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Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation

Posters are a key component of communicating your science and an important element in a successful scientific career. Posters, while delivering the same high-quality science, offer a different medium from either oral presentations [ 1 ] or published papers [ 2 ], and should be treated accordingly. Posters should be considered a snapshot of your work intended to engage colleagues in a dialog about the work, or, if you are not present, to be a summary that will encourage the reader to want to learn more. Many a lifelong collaboration [ 3 ] has begun in front of a poster board. Here are ten simple rules for maximizing the return on the time-consuming process of preparing and presenting an effective poster.

The purpose will vary depending on the status and nature of the work being presented, as well as the intent. Some posters are designed to be used again and again; for example, those making conference attendees aware of a shared resource. Others will likely be used once at a conference and then be relegated to the wall in the laboratory. Before you start preparing the poster, ask yourself the following questions: What do you want the person passing by your poster to do? Engage in a discussion about the content? Learn enough to go off and want to try something for themselves? Want to collaborate? All the above, or none of the above but something else? Style your poster accordingly.

Rule 2: Sell Your Work in Ten Seconds

Some conferences will present hundreds of posters; you will need to fight for attention. The first impressions of your poster, and to a lesser extent what you might say when standing in front of it, are crucial. It is analogous to being in an elevator and having a few seconds to peak someone's interest before they get off. The sad truth is that you have to sell your work. One approach is to pose your work as addressing a decisive question, which you then address as best you can. Once you have posed the question, which may well also be the motivation for the study, the focus of your poster should be on addressing that question in a clear and concise way.

The title is a good way to sell your work. It may be the only thing the conference attendee sees before they reach your poster. The title should make them want to come and visit. The title might pose a decisive question, define the scope of the study, or hint at a new finding. Above all, the title should be short and comprehensible to a broad audience. The title is your equivalent of a newspaper headline—short, sharp, and compelling.

Do not take the acceptance of a poster as an endorsement of your work. Conferences need attendees to be financially viable. Many attendees who are there on grants cannot justify attending a conference unless they present. There are a small number of speaking slots compared with attendees. How to solve the dilemma? Enter posters; this way everyone can present. In other words, your poster has not been endorsed, just accepted. To get endorsement from your peers, do good science and present it well on the poster.

Identify your audience and provide the appropriate scope and depth of content. If the conference includes nonspecialists, cater to them. Just as the abstract of a paper needs to be a succinct summary of the motivation, hypothesis to be tested, major results, and conclusions, so does your poster.

The amount of material presented in a paper far outweighs what is presented on a poster. A poster requires you to distill the work, yet not lose the message or the logical flow. Posters need to be viewed from a distance, but can take advantage of your presence. Posters can be used as a distribution medium for copies of associated papers, supplementary information, and other handouts. Posters allow you to be more speculative. Often only the titles or at most the abstracts of posters can be considered published; that is, widely distributed. Mostly, they may never be seen again. There is the opportunity to say more than you would in the traditional literature, which for all intents and purposes will be part of the immutable record. Take advantage of these unique features.

Pop musician Keith Richards put the matter well in an interview with Der Spiegel [ 4 ]: “If you are a painter, then the most important thing is the bare canvas. A good painter will never cover all the space but will always leave some blank. My canvas is silence.” Your canvas as poster presenter is also white space. Guide the passerby's eyes from one succinct frame to another in a logical fashion from beginning to end. Unlike the literature, which is linear by virtue of one page following another, the reader of a poster is free to wander over the pages as if they are tacked to the poster board in a random order. Guide the reader with arrows, numbering, or whatever else makes sense in getting them to move from one logical step to another. Try to do this guiding in an unusual and eye-catching way. Look for appropriate layouts in the posters of others and adopt some of their approaches. Finally, never use less than a size 24 point font, and make sure the main points can be read at eye level.

Everything on the poster should help convey the message. The text must conform to the norms of sound scientific reporting: clarity, precision of expression, and economy of words. The latter is particularly important for posters because of their inherent space limitations. Use of first-rate pictorial material to illustrate a poster can sometimes transform what would otherwise be a bewildering mass of complex data into a coherent and convincing story. One carefully produced chart or graph often says more than hundreds of words. Use graphics for “clear portrayal of complexity” [ 5 ], not to impress (and possibly bewilder) viewers with complex artistry. Allow a figure to be viewed in both a superficial and a detailed way. For example, a large table might have bold swaths of color indicating relative contributions from different categories, and the smaller text in the table would provide gritty details for those who want them. Likewise, a graph could provide a bold trend line (with its interpretation clearly and concisely stated), and also have many detailed points with error bars. Have a clear and obvious set of conclusions—after the abstract, this is where the passerby's eyes will wander. Only then will they go to the results, followed by the methods.

A poster is a different medium from a paper, which is conventionally dry and impersonal. Think of your poster as an extension of your personality. Use it to draw the passerby to take a closer look or to want to talk to you. Scientific collaboration often starts for reasons other than the shared scientific interest, such as a personal interest. A photo of you on the poster not only helps someone find you at the conference when you are not at the poster, it can also be used to illustrate a hobby or an interest that can open a conversation.

When the considerable effort of making a poster is done, do not blow it on presentation day by failing to have the poster achieve maximum impact. This requires the right presenter–audience interaction. Work to get a crowd by being engaging; one engaged viewer will attract others. Don't badger people, let them read. Be ready with Rule 2. Work all the audience at once, do not leave visitors waiting for your attention. Make eye contact with every visitor.

Make it easy for a conference attendee to contact you afterward. Have copies of relevant papers on hand as well as copies of the poster on standard-sized paper. For work that is more mature, have the poster online and make the URL available as a handout. Have your e-mail and other demographics clearly displayed. Follow up with people who come to the poster by having a signup sheet.

The visitor is more likely to remember you than the content of your poster. Make yourself easy to remember. As the host of the work presented on the poster, be attentive, open, and curious, and self-confident but never arrogant and aggressive. Leave the visitors space and time—they can “travel” through your poster at their own discretion and pace. If a visitor asks a question, talk simply and openly about the work. This is likely your opportunity to get feedback on the work before it goes to publication. Better to be tripped up in front of your poster than by a reviewer of the manuscript.

Good posters and their presentations can improve your reputation, both within and outside your working group and institution, and may also contribute to a certain scientific freedom. Poster prizes count when peers look at your resume.

These ten rules will hopefully help you in preparing better posters. For a more humorous view on what not to do in preparing a poster, see [ 6 ], and for further information, including the opportunity to practice your German, see [ 7 ]. 

Acknowledgments

Thomas Erren's contributions to this piece are based on [ 7 ] and were stimulated by exchanges with Michael Jacobsen. Thanks also to Steven E. Brenner for useful input.

Thomas C. Erren is with the Institute and Policlinic for Occupational and Social Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Cologne, Lindenthal, Germany. Philip E. Bourne is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America.

Funding. The authors received no specific funding for this article.

Competing interests. The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

• Bourne PE. Ten simple rules for making good oral presentations. PLoS Comput Biol. 2007; 3 :e77. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030077 . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bourne PE. Ten simple rules for getting published. PLoS Comput Biol. 2005; 1 :e57. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0010057 . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Vicens Q, Bourne PE. Ten simple rules for a successful collaboration. PLoS Comput Biol. 2007; 3 :e44. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030044 . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Interview with Keith Richards. Meine Leinwand ist die Stille. Der Spiegel. 1998; 45 :167–170. [ Google Scholar ]
• Tufte ER. The visual display of quantitative information. Cheshire (Connecticut): Graphics Press; 2001. p. 191. [ Google Scholar ]
• Wolcott TG. Mortal sins in poster presentations or how to give the poster no one remembers. Newsletter Soc Integr Compar Biol Fall. 1997. pp. 10–11. Available: http://www.sicb.org/newsletters/fa97nl/sicb/poster.html . Accessed 23 April 2007.
• Erren TC. Schau mich an! Ein Leitfaden zur Erstellung und Präsentation von Postern in der Medizin und den Naturwissenschaften. München/Wien/New York: W. Zuckschwerdt Verlag; 2006. [ Google Scholar ]

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Scientific Poster Building

Jump to initial planning , layout and format , or presentation

Plan Your Research Poster

Before you even open Powerpoint or other poster making software, you want to plan out what you will show and sketch it on paper.  We start with the meat of the poster - your data - and work forward to your conclusions and the backwards to the background the audience needs to understand your work.

Plan out your poster layout

Posters in our department should typically be formated to: 40 inches wide x 27.5 inches high

You can make a "custom slide" of this size in Powerpoint.

Presenting Your Poster

The above information is adapted from the American Society of Plant Biology's poster advice.

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Open Access

Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]

• Philip E Bourne
• Thomas C Erren, 

Published: May 25, 2007

• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030102
• Reader Comments

Citation: Erren TC, Bourne PE (2007) Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation. PLoS Comput Biol 3(5): e102. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030102

Copyright: © 2007 Erren and Bourne. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this article.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Posters are a key component of communicating your science and an important element in a successful scientific career. Posters, while delivering the same high-quality science, offer a different medium from either oral presentations [ 1 ] or published papers [ 2 ], and should be treated accordingly. Posters should be considered a snapshot of your work intended to engage colleagues in a dialog about the work, or, if you are not present, to be a summary that will encourage the reader to want to learn more. Many a lifelong collaboration [ 3 ] has begun in front of a poster board. Here are ten simple rules for maximizing the return on the time-consuming process of preparing and presenting an effective poster.

Rule 1: Define the Purpose

The purpose will vary depending on the status and nature of the work being presented, as well as the intent. Some posters are designed to be used again and again; for example, those making conference attendees aware of a shared resource. Others will likely be used once at a conference and then be relegated to the wall in the laboratory. Before you start preparing the poster, ask yourself the following questions: What do you want the person passing by your poster to do? Engage in a discussion about the content? Learn enough to go off and want to try something for themselves? Want to collaborate? All the above, or none of the above but something else? Style your poster accordingly.

