for each component [ 7 ].

The heading appears in the uppermost part of the poster. The title should be readable from at least 2 metres away. The names of the authors and their affiliations should also come under the heading [ 4 ].

Introduction should be brief and should be 3 to 5 lines and appear at the upper left portion of the poster.

Research question, aims, methodology, and results need to be placed subsequently. Do not repeat any data. If possible, use more space for tables and results.

Illustrations are important components of a poster and add life to it.

The conclusions should appear at the lower right portion of the poster.

7 What Should Be the Font Size of the Text in a Poster?

The main content of the poster should be made double-spaced with a left-sided justification.

A text with its left side even and right side jagged is easiest to read.

The font size is important. Posters should be legible from a distance of about 2 metres [ 8 ].

In general, use font sizes proportional to the subheading in the poster.

The title should have the largest font and should be bold and at least 72 points.

The subheading is the next largest and should be at least 48 points and bold.

The text of the body font should be at least 24 points.

Both landscape or portrait layouts are good for a text poster.

You need to be consistent in using fonts. Only one type should be used throughout the poster.

Bold headings stress importance. The other ways of doing this are by highlighting or underlining, or using different colours. A text in italics is difficult to read from a distance.

8 What Should Be the Word Count in a Poster?

The success of a poster is directly related to the ‘clarity of the illustrations and tables and viewing a poster should be a visual feast’. [ 2 ] The total word count of the poster text should be between 300 and 800 words. More important than the word count are the illustrations. A self-explanatory graph should govern the poster. The text should supplement the photographs wherever possible. Less text is better, be innovative in the poster, in the placement of the text, and a light background stands out (Fig. 37.2 ).

Word count in a poster

9 How Should the Poster Background Look?

The choice of a background colour depends on the presenter. Softer pastels or greys look fine. They can be easily viewed for a long time and are also ideal for graphics and photographs. Dark backgrounds should be avoided, as the graphics do not stand out against them. Backgrounds with a graded texture make a poster look too busy.

10 What Are the Important Considerations While Making a Poster?

Graphic illustrations should be visible easily from a minimum 2 metres. Do not use more than 3 colours in a poster.

Avoid photographs less than 5 × 7 inch as they may be difficult to see.

All figures should have legends.

All photographs should be at least 300 dpi for clarity and good resolution.

Cropping all unwanted details from photographs helps to depict what you want to show.

Having a thin outline around photographs, helps them to look prominent.

The colour of graphs should match with the poster.

Do not use copyright images for poster presentation.

11 What Are the Limitations of Posters?

The poster presentation occurs in a calmer environment than an oral presentation. It also encourages much more individual interaction between the author and viewer than an oral presentation. However, it has many drawbacks. Firstly, the reach of posters is limited to a few delegates compared to an oral presentation. Secondly, the interaction may need to be repeated many times with different attendees. Thirdly, any routine or inconsistent conclusions cannot be debated in a group.

12 How Should You Store and Transport a Poster?

The packing and carriage can be done in cardboard tubes or plastic rolls. Identification details should also be mentioned on the tube to recover it if it gets lost. If the poster is to be reused then using a thick quality of paper with lamination along with a box will increase its life.

13 How Should You Display the Poster?

Although the organizers usually provide pins or tape at the conference venue, it is always better to carry these with you. Also, carry a few A4 printouts for distribution.

14 What Happens During the Interaction?

The interaction during a poster presentation is a better way of communication than an oral presentation as it is only between two individuals. The time for displaying the poster and for interaction is usually given in the letter of acceptance. If the scientific content of the paper is good then the poster is shortlisted for a special poster tour. There is often an award given to the best poster for its overall content, aesthetics, and interaction of the author with the referee.

15 What Are the Types of Poster Presentations?

By convention, a poster has to be printed on paper. However, the demand for an electronic poster format is increasing in many conferences. The e-poster is inexpensive, it saves paper, is quicker, has better colours, and is easy to carry. It uses the PowerPoint format or multimedia, which is more versatile. The impact of an e-poster is greater as 3D animation and surgical technique videos can be loaded and it is visually appealing. This has revolutionized poster sessions as science has become more colourful and vivid. In this COVID era the majority of conferences except for posters are in the e-format. Smartphones and tablets are new generation devices that have paved the way towards the electronic format of poster presentation.

