Printed Poster Instructions

Please carefully review the requirements to create a printed poster presentation.

Your poster serves as a "visual aid" to your 1-2 minute verbal explanation of your research to audience members. It is a blend of brief text and informative visuals that encapsulates the main points of your research.

All presenters will showcase their posters simultaneously within the large poster session. Audience members will have the chance to vote for the best printed poster in the session. The winner will receive a $100 prize.

Printed Poster Requirements & Resources

Requirements

Poster presentations will be 48" wide by 36" tall printed posters. The Charles Center will have your poster professionally printed for you.
- You may also choose to have your poster printed on your own or through your department. If you wish to provide your own poster, please indicate this on the poster submission Qualtrics form that will be sent out in the spring.
- Your printed poster must be 36" tall and 48" wide and professionally printed. It must adhere to all criteria on this webpage.
- Please note that posters cost $72-90 to print through the Hackworth Print Shop and typically $70 through Keck Lab.
Any student choosing to have their poster printed through the Charles Center must submit their poster file as a PDF to the Charles Center via the poster submission Qualtrics form no later than Thursday, March 6th at 11:59 pm. This is a hard deadline to ensure that the printing company we are using has time to print all the posters before the Symposium.
At the Symposium, we will provide either a trifold board and binder clips or a partition board and tacks for you to clip your poster to. If the Charles Center is printing your poster, we will have it waiting for you at the Symposium.
Creativity is encouraged; however, please refer to the checklist to ensure the crucial components are included.
Make sure your faculty mentor reviews and approves your poster file before sending it to the Charles Center for printing.

Creating Your Poster File

There are many websites that have pre-made 48" x 36" templates that you can edit in Powerpoint, like this one.
If you create your own poster file from scratch, make sure you change the dimensions of the document.
- Powerpoint: Click the Design tab. Select Slide Size, then Custom under the "Slides sized for:" dropdown list. Change the width to 48 in. and the height to 36 in.
- Google Slides: Go to File > Page setup. Select Custom from the dropdown list. Change the dimensions to 48 x 36 inches.
After you have finished editing, make sure to download or save the file as a PDF before submitting. Check to make sure the PDF file has retained the correct size dimensions.

Guides, Templates, & Examples

Swem Research Librarian Presentations

Go to the link above to view the guides, slides, and recordings for the following topics:

Tips for Presenting Your Undergraduate Research
Communicating with Visuals
Tips for Creating a Research Poster

Tips and Templates

Florida State University Poster Tips
Poster Template (note: we recommend adding an introduction rather than your entire abstract to your poster)
Research Poster Template
#betterposter Template
Visual Abstract Template
Visual Abstract Examples (very bottom of the page)
Four conference poster templates for a successful presentation

Poster Sections

Your poster may include sections from the following list, but the sections you include will vary depending on the nature of your research:

Introduction
Background
Objective
Methods
Results
Discussion or Implications
Limitations
Conclusion
Future Directions
Acknowledgements
References

Required Poster Elements Checklist

Formatting:

___I have set the dimensions of my poster file to be 48" wide by 36" tall.

___The title of my project is included in large font (e.g., 120-pt. font).

___My name, my faculty mentor’s name and department, and any collaborators’ names are included on the poster and can easily be read (e.g., 66- to 88-pt. font).

___If Research Ethics Compliance approval was required, my protocol number is included on the poster (ex. IRB, IACUC, IBC, etc).

___If applicable, the source of my project funding is listed on the poster (ie Honors Fellowship, Monroe Scholars Program Research Grant, WMSURE Research Grant, Charles Center Summer Research Grant, etc).

___ All text on the poster is readable from a couple of feet away (e.g. 24 to 36-pt. font).

Content:

___ No images are grainy, low-quality or distorted.

___ Graphs, charts, diagrams, etc include a descriptive caption.

___The poster is a balance of easy-to-read text sections and images (tables, graphs, photos, illustrations, etc) – no “wall of text” with long paragraph sections in tiny font.

___ Language used on the poster can be understood by a lay person unfamiliar with my area of research.

Presentation Tips

You should prepare a 1-2 minute elevator pitch to share when you are approached by session attendees. Here are some resources to help you get started:

Elevator Speeches for Posters Handout
The Elevator Pitch - University of Toronto Scarborough
Research Poster Presentation Design and Pitch - Dr. Sohui Lee

Practice, practice, practice! It’s important to practice so you can present with confidence and clarity.

Vocal Range

Speak clearly and use variety in your voice (fast/slow, loud/soft).
Do not rush – find your rhythm.
Remember to pause at key points, as it gives the audience time to think about what you are saying.

Body Language

Stand straight and confidently.
Hold your head up and make eye contact.
Never turn your back to the audience.
Practice how you will use your hands and ensure your presentation is delivered from a single position.
Do not make the common mistakes of rolling back and forth on your heels, pacing for no reason or playing with your hair as these habits are distracting for the audience.

Dress

Students should follow a work casual dress code. Think of what you would wear to a job interview, but one degree less formal.

Printed Poster Requirements & Resources

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