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How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How are research posters like High School science fair projects? Quite similar, in fact.

Both are visual representations of a research project shared with peers, colleagues and academic faculty. But there’s a big difference: it’s all in professionalism and attention to detail. You can be sure that the students that thrived in science fairs are now creating fantastic research posters, but what is that extra element most people miss when designing a poster presentation?

This guide will teach tips and tricks for creating poster presentations for conferences, symposia, and more. Learn in-depth poster structure and design techniques to help create academic posters that have a lasting impact.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• What is a Research Poster?

Why are Poster Presentations important?

Overall dimensions and orientation, separation into columns and sections, scientific, academic, or something else, a handout with supplemental and contact information, cohesiveness, design and readability, storytelling.

• Font Characteristics
• Color Pairing
• Data Visualization Dimensions
• Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Scientific/Academic Conference Poster Presentation

Digital research poster presentations, slidemodel poster presentation templates, how to make a research poster presentation step-by-step, considerations for printing poster presentations, how to present a research poster presentation, final words, what is a research poster .

Research posters are visual overviews of the most relevant information extracted from a research paper or analysis.   They are essential communication formats for sharing findings with peers and interested people in the field. Research posters can also effectively present material for other areas besides the sciences and STEM—for example, business and law.

You’ll be creating research posters regularly as an academic researcher, scientist, or grad student. You’ll have to present them at numerous functions and events. For example:

• Conference presentations
• Informational events
• Community centers

The research poster presentation is a comprehensive way to share data, information, and research results. Before the pandemic, the majority of research events were in person. During lockdown and beyond, virtual conferences and summits became the norm. Many researchers now create poster presentations that work in printed and digital formats.

Let’s look at why it’s crucial to spend time creating poster presentations for your research projects, research, analysis, and study papers.

Research posters represent you and your sponsor’s research 

Research papers and accompanying poster presentations are potent tools for representation and communication in your field of study. Well-performing poster presentations help scientists, researchers, and analysts grow their careers through grants and sponsorships.

When presenting a poster presentation for a sponsored research project, you’re representing the company that sponsored you. Your professionalism, demeanor, and capacity for creating impactful poster presentations call attention to other interested sponsors, spreading your impact in the field.

Research posters demonstrate expertise and growth

Presenting research posters at conferences, summits, and graduate grading events shows your expertise and knowledge in your field of study. The way your poster presentation looks and delivers, plus your performance while presenting the work, is judged by your viewers regardless of whether it’s an officially judged panel.

Recurring visitors to research conferences and symposia will see you and your poster presentations evolve. Improve your impact by creating a great poster presentation every time by paying attention to detail in the poster design and in your oral presentation. Practice your public speaking skills alongside the design techniques for even more impact.

Poster presentations create and maintain collaborations

Every time you participate in a research poster conference, you create meaningful connections with people in your field, industry or community. Not only do research posters showcase information about current data in different areas, but they also bring people together with similar interests. Countless collaboration projects between different research teams started after discussing poster details during coffee breaks.

An effective research poster template deepens your peer’s understanding of a topic by highlighting research, data, and conclusions. This information can help other researchers and analysts with their work. As a research poster presenter, you’re given the opportunity for both teaching and learning while sharing ideas with peers and colleagues.

Anatomy of a Winning Poster Presentation

Do you want your research poster to perform well?  Following the standard layout and adding a few personal touches will help attendees know how to read your poster and get the most out of your information. 

The overall size of your research poster ultimately depends on the dimensions of the provided space at the conference or research poster gallery. The poster orientation can be horizontal or vertical, with horizontal being the most common.  In general, research posters measure 48 x 36 inches or are an A0 paper size.

A virtual poster can be the same proportions as the printed research poster, but you have more leeway regarding the dimensions. Virtual research posters should fit on a screen with no need to scroll, with 1080p resolution as a standard these days. A horizontal presentation size is ideal for that.

A research poster presentation has a standard layout of 2–5 columns with 2–3 sections each. Typical structures say to separate the content into four sections; 1. A horizontal header 2. Introduction column, 3. Research/Work/Data column, and 4. Conclusion column. Each unit includes topics that relate to your poster’s objective.  Here’s a generalized outline for a poster presentation:

• Condensed Abstract 
• Objectives/Purpose
• Methodology
• Recommendations
• Implications
• Acknowledgments
• Contact Information 

The overview content you include in the units depends on your poster presentations’ theme, topic, industry, or field of research. A scientific or academic poster will include sections like hypothesis, methodology, and materials. A marketing analysis poster will include performance metrics and competitor analysis results.

There’s no way a poster can hold all the information included in your research paper or analysis report. The poster is an overview that invites the audience to want to find out more. That’s where supplement material comes in. Create a printed PDF handout or card with a QR code (created using a QR code generator ). Send the audience to the best online location for reading or downloading the complete paper.

What Makes a Poster Presentation Good and Effective? 

For your poster presentation to be effective and well-received, it needs to cover all the bases and be inviting to find out more. Stick to the standard layout suggestions and give it a unique look and feel. We’ve put together some of the most critical research poster-creation tips in the list below. Your poster presentation will perform as long as you check all the boxes.

The information you choose to include in the sections of your poster presentation needs to be cohesive. Train your editing eye and do a few revisions before presenting. The best way to look at it is to think of The Big Picture. Don’t get stuck on the details; your attendees won’t always know the background behind your research topic or why it’s important.

Be cohesive in how you word the titles, the length of the sections, the highlighting of the most important data, and how your oral presentation complements the printed—or virtual—poster.

The most important characteristic of your poster presentation is its readability and clarity. You need a poster presentation with a balanced design that’s easy to read at a distance of 1.5 meters or 4 feet. The font size and spacing must be clear and neat. All the content must suggest a visual flow for the viewer to follow.

That said, you don’t need to be a designer to add something special to your poster presentation. Once you have the standard—and recognized—columns and sections, add your special touch. These can be anything from colorful boxes for the section titles to an interesting but subtle background, images that catch the eye, and charts that inspire a more extended look. 

Storytelling is a presenting technique involving writing techniques to make information flow. Firstly, storytelling helps give your poster presentation a great introduction and an impactful conclusion. 

Think of storytelling as the invitation to listen or read more, as the glue that connects sections, making them flow from one to another. Storytelling is using stories in the oral presentation, for example, what your lab partner said when you discovered something interesting. If it makes your audience smile and nod, you’ve hit the mark. Storytelling is like giving a research presentation a dose of your personality, and it can help turning your data into opening stories .

Design Tips For Creating an Effective Research Poster Presentation

The section above briefly mentioned how important design is to your poster presentation’s effectiveness. We’ll look deeper into what you need to know when designing a poster presentation.

1. Font Characteristics

The typeface and size you choose are of great importance. Not only does the text need to be readable from two meters away, but it also needs to look and sit well on the poster. Stay away from calligraphic script typefaces, novelty typefaces, or typefaces with uniquely shaped letters.

Stick to the classics like a sans serif Helvetica, Lato, Open Sans, or Verdana. Avoid serif typefaces as they can be difficult to read from far away. Here are some standard text sizes to have on hand.

• Title: 85 pt
• Authors: 65 pt
• Headings: 36 pt
• Body Text: 24 pt
• Captions: 18 pt

If you feel too prone to use serif typefaces, work with a font pairing tool that helps you find a suitable solution – and intend those serif fonts for heading sections only. As a rule, never use more than 3 different typefaces in your design. To make it more dynamic, you can work with the same font using light, bold, and italic weights to put emphasis on the required areas.

2. Color Pairing

Using colors in your poster presentation design is a great way to grab the viewer’s attention. A color’s purpose is to help the viewer follow the data flow in your presentation, not distract. Don’t let the color take more importance than the information on your poster.

Choose one main color for the title and headlines and a similar color for the data visualizations. If you want to use more than one color, don’t create too much contrast between them. Try different tonalities of the same color and keep things balanced visually. Your color palette should have at most one main color and two accent colors.

Black text over a white background is standard practice for printed poster presentations, but for virtual presentations, try a very light gray instead of white and a very dark gray instead of black. Additionally, use variations of light color backgrounds and dark color text. Make sure it’s easy to read from two meters away or on a screen, depending on the context. We recommend ditching full white or full black tone usage as it hurts eyesight in the long term due to its intense contrast difference with the light ambiance.

3. Data Visualization Dimensions

Just like the text, your charts, graphs, and data visualizations must be easy to read and understand. Generally, if a person is interested in your research and has already read some of the text from two meters away, they’ll come closer to look at the charts and graphs. 

Fit data visualizations inside columns or let them span over two columns. Remove any unnecessary borders, lines, or labels to make them easier to read at a glance. Use a flat design without shadows or 3D characteristics. The text in legends and captions should stay within the chart size and not overflow into the margins. Use a unified text size of 18px for all your data visualizations.

4. Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Finally, the last design tip for creating an impressive and memorable poster presentation is to be mindful of the layout’s alignment, margins, and white space. Create text boxes to help keep everything aligned. They allow you to resize, adapt, and align the content along a margin or grid.

Take advantage of the white space created by borders and margins between sections. Don’t crowd them with a busy background or unattractive color.

Calculate margins considering a print format. It is a good practice in case the poster presentation ends up becoming in physical format, as you won’t need to downscale your entire design (affecting text readability in the process) to preserve information.

There are different tools that you can use to make a poster presentation. Presenters who are familiar with Microsoft Office prefer to use PowerPoint. You can learn how to make a poster in PowerPoint here.

Poster Presentation Examples

Before you start creating a poster presentation, look at some examples of real research posters. Get inspired and get creative.

Research poster presentations printed and mounted on a board look like the one in the image below. The presenter stands to the side, ready to share the information with visitors as they walk up to the panels.

With more and more conferences staying virtual or hybrid, the digital poster presentation is here to stay. Take a look at examples from a poster session at the OHSU School of Medicine .

Use SlideModel templates to help you create a winning poster presentation with PowerPoint and Google Slides. These poster PPT templates will get you off on the right foot. Mix and match tables and data visualizations from other poster slide templates to create your ideal layout according to the standard guidelines.

If you need a quick method to create a presentation deck to talk about your research poster at conferences, check out our Slides AI presentation maker. A tool in which you add the topic, curate the outline, select a design, and let AI do the work for you.

1. One-pager Scientific Poster Template for PowerPoint

A PowerPoint template tailored to make your poster presentations an easy-to-craft process. Meet our One-Pager Scientific Poster Slide Template, entirely editable to your preferences and with ample room to accommodate graphs, data charts, and much more.

Use This Template

2. Eisenhower Matrix Slides Template for PowerPoint

An Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful tool to represent priorities, classifying work according to urgency and importance. Presenters can use this 2×2 matrix in poster presentations to expose the effort required for the research process, as it also helps to communicate strategy planning.

3. OSMG Framework PowerPoint Template

Finally, we recommend presenters check our OSMG Framework PowerPoint template, as it is an ideal tool for representing a business plan: its goals, strategies, and measures for success. Expose complex processes in a simplified manner by adding this template to your poster presentation.

Remember these three words when making your research poster presentation: develop, design, and present. These are the three main actions toward a successful poster presentation. 

The section below will take you on a step-by-step journey to create your next poster presentation.

Step 1: Define the purpose and audience of your poster presentation

Before making a poster presentation design, you’ll need to plan first. Here are some questions to answer at this point:

• Are they in your field? 
• Do they know about your research topic? 
• What can they get from your research?
• Will you print it?
• Is it for a virtual conference?

Step 2: Make an outline

With a clear purpose and strategy, it’s time to collect the most important information from your research paper, analysis, or documentation. Make a content dump and then select the most interesting information. Use the content to draft an outline.

Outlines help formulate the overall structure better than going straight into designing the poster. Mimic the standard poster structure in your outline using section headlines as separators. Go further and separate the content into the columns they’ll be placed in.

Step 3: Write the content

Write or rewrite the content for the sections in your poster presentation. Use the text in your research paper as a base, but summarize it to be more succinct in what you share. 

Don’t forget to write a catchy title that presents the problem and your findings in a clear way. Likewise, craft the headlines for the sections in a similar tone as the title, creating consistency in the message. Include subtle transitions between sections to help follow the flow of information in order.

Avoid copying/pasting entire sections of the research paper on which the poster is based. Opt for the storytelling approach, so the delivered message results are interesting for your audience. 

Step 4: Put it all together visually

This entire guide on how to design a research poster presentation is the perfect resource to help you with this step. Follow all the tips and guidelines and have an unforgettable poster presentation.

Moving on, here’s how to design a research poster presentation with PowerPoint Templates . Open a new project and size it to the standard 48 x 36 inches. Using the outline, map out the sections on the empty canvas. Add a text box for each title, headline, and body text. Piece by piece, add the content into their corresponding text box.

Transform the text information visually, make bullet points, and place the content in tables and timelines. Make your text visual to avoid chunky text blocks that no one will have time to read. Make sure all text sizes are coherent for all headings, body texts, image captions, etc. Double-check for spacing and text box formatting.