Rule 2: Sell Your Work in Ten Seconds

Some conferences will present hundreds of posters; you will need to fight for attention. The first impressions of your poster, and to a lesser extent what you might say when standing in front of it, are crucial. It is analogous to being in an elevator and having a few seconds to peak someone's interest before they get off. The sad truth is that you have to sell your work. One approach is to pose your work as addressing a decisive question, which you then address as best you can. Once you have posed the question, which may well also be the motivation for the study, the focus of your poster should be on addressing that question in a clear and concise way.

Rule 3: The Title Is Important

The title is a good way to sell your work. It may be the only thing the conference attendee sees before they reach your poster. The title should make them want to come and visit. The title might pose a decisive question, define the scope of the study, or hint at a new finding. Above all, the title should be short and comprehensible to a broad audience. The title is your equivalent of a newspaper headline—short, sharp, and compelling.

Rule 4: Poster Acceptance Means Nothing

Do not take the acceptance of a poster as an endorsement of your work. Conferences need attendees to be financially viable. Many attendees who are there on grants cannot justify attending a conference unless they present. There are a small number of speaking slots compared with attendees. How to solve the dilemma? Enter posters; this way everyone can present. In other words, your poster has not been endorsed, just accepted. To get endorsement from your peers, do good science and present it well on the poster.

Rule 5: Many of the Rules for Writing a Good Paper Apply to Posters, Too

Identify your audience and provide the appropriate scope and depth of content. If the conference includes nonspecialists, cater to them. Just as the abstract of a paper needs to be a succinct summary of the motivation, hypothesis to be tested, major results, and conclusions, so does your poster.

Rule 6: Good Posters Have Unique Features Not Pertinent to Papers

The amount of material presented in a paper far outweighs what is presented on a poster. A poster requires you to distill the work, yet not lose the message or the logical flow. Posters need to be viewed from a distance, but can take advantage of your presence. Posters can be used as a distribution medium for copies of associated papers, supplementary information, and other handouts. Posters allow you to be more speculative. Often only the titles or at most the abstracts of posters can be considered published; that is, widely distributed. Mostly, they may never be seen again. There is the opportunity to say more than you would in the traditional literature, which for all intents and purposes will be part of the immutable record. Take advantage of these unique features.

Rule 7: Layout and Format Are Critical

Pop musician Keith Richards put the matter well in an interview with Der Spiegel [ 4 ]: “If you are a painter, then the most important thing is the bare canvas. A good painter will never cover all the space but will always leave some blank. My canvas is silence.” Your canvas as poster presenter is also white space. Guide the passerby's eyes from one succinct frame to another in a logical fashion from beginning to end. Unlike the literature, which is linear by virtue of one page following another, the reader of a poster is free to wander over the pages as if they are tacked to the poster board in a random order. Guide the reader with arrows, numbering, or whatever else makes sense in getting them to move from one logical step to another. Try to do this guiding in an unusual and eye-catching way. Look for appropriate layouts in the posters of others and adopt some of their approaches. Finally, never use less than a size 24 point font, and make sure the main points can be read at eye level.

Rule 8: Content Is Important, but Keep It Concise

Everything on the poster should help convey the message. The text must conform to the norms of sound scientific reporting: clarity, precision of expression, and economy of words. The latter is particularly important for posters because of their inherent space limitations. Use of first-rate pictorial material to illustrate a poster can sometimes transform what would otherwise be a bewildering mass of complex data into a coherent and convincing story. One carefully produced chart or graph often says more than hundreds of words. Use graphics for “clear portrayal of complexity” [ 5 ], not to impress (and possibly bewilder) viewers with complex artistry. Allow a figure to be viewed in both a superficial and a detailed way. For example, a large table might have bold swaths of color indicating relative contributions from different categories, and the smaller text in the table would provide gritty details for those who want them. Likewise, a graph could provide a bold trend line (with its interpretation clearly and concisely stated), and also have many detailed points with error bars. Have a clear and obvious set of conclusions—after the abstract, this is where the passerby's eyes will wander. Only then will they go to the results, followed by the methods.

Rule 9: Posters Should Have Your Personality

A poster is a different medium from a paper, which is conventionally dry and impersonal. Think of your poster as an extension of your personality. Use it to draw the passerby to take a closer look or to want to talk to you. Scientific collaboration often starts for reasons other than the shared scientific interest, such as a personal interest. A photo of you on the poster not only helps someone find you at the conference when you are not at the poster, it can also be used to illustrate a hobby or an interest that can open a conversation.

Rule 10: The Impact of a Poster Happens Both During and After the Poster Session

When the considerable effort of making a poster is done, do not blow it on presentation day by failing to have the poster achieve maximum impact. This requires the right presenter–audience interaction. Work to get a crowd by being engaging; one engaged viewer will attract others. Don't badger people, let them read. Be ready with Rule 2. Work all the audience at once, do not leave visitors waiting for your attention. Make eye contact with every visitor.

Make it easy for a conference attendee to contact you afterward. Have copies of relevant papers on hand as well as copies of the poster on standard-sized paper. For work that is more mature, have the poster online and make the URL available as a handout. Have your e-mail and other demographics clearly displayed. Follow up with people who come to the poster by having a signup sheet.

The visitor is more likely to remember you than the content of your poster. Make yourself easy to remember. As the host of the work presented on the poster, be attentive, open, and curious, and self-confident but never arrogant and aggressive. Leave the visitors space and time—they can “travel” through your poster at their own discretion and pace. If a visitor asks a question, talk simply and openly about the work. This is likely your opportunity to get feedback on the work before it goes to publication. Better to be tripped up in front of your poster than by a reviewer of the manuscript.

Good posters and their presentations can improve your reputation, both within and outside your working group and institution, and may also contribute to a certain scientific freedom. Poster prizes count when peers look at your resume.

These ten rules will hopefully help you in preparing better posters. For a more humorous view on what not to do in preparing a poster, see [ 6 ], and for further information, including the opportunity to practice your German, see [ 7 ]. 

Acknowledgments

Thomas Erren's contributions to this piece are based on [ 7 ] and were stimulated by exchanges with Michael Jacobsen. Thanks also to Steven E. Brenner for useful input.

• View Article
• Google Scholar
• 5. Tufte ER (2001) The visual display of quantitative information. Cheshire (Connecticut): Graphics Press.
• 6. Wolcott TG (1997) Mortal sins in poster presentations or how to give the poster no one remembers. Newsletter Soc Integr Compar Biol Fall. pp. 10–11. Available: http://www.sicb.org/newsletters/fa97nl/sicb/poster.html . Accessed 23 April 2007.
• 7. Erren TC (2006) Schau mich an! Ein Leitfaden zur Erstellung und Präsentation von Postern in der Medizin und den Naturwissenschaften. München/Wien/New York: W. Zuckschwerdt Verlag.

This page has been archived and is no longer updated

Poster Presentations

Poster presentations may not seem as prestigious as oral presentations, but they are a great opportunity to interact with other scientists in your field in a reasonably structured way. Just like oral presentations, they force you to crystallize your thoughts about your research and, in this way, focus on its essence. After the conference, you can usually hang your poster in the hallway of your laboratory. Thus, you promote your work to passersby and have a support at hand if you must unexpectedly present your research to visitors.

Being accepted for a poster session at a conference means you must first create the poster itself, then prepare to interact with visitors during the session. At some conferences, you may also have a chance to promote your poster through an extremely brief oral presentation.

Creating your poster

Typically, the scientists who attend a poster session are wandering through a room full of posters, full of people, and full of noise. Unless they have decided in advance which posters or presenters to seek out, they will stop at whatever catches their eyes or ears, listening in on explanations given to other people and perhaps asking an occasional question of their own. They may not be able to see each poster clearly — for example, they may be viewing it from a meter's distance, from a sharp angle of incidence, or over someone else's shoulder. In such situations, they will not want to read much text on the poster — not any more than attendees at a presentation will want to read much text on a slide.

Accordingly, you should design your poster more like a set of slides than like a paper, using all the recommendations given for slides earlier in this series (see Creating Presentation Slides ). Strive to get your messages across in a stand-alone way: State each message as a short sentence, then illustrate it as visually as possible. In fact, one simple way to prepare a poster is to create a set of slides, print them full-size on A4 or US-letter-size paper, and pin the sheets next to one another like a comic strip.

Scientists often feel obliged to include a large amount of factual information on their posters: their affiliation (with postal address, e-mail address, telephone number, etc.), bibliographical references, funding sources, and the like. Although visitors may well want to take all or part of this information home, few of them actually want to read it on a poster, let alone write it on a notepad while standing in front of a poster. Such information is therefore best placed in a one-page handout that is available at the poster's location — perhaps with a reduced version of the poster on the other side. If these details are included on the poster itself, they should be out of the way, such as in the top-right corner or at the very bottom, so they do not interrupt the logical flow of content on the poster.

Presenting your poster

Promoting your poster.

Even without a formal opportunity to promote your poster, and especially when your poster session is later in the conference, you may have many informal moments to introduce your work through chance encounters during coffee breaks or social events. Instead of giving people business cards, you might prepare and distribute small, bookmark-like handouts with your name, affiliation, e-mail, and an invitation to come and see your poster.

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The key parts of a scientific poster

Why make a scientific poster?

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

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

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

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

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

In this guide post, you will learn:

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

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

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

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

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

Some events allow for a combination of both formats.

