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Poster Presentations

Designing Effective Posters

Poster sessions are frequently used as a means to convey information in a brief format (typically 4' x 8') in classrooms, conferences and symposia, and workshops. Designing effective poster presentations is an art unto itself. This guide provides resources to make the process easier.

"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

Introduction

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.

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

Background Readings

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)

Knisely, K. A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology (2nd ed.). Gordonsville, VA: W.H. Freeman: 2005. Poster presentations, p 113-118. (SEL QH 304. K59 2005).

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)

Rogers, P. Historical perspective of poster presentations [Internet]. University of California, Santa Barbara. 2004. Available from: http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~paul_rogers/annotatedbibliography.htm

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)

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)

Poster Design Instructions

Real-Life Instructions for Poster Presentations

Sample Poster Sessions Online

Miscellaneous Resources

  • AltaVista's Images http://www.altavista.com/image/default AltaVista provides a dynamic search capability with advanced search features for making more specific inquiries about the images sought.
  • Creating Better Presentations: You Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression http://www.easternct.edu/smithlibrary/library1/presentations.htm Two bibliographies have been developed to guide users to sites for general and PowerPoint presentation tips and suggestions.
  • Dealing with Presentation Disasters http://www.strategiccomm.com/disasters.html Knowing your objective and continuing to smile despite any interruptions are just two means of dealing with presentation disasters. Check here for more tips.
  • Google Images http://images.google.com 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.
  • Overcoming Speaker Anxiety in Meetings & Presentations http://www.all-biz.com/relid/8042/ISvars/default/Overcoming_Speaking_Anxiety_in.htm Ever stand in front of a classroom and get that feeling of doom as you are about to speak. Get the "butterflies" even at the thought of standing before one of your professors? Here are useful guides to help you overcome the fears and anxieties of giving a presentation.
  • Society for Technical Communication http://stc.org/ A tremendous resource for the biology student interested in pursuing career options as a technical writer, illustrator, editor, or communications specialist.
  • UNSW MIU Downloads http://miu.med.unsw.edu.au/downloads.htm Scientific poster templates, tutorial templates and logos are available for Mac and PC users.

Designers/Printers for Hire

The following organizations design and make custom posters for a fee. Their listing on this page is not an endorsement for but simply an acknowledgement of their services.