Next, add or create data visualizations, images, or diagrams. Align everything into columns and sections, making sure there’s no overflow. Add captions and legends to the visualizations, and check the color contrast with colleagues and friends. Ask for feedback and progress to the last step.

Step 5: Last touches

Time to check the final touches on your poster presentation design. Here’s a checklist to help finalize your research poster before sending it to printers or the virtual summit rep.

• Check the resolution of all visual elements in your poster design. Zoom to 100 or 200% to see if the images pixelate. Avoid this problem by using vector design elements and high-resolution images.
• Ensure that charts and graphs are easy to read and don’t look crowded.
• Analyze the visual hierarchy. Is there a visual flow through the title, introduction, data, and conclusion?
• Take a step back and check if it’s legible from a distance. Is there enough white space for the content to breathe?
• Does the design look inviting and interesting?

An often neglected topic arises when we need to print our designs for any exhibition purpose. Since A0 is a hard-to-manage format for most printers, these poster presentations result in heftier charges for the user. Instead, you can opt to work your design in two A1 sheets, which also becomes more manageable for transportation. Create seamless borders for the section on which the poster sheets should meet, or work with a white background.

Paper weight options should be over 200 gsm to avoid unwanted damage during the printing process due to heavy ink usage. If possible, laminate your print or stick it to photographic paper – this shall protect your work from spills.

Finally, always run a test print. Gray tints may not be printed as clearly as you see them on screen (this is due to the RGB to CMYK conversion process). Other differences can be appreciated when working with ink jet plotters vs. laser printers. Give yourself enough room to maneuver last-minute design changes.

Presenting a research poster is a big step in the poster presentation cycle. Your poster presentation might or might not be judged by faculty or peers. But knowing what judges look for will help you prepare for the design and oral presentation, regardless of whether you receive a grade for your work or if it’s business related. Likewise, the same principles apply when presenting at an in-person or virtual summit.

The opening statement

Part of presenting a research poster is welcoming the viewer to your small personal area in the sea of poster presentations. You’ll need an opening statement to pitch your research poster and get the viewers’ attention.

Draft a 2 to 3-sentence pitch that covers the most important points:

• What the research is
• Why was it conducted
• What the results say

From that opening statement, you’re ready to continue with the oral presentation for the benefit of your attendees.

The oral presentation

During the oral presentation, share the information on the poster while conversing with the interested public. Practice many times before the event. Structure the oral presentation as conversation points, and use the poster’s visual flow as support. Make eye contact with your audience as you speak, but don’t make them uncomfortable.

Pro Tip: In a conference or summit, if people show up to your poster area after you’ve started presenting it to another group, finish and then address the new visitors.

QA Sessions 

When you’ve finished the oral presentation, offer the audience a chance to ask questions. You can tell them before starting the presentation that you’ll be holding a QA session at the end. Doing so will prevent interruptions as you’re speaking.

If presenting to one or two people, be flexible and answer questions as you review all the sections on your poster.

Supplemental Material

If your audience is interested in learning more, you can offer another content type, further imprinting the information in their minds. Some ideas include; printed copies of your research paper, links to a website, a digital experience of your poster, a thesis PDF, or data spreadsheets.

Your audience will want to contact you for further conversations; include contact details in your supplemental material. If you don’t offer anything else, at least have business cards.

Even though conferences have changed, the research poster’s importance hasn’t diminished. Now, instead of simply creating a printed poster presentation, you can also make it for digital platforms. The final output will depend on the conference and its requirements.

This guide covered all the essential information you need to know for creating impactful poster presentations, from design, structure and layout tips to oral presentation techniques to engage your audience better . 

Before your next poster session, bookmark and review this guide to help you design a winning poster presentation every time. 

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How to Create a Research Poster

• Poster Basics
• Design Tips
• Logos & Images

What is a Research Poster?

Posters are widely used in the academic community, and most conferences include poster presentations in their program.  Research posters summarize information or research concisely and attractively to help publicize it and generate discussion. 

The poster is usually a mixture of a brief text mixed with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. At a conference, the researcher stands by the poster display while other participants can come and view the presentation and interact with the author.

What Makes a Good Poster?

• Important information should be readable from about 10 feet away
• Title is short and draws interest
• Word count of about 300 to 800 words
• Text is clear and to the point
• Use of bullets, numbering, and headlines make it easy to read
• Effective use of graphics, color and fonts
• Consistent and clean layout
• Includes acknowledgments, your name and institutional affiliation

A Sample of a Well Designed Poster

View this poster example in a web browser .  

Image credit: Poster Session Tips by [email protected], via Penn State

Where do I begin?

Answer these three questions:.

• What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my research project?
• How can I visually share my research with conference attendees? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?
• What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

What software can I use to make a poster?

A popular, easy-to-use option. It is part of Microsoft Office package and is available on the library computers in rooms LC337 and LC336. ( Advice for creating a poster with PowerPoint ).

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Feature-rich professional software that is good for posters including lots of high-resolution images, but they are more complex and expensive.  NYU Faculty, Staff, and Students can access and download the Adobe Creative Suite .

Open Source Alternatives 

• OpenOffice is the free alternative to MS Office (Impress is its PowerPoint alternative).
• Inkscape and Gimp are alternatives to Adobe products.
• For charts and diagrams try Gliffy or Lovely Charts .
• A complete list of free graphics software .

A Sample of a Poorly Designed Poster

View this bad poster example in a browser.

Image Credit: Critique by Better Posters

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• URL: https://guides.nyu.edu/posters

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Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference

A scientific poster is a visual presentation that summarises your research findings and is typically displayed at conferences or academic events. Presenting one can be intimidating, but it's a valuable opportunity for feedback and confidence-building. Check out our top 9 top tips for successfully presenting your poster at a scientific conference.

Be welcoming

You should do your best to stand at your poster for the entirety of the conference poster session. If you do need to leave your poster for any reason, ensure you include your email address on it, so you can be contacted by conference attendees who may read your poster while you are not there. Read more tips for making your poster stand out here.

To make everyone feel welcome, stand to the side of your poster. This will make it easy for your potential audience to move closer and see the whole thing.

Think of your poster as a conversation starter. Smile and say hello to everyone who walks past and looks at you or your poster. Invite them to read more and, if they seem interested, ask if they would like you to talk them through it or if they have any questions.

Engage your audience

Remember to be enthusiastic - your research is exciting! Even towards the end of the poster session, when your energy levels may be lower, it is important to remain enthusiastic. If it is clear you find your work interesting, your audience are more likely to as well!

As you are presenting your poster, point to relevant parts of the poster so that people can follow as your talk through it. Try to avoid putting your hands in your pockets or behind your back.

Remember to also keep looking back at the audience, to keep them engaged and feeling involved in the presentation.

If you are already presenting your research to someone or a small group and someone else walks up, acknowledge them by making eye contact with them and smiling. Once you have finished with your initial visitors ask the newcomer if there was anything they missed that they would like a further explanation of, or whether they have any questions.

The most important aspect of presenting a poster at a conference is to make the most out of the opportunity you’ve been given. Who knows what might become of an interaction that you have in front of that notice board?

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: Engage your audience

The “elevator” pitch

First impressions really count in poster presentations. To pique the interest of your potential audience you should have a very short synopsis (maximum three sentences and no longer than two minutes) of your research prepared, which contains three vital bits of information:

• What is your research topic?
• What have you found?
• Why is that important?

The aim here is to get your audience hooked and wanting further details. Keep the bigger picture in mind, as the audience first needs the background info to then get excited about the small details of your research. Make sure your pitch is punchy, intriguing and relevant.

Creating a story

Once you’ve reeled in your audience and they are eager to learn more, it’s time to build the narrative of your research. Like all great stories your research needs a beginning, a middle and an end. Aim for this to be 10 minutes long, or less.

The introduction should set the scene and introduce the main characters:

• What is the necessary background information about your research topic that the audience must know?
• How did this lead you to your research question, what were you hoping to find out and why?
• Who are the main characters (e.g. a disease, a drug, a cell type, a brain region, a technique)? What are the relevant parts of their “characteristics” to the story?

The middle section is the adventure, it answers:

• How did you get from your research question to your conclusion? Why did you choose to take that route?
• What did you find on your way? Were there any interesting twists to your research?

The final section is the conclusion to the story:

• What is the ultimate consequence of your journey? What does this mean for your characters?
• Is this really the end of the adventure or are there plenty more adventures still to come? What might they look like?

Remember: You are the narrator; it is up to you as the story teller to make the content both compelling and exciting. Attendees are not all experts in your field.; if you are unsure how familiar your audience is with your subject area, ask them.

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: Create a story

The importance of practice

Presenting your poster is ultimately a form of performance. In performances, whether they involve acting, music, sport or presenting, practice is a major factor in success. After all, however much of a cliché it is: practice makes perfect. Rehearse what you will say and practice presenting on your friends and family. Once you begin speaking at your poster session you will be pleased that you spent time preparing and practising.

Before the poster session starts make sure that you:

• Understand exactly what all the figures on the poster show, that you can explain them fully and know their full implications.
• Have your elevator pitch memorised
• Know all the key points to your research story without referring to written notes
• Are ready to answer likely questions with confidence, and know how to deal with difficult questions that you might not be able to answer fully.

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: Practice, practice, practice

Check the audience's understanding

Ask members of the audience whether you have been clear or if you should go into more detail, rather than asking if they understand, as this could make them feel stupid or ignorant.

For example, say something like “Have I been clear enough” or “should I go into more detail about……?” instead of “do you understand how this works?”

The handout

There are pros and cons to having a handout with additional supporting materials or key information from your poster. You must decide for yourself if it will be of benefit to you depending on several factors including:

• What is the purpose of your poster?
• What are you hoping to achieve with your presentation?
• Will it enhance your audience’s engagement with your research or not?

The major positive outcome of a handout is that gives your audience something to take away with them to remind them about you, your research and why they were interested in it. It also gives them a way to get in touch with you should they have further questions.

The main negative is that some people who may be interested and could benefit from speaking to you about your poster will take the leaflet, read it (or not) and never engage with your research again. It is an easy way for them to avoid talking to you, for whatever reason that may be.

If you decide to go ahead with a handout there are several items that should be included:

• The project title
• Your name and affiliation
• Your professional email address (and phone number if your happy for people to contact you that way)
• The key information from your poster (including a link to the relevant paper if it has already been published.
• Any supporting materials not included on the poster that may be of help.

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: The handout

Expand your network

Look for opportunities to exchange contact information. If someone is particularly interested in your poster and wants to know all the details of your research, it may be better to suggest meeting them for a coffee after the poster session, or arranging another time for further discussions. This will ensure that other potential audience members don’t get bored and wander off without talking to you because they have been waiting too long.

Exchanging contact information and having further discussions can be a great way to expand your network and find potential collaborators for the future.

Tips for presenting your scientific poster at a conference: Expand your network

Dealing with feedback

It is important to welcome feedback, be prepared for discussion and not to be too defensive in the face of criticism.

If someone asks you a question or makes a comment that you don’t think is relevant, ask them to explain the relevance of their comment. They may have stumbled across something that you haven’t thought of because of their fresh perspective on the topic, or they might just not understand your research. Also, a negative comment or question might not actually be a criticism, but a genuine desire to understand why you’ve done something so they can fully interpret the poster. It is unlikely that someone has visited your poster to be vindictive, and if they have it is important not to engage them, shrug off their comments and move on to the next person who is genuinely interested.

Remember to thank the audience for listening and thank them for their feedback. People who have visited your poster could potentially be employers or colleagues in the future.

You got this!

In summary, presenting your poster at a conference is a chance to showcase your research, receive feedback, and connect with peers. Embrace the opportunity, be welcoming and enthusiastic, and enjoy the experience of sharing your work with others.

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Presenting Your Poster at a Conference: Tips and Tricks

Whether you think that poster presentations are an easy or daunting task, they are a great way to network with other researchers in your field and receive feedback on your work. Poster presentations also provide you with the opportunity to communicate the essence of your research with other scientists. Here are some best practices for communicating your research effectively through posters:

Know thy format

Each conference will have its own format and they will also upload specifications regarding the size of your poster, its orientation (portrait or landscape), and other guidelines about font size or layout. The conference website will also provide you with maps and information about timelines and schedules. It is important for you to check and download these instructions ahead of time before you begin working on your poster.

Organization is key

Your poster should have a logical flow with boxes and headings. The layout is generally prescribed by the conference, but it usually includes the following components:

• Poster Title: Your poster title should be short and informative. Because one of the purposes of poster presentations is to network with others in your field, you should include keywords that would spur people in the relevant field to come look at your poster and capture the attention of interested parties.
• Authors and Affiliations: Here, you should include all authors that have contributed to the research. The order in which the authors are included should be decided beforehand. Usually, the order of authors listed signifies their contributions to the project.
• Introduction and Theoretical Background: Here, you can provide some background to your research and the rationale for why you were interested in investigating your research question. You can also include your hypotheses in this section.
• Methods/Experimental Setup: Explain the “how” of your research. This can also be done as a figure highlighting different procedures that were followed in the research study.
• Results: Your results should preferably be displayed as a figure that is clearly labeled, has images that are clear and not distorted, and includes captions.
• Conclusions: In this section, you should interpret your results and their implications. Your poster should be self-sustaining, that is, even without you around, people should be able to understand your research and its take-home message.
• Acknowledgments: In your poster, it is common courtesy to thank people who helped you in your research (e.g., proofreading, providing feedback on drafts of the poster, assisting with data collection, etc.) and organizations that have funded your research.
• References: Some conferences might not require you to include references but adding a few can help other academics understand how your research is situated vis-à-vis past literature and theoretical frameworks. You can reduce the font size here to save space or present your references in an abbreviated format.