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

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

➡️ Learn more about how to write an abstract

The technical elements of a scientific poster are:

• Images and Illustrations

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here we provide a checklist for your presentation day:

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

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

➡️ How to prepare a scientific poster

➡️ Conference presentations: Lead the poster parade

➡️ Designing conference posters

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

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

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

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

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

• University Libraries
• Research Guides

Poster Presentations - Designing Effective Posters

Poster presentations - designing effective posters: home.

The poster presentation is a dynamic communication tool evolving over the past four decades, as a means to accommodate the increasing number of researchers, especially graduate students, seeking a means for scholarly presentations of their research. Since then the poster session at many conferences is a major component of meetings of professional associations and societies in many disciplines used to highlight research results and discuss their significance in an informal and interactive setting. Often posters have their own special location and times for presentation; have their abstracts and presenter contact information list in program booklets or proceedings. Recently, dynamic links to the poster itself are provided for full-poster online viewing. The poster presentation is a highly-used communication tool for students (undergraduate and graduate) to display and discuss their research experiences in class and laboratory settings. This guide provides a variety of resources assisting individuals or teams in designing an effective poster and presenting it in a professional, informal, and rewarding setting, whether it is an upper-division undergraduate class or at a local, national or international meeting of a professional association or society. [email protected]

Designing Effective Posters

A. introduction, b. background readings.

• C. Design Tips

E. General Remarks

Disclaimer & Permissions

If you are involved in planning a poster session for a conference, symposium, or meeting, consider posting this site to your own program’s Web site to assist those considering submitting a poster. So, please feel free to create a link from your own pages to this site and suggest this site to others,  especially  those planning or organizing a poster session.

Fred Stoss University at Buffalo Libraries

" It takes intelligence, even brilliance, to condense and focus information into a clear, simple presentation that will be read and remembered. Ignorance and arrogance are shown in a crowded, complicated, hard-to-read poster ."   Mary Helen Briscoe

Colin Purrington provides a remarkable guide, " Designing Conference Posters ." This is the single-best resource for helpful hints in designing effective poster presentations.

The rate at which scientific and technical information grows continues to increase. National and international conferences provide a mechanism to facilitate the rapid communication of scientific ideas in the form of poster presentations. The poster presentation is NOT the pasting of a scholarly article on poster board or foam-core and standing by to defend the results reproduced in miniature on the "poster." However, it is far too often that one attends a conference poster session and finds this format to dominate the method of poster presentations. The poster presentation should represent a “...well-designed, eye-catching, and engaging... display of research or scientific information.” The poster should convey the results of research activities as to promote the scientific achievements of the poster's presenter. There is, unfortunately, a lack of presentation standards or authors' and presenters' lack of adhering to such standards, even when loosely defined. This guide provides an inventory of print and Internet resources that provide guidance and instruction for the presentation of scientific and technical information in the form of a poster presentation. This guide includes information resources in the forms of journal articles, books, book chapters, and Internet sites that focus on the planning, design, construction, and presentation of a scientific poster. If you find a resource you feel would be useful to include on this site, please send your comments to  Fred Stoss .

The origins of this site come from an in-class lecture for a general physiology course taught at the University at Buffalo,  Using Posters in Case Studies: The Scientific Poster as a Teaching Tool.  This case study prepared by Charles R. Fourtner, Mary Bisson and Christopher A. Loretz from the Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, describes the rationale and mechanics of introducing undergraduate biology majors to actively engage in a project to conduct bona fide library research and to then "express themselves in their own discipline." These researchers/educators "adapted the scientific poster as a mode of learning and instruction for our departmental majors" through a General Physiology course. The specific goals of this teaching strategy are to instruct the students:

• in researching the primary literature and topical reviews on a specified subject
• in the evaluation of the methodologies, technologies, and experiments serving as the basis of the research they have read
• in determining the pertinent data and analyses leading to the conclusions reached by experts in the field
• in concise and logical preparation of data for presentation in a poster format
• in the oral defense of the material they have presented on their posters
• in the importance of group discussions and interactions as they develop their formal presentation

Some resources on the shelves (locations in UB Libraries indicated):

• Block, S.M. Do's and Don'ts of Poster Presentation. Biophysical Journal. 1996. 71 (6): 3527-3529. (Online)
• Briscoe, M.H. Preparing Scientific Illustrations: A Guide to Better Posters, Presentations, and Publications, (2nd ed.). New York: Springer; 1996. Posters; p 131-149. (SEL REF Q222.B75 1996)
• Brown, B. S. Poster Design--Six Points to Ponder. Biochemical Education.1997. July; 25 (3): 136-137. (Online)
• Davis, M. Scientific Papers and Presentations. San Diego, Academic Press: 1997. Poster presentations; p 174-185. (SEL T11 D324 1997)
• Davis, M. Scientific papers and presentations (Rev. ed.).
• Burlington, MA: Academic Press: 2005. Poster presentations; p 181-204. (SEL T11 D324 2005)
• Day, R.A. How to Write & Publish a Scientific Paper (4th ed.). Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press; 1994. How to prepare a poster; p 148-151. (SEL T11.D33 1994)
• Gosling, P.J. Scientist's Guide to Poster Presentations. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press; 1999. 139 pp. (SEL REF Q179.94 G67 1999)
• Hailman, J.P. & Strier, K.B. Planning, Proposing and Presenting Science effectively: A Guide for Graduate students and Researchers in the Behavioral Sciences and Biology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press; 1997. How to present research: posters at scientific meetings, p 112-115. (SEL QH315.H25 1997)
• Hartman, K.J. Designing Effective Poster Presentations. Fisheries. 1996 . 21 (7): 22. (SEL Per SH1 .F815). New York :Guilford Press
• Kline, Rex B. “Poster Presentation,” Becoming a Behavioral Science Researcher :A Guide to Producing Research that Matters. New York :Guilford Press. (LML BF76.5.K54 2009)
• Knisely, K. A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology (3rd ed.). Gordonsville, VA: W.H. Freeman: 2009. “Poster presentations,” p. 137-146. (SEL QH 304. K59 2009).
• Koning, R.E. Standards for Effective Presentations. In: Salisbury, FB, editor. Units, symbols, and terminology for plant physiology: a reference for presentation of research results in the plant sciences. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996. p 188-201. (SEL REF QK710.5 U55 1996)
• Pechenik, J.A. A Short Guide to Writing about Biology, 3rd ed. New York: Longman; 1997. Writing a poster presentation; p 258-265. (SEL QH304.P43 1997)
• Salisbury, F.B. editor. Units, Symbols, and Terminology for Plant Physiology: A Reference for Presentation of Research Results in the Plant Sciences. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996. Some suggestions about scientific writing; p 163-187. (SEL REF QK710.5 U55 1996)
• Schowen, K.B. Communicating in Other Formats: Posters, Letters to the Editor, and Press Releases -- Tips for Effective Poster Presentations. In: Dodd, JS, editor. The ACS style guide: a manual for authors and editors, (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Chemical Society; 1997. p 27-47. (SEL REF QD8.5.A25 1997)
• Scientifically Speaking: Tips for Preparing and Delivering Scientific Talks and Using Visual Aids. 2005. The Oceanography Society. tos.org/pdfs/sci_speaking.pdf Silyn-Roberts, H. Writing for science and engineering: Papers, presentations and reports. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann; 2000. A conference poster; p 151-166. (SEL T11 .S529 2000)

C. Designing Tips

• University at Buffalo PPT Poster Template . This is the site from which University at Buffalo faculty, students and staff may download a template for a 44" x 36" Research or Informational Poster.
• BIO 801, Scientific Literature and Writing: Poster Presentations . A good guide with very useful illustrations show poster elements and designs.
• Creating Effective Poster Presentations: An Effective Poster
• The Scientists Guide to Poster Design by Katie Everson .This is a new site with many useful tips about posters and poster design. Look for additions in the future.
• How to Make a Great Poster . Design suggestions regarding layout, formatting, and color selection are shared on this American Society of Plant Biologists education site.
• Introduction: Poster Sessions . This university writing guide is a great place to start when faced with a poster assignment. Straight-forward instructions and guidance along with examples and additional resources steer tenderfeet and veterans in effective design.
• Scientifically Speaking . This is a site for effective presentation skills from a sci-tech perspective. It includes a section on designing posters and provides an example of a “good poster” and a “bad poster.”
• Google Images . Google Image search can help locate appropriate graphic images or photographs or other illustrations for your poster presentations. Just enter the topic, concept, or object for which you are seeking an image and review the results. An advanced search is also possible. BE SURE TO PROPERLY CITE THE SOURCES FROM WHICH YOU USE IMAGES & TEXT: Citing an image or copying text "with quotation mark" is not plagiarizing, but you must provide attribution for using tem.
• Preparing Professional Scientific. This poster minicourse provides a bullet list for start-to-finish poster design guidance.
• Society for Technical Communication . A tremendous resource for the science or engineering or health science student interested in pursuing career options as a technical writer, illustrator, editor, or communications specialist.
• Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation. In: PLos Computational Biology Full-text article, Erren TC, Bourne PE (2007) Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation. PLoS Comput Biol 3(5): e102. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030102

F. Examples

• EPA: Community Involvement Conference & Training: Posters and Exhibits, 2007. (scroll down the page)

G. Classes & Tutorials

• Impactful Scientific Posters-The Basics . The American Chemical Society has a VERY good video tutorial about designing a poster for presentation
• Designing an Academic Poster (Prezi)
• Poster Presentations: Tips, Tricks, and Planning
• Making an Academic Research Poster Using PowerPoint
• Make Poster - Design a Poster like a Pro in PowerPoint 2010 Part 1
• Make Poster - Design a Poster like a Pro in PowerPoint 2010 - Part 2

If you know of sites, especially from professional associations and societies providing examples of posters send me the URL - [email protected]

Subject Librarian

FredStoss  is the subject librarian for  Poster Presentations - Designing Effective Posters.  He provides workshops or lectures on effective poster design for 40- to 90-minute and is available for research consultations, instruction, curricular support & purchase requests. Contact [email protected] , phone: 716 645-1337.

