IntroductionResearch posters are a visual representation of your paper or project. They typically include both blocks of text and images (photos, charts, graphs, etc.). A poster will quickly educate the viewers it attracts about your work, as well as serve as a visual aid when you present your work to your viewers.
Creating and presenting a poster allow you to showcase how your research fits within your discipline and the scholarly conversation happening with your topic. Not only do you get to present your work, but also discuss the ways you are adding to, critiquing, responding to, or filling a gap in your field of study.
A poster can be a great starting spot where you can check in with other people, get feedback on your work, and begin to think of your next steps, whether it's publishing an article, presenting at a conference, or more!
Something to consider when you're in the early stages of planning your poster:
When creating a print poster, you're probably creating your poster for a class or a conference and you'll be given a set of required dimensions. The standard size for academic posters is 48 inches wide by 36 inches high (which happens to be a 4:3 ratio).
Posters are usually presented in a horizontal orientation, but some organizations ask presenters to use vertical orientations instead. When vertical orientation is required, this will be specified.
Sometimes there will also be layout or content requirements (especially if you're presenting your poster for a class). Although creativity is always encouraged during the design process, you'll want to make sure you follow all of the requirements first!
Don't underestimate how long it will take! If you are making a poster for class, you'll want to start working on it sooner than the night before it's due. If you are making a poster for a conference, you'll also have to meet specific deadlines -- sometimes months in advance.
If you find yourself up against a deadline, don't hesitate to use a template to get things started.
Submitting a Poster to a Conference
Submitting a poster to a conference is a great way to show off your work -- and it's never too soon to start thinking about submitting one. Conference committees will send out calls for poster abstracts in advance and to apply, you'll be asked to submit a short abstract describing what your research is about. You do not need to have a poster completed at this point; all you need is the title of your presentation and a written abstract. Poster abstract submissions typically occur through an online form.
The committee will decide if your research content fits into the conference and let you know whether your poster has been accepted. If it's accepted, you'll be in charge of printing the poster and bringing it to the conference.
You don't need to have completed your research project in order to make a poster! Many researchers present their findings while their projects are still ongoing.
If you feel nervous about presenting a poster by yourself, find a classmate or colleague who wants to co-author a poster with you. Conferences always allow researchers to collaborate and present posters with others.
Make sure your poster is self-explanatory and stands out! Unlike a class presentation or a slide presentation where you -- the presenter -- are in charge of how much time is spent on the content, the viewers at a conference are in charge of how much time they give to each poster. Your poster will be displayed in a room with a bunch of other posters, so you'll want yours to stand out and to be easy for viewers to understand quickly.
You get to choose the software you want to use to create your poster. The most common poster design program is Microsoft PowerPoint, but there are other options. Feel free to choose whichever option is available to you and is most comfortable to use.
There is no specific setting or template in PowerPoint for creating a poster -- you'll just be using a single slide.
If you're submitting your poster to a conference, you may also be asked to submit your poster in PDF form prior to the conference (in addition to bringing a print copy).