Examples of good and bad posters are shown in Figs. 37.3 and 37.4 .

Balance of text with graphs

Too much data, balance between text and figure is missing

16 Conclusions

A poster presentation is a combination of art and science.

It is an effective way to communicate scientific work.

It has many stages like planning, organization, printing, and transportation.

The interaction session with the viewer is important during the display and may yield new ideas.

The e-posters are a new and powerful technique being used in many conferences.

17 What Are the Various Steps in Making a Poster?

The various steps are given in Fig. 37.5 .

Flow chart of how to proceed with a poster

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Nundy, S., Kakar, A., Bhutta, Z.A. (2022). How to Present a Poster in a Conference?. In: How to Practice Academic Medicine and Publish from Developing Countries?. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5248-6_37

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20th Annual IU Southeast Student Conference and Showcase Celebrates Student Achievement

New Albany – Student success and achievement was on display at the 20 th  IU Southeast Student Conference and Showcase. Students were nervous and excited as they prepared for oral and poster presentations. The event was held April 17-19, 2024, with virtual presentations leading off the conference on Wednesday. Thursday evening and Friday morning featured oral presentations in University Center North and Knobview Hall, while poster presentations were featured in the Ogle Center Lobby.

The annual event highlights undergraduate and graduate research results, with 268 students presenting 184 projects. The projects were overseen by 41 faculty and staff mentor and 54 volunteer judges evaluated the presentations.

Education professor Dr. Rebecca Carlton says the theme of celebrating student achievement speaks to the history of the event. 

“The longevity of this event has helped to create a campus culture of student research and creative activity,” said Carlton.

Garrett Ervin gave an Informatics oral presentation entitled “Bridging the Gap: Understanding Robotic Prosthetics through Hands-On Learning” overseen by faculty mentor Sridhar Ramachandran. Ervin said that the connection between his faculty mentor and the effectiveness of his research was key to his success. 

“[Project mentors} have a lot of knowledge and they’re able to help a student progress faster than if they were on their own,” Ervin said. “I think it’s a great way to accelerate your learning and have a direction on where to go.”

Sustainability and Regeneration research partners Bailey Black and Jalen Gornek considered their relationship with their faculty mentor invaluable.

“[Dr. David Taylor] has provided us and many other students with important resources for our research,” said Black.

Dr. Rebecca Dement said working as a faculty mentor is one of the hallmarks of the IU Southeast experience.

“Our small faculty to student ratio allows us to work really closely with our students and to encourage them to research things that they’re passionate about. [We] have the opportunity, the responsibility, the privilege to coach our students and guide them in answering their research questions thoroughly and ethically using the methods appropriate for their discipline. It’s tremendously rewarding,” said Dement.

Dr. Margaret Wallen oversaw several biology projects and says the IU Southeast student research experience is one of a kind.

“I have the unique opportunity to work with students in my lab and really interact with them one-on-one, to be at the bench teaching them how to engage in the techniques of research in a way that they may not get at a larger university,” said Wallen.

Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Michelle Williams emphasized the importance of student research conferences.

“The research [students] do is the extension and the application of learning the students do in the classroom,” said Williams. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the students to see the value in all that they’re doing.”  

Alumni Panel and Awards

Chancellor Debbie Ford commended the students for their hard work and diligence during her opening remarks at the Awards Luncheon. The luncheon also included an alumni panel, featuring Wendy Cudmore, Jenna Bieker Jones, Chris Isaacs, Tanner Wortham, and Lauren DeGeorge. Cudmore is a 2013 graduate with a BFA in printmaking and is a working artist. Bieker Jones graduated from IU Southeast in 2017, went on to earn a Masters in Social Work from IUPUI and works as a Program Facilitator, adjunct Social Work instructor, and chair of the Dubois County Substance Abuse Council. Isaacs earned a B.S. in History in 2021 and works as the Multi-Site Program Manager with Workforce Development at Ivy Tech Community College. Wortham is a recent IU Southeast graduate and serves as Technical Director at The Perfumery. Lauren DeGeorge received her ELL/ENL endorsement to attach to her Elementary Education license from IU Southeast. Each alumnus spoke about how their experiences at IU Southeast helped them to succeed in their current positions. The alums also advised the conference participants to make the most of their time at IU Southeast.