Figures over text

If your poster has too much information in text or is poorly organized, it’ll be hard to capture the attention of your audience. Many people might look at your poster from a distance or from an angle and attendees would rather not read so much text in such situations. Large blocks of continuous text can also make it hard for audiences to read and understand your take-home message. For the results section, it is especially important to display your results as a figure (with appropriate captions) because that is what most attendees will focus on during your presentation. Avoid using as many colors as you can. Rather, try to use colors to effectively communicate your research (for example, to emphasize something or differentiate between two groups). Adding some white space between different sections and reducing clutter can also help make your poster clear and easy to understand.

Practice your presentation and elevator pitch

A typical presentation lasts anywhere between 5-15 minutes. You can begin by introducing yourself - this is especially important if you’re on the job market. In your presentation, you should make sure to hit some key points about your research. Resist the temptation to read your poster and instead, use the oral presentation to supplement details that are in your poster or to draw attendees’ attention to specific sections. Be ready to be flexible during your presentation: some people might ask you questions after your presentation while others might ask you questions during your presentation. Some people might also stop by to learn more about you or informally talk to you about your research.

Dress to impress

One way to make a good first impression is to dress professionally. You should also consider wearing comfortable shoes because you might need to stand for several hours while presenting your poster.

Keep your contact information handy

Some people share business cards while others add QR codes to their posters to share their contact information with interested parties and potential collaborators. Sharing your contact information and following up with people after the conference can go a long way in developing positive professional relationships and collaborations with others.

Enjoy yourself!

It can be exciting to talk about your work and listen to other people’s research on topics that interest you. You will usually see or meet other academics you admire or peers who share your interest. Even with so much going on, don’t forget to have fun when you’re at the conference.

The links below are some excellent resources for designing your poster and effectively presenting your research at a conference. These resources also have sample poster presentations or might include templates that you can use for your own presentation.

• The University of Wisconsin-Madison -  Creating a poster
• Ohio State PRESSBOOKS -  Scientific poster guide
• Nature Education, Scitable -  Poster presentations
• University of Wisconsin-La Crosse -  Poster presentation guidelines
• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville -  Research posters
• Enago Academy -  Dos and Don’ts for making a poster presentation
• Monash University -  Designing your poster
• John Hopkins University Educational Resources -  Effective poster presentations

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Home → Presenting Research → Master the Art of Scientific Posters for Conferences: Step-by-Step

Master the Art of Scientific Posters for Conferences: Step-by-Step

Jordan Kruszynski

• January 4, 2024

Scientific posters for conferences – a curious blend of art, data and academic explanation that should get those who look at them chatting like a flock of parrots over your research.

We say should because in reality, it doesn’t always work out that way. There are a lot of pitfalls that can prevent you from nailing that poster design, which in turn might get your work less attention than it deserves.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves slightly – first, we need to answer the crucial question: ‘what is a scientific poster and why should I make one?’

To make your life easier, we here at Research Unwrapped have decided to put together a guide to the whole business of academic posters, from planning and design right through to final presentation at conference.

Are you ready to balance content and design to make sure your research gets noticed?

Let’s do it.

What Is a Scientific Poster?

Simply put, scientific posters are visual representations of your research that summarise your findings and conclusions. They are an essential part of scientific conferences, as they allow researchers to share their work with a wider audience. A scientific poster typically consists of a title, author list, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions.

Posters are usually displayed on boards or walls as part of a poster session and the presenter (you) stands beside the poster to answer questions and engage with other attendees. Poster sessions can be enormous and end up turning the conference hall into something resembling a temporary art gallery, so it’s critical that your poster stands out amongst a sea of rivals.

The Importance of Scientific Posters for Conferences

The importance of scientific posters for conferences cannot be overstated. Posters provide an opportunity for researchers to showcase their work, network with peers, and receive feedback from the scientific community. It’s worth noting that while poster sessions can in theory take place at any kind of academic conference, they’re most common at the scientific ones.

A well-designed and informative poster can help you to stand out from the crowd and make valuable connections with other researchers. Moreover, scientific posters are an efficient way to communicate your research to a wider audience, as they are often viewed by many attendees during the conference.

Understanding the Purpose of Your Scientific Poster

Before designing your scientific poster, you need to understand its purpose. Typically, the purpose of a scientific poster is to communicate your research findings and conclusions to a wider audience. Your poster should be designed to attract the attention of attendees, convey your research in a clear and concise manner, and engage viewers in a discussion about your work. So, think about the key message you want to convey and how you can best present your research to achieve this goal.

If you know which key points you want to impress upon your audience, you can wrap your whole design structure around them.

Designing Your Scientific Poster – Layout and Content

The layout and content of your scientific poster are crucial to its success. Your poster should be visually appealing, easy to read, and informative. A typical scientific poster is divided into sections, including a title, author list, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. Each section should be clearly labelled and easy to follow. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to organise your content and make it easy to read. Avoid using long paragraphs or dense blocks of text, as these can be overwhelming for viewers.

At this point, let’s dive into a great example courtesy of Nicholas Wu , ecological physiologist at Western Sydney University.

Notice the visual appeal of the poster – more on that in a moment – but particularly the way the content is presented. Plenty of bullet points, sentences of a digestible length, nicely defined and clearly-headed sections – all of these features make the poster easy to read. Everything is broken up by relevant graphs and tables, which help to illustrate the key points as well as make the whole poster more attractive.

Choosing the Right Colours, Fonts and Images for Your Scientific Poster

The choice of colours, fonts, and images can make or break your scientific poster. The colours you choose should be eye-catching and complementary, but not too bright or distracting. Stick to a palette of two to three colours to keep your poster looking cohesive. Notice how well our example above harmonises ocean colours to create something that’s simply a pleasure to look at.

The fonts you choose should be easy to read and consistent throughout your poster. Avoid using too many different fonts or font sizes, as this can make your poster look cluttered. Finally, choose images that are relevant to your research and high-quality. Avoid using low-resolution or blurry images, as these can detract from the overall quality of your poster. What we love about the image of the turtle above is that it boldly illustrates Wu’s research findings – that plastic disrupts aquatic life.

Tips for Effective Scientific Poster Design

Here are some additional tips to help you design an effective scientific poster for conferences:

• Keep it simple: Avoid using too many colours, fonts, or images, as this can make your poster look cluttered.
• Use blank space: Leave some empty space around your text and images to make your poster easier to read.
• Highlight your key findings: Use graphs, tables, or images to highlight your key findings and conclusions.
• Use bullet points: Use bullet points to break up long paragraphs and make your content easier to read.
• Proofread your poster: Make sure to proofread your poster for spelling and grammar errors before printing it.

Printing and Presenting Your Scientific Poster

Once you have designed your scientific poster, it’s time to print and present it. Make sure to follow the guidelines provided by the conference for poster size and format. Double-check this so your poster doesn’t get rejected! Print your poster on high-quality paper or vinyl to ensure that it looks professional.

When presenting your poster, be prepared to answer questions and engage with attendees. Practice your presentation thoroughly beforehand to ensure that you can convey your research in a clear and concise manner.

Examples of Successful Scientific Posters for Conferences

One of the best ways to learn how to design a successful scientific poster is to look at examples from past conferences. Take a look at some of the posters presented at previous conferences in your field to get an idea of what works and what doesn’t. Pay attention to the layout, content, colours, fonts, and images employed in these posters, and use them as inspiration for your own design.

Another great example from Nicholas Wu – not strictly a conference poster, but take note of the excellent design principles on display and try to apply them to your own poster design!

Scientific Poster Templates and Tools

There are many scientific poster templates and tools available online that can help you to design an effective poster. These templates often come with pre-designed layouts and placeholders for your content, making it easier for you to create a professional-looking poster in a short amount of time. Some popular tools for designing scientific posters include Canva , Adobe Spark , and PowerPoint.

When it comes to planning and executing a poster, organising your resources can help every step of the way. Find out how Audemic can save you time and streamline the research process, keeping you sharp for your poster presentation.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, designing effective scientific posters for conferences requires a careful combination of design and content skills. By following our steps, you should be able to create a poster that will dazzle your audience. Remember to keep it simple, use bullet points, highlight your key findings, and proofread your poster before printing it. Utilise images, style and design principles and you’ll take things to an even higher level. By mastering the art of scientific posters, you’ll enhance your professional reputation and make valuable connections with other researchers in your field.

Keep striving, researchers! ✨

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• Feb 27, 2018
• 12 min read

How to Design an Award-Winning Scientific Conference Poster

Before we get started, I want you to think about three things that you know about scientific conference posters. Think hard now.

Done? Great! Now erase those ideas from your memory. F O R E V E R.

We need to start fresh.

The problem is that 90% of the scientific posters that you’ve seen at conferences and in

the corridors of your university are TERRIBLE. I mean VERY TERRIBLE!!! Therefore, any

ideas you might have about what a scientific poster should look like are probably, well. . . terrible. But it’s not your fault, and we’ll set things straight in this post, so hang tight!

First off, let’s make clear what a poster is NOT.

A poster is not a bottomless pit where you dump all of your data and technical lingo. Only carefully selected information and visuals should go into your poster. I know you have eight fancy 3D plots that you can’t wait to share with the world, but ask yourself, are they really necessary? Do you really need eight of them when just one would do the trick?

Now let’s talk about what a poster should be instead.

Above all, a poster should be a networking tool . The primary purpose of a poster is not to communicate every little detail of your fantastic research, but rather to attract

people’s attention and serve as a conversation starter. Think about the typical conference poster session; it’s at the end of the day, and there is often copious amounts of alcohol in the mix. Seriously, after a long day of presentations, no one wants to read walls of text as the wine kicks in. What they want is for you to share the story of your research and engage in informal conversation about it. Repeat after me, a poster is a conversation starter. And the poster is not going to do the talking for you.

Second, a poster is a communication tool. A poster should use visuals to draw people in from a distance. Then, as people step closer and begin reading it, go ahead and give the background information necessary so that they can put your work into context, understand what you have done, why you have done it, and come to realize its broader impact.

Does this ring a bell? It’s no coincidence that the key information you’d include in your poster is the same information that you’d find in any scientific abstract. And here’s the secret: a scientific poster is simply a visual abstract . It’s also known as a graphical abstract. A concise and visual summary of your research. Its purpose is to be accessible and to drive attention to your research.

If you’re the type of researcher who best learns by example, take some inspiration from some amazing posters made by scientists who have mastered the fundamentals!

As academics, we like to write using impossible words, passive tenses, and convoluted sentences. We believe this is the way it should be done and what makes us seem most intelligent. The reality is, this is a selfish way of writing and does not take the reader into account . So please, break this vicious cycle of selfish scientific writing and design your poster with the reader in mind from the start.

How? Let me show you.

Step 1 – Scripting

Before you consider opening PowerPoint, or any other design software, open Microsoft Word.

Any word processor will do, but make sure that it has the ability to track your word count and checks your spelling. The latter is particularly important, as I learned the hard way by missing an award because of a bloody typo!

Target audience . Ask yourself, who is my ideal audience for this poster? Is it other experts in your field, or perhaps the broader public? What is their level of understanding of the subject? This is an important question because if you put a bit of effort into making your poster understandable to the broader public, you automatically increase your potential audience and impact. Also consider that a poster written in plain English works with both experts and non-experts alike, while technical and complicated writing greatly limits your potential audience.

Bullet points. A poster should not look like a paper, therefore, bullet points are your friend. 200-word paragraphs on a poster would discourage even the most motivated, sober, and caffeinated conference attendant. Bullet points on the other hand are a lot less frightening. There is a trend among some academics to slap a solid 200-or-so word abstract right at the top of their posters. Let me set the record straight. This has to stop. Your whole poster is a VISUAL abstract, so it makes no sense whatsoever to put a solid block of text that no one is going to read at the top of your poster. Exception: If you’re ashamed of how terrible your data are and you don’t want people to look at your poster, then go for it, put that abstract at the top. It’ll do a wonderful job at keeping people at a safe distance!

Use sections with headers. Because we are writing with the reader in mind, we want to make the logical flow of the sections as easy as possible for the viewer to follow. My advice is to have large, easy-to-read and numbered sections that cover the main pillars of the story, which typically are:

1 – Background

2 – Questions / knowledge gap

3 – Methods (keep this to the bare minimum or skip it if you can)

4 – Results

5 – Conclusions

6 – References and acknowledgements (smaller at the bottom)

Less words. I know this is going to shock many of you, but you should keep your word count under 250 in total. Possibly <150 words. I’m serious. The harsh reality is that if your poster is wordy, people will ignore it. Less is definitely more.