Biological Sciences Librarian

Research in the Biological and Life Sciences: A Guide for Cornell Researchers: Poster Making and Printing

• Books and Dissertations
• Databases and Journals
• Locating Theses
• Resource Not at Cornell?
• Citing Sources
• Staying Current
• Measuring your research impact
• Plagiarism and Copyright
• Data Management
• Literature Reviews
• Evidence Synthesis and Systematic Reviews
• Writing an Honors Thesis
• Poster Making and Printing
• Research Help

Useful links and resources

• Colin Purrington's Designing conference posters Great (and funny) guide to designing scientific posters. Also has useful poster templates
• NCSU's tutorial on poster design Excellent tutorial on creating and presenting scientific posters
• 60 Second Poster Evaluation Link to poster evaluation criteria from NCSU
• Sample posters from exercise Some of the sample posters from NCSU used in our exercise
• Cornell Center for Materials Research guide to poster design and printing This site has great Step by step poster design tutorials and templates in the lefthand navigation bar.
• UNC graduate school's poster and presentation resources Good roundup of links to poster making and presentation advice
• Developing Poster Presentations in the Social Sciences
• Plotter printing at Mann
• Finding Images at Cornell guide
• Other free poster templates at PosterPresentations.com
• Cornell logos from visual identity site Scroll down to Logo Assets to find logos
• Creative Commons Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation. You can also find CC searches in Google Images (under the gear icon in Advanced Search) and other sites like Flickr
• Google Images Advanced Search In Google Advanced Search you can choose a large image size, a particular image type or color, public domain images from .gov sites, or Creative Commons licensed images under usage rights.

VIDEO: How to create a better research poster in less time (including templates)

This 20-minute video created by Mike Morrison of the Open Science Framework, proposes a better way to make research posters by avoiding the "wall of text" approach. Presentation templates to accompany the video are also available.

VIDEO: Making an academic research poster-the how to

This useful 10 minute tutorial from Jerry Overmyer of the University of Northern Colorado's Mathematics and Science Teaching (MAST) Institute walks you through the basics of adding text and images to a PowerPoint poster template.   

Poster Session PPT

• Poster Printing at Mann Overview of the 3 plotters at Mann and how to use them to print out a poster

Presentation Resources

Creating a poster is one thing, but creating an effective presentation is another. The links below can help you get started and talk about general design issues, both practical, and further on, theoretical. For more specific resources on software, check the library catalog for the subject Microsoft PowerPoint (Computer file).

• Presentation Zen blog
• Presentation Zen Design
• Designing Effective Presentations
• The cognitive style of PowerPoint
• Beyond bullet points : using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 to create presentations that inform, motivate, and inspire
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• Next: Cool Tools >>
• Last Updated: Oct 25, 2023 11:28 AM
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Designing a Conservation Science Poster?

Focus on key ideas.

Posters need to attract your audience and convey a few key ideas. If you have never been to a poster session, imagine a marketplace with dozens of merchants trying to hawk their wares to hundreds of potential customers in a single crowded room. In this case the merchants are very demure; they would not dream of loudly exhorting the crowd to gather at their poster. They just stand beside their poster as people wander around, hoping that their poster will catch the eye of an interested person. When people stop a conversation will probably ensue, perhaps for only a minute or two, perhaps much longer.

In this setting the key to brisk sales is an eye-catching poster and this probably means both an intriguing title and one or two large, attractive images . . . literally attractive. It is possible to go overboard with a cute title, but certainly almost anything would be better than: "Life history of the alpine lily, an endangered species" or "Visitor attitudes toward conservation at Alpine National Park." The first requirement for an attractive image is that it be large enough to be clearly visible from 2 or 3 meters away. Secondly, it should attempt to engage the viewer and make them want to find out more: What are those people doing? What kind of creature is that?

Once you have a person's attention you can initiate a conversation with a question such as,"Would you like to hear about my work?" and if the answer is "yes" then you have a few minutes to deliver your message.You should probably aim for about 3–5 minutes, but it may easily extend longer if you are asked questions, a good sign that the person is genuinely interested and not just being polite. During your mini-presentation the main function of the poster will be to provide some key figures or tables you need to display your results and perhaps a map to show where you work. Figures are usually preferable to tables, especially because they are easier to interpret from a modest distance, but sometimes a table will work better.

If the key elements of a poster are a title and image to attract a listener and then some figures to use while talking about your results, then why is the typical poster cluttered with lots of text material? There are two answers: first, some posters are designed to be read while the presenter is absent; second, most posters try to present far more material than can be realistically absorbed by the average reader in the time they will spend standing before a poster. The first issue is easily resolved by determining the structure of the poster session; if they are on display for an extended period then that calls for a different design than if they will be visible for only a couple hours when you are present. If the poster needs to stand alone, you will need some bare-bones text to lead readers through the main parts of your paper: an Introduction to provide some context, Methods to describe what you did, and so on, perhaps 200–500 words at most. The mistake people make most often is overwhelming their reader. Surrounded by scores of other posters that are competing for attention it will be unusual for anyone to spend more than 5 minutes reading your poster, unless the topic particularly interests them. First, you need to ask yourself, how much material can I actually convey to a reader in 5 minutes? Then you to need to organize that material in a visually accessible design.This means large, simple fonts, an outline format based on key phrases, and, most important of all, avoiding excessive text.

Imagine standing in front of a poster reading the preceding paragraph compared with seeing its essence distilled like this:

Why are posters cluttered?

• Designed for reading, not presenting
• Provide too much material Solutions
• Limit material to 5 minutes' worth
• Use an outline format

Sure, some nuance is lost in the latter version, but which one will you actually take the time to read in the midst of a poster session and which one is more likely to stick with you?

Create a first draft

Aim to have a first draft of your poster done a couple weeks before the conference so that your advisor and others can review it for you. Some fresh sets of eyes will almost certainly identify some opportunities for major improvements. For people who are really interested in your work it can be useful to have a short handout, say both sides of a sheet of paper, that contains your abstract and key figures. These can be left in a large envelope hanging from the poster if it is unattended at times. Of course, this handout should contain your contact information so that the interaction can continue by phone or email after the conference. Conversely, you should be prepared to collect contact information for people that you want to contact later. Obviously face-to-face interactions are best and you might want to suggest meeting for a meal later in the conference if you think this would be fruitful.

Many first-time poster presenters are disappointed with the volume of interactions; you are likely to spend more time standing alone than engaged in animated conversation. This is not a reflection of the quality of your work. The reality is that poster sessions are social events and many participants will be more focused on chatting with colleagues than viewing posters. One way to avoid standing alone is to interact with other nearby poster presenters. Ask them to describe their posters and they will almost certainly reciprocate.

Remember, your scientific poster is a presentation of data and results with a short written discussion of your research at a scientific meeting. Using clear, consise writing, self-explainatory tables and graphics as well as good design techniques, a person should be able to fully read your poster in less than 10 minutes. It should be readable from 2 meters away and a good rule of thumb is to include 35 percent blank space.

Don’t be afraid to edit and simplify.

Example Posters

Poster 1   is a traditional poster with substantial blocks of text. Although this version has only 740 words of core text (1436 including legends, titles, literature cited, etc.), it still is so dense that most passersby will not take the time to read it. 

Poster 2   is much abbreviated from the traditional version with only 337 words of core text (1023 inclusive), but the central ideas are still conveyed. This format is much more inviting for a passerby, allowing a reader to understand the significant conservation implications of the project in less than 5 minutes. 

Poster 3   is shorter still with a reduced introduction, methods presented as a flow chart, and results presented only in figures. This version would probably be optimal for a poster session during which the presenter is always available to talk people through the poster. Nevertheless, even with only 209 words of core text (727 words total text) the poster can still be understood as a stand alone.

More Resources and Examples:

These and many other books and websites offer excellent advice for putting together your poster and your presentation:

• "Designing Conference Posters" by Colin Purrington
• Hunter, M.L., D.B. Lindenmayer, and A.J.K. Calhoun 2007. Saving the Earth as a career: Advice on becoming a conservation professional. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, United Kingdom.

– PLEASE do not copy this resource for your own website – This resource is property of SCB, with exerpts from "Saving the Earth as a career: Advice on becoming a conservation professional" by Malcolm L. Hunter, Jr., David Lindenmayer, Aram Calhoun. You may link to this resource, but you may NOT copy/paste this material without the express written permission of the authors.

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Student Research Showcase

• Poster Information

Research Showcase: Poster Information and Presentation Tips

General poster guidelines.

• Your poster should meet the standard scientific poster minimum of 36"x48" (inches) in landscape (horizontal) orientation.
• An easel, 36"x48" foam board and binder clips will be provided for you to display your poster.ed
• Place poster title and author(s) name at the top of your poster, with printed characters at least 1" high. The title should be the same as the title used for registering the abstract.
• The poster should have large, legible text and figures. Please describe results in a manner that is clear to a reader, even when you are not at your poster. Make sure the poster is readable from a distance.
• It is recommended that the poster be printed on coated heavy weight paper.

External Resources and Tips for Creating your Poster

Scientific Poster Design PDF - Courtesy of CCMR

Posters will be displayed by research category. Some categories may be combined due to number of entries.

It is highly recommended that you have your poster printed at least three days before the showcase date. If you wait until the last moment you may end up paying extra for printing or find that you cannot get your poster printed. The cost of poster printing is the responsibility of the student.