Chancellor Ford said the conference is a valuable experience for students and faculty.

“It is vitally important here at Indiana University Southeast to see these connections between our students and their faculty mentors as they really explore big questions, not only enhancing what they will do in their professions, but also to help with society. The magic is happening here at IU Southeast.”

Complete list of winners:

Wednesday Virtual Presentation Awards  

Emma Striegel How “Stan” Culture Can Affect an Entire Group of People: A Deep Dive Into the Fan Communities of Minecraft Youtubers Mentor: Rebekah Dement, Education Outstanding Presentation Award        

Colby Bentley   Comparative Analysis of Rent Affordability: Louisville and Its Neighbors   Mentor: Ranida Harris, Business Administration, M.B.A. Outstanding Presentation Award         

Connor Ferguson Police technology in a rural setting: Does automated license plate recognition technology increase case clearance rates? Mentor: David Lapsey Jr, Psychology Outstanding Presentation Award        

Luke Facer  Youth Tobacco Usage in Indiana: The Trends, Effects, & Solutions  Mentor: Ranida Harris                        Business Outstanding Presentation Award         

Xondrais Glenn   Destruction, Revolt, and County Profiles   Mentor: Veronica Medina, Psychology Chancellor’s Award for Achievement in Diversity or Equity

Keziah Jones  Supplemental Instruction for Third-Year Nursing Students: Improving Outcomes Through Evidence-Based Methods  Mentor: Jennifer Teater, Nursing  Outstanding Poster Award

Jacob Riggs, Elizabeth Mittel, Nicholas Gathof   No Kill Inventory System  Mentor: John Doyle, Computer Science  Outstanding Poster Award

Thursday Oral Presentation Awards

Brittany Combs   The Effect of a Documentary on Parents’ Intent to Vaccinate Their Children for HPV         Mentor: Carla Hermann, Nursing, M.S.N.  Outstanding Presentation Award

Makenzie Emily   Evidence of Student Learning Mentor: Steffany Maher, Education  Outstanding Presentation Award

Courtney Kessinger, Alyssa Pumphrey, Sophi Mains, Brenna Henderson, Jilly Clan   Dunkin’ Promotional Campaign Research Project  Mentor: Yunmi Choi, Journalism & Media  Vijay Krishna Reddy Outstanding Presentation in Communication Studies Award

Taylor Lockhart   Mass Hysteria in the Classroom: Using the Crucible to Build Connections to Reading        Mentor: Steffany Maher, Education Outstanding Presentation Award

Alexis Striegel   Diabetes, not Diabetic: the Implications of the Education of Children Newly Diagnosed with Type 1  Mentor: Rebekah Dement, Nursing  Outstanding Presentation Award

Kawehilani Leffler   Using Differentiation with “Number the Stars”  Mentor: Stefanny Maher, Education         Outstanding Presentation Award

Friday Poster Presentation Awards

Clay Jackson A Pre-Management Botanical Survey of Rare and Endangered Plants In Southern Indian Mentor: David Taylor, Sustainability and Regeneration  Chancellor’s Award for Achievement in Community Engagement

Alex Settles    Antimicrobial Properties of Silver Nanoparticles  Mentor: Nidhi Shah, Chemistry        Chancellors Presentation Award for a Poster Presentation

Rylee Leis   Postpartum Depression and Potential Factors  Mentor: Brittany Sizemore, Psychology      Bernie Carducci Outstanding Presentation in Psychology Award

Alyssa Perkins   Developmental Milestones from Ages 2-30 Months  Mentor: Teresa Stengel, Nursing            Louise Suleimann Outstanding Presentation in Nursing Award

Alicia McCart   Empowering Balance: The Function of the Self-Determination Theory in Relation to Workplace Wellbeing  Mentor: Rebekah Dement,  Business  Outstanding Presentation in Business Award

Caitlin Boeschel    Proposal to Add Sustainability and Regeneration Components to Already Existing Core Classes at Indiana University Southeast  Mentor: David Taylor, Sustainability and Regeneration          Outstanding Poster Award

