Creating Poster Presentations

A Powerful Communication Tool

Poster presentations communicate research. Researchers summarize their work, present it in a visually appealing printed poster, and briefly explain their research to an audience

Preparation

Poster presentations require time to plan. Consider the poster's purpose, audience, and emphasis as these factors influence content and format. 

1. Purpose: The purpose of your presentation is to clearly convey the "take-home" message of your research. You also want to encourage your audience to comment on and ask questions about your work.
2. Audience: You will likely present your poster at a conference or in a class, so your audience is generally familiar with your field of study. However, if you present it to the public, you may need to offer more background or focus on the application of your research.
3. Emphasis: Determine the most important aspects of your research that will help your audience to understand your project. Your message must be clear and focused. 

Content

A poster visually reflects upon and presents your research; with a focus on the results and implications of your research. 

As these questions to help you narrow your focus: 

1. What was your research question? What was the purpose of your research?
2. What methods did you use to understand your question?
3. What did you learn?
4. What do your findings mean? Why is this work interesting or important? 

Organization

The organization of a poster usually reflects the conventions of your discipline; therefore, a biochemistry poster will generally follow the IMRD structure, but a poster for marketing something may emphasize recommendations and include an environmental scan. Include sections that are relevant to your project and your field. 

Common Elements of a Poster

• Title: highlight your research in ten words or less
• Names of author[s]: names of contributors and their research affiliation (university)
• Introduction: identify the research problem, the purpose of the project, and define key terms or concepts
• Methods: briefly describe the methods (e.g. materials, procedures, analysis)
• Results: outline the results of your work; use graphs and tables to display your results
• Discussion: summarize conclusions, their implications, and any future directions
• Recommendations/Application: explanation of recommended actions or potential applications discovered in research
• References: cite any sources that you have used; follow the citation style for your discipline
• Acknowledgements: where relevant, note funding or host agencies

Poster Design

Consider what information you can best express visually and what needs a text explanation. Figures, tables, and photographs are all appropriate for a poster. Text may be included in short paragraphs or in bulleted lists, where appropriate. Use headings to create structure and support your ability to draw your audience to specific points on your poster.

Place your elements in columns, so that your viewer will first read down on column and then move to the next column to the right. Pay attention to conference guidelines regarding size and format requirements for posters. 

Guidelines for Creating your Poster

1. Aim for a maximum of 1000 words of text (including titles for figures etc.)
2. Write short, bulleted phrases, rather than groups of paragraphs
3. Use one simple font such as Arial, Helvetica, or Times New Roman
4. Use appropriate font sizes:
   1. Main title - 72 point
   2. Subtitles - 60 point
   3. Supporting materials - 32 point
   4. Minimum - 18 point
5. Clearly label all visuals
6. Use colour sparingly to unify your poster.
7. Follow this simple ratio: 20% text, 40% visuals, 40% white space
8. Size: generally, posters are 36 inches x 48 inches (either landscape or portrait), but follow any guidelines provided to you. 

Software & Sizing

Posters can be created using your computer and readily available software, such as PowerPoint. There are also free research poster templates available online. 

If you are creating a poster to be printed on large paper, make sure that you set your desired printout size in your software to avoid pixelation issues when printing. In other words, if you are creating a 36 in x 48 in poster, set that as the page size in your software. Most software have a "View > Ruler" function. To get a sense of how big your text or images will print out, try holding up a physical ruler to your screen and lining it up with the ruler on screen. This will give you an idea of the print size and if it is readable from a few feet away. 

Printing & Posting & Presenting

In-Person/ On Paper posters: One thing to consider is the cost of printing. Posters may be printed on large paper at a specialized printing shop, which can be costly; call ahead for a quote. Alternatively, you can print out smaller sections of a poster on a standard 8.5 x 11 paper and the neatly attached the paged to a poster board. If/when you are sending your poster to print, save your poster as a PDF to maintain all the hard work you've done formatting! Check out Trent's Campus Print for more information on poster printing. 

Online Posters: Some posters may be shared online rather than in-person. In these cases, you may choose to add clickable hyperlinks to more information on your project/yourself. If you are sharing your poster on social media, you may want to prepare a short blurb to accompany it. As above, it is recommended that you save your poster as a PDF, or high-resolution image (for social media) to maintain your formatting. 

Delivery: Presenting your Poster

You may not always be standing with your poster to present it. Your poster should stand alone, but also encourage people to ask questions when you are by your poster or seek you out to do so. Many people will just scan your poster, but others will want to engage with you and ask questions. 

When you are standing with your poster, you should prepare a short talk (2 - 3 minutes) that will supplement your poster. This talk should: 

• Include an introduction: introduce yourself/school/research group & ask the audience (typically one person; or a small group) about themselves.
• Be personable: Posters create a great opportunity to network, so be cordial and professional, but also be yourself and showcase your passion!
• Summarize your poster: focus on why your research is important and point to the graphics on your poster as support.
• Encourage questions and discussion: your audience may simply be intrigued by your work, or may be experts in your field! Use this opportunity to learn from your colleagues. Discuss rationale behind methods, future opportunities, or anything else to help create dialogue about the project, yourself, and your audience. Be open to different viewpoints and ideas

Be ready to answer questions and explain elements of your research, both those that are on the poster and those which are not. With your purpose and audience in mind, be aware of what points you want to emphasize. This is your chance to participate in valuable discussion about your research. 

Checklist for the Presentation

• Professional attitude and dress
• Prepared with a short explanation of your research
• Knowledgeable and relaxed enough to be able to engage with your audience without referring to notes or reading that text of the poster
• Ready to answer questions about your research
• Able to initiate discussion
• Prepared to deal with problems that may arise regarding setting up your poster

Poster Examples

A great way to decide how you want to create your poster is to look at others in your field. Take a walk around campus and near your department. Many departments and research groups have posters on the walls created by students like you! Consider what you like or don't like about these posters when deciding how you want to create yours. 

Consider researching posters made online for events for organizations in your field. Some examples include: 

• Trent University Community-Based Research: 2025 Project Highlights
• Trent University Community-Based Research: Annual Celebration
• Cell Biology Virtual Event Series 2024