Vendors include:

• Imprints (on-campus)
• Scantech Graphics
• Replica - Digital Printing and Copy (off Miramar Road)
• ReproHaus (contact: Janis Ohlson)
• Advance Reprographics
• Kinko's (for last minute orders, but more expensive)

Poster set-up will be on the showcase date starting at 2:00pm. Posters must be displayed no later than 3:15pm . Check in at the Price Center West Ballroom to pick up your name badge and receive instructions on where to place your poster. Posters will be numbered for easy of judging.

Note: all personal belongings will be placed in a separate/secure area during the event. No backpacks, skateboards, poster tubes, other personal belongings may be kept in the poster area. Direction will be provided during check-in.

Displaying Poster

The poster session is open from 3:15pm to 6:00pm. Judging will take place from 3:15pm to 5:00pm, only presenters and judges will be admitted into ballrooms during this time. You are expected to remain with your poster during judging period. During non-judging time, 5:00-6:00pm you are welcome to view other posters. Please invite your guests, lab colleagues, family, and friends to attend the session from 5:00-6:00pm. The award ceremony will begin promptly at 6:00pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Take-Down of Poster

All posters should remain up for viewing throughout the entire Research Showcase event (3:15pm-6:15pm). Please keep your poster up so guests and attendees have a chance to look at your work. You may take down your poster after the awards are announced. If you need to leave the event early, please talk to one of the School of Biological Sciences staff members at the check-in tables.

Presentation Information

• Each student presenter will be given 15 minutes to present their work. Remember to allow 5 minutes for Q&A with the judge.
• Do not print-out handouts, as you will only be judge based on the poster content and how well you summarize the research.
• Practice presenting your poster to your PI, lab staff, and your friends. With only 15 minutes you need to be able to deliver your presentation flawlessly.
• Dress to impress, business casual is recommended. Make sure your outfit looks professional, and doesn't distract from your poster.
• Past Abstracts and Winners

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

Poster Presentation

Characteristics of a poster presentation.

• Poster presenters should dress professionally and understand all parts of their poster.
• Most poster presentations take place in a large room with dozens to hundreds of individual poster presentations occurring simultaneously.  
• A typical presentation lasts 5-15 minutes.
• Typical audience size for an individual poster presentation will be 1-5 people.
• It is acceptable for the audience to ask questions during a presentation.
• The presenter should use the poster’s figures and tables to communicate with the audience.

Excellent Presentations are Simple

The presenter is the scientist or engineer who conducted the research.   The presenter is an expert in that particular field and should be confident (but not arrogant) when presenting the research to their audience.   The presenter should understand everything that is in their poster (e.g., issue, topic, figures, tables, references).   The presenter should relax, speak clearly, start with the introduction, move through the methods, results and end with the discussion section.   The presenter should engage in conservation with the audience and answer their questions during the poster presentation.   The presenter should not read word-for-word from a script, but rather they should follow a general progression through their poster ( Fig. 17 ) that allows for active and organic discussion between them and the audience.    

Figure 17. Poster Presentation

Tips for Giving a Poster Presentation

• Practice your presentation several times before the poster event. Dress professionally. Your audience will be focused on your poster for 5-15 minutes so you do not have much time to capture their attention and tell your story.   Engaging figures, maps, and graphs will help capture their attention.  
• Focus most of your presentation on your figures and tables. Your audience will focus on figures, graphs, tables, and maps.   They rarely read the poster text.   If they read any text at all, it will likely be the abstract and figure captions so a presenter really should focus on figures and tables when they prepare for their poster presentation.  
• Speak clearly and know your topic.   Remember you are the expert, so you need to understand all parts of your poster.  
• Presenters should start their presentation ( Fig. 17 ) by introducing themself and moving onto the Title and Introduction sections.   Describe the issue and use figures to help explain the story.   Use maps to show the study area, use photographs of the organism or pollutant or issue, use graphs and tables to show patterns (e.g., population increased over past 5 years) and focus on important points.   Flow from one figure to the next, ending with the Discussion and Conclusion sections.   The presenter should point to the poster when they are talking about a specific figure, and use words and their hands to help explain each part of the poster.
• Allow your audience to participate, allow them to ask questions throughout your presentation ( Fig. 18 ).   Always be respectful of your audience.   Always try to answer their questions.   If you do not know the answer, the best thing to say is “I do not know the answer, but I can point to another study here in my references section where other scientists are working on this very question.” Engage your audience and show them where to find additional work (e.g., journal articles, names of scientists) about the topic.  
• Avoid using words like “stuff” and “things” and other general phrases like “this work was great”.   Give specific details because this demonstrates to the audience that you understand your topic.   Use the vocabulary words that you learned and explain these to the audience.   For example, rather than saying “This work was great for orangutans,” you could say, “This work was great because it was the first time that we observed orangutan feeding behavior in the wild and it allowed us to determine that female orangutans need 5,500 calories per day during their breeding season. Those females that obtained 5,500 calories per day were twice as likely to give birth.”
• Be prepared for a lively and dynamic event ( Fig. 19 ).   Poster events typically consist of dozens or hundreds of individual poster presentations occurring simultaneously in the same room.   These events are typically very loud and energetic.   Food and beverages are typically provided at the event.  
• Be flexible.   The audience will walk around to view as many posters as possible, stopping occasionally to view a poster and talk to a poster presenter about their research.   Some people may talk with the presenter for a few seconds, others may spend 15-20 minutes talking with a poster presenter.   Presenter-audience interactions will be rather informal and dynamic.  
• Read or download the poster guide and map prior to attending the poster event.   A poster program guide and poster map will typically be published ahead of the event so that the audience knows where to find each poster and the presenter knows where to set up their poster.  
• Wear comfortable shoes.   Posters are typically displayed on an easel and the presenter stands by their poster during the entire event, which can several hours.

Figure 18. Two-Way Communication is Key to a Successful Poster Event

All scientific posters follow a similar organization in terms of parts (i.e., Abstract, Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, Discussion, References) and layout (i.e., title and name at the top, 3-4 columns for content).   However, each scientific poster can be unique in terms of its font, color scheme, types of figures (e.g., chart, diagram, graph, map, photograph) and use of tables.   It is entirely up to the scientists to decide how they want to design their poster to best communicate their research with the audience.   Gallery 1 shows eight different scientific posters that were presented at a scientific conference.   As you look through Gallery 1 you can see that the posters are all similar in the way that they are organized but that each poster is unique in they way it is designed (e.g., color scheme, number and placement of figures, use of fonts).   While each is different, they all succeed in their goal of visually communicating the importance of their scientific research to an audience ( Gallery 1) .    

Figure 19. Poster Event

Gallery 1. Examples of Completed Scientific Posters

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

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Free powerpoint poster templates for research poster presentations.

Poster template design: Aragon Standard poster sizes in inches (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 36x48 | 36x56 | 36x60 | 36x72 | 36x96 | 42x60 | 42x72 | 42x90 | 44x44 | 30x40 | 48x48 | 48x72 | 48x96 | Trifold  | Virtual - Standard Screen (4:3 Ratio) | Virtual - Wide Screen (16:9 Ratio) Standard poster sizes in centimeters (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 122x91 | 100x70 | 140x100 | 100x100 | 200x100 | A0 | A1 ► View Samples   ► Learn how to customize the template colors

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Poster template design:  Lockwood Standard poster sizes in inches (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 36x48 | 36x56 | 36x60 | 36x72 | 36x96 | 42x60 | 42x72 | 42x90 | 44x44 | 30x40 | 48x48 | 48x72 | 48x96 | Trifold | Virtual - Standard Screen (4:3 Ratio) | Virtual - Wide Screen (16:9 Ratio) Standard poster sizes in centimeters (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 122x91 | 100x70 | 140x100 | 100x100 | 200x100 | A0 | A1 ► View Samples   ► Learn how to customize the template colors

Poster template design:  Kensington Standard poster sizes in inches (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 36x48 | 36x56 | 36x60 | 36x72 | 36x96 | 42x60 | 42x72 | 42x90 | 44x44 | 30x40 | 48x48 | 48x72 | 48x96 | Trifold | Virtual - Standard Screen (4:3 Ratio) | Virtual - Wide Screen (16:9 Ratio) Standard poster sizes in centimeters (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 122x91 | 100x70 | 140x100 | 100x100 | 200x100 | A0 | A1 ► View Samples   ► Learn how to customize the template colors

Poster template design:  Stone A new, simplified concept for better poster design Standard poster sizes in inches (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 36x48 | 36x56 | Trifold | Virtual - Standard Screen (4:3 Ratio) | Virtual - Wide Screen (16:9 Ratio) Standard poster sizes in centimeters (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download A0 ► View Samples   ► Learn how to customize the template colors

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Poster template design:  Winston Standard poster sizes in inches (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 36x48 | 36x56 | Trifold | Virtual - Standard Screen (4:3 Ratio) | Virtual - Wide Screen (16:9 Ratio) Standard poster sizes in centimeters (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download A0 ► View Samples    ► Learn how to customize the template colors

Poster template design:  Chamberlain Standard poster sizes in inches (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 36x48 | 36x56 | 36x60 | 36x72 | 36x96 | 42x60 | 42x72 | 42x90 | 44x44 | 30x40 | 48x48 | 48x72 | 48x96 | Trifold | Virtual - Standard Screen (4:3 Ratio) | Virtual - Wide Screen (16:9 Ratio) Standard poster sizes in centimeters (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 122x91 | 100x70 | 140x100 | 100x100 | 200x100 | A0 | A1 ► View Samples   ► Learn how to customize the template colors

Poster template design:  Forrest Standard poster sizes in inches (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 36x48 | 36x56 | 36x60 | 36x72 | 36x96 | 42x60 | 42x72 | 42x90 | 44x44 | 30x40 | 48x48 | 48x72 | 48x96 | Trifold | Virtual - Standard Screen (4:3 Ratio) | Virtual - Wide Screen (16:9 Ratio) Standard poster sizes in centimeters (Height x Width) - Click on a size to download 122x91 | 100x70 | 140x100 | 100x100 | 200x100 | A0 | A1 ► View Samples   ► Learn how to customize the template colors

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Fabric Research Posters

Say goodbye to poster tubes with a professional fabric poster you can pack in your luggage! With our crease-resistant EasyTravel™ fabric your presentation will look professional, sharp, and will pack nicely in your carry-on.