Clara Sellers   Proposal for IU Southeast to become recognized by the Tree Campus USA program        Mentor: David Taylor, Sustainability and Regeneration  Outstanding Poster Award

Cora Cole, Hannah Brown, Emma Arnold, Isabell Claywel l Knowledge Retention of OB Simulation Skills          Mentor: Tonya Broughton, Nursing  Outstanding Poster Award

Kelsea Richmer Mutant KRAS and Effects of Chemotherapeutics in Human Lung Cancer  Mentor: Margaret Wallen, Biology  Outstanding Poster Award

Kelsey Goodwin The Struggle Within: Taboo Obsessions In OCD and Their Relationship to suicidality, Quality of Life, and Perceptions of Clinicians’ Judgment Mentor: Aimee Adam, Psychology  Outstanding Poster Award

Madison Flick, Brookelyn Casey, Mariah Woods, Caitlyn Wilder   Navigating Anxiety in Pediatric Simulation  Mentor: Jane Hollowell, Nursing  Outstanding Poster Award

Reagan Mock, Paige Davis      Depressive Symptoms, Sleep Quality, and Social Activity in College Students  Mentor: Brittany Sizemore, Psychology  Outstanding Poster Award

Zoe Wallace    The In’s & Out’s of Infection Control: Preventing Infection During Catheter Insertion and the Prevalence of Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs)  Mentor: Christie Clare, Nursing            Outstanding Poster Award

Friday Oral Presentation Awards

Olivia DeKold The Progression of Victorian Women Mentor: Robert Rennie, History  Chancellors Award for Achievement in Diversity or Equity

Avery Brewer Relationship between Diadema antillarum and coral cover in the Red Sea   Mentor: Omar Attum, Sustainability and Regeneration Chancellors Presentation Award for an Oral Presentation

Clara Sellers Assessing Population Demographics of Nubian Ibex in the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve, Jordan  Mentor: Omar Attum, Sustainability and Regeneration  Glenn Mason Outstanding Presentation in Natural Sciences Award

Andrew Roy Autosomal Dominant Dandy-Walker Malformation with Occipatal Encephalacele: A Brief Overview and Exploration of Implications Mentor: Michele Zimmerman, Biology  Outstanding Presentation Award

Brittany Watteau-Gebby, Bailee Johnson, Kade Wohlleb, Lauren Stapp  Louisville Metro Crash Course Analysis  Mentor: Ranida Harris, Business   Outstanding Presentation Award

Cassandra Roman   The Mental Health of College Athletes: The Role of Academic Anxiety & Sleep Quality  Mentor: Todd Manson, Psychology  Outstanding Presentation Award

Kara Wright Held Together By the Sea: How Belfast Shipyards Shaped Tragedy Mentor: Robert Rennie, History  Outstanding Presentation Award

Mallory McGlothlin     Boomers to Zoomers: Social Media Among Older Generations  Mentor: Rebekah Dement, Education  Outstanding Presentation Award

Natalie Hodge Use of Citizen Science to Study Demographics of Spinner Dolphins in Egyptian Red Se a Mentor: Omar Attum, Biology  Outstanding Presentation Award

Preston Penny, Ibrahim Abdulrehman  Genomic Annotation Research of Bacteriophage DoobyDo o Mentor: Beth Rueschhoff, Biology  Outstanding Presentation Award

Shelby Dore Gender On and Offscreen: The Effects of Women on Film Production and Movie Success Mentor: Sara Hare, Sociology  Outstanding Presentation Award

Trennt Overstreet Sustainable Management of Campus Grounds to Mitigate Factors Leading to Colony Collapse Disorder   Mentor: David Taylor, Sustainability and Regeneration  Outstanding Presentation Award

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Best of the School of Communications Suicide Awareness and Prevention Among 18-24 Year Olds By: Emma Boisvert Faculty Sponsor: Lisa Farman

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B est of the School of Humanities and Sciences Investigating Autoinducer Synthase Binding With JKR-1, a Transition-State Analog Inhibitor By: Noah Strathmann, Rishab Sen Faculty Sponsor: Scott Ulrich

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