Graphs. I know that you’re proud of your amazing graphs (especially those fancy multi-dimensional plots with lots of colours). Unfortunately, I have a bad news for you. You need to leave most of them out. You need to carefully select only the very essentials. One or two graphs is better than three or four, and certainly better than eight or nine! When selecting the graphs to display, also ask yourself who your audience is. This is important because if you are using your poster as an outreach tool for the general public, then there is no point in including complicated graphs that no one is going to understand. However, things are different if you are showing your poster exclusively to an audience of experts. In that case, it’s safe to assume your audience can read your graphs.

Step 2 – Concept

Here is where the fun starts. Grab a piece of paper, or open up your design software , and make a first draft. There’s definitely some logic involved in how you choose to blueprint your poster.

Layout and size. Vertical or horizontal? You better check with the conference organisers, as you don’t want to show up at the conference with a poster that doesn’t fit the panels. A0 (841 x 1189 mm or 33.1 x 46.8 inches) is a good standard size to start. Keep in mind that when you design posters, it’s always safer to downsize than to upsize, as upsizing a digital image based on a pixel grid will inevitably cause a loss of resolution.

Panels. How do we read, left to right or right to left? Top-down or bottom-up? It may seem obvious, but I always see posters that are visually confusing and don’t have a clear directional flow. Start with an enlarged and readable title right at the top, then create a simple layout of panels that make it easy for the viewer to navigate. Remember that we’re committed to keep the reader in mind, so use arrows and numbered headers to help them out.

Leave space at the edges. Notice the grey space in the images above? It’s important to leave some blank space around the edges for a couple of reasons. First, you don’t want to risk important information to be cut off when printing, and second, you don’t want your poster to feel cluttered. This blank space is also known as negative space, and we’re going to unpack this concept more in the next section.

You’re half-way there! If you’re finding this useful, we recommend our online course: How to Design an Award-Winning Scientific Poster. You can learn at your own pace and arm yourself with the tools, templates, skills and knowledge to create your own award-winning scientific posters. It includes 33 video lessons, 3 hours of learning, 8 templates & downloads and is an excellent investment for your career.

Step 3 – Design

Negative space. For some strange reason, many academics feel the need to cover every inch of their poster with text or images. This is the wrong idea! It’s bad because it makes it difficult for the viewer to find the relevant information and to rest their eye. Clear space, also known as negative space, is a super important design concept, one that you should use to your advantage. Get ready for it. . . 40% of your poster should be clear. I am serious!

Eye-catching visuals. Imagine you’re walking around a poster session, and you’re far enough away from the posters that you can’t read titles or graphs. What will compel you to walk towards a particular poster? It’ll likely be a recognisable image that grabs your attention. Without a big and recognisable image, your poster will look like a fuzzy wall of text and it will likely go unnoticed. Therefore, it’s smart to include one big visual that’s related to your research and has the ability to hook people in from a distance. Be it a rocket, a lion, or an octopus — what matters is that it’s there.

Colour. This should be common sense, yet still I often get my retina scarred by the most unbearable colour combinations on scientific posters. Choosing a colour scheme is more than just intuition - there’s logic involved too.

Use a limited number of colours, say three-to-five, and stick with them! Graphs included. My suggestion is that you have two or three shades of a primary colour of your choice, an accent colour that stands out, and a couple of text colours. In a colour scheme of this kind, you can use the accent colour to draw attention to where you want people to look. The important thing is that you use the accent colour in moderation. Let me show you what I mean.

See how the 87% and the dot points stand out? This is the effect you want to recreate on your own posters. Feel free to steal these colour schemes, and in case you need some more inspiration, Material Palette is a free tool that creates colour palettes for you based on two colours of your choice.

Background. I know you have that awesome photo you really want to include in the poster. Why not blow it up and use it as the background of the whole poster?

NO! Don’t do it! You’re not doing yourself or the viewer any favours. A photo used as a background is too distracting and makes it impossible to have negative space on your poster. It’s much better to leave the background white, grey, or filled with a light colour from your colour palette.

Fonts. Fonts and font sizes work a bit like colours. That is, the fewer you use, the better. My suggestion is to use only one or two different fonts. Boldface should be used on titles and headlines, while all the rest should be normal. When picking what fonts to use, play it safe. Stick with the classic Arial, Myriad Pro, and other familiar fonts and you can’t go wrong. I know you’re tempted to use that super-original font that you’ve just discovered, but please, spare us. In terms of font size, try 90 for the Title, 60 for the headlines, and 36 for the body text. And remember that your poster should not require a magnifying glass to be read, but rather it should be easily readable from a meter away. If you’re keen to learn more about the word of fonts, and what the heck ‘serif’ means, we’ve got you covered .

Contact information. It may seem strange, but a lot of people forget to write their contact information on their posters. You may have a stunning poster, but how are people going to contact you and offer you a postdoc if you’re not around and your email is not on the poster? Slap on a QR code to your Twitter profile or LinkedIn! Even better, put a few business cards or a miniature A4 version of the poster (with contact info) beside the poster for people to take. This will have you looking very professional!

Photo. Most people don’t even think about this, but it’s a good idea to put a photo of you in one of the lower corners of your poster near your contact info. This is good practice as it makes the poster more human and even allows people to identify you and, if you’re lucky, buy you a drink because you impressed them with such a stunning poster. Hey, you never know.

Resources. You’re probably not an artist, so where can you source quality visuals to put on your poster? Well, you can hire a professional scientific illustrator, or you can utilise one of the plenty free resources on the web. If you’re in the environmental sciences, the IAN image library is a great free library of graphics. Another great website to find free illustrations and icons is Freepik . Happy browsing! Though if you feel like getting in touch with your creative side, we’ve got a handy guide for making some simple scientific icons and diagrams.

Software. Some of you may be thinking that to make great posters you need great (and expensive) software. Wrong! All you really need is Microsoft PowerPoint and the principles contained in this blog post. Feeling like trying something more powerful? We’ve put together an extensive list of free and paid software recommendations for not only making posters, but for also learning the foundations of graphic design. But if you’re in the market for a quick and FREE solution, check out Canva . Then if you’re really up for a challenge, use Affinity Designer , Adobe Illustrator or Indesign . However, be ready for a steep learning curve and a substantial investment on these latter options. On the bright side, Adobe always has significant educational discounts for students and university staff.

Step 4 – Getting your poster ready for print.

Get feedback. You’ve designed your masterpiece. Awesome! Congratulations! Now it’s time to get feedback from your supervisor and/or colleagues before printing it. Ask them to proofread it too. And remember that people are busy, so do this well in advance, as printing often takes longer than you’d imagine.

Dummy. Before spending money printing your poster, you really want to make a dummy as a final check. Print your poster A4, or even better A3 size if you can, and triple check that important information isn’t too close to the margins. You’re likely going to put your picture in a corner, so you want to ensure your face isn’t going to get cut in half!

Colour profile. If you designed your poster with professional software, you’ll have the ability to control the colour profile. Nothing complicated, there are two options: RGB and CMYK. The first one is for digital use, and the second one is for printing — pick the second one. That’s all you need to know.

Resolution. If you designed your poster big enough from the start (e.g. A0), you should be alright. As a rule of thumb, your resolution for high-quality printing posters and images should be around 300 dpi (dots per inch).

Where to print. You have many options, from the big office supplies stores like Officeworks , to the small print shops around campus. Print time varies from place to place, so be sure to plan this ahead of time.

Paper. Shiny things are pretty, but it’s better to avoid shiny and glossy papers when it comes to posters, as they can create annoying reflections. Matte papers are best. But paper isn’t the only option these days, some stores can even print your poster on canvas or cloth.

Tubes and foldable posters. The most common is to print your poster on paper which fits into a cardboard tube. This is fine if you don’t need to take you poster on a flight, but have you considered that the tube might exceed the standard carry-on size limit? There is a solution! Some stores like Officeworks can print your poster on soft cloth materials that you can fold into your suitcase! And in case your poster gets a little wrinkly, all you need to do is to iron it. I tried this and I was very impressed by the print quality. The colours looked great!

Conference got cancelled? And it’s now online? We completely understand the frustration of having to cancel your travel plans to that amazing conference in the Swiss Alps. While we can’t solve the travelling part, your poster can still make the trip! We’re now living in an internet-native society, so having your poster on the world wide web should be a no-brainer. We call these ePosters. Check out how to convert your poster to this exciting new format. But for argument’s sake let’s hope your conference stays in person, because who would want to miss out on the Alps?

Oh, and one last thing. Remember when I said that a poster is a conversation starter? It’s true, so you need to prepare and sharpen your pitch! Practice walking people through your poster in about a minute, and then start a conversation with them. How? Asking them what they work on is a good start. The secret to a good conversation is showing interest and listening. People love to talk about themselves and their research, so let them talk! It’s as easy as that.

This was a long post with lots of information, so I’m impressed you made it this far! 

But, we’ve only just scratched the surface.

To properly cover this topic, we’ve developed a whole online course: How to Design an Award-Winning Scientific Poster. You can learn at your own pace and arm yourself with the tools, templates, skills and knowledge to create your own award-winning scientific posters. We’ve had excellent feedback on the 33 video lessons, 3 hours of learning and 8 templates & downloads included - so we’re confident that you’ll love it too.

Haven’t got the time to make your own Award-Winning poster?

We completely understand that learning is a huge time commitment, especially for busy researchers. We’ve been there and totally sympathise. But don’t fret, you still have another award-winning option we KNOW you'll love.

Animate Your Science now has their very own line of scientific poster templates! These are perfect for those who really need to get started on their poster for next week’s conference (you know who you are 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏾‍♂️), without the fuss of making it from scratch.

Lovingly handcrafted by our creative experts, these templates are downloadable across 4 different file formats, include 50 science icons, feature 8 unique colour schemes, and include our specially selected list of fonts to match your aesthetic.

Plug and play, and try them out today!

Until next time!

Dr Tullio Rossi

Juan Miguel Balbin

#scicomm #poster #science

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Download free templates, or make the switch to digital-only.

Marc J. Kuchner

Researchers meet and share their research in the poster hall at the AGU Fall Meeting. Credit: Gary Wagner Photos (garywagnerphotos.com)

6 February 2020

Gary Wagner Photos (garywagnerphotos.com)

Researchers meet and share their research in the poster hall at the AGU Fall Meeting.

A few years ago, presenting a poster at a scientific conference inevitably meant battling with thumbtacks, rubber bands, and an unwieldly sail of paper with little power to inspire. Now researchers are increasingly opting for digital posters and templated designs that highlight – rather than obscure – their key findings.

I recently attended the 2019 annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco, where 17,909 scientific posters were displayed over the course of a week. Many of these posters were visually arresting and cleverly constructed. And some were entirely online.

Since 2017, the AGU has been inviting presenters to submit digital poster ideas. Known as iPosters, they can support videos and animations, and are displayed on giant, interactive touch-screens.

That year, 117 iPoster submissions were approved for display at the conference. In 2018, that number had jumped to 775 iPosters, and last year, there were 995.

“The audience is jazzed about them,” says AGU executive program manager, Erik Hankin. “There’s an excitement around the technology and how it can overcome the limitations of a paper poster.”

The digital poster’s advantages go far beyond not having to lug around a 40-inch cardboard tube. Presenters can easily make last-minute changes to the content, and they can be instantly converted to other digital formats so they can be shared or uploaded to a website.

“I like not having to deal with the university printing office or worry about leaving it on the train,” says Leah Wood, a PhD student from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. “And I think it’s more engaging.”

PhD student Leah Wood, explaining her digital poster at this winter’s meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Credit: Marc Kuchner

The AGU asked iPoster presenters to give brief talks about their research (called eLightning talks), and those were a hit as well.

“I think it’s the best of both worlds between giving an oral presentation and a poster presentation,” says Wood. “These three-minute talks are just right to give an elevator pitch and encourage people to come and play with the poster.”

Paper posters aren’t done yet

The downside of running a digital poster session is that it costs more than a conventional poster session, and someone has to foot the bill.

Conference organizers pay aMuze Interactive, a US- and Sweden-based company, for the use of proprietary iPoster software, and often a second company to truck in the special monitors and display hardware.

Some conferences can charge as much as $1,000 extra to participants who present digital posters to cover these expenses.

If that cost precludes you from going digital, progress has touched the paper side of the poster hall, too.

We’ve also seen improvements in the design of scientific posters. In 2019, Mike Morrison, a PhD student in psychology at Michigan State University, created a viral video calling out the inadequacy of conventional posters and introducing his own free downloadable poster templates called betterposters .

Morrison’s betterposter design includes small portraits of each author so conference-goers can recognize their faces in a crowd. They also include QR codes that can be scanned to bring up the relevant paper and other supplementary material on a user’s smartphone.