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Links to university corporate identity (Logo) pages

List of corporate identity pages where you can download university logos to use with your poster presentation. Help your fellow researchers. Good quality logos for use in printed research posters  are difficult to find online. If you have a link to the identity page of your university, email it to us and we will add it to our list for others to use.

UC Berkeley Texas A&M UCLA Columbia Medical Center Stanford University

Adelphi University Duke University UPENN Bradley University ENMU

UNC Chapel Hill Northwestern University Magnet recognition Seal  Howard University University of Houston

Drexel University Carlow University UNLV UNR UFL

TUFTS George Mason U. St. Scholastica College Mount Royal University Penn State

Yale University University of Wisconsin SD School of Mines USC GATECH

STARTER POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATES

Standard size research poster templates in inches use these starter poster templates as a starting point for your own poster designs, thumbnails of posters are shown in proportion to each others’ sizes based on a 48 inch (height) x 96 inch (width) display area, 36” tall x 48” wide
.

STARTER 36x48 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE The 36x48 scientific poster template size is one of the smaller sizes and also one of the most common. It is very suitable for scientific posters with low to moderate amount of text and graphics. The 36x48 research poster template can also be printed at the following sizes without distortion or any necessary adjustments: 36x48 (Standard), 42x56, 48x64, 30x40

Trifold (tabletop)

STARTER    TRIFOLD POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE These free PowerPoint poster templates are designed for a standard 3x4 foot poster presentation to be mounted on a standard Trifold poster board. This research poster template should be printed only at the following size: 36x48 (Standard Trifold) This poster template is for a standard Trifold board presentation. You can use it with poster boards available at office-supply stores or our professional ready-to-use Trifold poster presentation product. Are you looking for a larger MonsterBoard template? Use this PowerPoint MonsterBoard template.

36” Tall x 56” Wide

STARTER    36x56 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3x4.5 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is for a medium size poster. It is suitable for most poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate to large amounts of content.

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36” Tall x 60” Wide

STARTER 36x60 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3x5 foot poster presentation. This is also one of the standard sizes. It is used mostly when the height of the presentation board is only three feet and there is more content to present that can fit in a 48x36 poster.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 36x60 (Standard), 42x70, 48x80

36” Tall x 72” Wide


STARTER    36x72 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3x6 foot poster presentation. The same as the above scientific poster template, only wider by a foot. Again, it depends on how much content you need to present.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
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36” Tall x 96” Wide

STARTER    36x96 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3x8 foot poster presentation. 
It’s the widest one you can use on a three foot tall presentation board. It has five columns.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
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42” Tall x 60” Wide

STARTER    42x60 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3.5x5 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is suitable for most poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate to large amounts of content.

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42” Tall x 72” Wide

STARTER    42x72 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3.5x6 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is for a medium size poster. It is suitable for most poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate to large amounts of content.

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42” Tall x 90” Wide

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44” Tall x 44” Wide

STARTER 44x44 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3.7 x 3.7 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is for a medium size poster. It is suitable for many poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate amounts of content.
 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 44x44 (Standard), 36x36, 42x42, 48x48

48” Tall x 72” Wide

STARTER 48x72 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 4x6 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is for a medium/large size poster. It is suitable for most poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate to large amounts of content. 
This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 48x72 (Standard), 24x36, 42x63

48” Tall x 48” Wide

STARTER    48x72 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 4x4 foot poster presentation. This scientific poster template is a good size for limited available spaces without compromising room for content.

 This research poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 48x48 (Standard), 36x36, 24x24, 42x42

48” Tall x 96” Wide

STARTER    48x96 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 4x8 foot poster presentation. This poster template is for the largest size poster usually allowed in conferences.

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40” Tall x 30” Wide

STARTER    40x30 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 40x30 inch poster presentation. This vertical poster template can accommodate a moderate amount of content. It can accommodate several photos, tables, charts, and a decent amount of text. This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
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Free PowerPoint poster templates in metric sizes (cm) for international poster conferences

Thumbnails of posters are shown in proportion to each others’ sizes based on a 200 cm (height) x 100 cm (width) display area, 91 wide x 122 tall.

STARTER    91cmX122cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 91 cm by 122 cm scientific poster presentation for international poster sessions. This PowerPoint poster template is essentially a vertical version of a standard 48x36 inch poster presentation. 

This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
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70 Wide x 100 Tall

STARTER 70cmX100cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 70 cm by 100 cm scientific poster presentation for international poster sessions. This PowerPoint poster template is for a small size poster poster presentation commonly used at international conferences.

This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 70 cm x100 cm (Standard 27.5x39.37 inches), 100x143 cm

100 Wide x 140 Tall

STARTER    100cmX140cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 100 cm by 140 cm scientific poster presentation for international poster sessions. This PowerPoint poster template is for a small size poster poster presentation commonly used at international conferences.

This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
 100 cm x140 cm (Standard 39.37x55.12 inches)

1 Meter x 1 Meter

STARTER    100cmX100cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 1 meter by 1 meter scientific poster presentation for international or domestic poster sessions. This template is commonly required at the Keystone Symposia research poster conferences.

This scientific poster template can be printed at the following size:
 100 cm x 100 cm (Standard 39 x 39 inches). Any square size up to 121 x 121 cm

100 Wide x 200 Tall

STARTER    100cmX200cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 1 meter by 2 meter scientific poster presentation for international or domestic poster sessions.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following size:
 100 cm x 200 cm (Standard 39 x 78 inches)

STARTER A0 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric A0 scientific poster presentation at a 841mm x 1189mm size for international or domestic poster sessions. This scientific poster template can be printed at the following size:
 46.81 inches x 33.11 inches

STARTER    A1 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric A1 scientific poster presentation at a 594mm x 841mm poster size for international or domestic poster sessions. This scientific poster template can be printed at the following size:
 23.39 inches x 33.11 inches

VIRTUAL POSTER PRESENTATION

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Virtual poster sessions for conferences and meetings of all sizes

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Biology research posters, general instructions.

The poster presentations provide a forum for you to present your experiences in either research projects or internship. This serves a two-fold purpose in communication: it allows you the opportunity to present your project/internship and it allows the content of your experience to be shared with other students and faculty. In order to fulfill this purpose, the poster should be legible from a distance (~ 5 feet) to permit viewing by more than one person at a time. The guidelines below will give you some of the criteria which will increase the clarity and effectiveness of your poster. There are trifold poster boards available for display. These boards are 48" x 36". (See picture below.)

B) General Format

Use large type -- at least 72 point font for the title, 20 point for major headings and 16 point for the text. In this document "Poster Format" is in 18 point bold font, the major headings are in 16 point bold font, the A,B,C headings are in 14 point bold font, and the text is in 12 point font. Imagine reading these from a distance of 5 feet. (I am using the Times font -- remember different fonts vary in size.)

Choose a clear font (not too fancy) and use a single font type throughout the poster.

Prepare a title banner for the poster, including the TITLE OF PRESENTATION with the names of the authors and any affiliations listed below. (For the affiliations -- indicate if you worked at Wittenberg, another university, the forestry service, etc.)

The poster should flow either down columns or along rows -- natural patterns for Westerners.

Keep the poster simple. The challenge is to maintain a balance between providing information and not confusing the viewer.

Figures and tables should cover roughly 50% of the viewing area. Each should be clearly labeled and have adequate description so that the reader knows what s/he is looking at!

Text portions of the poster should be concise while providing the necessary information. (Balance, again!) Feel free to use bulleted lists and outlines for clarity. The sections to be included for each type of poster are given below.

The tri-fold cardboard display units are 48" x 36" (w x h).

C) Tips for preparation

Plan ahead! Make a rough sketch of the poster first. What are the main points you wish to convey? What is the best format for figures? Should you use photographs? Graphs? Charts? Tables? What can best be said in prose? Does color help?

What are the appropriate major headings and topics for each section? Make a mock up of the figures and text you plan to include and experiment with layout. Get some feedback from peers and professors. Sleep on it. (No, not literally!) Does the poster convey the message you intend?

Formalize the figures and the text. Don't forget to check spelling and grammar! Lay out the poster. Stand back and look. Are all the figures clear. Can a reasonably intelligent individual navigate the poster without your assistance?

Add finishing touches, altering figures and text to enhance clarity and flow.

Note: These are general guidelines, not rules. If you have prepared a presentation of your work for a meeting within your discipline, that format is fine as long as it lends itself to a gallery-style presentations

Research Projects

For research projects, your major task is to clearly define your project for a general audience. This should include the purpose or intent of the project, project design, and any results or conclusions. A clear description of the question addressed and the methods for trying to answer that question is important. Remember that your audience is the Wittenberg community. In general, the following sections should be included.

The abstract provides a brief overview of the project and any conclusions.  These abstracts will be compiled into a booklet for the poster session.

Introduction

In the introduction include necessary background information and the rationale for the experiment. What is the question being asked, why is it being asked, and how does this fit into the larger scientific framework?

Figures and tables with brief text explanations

Figures and tables might include a flow chart of the steps of the project, diagrams of the methods of research, photos of relevant sites, support for your conclusions.  Where relevant, this should include any data and/or data interpretation.  Aim for clarity in all cases.

