Designing an Effective Research Poster

Guiding all design decisions should be good understanding of the purpose of the finished product.  Research posters serve a different purpose than a research paper; as a result, they should look quite different!  Most likely, you have already written an abstract for your research paper - think of your poster as an illustrated abstract.

Research posters exist to:

• Guide someone through the basics of your research
• Supplement your 5-minute discussion about your research
• Serve as a snapshot of your work, either to:
  • engage your audience in discussion, or
  • stand alone to explain your research, if you are not present

With this purpose in mind, they should:

• Provide a short and informative title of your research
• Give a brief introduction to your question, explaining its importance
• Briefly describe your experimental approach
• Graphically show the results of your experiment 
• List published articles that are important for your research
• Provide contact information and brief acknowledgements 

Remember, your poster is like a short story.  Keep it brief, and just describe the major points of your research.

Give your project a brief, descriptive title that conveys the issue and your experimental approach. (1-2 lines)

Just kidding!  Do not include an abstract.  Your research poster is your abstract.

Why is your topic interesting?  There must be a reason you chose to research this, so convey that to your audience.

Provide the following: (200 words)

• Basic background information
• Text placing your research within the context of the published literature in your field
• Your hypothesis
• Your experimental approach
• Why your topic is important
• A relevant photo or illustration

What experimental equipment and procedures did you use?  Briefly describe these.  This section is an excellent opportunity for graphical depictions of your process, like a figure or flow chart.

Provide the following: (200 words)

• Experimental equipment and procedure
• Relevant photos or diagrams of experimental design or object
• Statistical analyses used
• How the above allowed you to test hypothesis

This section will be your largest section, and should include both quantitative and qualitative information.

Provide the following: (250 words)

• Did your experimental procedure work?
• Provide qualitative and descriptive results to give a personal tone to your poster
• Present data and data analysis that addresses your hypothesis
• Provide supporting charts, images, or figures

Summarize the major result, or take-away message, of your research and reiterate whether your hypothesis was supported.  Convince the reader that your outcome was interesting and relevant. (200 words)

Literature Cited: Cite the most important literature, carefully following your field's main citation style.

Acknowledgments:  Thank individuals who supported your research and organizations who funded your research.  Include logos here.

Further Information: Provide your contact information.