But the hallmark of the betterposter is a big dark square, smack in the middle of the poster, containing a single sentence that states the primary result of the research. It’s written so large that it’s impossible for conference-goers not to read it as they walk by.

my first attempt at a #betterposter come find out what happens! #ELSO2019 pic.twitter.com/NxfgQBMhEE — Brendan Riordan (@concernecus) September 14, 2019

@drdavidliew presents his poster #2685 #ACRbest #ACR19 @RheumNow come check out the Australian Experience of TA bx. pic.twitter.com/quQrEhv8x3 — Dr. Rachel Tate (@uptoTate) November 12, 2019

My colleague, Petr Pokorny, a planetary science postdoc from the Catholic University of America in Washington and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, tried using a betterposter template for the first time at the 2019 AGU meeting.

“It was a huge success. I got about 100 people stopping to read the poster and take pictures of it,” says Pokorny. “And it was a pretty dead part of the room.”

Petr Pokorny’s betterposter conference poster. (Kuchner is a co-author on the paper.) Credit: Marc Kuchner

Learn from the best

My hope for the future of conference posters is to see the aMuze iPoster templates incorporate some of the clever elements of the betterposter concept.

Although the digital posters I saw last year were easy enough to interact with, I often found myself struggling to understand the main point of the research being presented.

The betterposter templates are designed to put the “so what?” factor at the front and centre of the presentation – quite literally – which often solves this problem.

Here are some of my favourites that have been posted to Twitter:

@ghs_org Health Sciences Center Research Showcase today - lots of great feedback on our #betterposter design! @Laura_MPH pic.twitter.com/ngHq8PAc6t — Jacqueline Forrester (@jacforrester) April 12, 2019

Presenting research at @metals_in in Paris this week! Got creative with this one following some inspiration from @mikemorrison . *Note the skull decorated with orbitals to represent cytotoxicity! #CHEMISTRY #betterposter #Paris pic.twitter.com/HhgmfSIJL6 — Miles S Capper (@CapperMiles) November 15, 2019

Giving the #betterposter template a go at #NAPCRG2019 and have caught some eyeballs. Success 🤷🏻‍♀️ Come learn about primary care patient volume and quality of care for complex patients with me 😊 pic.twitter.com/ZIyVnbHdCI — Natasha Lane (@NatashaErinLane) November 19, 2019

Thank you #IPOS2019 for the opportunity to present my research on #symptom perception in #AYAcancer survivors today. My first #betterposter design was seemingly a success :) pic.twitter.com/9qgFcojP7W — Lauren Heathcote, PhD (@LCHeathcote) September 24, 2019

Search the #betterposter hashtag on Twitter to see more examples.

And to avoid that crushing feeling that results from unfurling a crinkled poster, you can also order a cloth fabric poster at makesigns.com or postersmith.com .

Marc J. Kuchner is an astrophysicist and the author of Marketing for Scientists: How to Shine in Tough Times. Photo by Gary Wagner Photos .

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How to Make a Good Poster Presentation

• First Online: 02 February 2019

Cite this chapter

• Baris Kocaoglu 8 ,
• Paulo Henrique Araujo 9 &
• Carola Francisca van Eck 10  

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Poster presentations are a key component of any scientific conference. They are an excellent platform for a researcher to present their study to a large audience. Therefore, it is important to prepare the presentation in a way that catches the eye of the people attending the meeting while presenting the key data in an easy to interpret format. This will encourage the audience to engage in an academic discussion, which is vital for the researcher to obtain feedback on their study. This chapter aims to help orthopedic researchers in preparation and presentation of a scientific poster. After reading this chapter, the reader should know the various different types of poster presentation, be familiar with the technical aspect of how to make their own poster, and understand what to do at the scientific meeting to get the most out of presenting their research in poster format.

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How to Prepare a Poster

Poster Presentation at Scientific Meetings

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Kocaoglu, B., Araujo, P.H., van Eck, C.F. (2019). How to Make a Good Poster Presentation. In: Musahl, V., et al. Basic Methods Handbook for Clinical Orthopaedic Research. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-58254-1_23

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A Short Guide to Creating a Poster for a Conference

Introduction

Presenting a poster at a conference or meeting is a great way to share your work with other researchers. Poster sessions can often feel like the academic equivalent of a busy street market: there are lots of people milling around in crowds, hundreds of conversations happening at once, and a huge range of potential things to do and see. Each researcher’s poster operates like their market stall — trying to set out what’s on offer and entice people in. A great poster is key in getting the most out of these sessions. Whilst making one doesn’t require too much design knowledge or expertise, there are a few important factors that you should consider. So, in this post, we’ll walk you through some tips on how to produce the perfect poster.

The conference and your poster

First things first, what sort of event are you taking this poster to? Is it the Biennial International Conference of your entire field, taking place across half a city somewhere on the other side of the planet with 25,000 attendees? Is it a symposium of the 32 researchers in a remote area of Canada who all study duck ecology and you’ve already met half of them? The level of assumed knowledge in the audience should heavily influence how you choose to display any images or information on your poster.

For example, if everyone in the poster session is part of a small technical meeting on transient absorption spectroscopy methods, then having a graph with the y-axis label of ‘ ΔOD’ will be fine. If the poster session is for anybody interested in solar panels at a mega-conference on climate change, then you should label the y-axis ‘ Effectiveness at converting photons into electrons ( ΔOD )’. You could also put helpful arrows showing that a higher peak means a larger number of electrons and a longer tail indicates less decay. When people visit your poster, the less time you have to spend explaining what the acronyms and jargon on your poster mean, the more time you can spend discussing your results and analysis. In essence, think about the conference and the attendees, then make the necessary alterations.

What are you going to show?

This part should be easy, as a few months ago you will have submitted a title and abstract to the event organisers. Now you’ve been accepted you should think about the 2 or 3 points you want all visitors to your poster to come away with. Topics that are common to present in posters are new results or discoveries that you’ve made or a new method, or device that you and your research group have developed. Quite often you might produce a poster that presents the results that you have recently published in a paper.

Whatever it is you are trying to present, think about the three or four key visual elements that can help you convey this message. Typically these will be graphs, pictures, flowcharts or spectra. Ideally, you will have one visual element that explains the motivation for the work, one that shows your method, and then two or three that support your conclusion. How we display these images will depend on who we’re showing them to.

How to lay everything out

First impressions are important. With 100s of posters in a room, make sure people want to stop at yours, so your poster needs to be an eye-catcher.

Before you make an eye-catching poster, you need to make sure that you are following the basics. So, first things first, check how large your poster board is going to be and double check if your poster has to be presented either portrait or landscape. It’s hard to look like a thorough and considerate researcher if you can’t follow a simple set of instructions from an event organiser. If it fits in with the conference rules, I generally prefer to present my work landscape because a) most people present portrait so it makes my work stand out a bit more b) titles take up fewer lines and c) I’m usually presenting data where I have a longer x-axis than y-axis, so I can make my graphs bigger this way. This won’t apply or appeal to everyone though, so do what suits you, your research and the conference best.

The next step in laying out your poster is to put the title and abstract in, and then position your images on the page. I’d probably go for the image supporting my motivation in the top left, and the image supporting my conclusion in the bottom right. Blow the images up so they’re as big as they can be on the page that’s without looking ridiculous. The remaining white space is what you’ve got left to play with in terms of text.

One considerate thing you can do, and this applies to any poster session you go to, is to make sure everything you show passes a colour-blindness checker. If you’ve got two things that are supposed to look distinct from each other, make sure they do to everyone.

Laying out your poster will come with experience. With each poster session that you attend, try and get a feel for the positive and negative reactions of not only your poster but for others too. Whilst the content on your poster is the most important aspect, perfecting its style will come with time and experience.

Putting in the text

Size 24pt font for “body” text, >60pt for headings and >80pt for the title. Use a serif font for the body text, and sans serif for titles. Try not to use more than two fonts though, so if you’re making your graphs in Origin, your structures in ChemDraw, your spectra in Mestrenova and your presentation in PowerPoint, you’re already going to have four separate default fonts. Take the time to make everything match up. You want everything to look as neat and as consistent as possible.

Now if you take only one piece of advice from the piece, make it this: Don’t write in continuous prose anywhere outside the abstract, just stick with bullet points.

You’re going to be standing by your poster, so if anyone wants any points expanding on, you’ll be there do that. As with every other element on the poster: remember who the majority of the audience is going to be, and tailor your language so it conveys the most information to the audience with the least effort. There’s no need to waste time explaining stuff to people who already know it, and there’s no point in using jargon that will slow a person without prior knowledge understanding your conclusion. Your poster should be able to convey most of its message through visual elements alone. Make your graphs clear and appealing, and then you won’t need lots of text to get your point across.

And Finally

Take business cards and remember to place your email on the bottom of your poster. You should also take a few A4 printouts of your poster. If your poster is a summary of your most recent paper, take a few print-outs of that too. If anyone has lots of questions and is hogging your stand for too long you can hand them a copy of the paper and your card. Tell them to email you, and move them on. Likewise, if someone you want to do a postdoc or collaboration with shows some interest, get them reading your work and remembering your name.

Key points to take away

• No matter the prior knowledge of the person that you are presenting to, you are effectively selling them your work. So be enthusiastic. If you don’t act enthusiastically, how can they be enthusiastic about your work?
• Start with the visuals, and make them easy to understand for your audience
• Use bullet points only for your text
• Keep fonts consistent, a little effort goes a long way in terms of neatness
• Have business cards and print-outs to share

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The Art of Effective Poster Presentations at Conferences

Conference poster presentations are a vital platform for researchers to share their work, exchange ideas, and engage with fellow scholars. A well-executed poster can effectively communicate your research findings, captivate your audience, and spark meaningful conversations. In this article, we will delve into the art of crafting and delivering effective poster presentations at conferences, offering valuable insights and strategies to help you make the most of this opportunity.

Why Are Poster Presentations Important?

In the realm of academic conferences, where researchers from diverse fields converge to exchange knowledge and ideas, poster presentations hold a distinct and essential place. These visual displays of research findings are more than just static images on a board; they are dynamic tools for communication, engagement, and networking. Here, we explore why poster presentations are integral to the conference experience and academic discourse.

1. Accessibility and Inclusivity: One of the primary virtues of poster presentations is their accessibility. Unlike oral presentations that are limited by concurrent sessions, poster sessions typically span longer durations, ensuring that attendees have ample opportunities to engage with the content. This inclusivity allows researchers to reach a broader audience and receive feedback from peers who may not have attended their oral presentation.

2. Ideal for Complex Visual Content: Some research findings are inherently visual, relying on graphs, charts, images, and diagrams to convey complex information. Posters provide an ideal platform for presenting such content effectively. They allow for the integration of visuals that can be absorbed at a glance, enhancing the audience's understanding of intricate data.

3. Engaging Interactions: Poster sessions foster interactive and one-on-one engagements between presenters and attendees. Researchers have the chance to discuss their work, answer questions, and engage in meaningful dialogues. This direct interaction enables deeper dives into the research, encourages brainstorming, and often leads to valuable insights and collaborations.

4. Sharing Preliminary and Ongoing Work: Not all research is finalized and ready for a full oral presentation. Poster presentations offer the flexibility to share preliminary findings, ongoing projects, or research in progress. This openness allows researchers to receive early feedback, refine their methodologies, and make connections that can propel their work forward.

5. Enhancing Presentation Skills: Crafting an effective poster and presenting it succinctly enhance researchers' communication and presentation skills. They must distill their work into a visually appealing and concise format, which is a valuable skill for conveying complex ideas to a broader audience.

6. Opportunities for Early-Career Researchers: Poster sessions often provide an excellent platform for early-career researchers to gain exposure and build their professional networks. It offers a less intimidating setting for them to share their work, receive constructive feedback, and connect with experienced researchers who can offer mentorship and guidance.

7. Showcasing Multidisciplinary Research: Conferences bring together scholars from various disciplines. Posters enable researchers to showcase multidisciplinary projects that bridge the gaps between different fields. This interdisciplinary exchange can lead to innovative solutions and collaborations that transcend traditional academic boundaries.

8. A Visual Snapshot of Research: Poster presentations serve as visual snapshots of research projects. Attendees can quickly scan the content to determine if a poster aligns with their interests, making it easier to decide which presentations to explore further.

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The key elements of a successful conference poster.

Creating a successful conference poster is both an art and a science. It requires careful consideration of design, content, and presentation to effectively communicate your research findings. Here are the key elements that contribute to a successful conference poster:

1. Clear and Compelling Title: The poster's title should be concise, engaging, and instantly convey the essence of your research. A well-crafted title captures the attention of viewers and invites them to learn more. It's often the first impression your poster makes, so make it count.

2. Engaging Design: Visual appeal is crucial. Your poster should have a clean and balanced layout with a logical flow. Use fonts that are easy to read and choose colors that enhance readability. Visual elements like graphs, images, and diagrams should be integrated seamlessly into the design.

3. Structured Content: Organize your poster content in a structured manner. Include sections such as an introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. Use clear headings and subheadings to guide viewers through your research journey. A well-organized poster makes it easier for viewers to follow your narrative.

4. Captivating Visuals: Visuals are a powerful tool for conveying information. Use graphs, charts, images, and diagrams to illustrate key points and trends in your research. Ensure that visuals are of high quality and directly support your findings. Visuals should be easy to understand at a glance.