Briefly summarize the project, including any conclusions which can be drawn from your project.

Internships

The posters describing internships should convey the essence of the internship to the observer. You may choose to highlight areas of the internship you found particularly intriguing. Include your duties in the internship:  what were your responsibilities? What did you learn from the internship?

The abstract provides a brief, general description of the internship. What was the focus of the internship? What areas were explored? These abstracts will be compiled into a booklet for the poster session.

Describe the internship in a bit more detail than in the abstract. What were your responsibilities? Who were you working with? Did you work in the context of a large organization? If so, how did your internship relate to the overall mission of that organization? What were the goals of the internship?

Figures, tables, and photographs with brief text explanations

Provide graphic (but G-rated) depictions of the components of your internship. What were the high points? Would photographs help to convey your experience more clearly? You may need to rely more heavily on text than some of the experimental projects or than some of the internships. There is wide variety on what will be included in this section depending on the nature of the internship.

Briefly summarize the internship. The challenge here is to provide synthesis without repetition. Were the goals of the internship achieved? What more might you hope to have learned?

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Poster Presentation Guidelines

Poster presentation information and dates.

All posters will be displayed and presented in the Exhibit Hall. Abstracts scheduled for presentation in poster sessions will be grouped by topic, assigned a program and board number, and will appear in the  Poster Guide . Regular and late abstracts will be available online on or around November 20. For purposes of citation they are considered to be a supplement to the December 15, 2019 issue of  Molecular Biology of the Cell  Journal.  Click here  for more information on Abstract Publication and Citation (visit the Publication and Citation tab).

Please refer to the table below for set-up, tear-down, and presentation dates/times for posters:

If you are presenting on Tuesday and you wish to keep your poster , you must remove your poster no later than 4:00 pm on Tuesday, December 10.  After 4:00 pm on Tuesday, December 10, no attendees will be admitted in to the Exhibit Hall . This is for your own safety as the Exhibit Hall is being dismantled.

• Ensure your poster is placed on the assigned poster board for the duration of your assigned poster session (the full period above). If you are unable to set up your poster the evening before your session, please put it up as soon as you can on the morning before your session. In case of emergency, poster presenters who are unable to present should contact the ASCB at  [email protected]  to notify us.
• Stand at your poster during your assigned 90-minute presentation time. Odd board numbers present from 12:00-1:30 pm. Even board numbers present from 1:30-3:00 pm. The notification email sent in early November, indicating the poster session assignment, program number, board number, and time of presentation, will contain this information.
• The organizers are not responsible for any posters that are not removed at the designated time. Posters left in the Exhibit Hall after that time may be discarded.
• Poster presenters should not leave any items unattended at their poster board, including poster tubes, meeting bags,  2018 ASCB/EMBO  Meeting Programs , personal items, luggage, etc. The ASCB and/or EMBO are not responsible for any items left in the Exhibit Hall.

Poster Board Specifications

The poster board surface area is 3’8″ (1.1 m) high by 6′ (1.828 m) wide. The suggested poster size is 42″ high by 66″ wide. To prepare your poster, we recommend you follow these guidelines (if you wish to organize your poster differently, you are welcome to do so, but please make sure all of these elements appear somewhere on the poster board):

• Create a label for the top of the poster, indicating the assigned program number of the abstract, its title, and all authors. The lettering for this section should not be less than 1″ (2.5 cm) high.
• Place a copy of the abstract, in large type, in the upper left-hand corner of the poster board.
• Ensure illustrations including charts and graphs, can be read from a distance of three feet or more.
• All text should be printed in a font large enough to be read comfortably from a distance of four to five feet (1.5 m).
• Remember to bring thumbtacks, pushpins, or velcro.

The ASCB will have a poster printing service available so you can order your poster and pick it up in the Registration Area, West Salon, of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. A link will be emailed with your notification email. Click here for more information.

Information About Final Abstract Submission (Submitted by October 8)

Abstracts submitted for the Final abstracts deadline will be grouped with the regular abstracts and share the same set-up, tear-down, and presentation times as the regular abstracts. All accepted abstracts, including final abstracts, will be searchable online. In addition, all abstracts will appear in the  Poster Guide .

It’s the ‘big meeting’ I find most worthwhile - indeed, indispensable, - for networking, career development, and the most exciting science anywhere.

Abby Dernburg. University of California, Berkeley

Last year was my first time attending the ASCB|EMBO meeting and I learned so much! The diversity of topics and types of questions being asked were incredible, and provided me with new perspectives on my own research.

Anne d'Aquino, Northwestern University

The ASCB|EMBO meeting is the only one where you can hear outstanding science that covers the entire range of cell biology, plus have the opportunity to see new products and instruments and meet journal editorial staff and NIH Program Officials.

George Witman, University of Massachusetts Medical School

The ASCB|EMBO Meeting brings together the best scientists with the latest developments. It is a unique opportunity to see the freshest trends in cell biology, learn the new developments, make friends and have fun.

Leonardo Almeida-Souza, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, UK

Amazing meeting. It's THE meeting of the year to not miss. Great science, all fields of research are represented including very last discoveries on all model systems. The strong attendance by researchers from all over the world is a unique opportunity to make new contacts and collaborations. Hoping to attend the 2019 ASCB-EMBO meeting!!!

Chantal Roubinet, University College London, London (UCL)

The ASCB|EMBO meeting is great because there are so many opportunities to network with people in the field, learn about the latest groundbreaking research, and develop a new set of skills.

Cameron MacQuarrie, State University of New York Upstate Medical University

This meeting is a wonderful opportunity to learn, to network, and to grow professionally. I feel both inspired to pursue new lines of investigation and more knowledgeable of the tools to do so. Had I only known about this meeting a few years back, what a game changer it would have been. I will definitely return and will encourage my trainees to attend.

Ekaterina Heldwein, Tufts University School of Medicine

The annual ASCB meeting serves for me as a crash-course in cell biology. Over the years, I have also realized that several topics that were first introduced and discussed at this meeting have gone on to become the latest trends in science.

Noopur Vilas Khobrekar, Columbia University

The ASCB is The best platform to communicate one's science and receive feedback, as well as to keep abreast of the great science carried out all over the world. It is a fantastic opportunity to meet with greats in the different fields and to network. A truly inspiring meeting that brings together the best science from around the globe.

Sabrya Carim, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine

Leadership Circle

Cornerstone circle, burroughs wellcome fund, ambassadors circle, 3i intelligent imaging innovations, biotek instruments.

Bruker Corporation

Ge healthcare, leica microsystems inc., springer nature, andor technology & bitplane, inc., carl zeiss microscopy, llc, thermo fisher scientific, advocates circle, abberior instruments america, applied biological materials inc., denovix inc., lipotype gmbh, nanolive sa, rockefeller university press, abclonal science inc., baker ruskinn, biolegend, inc., cellecta, inc., electron microscopy sciences, mad city labs, pco-tech inc., sartorius stedim biotech, the company of biologists, worthington biochemical corporation, cold spring harbor laboratory press, ibidi usa, inc., miltenyi biotec, peprotech, inc., sutter instrument company, tokai hit co., ltd., yokogawa electric corporation, supporters circle, anatomical record /american association of anatomists, getson & schatz, p.c., molecular devices, sciencell research laboratories, chromotek gmbh, cytoskeleton, inc., lumencor, inc., mimetas b.v., sino biological, inc., double helix optics, mizar imaging, science/aaas, w.w. norton.

Secondary Menu

• Honors Poster

The Honors Poster is a summary of the results and conclusions in the honors thesis. The poster should include the following: Title (w/student's name and research supervisor's name); Introduction/Background; Materials & Methods; Results; Conclusions (list of concluding statements).

Many students use Powerpoint to create their posters, but you may choose whatever program you're most comfortable with, such as Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.

Poster Specifics

Design and Format: Know your audience. Keep in mind that people will be seeing your poster that don’t have a background in your field. Know the primary message you’re trying to get through to your audience.

Include the following parts:

• Author/Title/Affiliation: TITLE, YOUR NAME, MENTOR(S) names, DEPARTMENT
• Background/Introduction
• Methods and Materials
• Conclusions
• Acknowledgements

A good poster should have enough information to stand on its own and present your research when you’re not standing by it to go into greater detail. It should provide a brief overview and background for your research, as well as show data and explain the results and implications of your findings. During your poster session you’ll often be asked to take someone through your project. At those times you’ll need to not only discuss your work, but use your poster to highlight the most important findings and points you want to emphasize to your audience. One thing a poster is NOT is a research paper thrown on a large sheet of paper. Too much text is distracting, and is rarely read. Figure out what your main points are and emphasize those.

Design Suggestions

Experiment by sketching out your poster on a sheet of paper. There are examples of scientific posters around the Biological Sciences Building, many of the Medical Center buildings, and there are many examples on the web, etc. - looking at these may help you decide what you want your poster to look like (or not look like). It's also likely that folks in your lab have made similar posters and can offer suggestions.

A good poster will guide the reader through the project. Think about this in terms of design and laying out the parts of your poster (people tend to look “up to down” and “left to right” when reading a poster). The size of all graphic elements should be determined by their relative importance and environment. Balance space that is devoted to text, artwork, and white space. An individual should be able to read a poster from 6 feet away. Use the following ballpark font sizes for the different parts of your poster:

TITLE: 72-120 point SUBTITLES: 48-80 point SECTION HEADERS: 36-72 point GENERAL TEXT: 24-48 point

Be consistent with your style. Keep in mind that colors may look different once printed than they do on your monitor.

Other Tips and Ideas:

• Boxes around sections can be helpful if it fits with the overall style you’ve chosen.
• Use clear headings.
• A simple flow chart describing your Methods is nice.
• Avoid using a lot of text. Just give highlights on the poster. Avoid using strings of all capital letters in titles and text blocks.
• Don’t use “title” case for figure and slide legends.
• Be careful using abbreviations. Make sure you define them when first used.
• Use italics instead of underlining.

