Guidelines for Poster Presentations

There will be specified times to present your poster on-site at the symposium (posters will only be presented on-site, this year). The point of a poster is to present the work in a manner that supports easy reading and understanding. Keep text to a minimum, emphasize graphics, and make sure every item in the poster is necessary. Editing is vital to produce an effective poster.

Preparation and Layout

• Hard copies of posters will be hung at the meeting and also submitted as PDF files.
• Include the title and authors of the poster as listed in your abstract on top across the entire poster.
• Information should flow from left to right and from top to bottom.
• Arrange material in two or three vertical columns.
• The abstract should be placed at the upper left and the outcome/impact or concluding comments should appear at the lower right above the thank yous.
• Keep it simple – It is vital to eliminate all unnecessary words.
• Stick to two or three main points. Use graphics as much as possible.
• EDIT!

Text

• Double-space all text, using left justification.
• Use short sentences, simple words, and bullets to illustrate discrete points.
• Written material should be concise. Avoid using jargon, acronyms, or unusual abbreviations.
• The printed outcomes/impacts should permit observers to focus on a concise statement of your central findings that lends itself to discussion.

Fonts

• All information should be large enough to read easily from at least 4 feet away.
• Suggested text size is no smaller than 24 point; Author(s) and affiliation(s) should be at least 42 point; Subheadings should be at least 60 point.
• The title should be printed across the top of the poster in characters of 80-150 point.
• Sans serif fonts. Suggested options include: Arial, Century Gothic, Franklin Gothic Medium, Lucida Sans.
• Choose one font and then use it throughout the poster.
• Add emphasis by using boldface, underlining, or color. (Italics are sometimes difficult to distinguish from regular.)
• Do not use all caps unless it is for one or two word headings. ALL CAPS TEXT IS NOT EASY TO READ.

Illustrations (graph, charts, photos, etc.)

• The success of a poster directly relates to the clarity of the illustrations and tables.
• Self-explanatory graphics should dominate the poster (at least 50% of your poster space).
• Keep captions brief.
• A minimal amount of text should supplement the graphic materials.
• Graphic materials should be visible from a distance of four (4) feet.
• Only include essential information in graphs and tables.
• Label data lines in graphs directly, using large fonts and color. The use of legends and keys requires the viewer to take more time to interpret your message.
• Lines in graphs should be thicker than normally provided in printed letter-sized paper reports or manuscripts.
• Use colors to distinguish different data groups in graphs. Avoid using patterns or open bars in histograms.

Use of Color

• Overuse of color can be distracting – restrained use of 2 to 3 colors for emphasis is valuable.
• Two to three related background colors will unify the poster.
• Use a light background with darker photos; a dark background with lighter photos.
• Use a neutral background (gray) to emphasize color in photos, a white background to reduce the impact of colored photos.