5. Concise Text: Keep text concise and focused. Avoid long paragraphs and excessive jargon. Use bullet points and numbered lists to break up information into digestible chunks. Your text should complement the visuals and provide context without overwhelming the viewer.

6. Clear Data Representation: If your research involves data, present it clearly and concisely. Use appropriate data visualization techniques to convey trends and results. Ensure that axes are labeled, units are specified, and data points are clearly defined. Viewers should be able to grasp your findings without confusion.

7. Effective Use of Space: Utilize the available space wisely. Avoid clutter and allow for ample white space to prevent visual overload. Space should be allocated to different sections and visuals in a balanced manner, ensuring that no aspect of your research is overshadowed.

8. Cohesive Visual Theme: Maintain a cohesive visual theme throughout your poster. Consistency in fonts, colors, and overall design enhances the professional appearance of your poster. A well-designed poster reflects positively on your research.

9. Engaging Headings and Captions: Headings and captions should be engaging and informative. Use them to highlight key findings and insights. A well-crafted heading or caption can draw viewers' attention to specific aspects of your research.

10. Contact Information and References: Include your contact information, such as an email address or QR code linked to your professional profile. Don't forget to provide references for your research sources, which adds credibility to your work.

A successful conference poster is a harmonious blend of design, content, and presentation. Clear and compelling visuals, concise text, structured content, and an engaging title are essential elements for effectively conveying your research. By carefully considering these key elements, you can create a poster that captivates your audience and leaves a lasting impression at your next conference presentation.

Preparing for Your Poster Presentation

Creating a stellar conference poster is only part of the equation for a successful presentation. Equally important is your preparation to engage with your audience effectively. Here's how to prepare for your poster presentation:

1. Practice Your Elevator Pitch: Be ready to deliver a concise summary of your research in a minute or less. This elevator pitch should capture the essence of your work and pique the interest of passersby. It serves as the initial hook to draw viewers to your poster.

2. Anticipate Questions: Think about the questions and comments you might receive during your presentation. Prepare concise and informative responses to common queries related to your research. Anticipating questions helps you stay confident and composed during interactions.

3. Rehearse Your Presentation: Practice presenting your poster to colleagues, mentors, or friends. Seek their feedback on your delivery, clarity, and overall presentation skills. Rehearsing your presentation multiple times ensures you can confidently convey your research findings.

4. Set Up Your Space: Arrive early at the conference venue to set up your poster and any supplementary materials. Ensure that your poster is properly affixed and easy to read. Check that your presentation area is well-lit and free of distractions.

5. Organize Supporting Materials: Prepare handouts, business cards, or QR codes linked to your research for interested attendees. These materials provide additional information for those who want to explore your work further. Be ready to distribute them as needed.

6. Dress Professionally: Your attire should be professional and appropriate for the conference. A polished appearance enhances your credibility and professionalism when engaging with attendees.

7. Develop a Presentation Strategy: Decide how you will approach engagement with attendees. Will you actively invite passersby to your poster? Will you use visual aids to guide your discussions? Having a strategy in mind helps you manage interactions effectively.

8. Maintain Eye Contact: When engaging with attendees, maintain eye contact and a welcoming demeanor. A friendly and approachable attitude can encourage more interactions and make attendees feel comfortable asking questions.

9. Share Your Passion: Showcase your enthusiasm for your research. Passion is infectious and can draw attendees to your poster. Explain why your work matters and how it contributes to the field.

10. Be Adaptable: Be flexible and adaptable during your presentation. Tailor your discussions to the interests and knowledge levels of your audience. Some may seek detailed technical information, while others may prefer a high-level overview.

11. Respect Time Constraints: Be mindful of the time available for each interaction. Respect attendees' schedules and avoid monopolizing their time. Concisely convey your research and offer to provide more information if requested.

12. Collect Feedback: Encourage attendees to share their feedback and insights. Constructive criticism can help you refine your research and presentation skills. Consider providing a feedback form or inviting verbal comments.

Effective preparation is the key to a successful poster presentation. Practice your elevator pitch, anticipate questions, and rehearse your presentation. Arrive early, organize supporting materials, and maintain a professional appearance. Develop a presentation strategy, engage attendees with enthusiasm, and adapt to their needs. By preparing diligently, you can confidently showcase your research and engage with your audience effectively at the conference.

Engaging With Your Audience

A conference poster presentation isn't just about displaying your research; it's an opportunity to engage with your audience, foster discussions, and share your passion for your work. Here are strategies for effectively engaging with your audience during your poster presentation:

1. Maintain Eye Contact: When attendees approach your poster, greet them with a smile and make eye contact. Establishing this personal connection creates a welcoming atmosphere and encourages interaction.

2. Use Visual Aids: Visual aids, such as a pointer or your own finger, can help direct attendees' attention to specific sections of your poster. Use them to highlight key findings or data points as you explain your research.

3. Ask Open-Ended Questions: Encourage conversations by asking open-ended questions. Instead of questions with yes-or-no answers, pose inquiries that invite attendees to share their thoughts or experiences related to your research. For example, "What are your thoughts on this approach?" or "Have you encountered similar challenges in your work?"

4. Share Anecdotes and Stories: Weave relatable anecdotes or stories into your presentation to humanize your research. Personal experiences or challenges you've encountered on your research journey can make your work more relatable and memorable.

5. Tailor Your Explanation: Adjust your explanation based on your audience's level of familiarity with your field. Some attendees may be experts, while others may have limited knowledge. Tailor your discussion to their needs, offering more in-depth explanations when necessary.

6. Use Analogies and Metaphors: Complex research concepts can be simplified with the use of analogies or metaphors. Compare your findings to everyday experiences or objects to make them more accessible and relatable.

7. Provide Real-World Relevance: Emphasize the real-world relevance of your research. Explain how your findings can address practical problems or contribute to advancements in your field. Attendees are more likely to engage when they see the practical implications.

8. Listen Actively: Engaging with your audience is a two-way interaction. Listen actively to their questions and comments. Show appreciation for their input, and ask follow-up questions to delve deeper into the discussion.

9. Offer Handouts or Additional Information: Some attendees may want to explore your research in greater detail. Offer handouts, business cards, or QR codes linked to supplementary materials, such as your full paper or additional data. This provides an avenue for further engagement.

10. Be Respectful of Time: Respect attendees' time constraints. If someone is in a hurry, provide a concise overview of your research and offer to share more information later. For those interested in a more in-depth discussion, allocate additional time.

11. Foster a Positive Environment: Create a positive and inviting environment at your poster. Be approachable, patient, and enthusiastic. Attendees are more likely to engage when they feel comfortable and welcomed.

Networking Opportunities

While your primary goal at a conference poster presentation is to showcase your research, it's also an excellent opportunity for networking. Building connections with fellow researchers, potential collaborators, and experts in your field can be as valuable as presenting your work. Here's how to make the most of networking opportunities during your poster presentation:

1. Be Approachable: Approachability is key to successful networking. Smile, make eye contact, and welcome attendees who visit your poster. A friendly and open demeanor encourages interactions.

2. Elevator Pitch: Perfect your elevator pitch—an engaging and concise summary of your research. It serves as an icebreaker and provides a starting point for conversations.

3. Exchange Contact Information: Be prepared to exchange contact information. Business cards, contact cards, or simply sharing your email address can facilitate future communication.

4. Share Your Passion: Express your enthusiasm for your research. Passion is contagious and can make you more memorable to those you meet. Explain why your work matters and how it can benefit the field.

5. Ask About Others' Work: Show genuine interest in others' research. Ask questions about their projects, findings, and interests. Active listening and curiosity can leave a positive impression.

6. Find Common Ground: Seek common ground or shared research interests. Identifying shared research areas can lay the foundation for potential collaborations or further discussions.

7. Attend Networking Events: Many conferences organize dedicated networking events or receptions. Attend these gatherings to meet a wider range of attendees, including keynote speakers and senior researchers.

8. Visit Other Posters: Don't limit your interactions to your own poster. Visit other poster presentations to learn about diverse research topics and meet fellow presenters.

9. Utilize Social Media: Follow the conference's official social media accounts and use event-specific hashtags to connect with attendees online. This can lead to post-conference networking opportunities.

10. Join Discussion Panels: If the conference includes discussion panels or forums, participate actively. Sharing your insights can help you connect with others who share your interests.

11. Attend Workshops and Symposia: Workshops and symposia are great places to meet like-minded researchers. Engage in discussions, ask questions, and explore potential collaborations.

12. Follow Up After the Conference: After the conference concludes, follow up with individuals you met. Send personalized emails expressing your interest in continuing the conversation or collaborating on research projects.

13. Use Conference Apps: Many conferences offer dedicated apps or platforms for networking. Utilize these tools to identify potential contacts, send messages, and arrange meetings.

14. Seek Mentorship: If you admire the work of senior researchers or experts in your field, don't hesitate to express your interest in their work and seek mentorship. Many established researchers are open to mentoring younger scholars.

15. Be Respectful of Time: While networking, be mindful of attendees' time constraints. Respect their schedules and offer to continue discussions at a later time if necessary.

Networking during a poster presentation extends beyond the event itself. The connections you establish can lead to collaborations, research opportunities, and professional growth. Approach networking with an open and enthusiastic attitude, and you'll discover the vast potential for building meaningful relationships within your academic and professional community.

Mastering the art of effective poster presentations at conferences is a valuable skill for any researcher. By focusing on clear design, engaging content, practiced delivery, and active engagement with your audience, you can make the most of this platform to share your research, connect with peers, and contribute to the vibrant academic community that conferences offer.

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The Scientific Conference Poster Session: Tips for Success

By Guest Blogger

This post was contributed by Brittany L. Uhlorn, a PhD Candidate at the University of Arizona.

Perhaps you’re about to present your first scientific poster, but unsure how best to prepare. Maybe you’re a presentation veteran, but have difficulty answering questions. Or perhaps you’re simply attending, but uncertain how to capitalize on your experience. No matter the reason for attending, your preparation and day-of game plan will ensure you have the most beneficial scientific conference experience possible.

Tips for poster session presenters

Prepare for success.

You’ve put a great deal of thought into designing your poster – now it’s time to practice your delivery.

• Consider your audience : Who will be attending the session, and what is their background relative to your research? Tailor your language to your audience so that they can digest what you’re saying, provide constructive criticism, and ask thought-provoking questions. For example, if you’re a virologist presenting at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, you might consider including more background on how your virus of interest causes cancer, as well as therapeutic strategies to target it, than you typically would at a microbiology meeting.
• Create an outline : Write key bullet points for what you would like to say to help build your presentation. For example, when thinking about discussing a figure, jot down the question you were trying to answer, the method you used, the main result, and the fundamental takeaway. Writing these points will help you remember what to say and provide your audience with a clear picture of your work.
• Practice, practice, practice : Rehearse your presentation with people inside and outside your field. Your colleagues, lab mates, and PI can provide feedback on your technical presentation, but those outside of your field can point out places where you gloss over essential details or omit crucial background. Practice a few times while standing at your poster – it’s a different experience to practice while seated or with your poster on your computer screen than it is to pretend you’re standing at the session.

Present with confidence

Now that you’ve printed your poster and practiced a number of times, it’s time to expertly show off your science.  

• Prepare the night before : To avoid rushing out the door without your poster, place it by your keys a day in advance. Dress for the venue and professionalism of the conference, and remember to wear comfortable shoes, as you will likely be spending a few hours on your feet. Pack water and snacks to keep you energized throughout the session, bring extra clips to hold up your poster, and pack a few business cards to tack up next to your poster.
• Arrive early : You might be nervous before your poster session, or it may be held at an unfamiliar venue. Finding your poster board well ahead of time ensures you aren’t scrambling to tack up your poster seconds before the session begins. Plus, you’ll have extra time to practice at the actual venue.
• Introduce yourself : I always find it odd when I walk up to someone’s poster, and then he/she dives right into the background without an introduction. If someone approaches your poster, introduce yourself and ask about his/her background. This will give you a chance to determine how to tailor your presentation so that it can be understood by your audience.
• Use your poster as an aid : Have you ever gone up to a poster where the presenter spends the entire time talking to the poster, as opposed to engaging with you? Be sure to use your poster as a visual aid, not a crutch. Even the most prepared of us can find ourselves talking to our posters, so if you find yourself in this situation, take a moment to pause and ask your audience if they are following along. This will not only re-engage you with those who sought out your poster, but will also give you a chance to slow down and catch your breath before diving in to the next figure.
• Remember your outline : Instead of getting bogged down in the minutia or coming off as a broken record, remember the outline you created for yourself. Hit the key bullet points and elaborate if your audience seems captivated.

Expertly navigate questions

Answering questions is arguably the most difficult part of a poster session, but with a little preparation and a few deep breaths the day-of, you’ll handle them with ease.

• Anticipate questions : When practicing with your colleagues, ask them to brainstorm potential questions you may receive. People often ask about the relationship of your work to recently published papers or “hot topics,” so be sure to be well-read on the recent literature in your field.