Duke's Undergraduate Research Support Office has some poster-making advice and resources .

Poster Printing Information 

The display boards are 48x36 but posters can be smaller (ex. 42 by 36) so long as they'll fit okay on the board. Print fees are typically covered by either the student's PI/lab or paid for by the student; however, if this is an issue, please reach out to our DUS, Dr. Kelly Hogan.

Some options for printing include (*local company):

• * PhDPosters.com
• * Med Media Solutions
• * Fed/Ex Office on 9th Street
• * UPS Store on Erwin Rd
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DCB at AACR 2024

DCB staff gave presentations and interacted with cancer biology researchers at the 2024 AACR Annual Meeting , which had a theme of "Inspiring Science, Fueling Progress, Revolutionizing Care.”

NCI-Selected Sessions with DCB Involvement

April 7, 2024 (2:30 PM - 3:30 PM) Early-Onset Cancers from Etiology to Survivorship: Funding Opportunities, Resources, and Future Research Needs (NIH02) This session had representation from across NCI Divisions, Offices, and Centers. It provided an overview of the scientific problem and discussed research gaps in etiology, prevention, and survivorship for early-onset cancers. The presentations also shared relevant NCI notices of funding opportunities, activities, and resources related to early-onset cancers.  

April 7, 2024 (4:00 PM - 5:00 PM) Cancer Health Disparities Research Collaborations Across CRCHD and DCB (NIH03) In this session, program directors in DCB and the NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) shared collaborative NCI cancer health disparities research programs, including Basic Research in Cancer Health Disparities funding opportunities , the Integrating Health Disparities into Immuno-Oncology (HDIO) program, and Administrative Supplements to Support Cancer Disparity Collaborative Research . 

April 8, 2024 (10:15 AM - 11:15 AM) NCI Funding Opportunities in Cancer Prevention and Interception (NIH04) In this session, program directors in DCB and the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention (DCP) shared an overview of NCI funding opportunities and programs in cancer prevention and interception agent development that will address existing gaps and challenges in prevention and interception research. They shared information about the Discovery and Development of Natural Products for Cancer Interception and Prevention (DDNP-CIP) , the Cancer Immunoprevention Network (CIP-Net) , and PREVENT . 

April 8, 2023 (12:00 PM - 1:00 PM) Review and Funding of Foundational Cancer Biology Research at NIH & NCI (NIH05) In this session, Dr. Dan Gallahan (DCB Director), Dr. Shannon Hughes (DCB Deputy Director), and Dr. Amy Rubenstein, (Chief of the Basic and Translational Cancer Review Branch within the NIH Center for Scientific Review) discussed current funding trends in foundational cancer biology research, new grants policies (including the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy ), and changes in peer review.

April 10, 2024 (10:15 AM - 11:15 AM) NCI Artificial Intelligence (AI) Programs and Resources for Advancing Cancer Research (NIH12) In this session, NCI program staff shared NCI funding opportunities, resources, and community activities that support the appropriate development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) in cancer research. 

Slides from NCI Meet-the-Expert Sessions Presented by DCB Staff

April 7, 2024 (2:30 - 3:00 PM) Cancer Immunology Funding Opportunities: Strategies for Early Career Scientists Dr. Lillian Kuo (a DCB Program Director) presented grant strategies for early career scientists and NCI funding opportunities in cancer immunology. 

April 8, 2024 (9:30 - 10:00 AM) Investigator-Initiated Grants to Increase the Diversity of Viewpoints in Cancer Research Drs. Shannon Hughes and Ruibai Luo (DCB Program Directors) shared information about NIH Research Enhancement Awards (R15s) . 

April 8, 2024 (4:30 - 5:00 PM) Cancer Biology Research is Advancing Progress Towards the National Cancer Plan Dr. Claire McCarthy (the DCB Communications Manager) presented how fundamental cancer biology is advancing progress towards achieving the 8 goals of the National Cancer Plan .

April 9, 2024 (10:00 – 10:30 AM) Basic Research in Cancer Health Disparities Funding Opportunities Dr. Anu Sharman (a DCB Program Director) shared NCI funding opportunities that support basic, mechanistic research into the biological/genetic causes of cancer health disparities . 

April 9, 2024 (4:30 – 5:00 PM) NCI AI Activities and Resources Drs. Juli Klemm (NCI CSSI), Emily Greenspan (NCI CBIIT), Jennifer Couch (NCI DCB), and Roxanne Jensen (NCI DCCPS) presented NCI Artificial Intelligence (AI) funding opportunities and resources. 

Videos of Poster Presentations Featuring DCB-Supported Researchers

DCB-supported trainees and early stage investigators share their cancer biology research (which was presented during poster sessions during AACR 2024) in short videos:

Luis Cruz presents that tumor associated macrophages produce tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) to support cancer stem-like cell survival and promote ovarian cancer relapse in preclinical models.

Rima Singh describes a single cell transcriptomics approach that revealed stromal and metabolic heterogeneity in liver metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Michael Ning discusses how large language models, like ChatGPT, can be used to understand drug-gene relationships in cancer.

Dr. Evanthia Roussos Torres shares that epigenetic modulation decreases myeloid cell-mediated immunosuppression to improve responses to immunotherapy in preclinical models of breast cancer.

DCB Social Media For AACR 2024

DCB social media posts about #AACR24 can be found on Twitter/X and the DCB LinkedIN Showcase Page . 

Contact for DCB at AACR 2024

For additional information about DCB activities at AACR 2024, please contact Dr. Claire McCarthy . 

College of Biological Sciences

Advance scholar award symposium 2024.

Event Date Wed, Apr 24, 2024 @ 12:30pm - 4:30pm

Advance scholar award symposium 2024: “advancing the retention and success of historically marginalized students in stemm”.

The ADVANCE Award Symposium celebrates the contributions made by two ADVANCE awardees, and presents an opportunity for the UC Davis community to join together around the awardees’ research and commitment to mentoring, social impact and public outreach. In this event we will discuss technologies to improve accessibility, algorithms that prevent bias and how to involve community partners to empower marginalized groups. There will be three plenary talks, a poster session and ample time for discussion. We hope you will join us! The  ADVANCE Award  is available for mid-career and senior UC Davis faculty who advance diverse perspectives and gender equity in STEMM through their teaching, research and service. Find details below about the Advance awardees who will be featured in this event.

Register Here

2023 Awardees and Invited Speakers

Elva Diaz , Professor, Pharmacology "How to change your mind: Broadening access to Neuroscience by understanding mechanisms of Brain function in Learning and Memory"

I am a professor and scientist. I lead a research program focused on understanding how the brain works and how it is impacted by disease such as Alzheimer’s. I am motivated by the scientific discovery process and I aim to inspire life-long learning for undergraduate, graduate and medical students. As a native Californian born to parents originally from Mexico, I have developed a strong appreciation and respect for the benefits and advantages of a diverse population while recognizing at the same time the barriers that exist for some individuals. I am an advocate for an equitable and inclusive environment at the university. As a young person I was inspired by the motto “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” I want students to look back at their time with me as a significant positive impact on their training and professional career success. I want people to think of me like I think of my high school biology teacher Mr. Okuda who recognized my potential and inspired me in my path of scientific discovery. 

Natalia Caporale , Associate Professor of Teaching, Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior "Implementing data-informed, asset-based frameworks to understand and promote the success of all students in STEM"

Efforts aimed at promoting the retention and success of students from minoritized populations in STEM have traditionally followed a student-deficit approach, where students are seen as the source of the problem and thus interventions are designed to "fix" students, either by "increasing their motivation", "strengthening their academic preparation" and/or "teaching them how to succeed in the academic environment". While this approach has indeed promoted the success of the students that participated in specialized programs and interventions, they cannot be seen but as a band-aid that ignores the more systemic problems within Higher Education that make such band-aids necessary. In this talk, I will share perspectives and findings from my research group that will encourage attendees to consider a shift to an institution/classroom-deficit paradigm that recognizes that accomplishing true inclusion in STEM (and all higher education, for that matter), requires institutional transformations that address existing discriminatory structures and policies and embrace asset-based approaches to student learning and success. Specifically, we will discuss the experiences and statistics of Latinx students on Academic Probation, studies on systemic gender gaps in upper division biology courses across several R1 institutions, how Ethnic Studies courses can support the success of all students at UC Davis and finally, we will also briefly introduce how we are working in our research group to adapting critical frameworks towards promoting the success of diverse students in STEM.

Tentative Schedule

Poster presentations.

Interested in presenting a poster?  Undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs involved in neuroscience, teaching, mentoring, or bias in science education are invited to submit an abstract for a poster presentation. If you would like to present at the poster session, please complete the questions at the end of the registration page.

• UC Davis Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  (DEI)
• UC Davis Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science  (CAMPOS)
• UC Davis TETRAPODS Institute of Data Science  (UCD4IDS) and the NSF Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR): Transdisciplinary Research In Principles Of Data Science ( TRIPODS ) Phase I grant: CCF-1934568

NCI Chemical Biology Consortium Symposium: Catch the Wave – Innovations in Cancer Therapeutics (Overview)

The NCI and Sanford Burnham Prebys (SBP) are pleased to announce that the third annual NCI Chemical Biology Consortium Symposium will be held on January 31, 2024, at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine in La Jolla California.

The symposium will focus on innovation in the process of discovering and developing novel cancer therapeutics.

Presentations from members of the CBC and San Diego’s cancer research community, will highlight projects from both academia and biotechnology companies.

Presentations will be supplemented with a poster session and additional time to network.

San Diego cancer research scientific community is invited to attend.