Tips for poster session attendees

There’s nothing more overwhelming than stepping into a sea of posters – where do you begin?

Design a game plan

Prior to attending the conference, map out which posters you are interested in viewing. For most larger conferences, poster titles and abstracts are available online or in an app prior to the session, so bookmark which posters are of most interest to you a few days in advance. If you don’t have access to a list of posters until the day-of, take a moment to step aside to read through the list at the session so you can strategically use your time. Don’t have access to a list of posters at all? No problem! At the beginning of the session, take a lap around the posters and read the titles to find the ones you’d like to revisit.

Strategically traverse the sea of posters

If you come prepared with a list of posters of interest, then you’ve already set yourself up for success. But sometimes, attendees can get sucked in to thirty-minute-long presentations, which constrains the number of posters you can see. If you are pressed for time, limit yourself to five to ten minutes per poster. Ask the presenter to give the “elevator pitch,” of his/her project – kindly let the presenter know you are very interested in his/her work, and would enjoy hearing the highlights so that you can appreciate the impact of the project as a whole.

In addition to time constraints, there may be particular poster you are interested in viewing which has drawn a large crowd, making it difficult to see the actual poster or interact with the presenter. If you don’t have time to wait for the crowd to disperse, you can either seek out the presenter after the session or find him/her on social media or through their affiliations’ website. Time permitting, you can go back to the most interesting and popular posters at the end of the session.

Get in contact

See a poster you want to know more about? Interested in doing a postdoc in a presenter’s lab? Want to collaborate with a group who presented on a topic related to your research? Find a way to get in contact with the presenter after the session. Exchange business cards or jot down their name and affiliation from the poster heading to get in touch at a later time.

With these tips in mind, you’ll be geared for success at your next poster session! There many other tips and tricks for presenting at scientific conferences, so let us know your own ways to successfully navigate poster sessions with ease.

Many thanks to our guest blogger Brittany L. Uhlorn from the University of Arizona.

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• Read other posts on scientific communication
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• Read this blog post for tips on other aspects of conferences

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Topics: Science Careers , Conferences , Early Career Researcher

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How to make a scientific poster

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Conference attendees will look at your poster only briefly, so a clear presentation is crucial

A scientific poster is an illustrated abstract of research that is displayed at meetings and conferences. A poster is a good way of presenting your information because it can reach a large audience, including people who might not be in your field. It is also a useful step towards publishing your research. Some conferences publish poster abstracts, which then count as publications in their own right.

A successful poster captures the viewer’s attention and communicates the key points clearly and succinctly. One author reviewed 142 posters at a national meeting and found that 33% were cluttered or sloppy, 22% had fonts that were too small to be easily read, and 38% had research objectives that could not be located in a one minute review. 1 Avoiding these mistakes is important to ensure your poster has a positive impact.

Where do I start?

If you have completed a project, you will need to research the right meeting or conference to submit your abstract to, if you have not done so already. You might need to ask your supervisor or consultants in the field of your topic for information about relevant conferences at which you can present your work.

You will usually be asked to submit an abstract online. The submission guidelines on the website should guide you on how to do this, as well as provide other valuable information such as formatting instructions and deadlines. Your abstract should state why your work is important, the specific objective or objectives, a brief but clear explanation of the methods, a summary of the main results, and the conclusions. I would not recommend adding the abstract to your poster unless this was stated in the conference guidelines because a poster is already a …

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How to Prepare for a Poster Session

• Introduction to Poster Sessions
• Components of a Poster Presentation
• Designing Your Poster
• Printing Your Poster
• Archiving Your Poster
• Additional Resources

Components of a Poster Session

Presentation.

Prior to the poster session, you should prepare and practice a 1-2 minute "elevator pitch" or "lightning talk" about your research project. In preparing for your presentation, think about how much information can reasonably be conveyed in 1-2 minutes. Since your poster already contains a lot of information, your presentation should aim to complement and highlight the information on the poster, not repeat it. Present information that provides context for the information on your poster, while following the organizational structure of the poster. 

One simple approach is to think about a unique experience or insight that adds a human element to your research. What makes your project interesting? How did you become involved in this work to begin with? A brief anecdote may be useful, and can serve as a way to catch people's attention and get them interested in learning more about your research.

In preparing your presentation, it's important to think about your anticipated audience. Are you presenting at a conference likely to be attended by specialists in your field, or are you presenting at a multidisciplinary event that will be attended by people with different backgrounds and levels of expertise? In either case, a good rule of thumb is to minimize your use of jargon or overly technical language, and this is particularly important for events that will draw a more general audience. Try practicing your presentation for a friend who doesn't have any background in your area of research. If they find your presentation difficult to follow, this is a good indicator that you should work on simplifying your language to make the information more accessible. 

Finally, think about what sorts of questions people may have for you. If you are able to practice in front of someone, encourage them to ask you questions about your research. And don't worry if you don't know the answer to someone's question. Thank them for your question, and offer to the follow up with them later after you've had some time to think it over. 

While your presentation is arguably the most important element of a poster presentation, the poster itself is generally what catches people's attention. This portion of the guide discusses the role that your poster plays in presenting your research. For information about formatting and designing your poster, see the Designing Your Poster page . 

The role of the poster is to provide a visual outline of your research project. It should not aim to represent the project in full detail. It may be helpful to think of your poster as a highlight reel of your research project. It is important to strike a balance between including enough information so that the poster is informative, while avoiding including too much information as this can make your poster difficult for people to take in, or create information overload. Aim to strike a balance between text and visuals. The question of what types of visuals are appropriate will depend on the details of your project, but some possibilities are data visualizations (e.g. charts or graphs) or photographs. 

The best approach may be to think of your poster as a visual aid for your presentation. So in preparing your poster, consider what you can cover in your presentation, and how this might be enhanced by visual material that you can include on the poster. What might it be useful to refer to on your poster in the course of giving your presentation? Visuals are especially useful when they can convey information that is difficult to express with text alone. 

The final component of a successful poster presentation is a handout. While handouts are generally not required, they can be beneficial for a number of reasons. First, they provide you with more space with which you can convey additional information, information that may be important to convey, but not quite important enough to include on your poster. Handouts also serve as a way to help attendees remember you (so be sure to include your name and contact information!). 

In most cases you should limit your handout to a single sheet of paper which can contain information on both sides. On one side, consider including an image fo the poster. This will help attendees associate the handout with their interactions with you during the session. Color printing can be expensive, so it's alright to use a black and white image of the poster so long as it's clear and legible. You can always include a URL to a full color image of the poster online. In addition to supplementary information, you can use the handout to list URLs for your website, or any place online where people can learn more about your research. 

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• URL: https://libguides.wvu.edu/poster

104: How to Give a Perfect Poster Presentation

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It’s a tragic fact: many jaw-dropping, eye-opening, and heart-pounding research results never makes an impact on the scientific community.

And it’s partly your fault.

By “your,” of course,  I mean all of us.  Because when we waste the opportunity to share our results in their best light at a scientific conference or poster session, our viewers may overlook this valuable insight.

But we can do better!  With a little planning, collaboration, and hard work, we can make even a humble poster presentation a vehicle for inspiring the next discovery and building our scientific network.

Let’s get started!

Poster Perfect

A poster session is a unique opportunity for a young scientist.

As a viewer, you get the chance to engage in a casual conversation with other scientists, often one-on-one, about a topic that interests you.  It’s an opportunity to ask for clarity, pose a question, or offer ideas without an audience of 200 staring at the back of your head.

As a presenter, you get all of those benefits, as well as an opportunity to build your network and identify collaborators.  You also get many chances to practice your ‘pitch’ as new visitors step up every few minutes.  It will sharpen both your skill as a communicator and your research plan.

And while there are probably some guidelines for being a good poster-viewer, in this episode, we focused our discussion on the best ways to prepare and present a poster.

Before You Begin

As with any presentation, answering a few questions before you get started will save you hours in front of the computer.

Know Your Audience

If you are presenting to the Microbiology Conference, you may want to include more detailed background information than if you’re presenting to other experts in your sub-field at a Malaria Symposium.  Space is limited, and thinking ahead about what your audience may, or may not, know will help you prepare for the proper range of visitor experience.

Start Early

You may be a wizard of poster creation and can put off your design until the night before you fly to the conference, but that’s a bad idea.  Instead, leave extra time before printing share your file with collaborators for review.  They need time to look over your work and offer feedback before it’s committed to (gigantic) paper.

Practice, Practice, Practice

You’ll also need time to practice presenting the poster.  More on this later, but sometimes the act of presentation lets us see where we have gaps or mistakes in the logic or design.  It’s a good idea to practice with people from outside your lab because if they are already familiar with your work, they won’t notice when you skip steps or fail to explain a concept clearly.

Find Your Story

It may sound odd, but poster presentation is a form of story-telling.  The best posters make that story clear and concise.

Even if you have multiple projects in the lab, choose ONE to present in your poster.  Start by jotting down a central question you’re trying to answer, or a hypothesis your lab is testing.  Keeping this key idea in mind as you prepare the presentation will give you a firm structure on which to hang the other elements.

Making a Poster

There are a couple of broad guidelines to keep in mind as you create your poster.

First, remember that the poster is a visual form, and space is limited.  That means you should avoid printing long paragraphs of text.  Instead, use the space to display graphs, images, and figures, with a few bullet points or figure legends to help the viewer track the story.

Second, stick with a ‘standard’ layout.  Your viewers have been trained for years to look for titles at the top and conclusions on the bottom right.  You make viewing your poster harder by moving these elements around.

Third, maintain consistency within your poster.  Stick with one or two fonts, and be sure that headings, bullets, and figures are matched in style, weight, and size.

Finally, give your work some breathing room.  White-space is important, and will make the poster more readable.

Poster Pieces

Manuscript titles are often formulaic and a bit dull as they describe the basic findings of the research paper, but your poster title can be more creative.  The goal is to catch a viewer’s attention while also letting them know what they’ll see when they visit.

Again, remembering your audience, include enough information to help them understand your main question or hypothesis.  Avoid paragraphs, and include a figure or diagram if you can.

Hypothesis / Main Question

This section is an absolute must, so don’t forget it!  It lets the viewer instantly understand what the poster is about and what they can expect to learn if they follow you through to the conclusion.

Again, a diagram or figure works great here.  Use this section to help the viewer understand your experimental approach to the question.  You don’t need to detail every last step – save that for the paper you publish!

This is where the action is.  Remember – you don’t need to include every experiment you’ve ever done.  Just describe the results that help address the main question/hypothesis.

Use descriptive figure titles that help the viewer understand your conclusion.  “Gel of Protein X” doesn’t help anyone, but “Protein X is Up-Regulated After Drug Treatment” tells them what they should expect to see in the scan. 

Cut out extraneous information or parts of the image, and use arrows or boxes to help direct attention to the relevant parts.

Double check this section for readability – axes and labels can often be too small to read from a four-foot distance.

Conclusions

Another chance to draw a diagram!  Or use 2-3 bullet points to help summarize what you’ve found.

Other Sections

Some posters include acknowledgements or future directions.  These are optional and might make sense on a case-by-case basis.

Every poster should include the author’s contact info, though!  This allows people to reach out even if you’ve stepped away from the poster, and helps collaborators keep in touch after the meeting.

Presenting a Poster

Crafting the perfect poster is only half the battle, now it’s time to describe that work from start to finish.

Timing is Everything

Walking a viewer through your presentation should take roughly five to seven minutes.  That doesn’t seem like a long time, but it’s an important target.  Many presenters take too long to share the poster, leaving the audience bored, uncomfortable, and searching for a way out.

By telling your story in five minutes, you let the audience guide the conversation.  If they’re satisfied with your description, or bored out of their minds, they can move on to another poster.

If they’re excited and want to learn more, they can ask questions or probe the results more deeply.

Act Like an Actor

As you present, remember that you mustn’t turn your back on your audience!  You’ll be tempted to turn to look at the poster yourself, closing off the conversation.  Instead, keep an open stance and point out relevant sections off to your side.

Also, check your enthusiasm.  Too many poster presenters seem bored, tired, or listless.  If they don’t think their work is exciting, why should their audience?! 

Stop a moment to notice your energy level, and try to step it up as you present.  Make eye contact, welcome new viewers as the approach, and modulate your voice. 

Your enthusiasm for your work can be contagious.

Tailor Made

Because most poster presentations occur one-on-one, it’s imperative that you actively tailor your pitch to the person standing in front of you.

When they step up, you can briefly ask about their background or interest in the subject.  If they’re a neophyte, you’ll want to avoid jargon and check that they’ve understood each section before moving on. If they’re an expert, they may want to skip straight to the results!

Be aware of their cues and body language, and let them help steer the conversation.

That’s it! Now you’re a poster-presenting-pro!  Go make a splash at your next poster session, and be sure to share YOUR tips and ideas for poster presentation in the comments below.

For more information on attending conferences, check out Episode  097: Conference Like the Pros – How to Plan, Network, and Win

I’m Getting Seasick

This week, we sample a very special ethanol that has probably traveled farther than we have. 

Jefferson’s Ocean Bourbon  spends its time in a barrel bobbing around on a research ship as it sails around the world!  Supposedly, all of that rocking, equatorial heat, and sea spray mimics the way bourbon tasted when it was shipped back from the New World.  

Best part: you get to read the Captain’s Log of each batch’s journey!

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Scientific Conference Posters: Conference Posters

Poster samples & sharing.

Search these sites to get ideas on how posters are presented within your discipline.

Also, if you upload your poster to one of these sites you can provide handouts or bookmarks with links to the electronic version of your poster at the conference, and keep your work accessible long after the conference.

• Faculty of 1000 Research Posters Open access repository for posters and slide presentations across biology and medicine.
• eposters Open-access journal that provides free access to over 1,800 scientific and medical posters presented at conferences from around the world.
• FigShare This link opens in a new window figshare allows users to upload any file format so that scholarly information can be disseminated electronically.

Designing a Research Poster

The following resources provide guidance on the poster creation process .

• ACP American College of Physicians - Preparing a Poster Presentation This article addresses poster planning, production, and presentation.

• Makesigns Scientific Poster Tutorial Step-by-step guide to poster design and creation.

These resources can be used to obtain copyright compliant images .  Image resolution will vary.

• USC Academic Unit Logotypes University approved logos.
• Open-i - Open Access Biomedical Image Search Engine This link opens in a new window Open-i searches for images in all Open Access articles indexed in PubMed Central. Search over 600,000 copyright compliant images by keyword, topic, or image to find relevant or visually similar images.
• Pixabay This link opens in a new window Repository of free, high quality, copyright compliant images. Begin typing "medical" into the search box. Click dropdown menu to filter by image type. Sign up for free account to download images.
• Wikimedia Commons This link opens in a new window A database of freely usable, high resolution image files.
• Google Images This link opens in a new window For copyright compliant images: type in keywords, click "Search tools", click on "Usage rights" dropdown menu, select from the "Labeled for reuse" options.
• Multimedia Resources (in the Health Sciences) Guide Find videos, audio clips, images, and cases to use in education.

Working with images

• Tips for working with images in Publisher Vendor tips for working with images in Publisher. Includes content about image size, resolution, file formats, and refining.
• Photoshop isn’t the only solution: 5 best programs for resizing images This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to upsample images using Photoshop, GIMP, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Preview, and Pixlr.

Image Manipulation Guidelines

Low resolution images may be manipulated to improve print quality, however you want to proceed with caution when it comes to images that represent research data.

• Rossner, M., & Yamada, K. (2004). What's in a picture? The temptation of image manipulation. The Journal of Cell Biology, 11-15. PMID: 15240566 This article provides specific guidelines on the do's and dont's of image manipulation in scientific publishing in order to ensure the integrity of your data.

Poster Sample / Tips

Diagram image citation:  Blausen.com staff. " Blausen gallery 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine. DOI:10.15347/ wjm /2014.010. ISSN 20018762. (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

• Scientific Conference Posters - Webinar This video provides an overview of some tools, resources and key elements to creating a conference poster. Content covers software, general content, design tips, provides image resources, and tips for improved print quality. ~35 min.
• Conference Poster Click here to download a pdf copy of the poster above.
• Scientific Posters PPT slides Click here to download video PPT slides.

Click on chart to access online.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/new-pastpresentfuture/3800240305 /

• Psychology of Color This site provides information on the meaning of color and how it is perceived.
• The Art of Color Coordination How to combine colors in order to have a positive effect on your audience.

Upsampling images in Photoshop

Through a process called upsampling , you can add pixels to low resolution images , and thereby improve the print quality . The short video below demonstrates how to upsample images in Photoshop .

Final Checklist

https://www.acponline.org/system/files/documents/education_recertification/education/program_directors/abstracts/prepare/poster_checklist.pdf

Universal Design

Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size or disability. 

• Equal Access: Universal Design of Conference Exhibits and Presentations A checklist for making conference exhibits and presentations welcoming and accessible to everyone.

Microsoft Publisher Tutorials

The following resources provide guidance on how to use Microsoft Publisher . Resources at the top provide step-by-step guidance about poster creation. Links at the bottom provide general guidance on using Publisher.

• Microsoft Publisher: Conference Poster Sessions University of Liverpool's Microsoft Publisher software video tutorial. Step-by-step demonstration of the key features used to create a poster. Applicable to Publisher 2010, 2013, and 2016. Run time ~12 min.
• Publisher 2016 Essential Training Training videos via Lynda.com that offer in-depth instruction to Publisher 2016.
• Text wrapping in Publisher Guide on how to wrap text around images in Publisher.

PowerPoint Templates & Tutorials

Links to freely available PowerPoint conference poster templates , and guidance for specific software features relevant to poster creation . 

• PhD Posters - Power Point Template Files PPT templates in a variety of sizes. Packed with helpful tips and easy to customize.
• Mega Print Inc - Free Powerpoint Scientific Research Poster Templates PowerPoint® 2007-2013 templates in a variety of sizes.
• Colin Purrington's PPT Poster Templates Free PPT templates and poster making tips.
• Using grids in PowerPoint Guide on how to set up grids in PPT for better content alignment.
• Creating a Poster in PowerPoint 2010 Eastern Michigan University's detailed guide to creating a poster in PowerPoint.

Other Software

Graphics , such as charts and tables can easily be created in Excel .

• Creating Excel charts with the Recommended Charts feature Lynda.com video tutorial that demonstrates how to create charts in Excel 2013. Requires login.

Print Vendors

The following list is provided as a convenience , and is not meant to endorse or promote any particular vendor.

• PhD Posters Fabric or paper options. Also offers free PPT templates and many poster creation tips.
• PosterSmith Fabric posters.

Help from Norris Medical Library

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• View Health Sciences Libraries tutorials or all USC Libraries tutorials
• Last Updated: Aug 8, 2024 10:42 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/healthsciences/posters

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Poster Presentations

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Elements of a Poster

Change size in powerpoint, using the ruler, grid, and guides in powerpoint, more powerpoint training, template resources, font choice, text alignment.

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Your poster should include these elements:

• Author(s), with affiliations and emails

If your poster is a representation of a research study, you will want to include the following sections:

• Introduction or objective
• Conclusions and/or discussion
• Acknowledgements

If your poster is a representation of an event or other kind of project, you may want to forego formal abstract sections in favor of the 5 Ws:

• Who (introduce the author, organization, or community)
• What (what did you do? how did you do it?)
• Where (where did you do it?)
• When (when did it take place?)
• Why (what are the outcomes, implications, or future possibilities?)

To change the size in Powerpoint:

• Go to the Design tab and choose "Slide Size" (it's on the right size of the ribbon)
• Choose "Custom Slide Size"
• Change "Slides sized for:" to "Custom"
• Fill in your desired width and height. 

Click the View tab to see checkboxes that will allow you to turn on the Ruler, Grid, and Guides (click the image below to see a screenshot).

Ruler : Allows you to see the dimensions of your slide. You'll see a vertical and horizontal ruler.

Grid : By default, the gridlines are 1 inch apart. Right click in white space of your poster to get more options for spacing. This enables precise alignment.

Guides : By default, you'll get one horizontal and one vertical guide placed in the center of your poster. Right click on a guide to add more guidelines, or to delete one. You can use Guides to invisibly define columns of your poster, margins, and more. This gives you manual control, alternatively, you can use Smart Guides (see below).

Smart Guides : Powerpoint has a built-in system for showing you alignment as you move objects around. The video below demonstrates what Smart Guides look like.

Once you've got your slide layout set, you'll want to start creating Shapes and Text Boxes. Here are some tips and tricks for working with objects:

• Use Ctrl+D to duplicate any object.
• Then you can format them all at once, identically!
• You can also group them, for easier movement and alignment (right click to see the Group option).

Most posters are landscape (horizontal) orientation. The title/author(s) will be across the top, with 3–4 columns below that contain the rest of the poster elements. Make sure you leave plenty of white space in your design—a poster crammed full of text and images is very difficult to read.

Here is an example of a 2 column poster layout using the 5 Ws for headings (who, what, where, when, and why):

Use the links below to download this template and other similar templates in two sizes: 24x36 and 36x48. These templates include a variety of placeholder elements for photos and figures.

• 2 column Powerpoint template, size 24x36
• 3 column Powerpoint template, size 24x36
• 3 column Powerpoint template, size 36x48
• 4 column Powerpoint template, size 36x48

Below are some additional web resources where you can search for templates. Keep in mind that you may need adjust the size of a template for your own poster. Alternatively, you can use the resources on this page to design your own layout in Powerpoint.

• David Geffen School of Medicine poster templates Although this is labeled for the sciences, the information can be used in many disciplines.
• Penn State poster template
• PhD Posters
• MakeSigns.com poster templates
• The body of your poster should have a minimum 24 point font . Viewers should be able to read your smallest text from a few feet away.
• The title of your poster should have a 50+ font size, depending on the size of your poster and the length of the title.
• Do not use all uppercase letters for the title or body of the poster.
• Avoid using more than 2 or 3 different fonts in one poster.
• Stick with basic fonts like Times New Roman or Georgia for serif, or Arial or Helvetica for sans-serif. Avoid elaborate, difficult-to-read, or cartoon-like fonts.

• In general, left-align your text boxes (with the possible exception of your title and any image captions). Avoid centering the text on your whole poster.
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Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation

Posters are a key component of communicating your science and an important element in a successful scientific career. Posters, while delivering the same high-quality science, offer a different medium from either oral presentations [ 1 ] or published papers [ 2 ], and should be treated accordingly. Posters should be considered a snapshot of your work intended to engage colleagues in a dialog about the work, or, if you are not present, to be a summary that will encourage the reader to want to learn more. Many a lifelong collaboration [ 3 ] has begun in front of a poster board. Here are ten simple rules for maximizing the return on the time-consuming process of preparing and presenting an effective poster.

The purpose will vary depending on the status and nature of the work being presented, as well as the intent. Some posters are designed to be used again and again; for example, those making conference attendees aware of a shared resource. Others will likely be used once at a conference and then be relegated to the wall in the laboratory. Before you start preparing the poster, ask yourself the following questions: What do you want the person passing by your poster to do? Engage in a discussion about the content? Learn enough to go off and want to try something for themselves? Want to collaborate? All the above, or none of the above but something else? Style your poster accordingly.

Rule 2: Sell Your Work in Ten Seconds

Some conferences will present hundreds of posters; you will need to fight for attention. The first impressions of your poster, and to a lesser extent what you might say when standing in front of it, are crucial. It is analogous to being in an elevator and having a few seconds to peak someone's interest before they get off. The sad truth is that you have to sell your work. One approach is to pose your work as addressing a decisive question, which you then address as best you can. Once you have posed the question, which may well also be the motivation for the study, the focus of your poster should be on addressing that question in a clear and concise way.

The title is a good way to sell your work. It may be the only thing the conference attendee sees before they reach your poster. The title should make them want to come and visit. The title might pose a decisive question, define the scope of the study, or hint at a new finding. Above all, the title should be short and comprehensible to a broad audience. The title is your equivalent of a newspaper headline—short, sharp, and compelling.

Do not take the acceptance of a poster as an endorsement of your work. Conferences need attendees to be financially viable. Many attendees who are there on grants cannot justify attending a conference unless they present. There are a small number of speaking slots compared with attendees. How to solve the dilemma? Enter posters; this way everyone can present. In other words, your poster has not been endorsed, just accepted. To get endorsement from your peers, do good science and present it well on the poster.

Identify your audience and provide the appropriate scope and depth of content. If the conference includes nonspecialists, cater to them. Just as the abstract of a paper needs to be a succinct summary of the motivation, hypothesis to be tested, major results, and conclusions, so does your poster.

The amount of material presented in a paper far outweighs what is presented on a poster. A poster requires you to distill the work, yet not lose the message or the logical flow. Posters need to be viewed from a distance, but can take advantage of your presence. Posters can be used as a distribution medium for copies of associated papers, supplementary information, and other handouts. Posters allow you to be more speculative. Often only the titles or at most the abstracts of posters can be considered published; that is, widely distributed. Mostly, they may never be seen again. There is the opportunity to say more than you would in the traditional literature, which for all intents and purposes will be part of the immutable record. Take advantage of these unique features.

Pop musician Keith Richards put the matter well in an interview with Der Spiegel [ 4 ]: “If you are a painter, then the most important thing is the bare canvas. A good painter will never cover all the space but will always leave some blank. My canvas is silence.” Your canvas as poster presenter is also white space. Guide the passerby's eyes from one succinct frame to another in a logical fashion from beginning to end. Unlike the literature, which is linear by virtue of one page following another, the reader of a poster is free to wander over the pages as if they are tacked to the poster board in a random order. Guide the reader with arrows, numbering, or whatever else makes sense in getting them to move from one logical step to another. Try to do this guiding in an unusual and eye-catching way. Look for appropriate layouts in the posters of others and adopt some of their approaches. Finally, never use less than a size 24 point font, and make sure the main points can be read at eye level.

Everything on the poster should help convey the message. The text must conform to the norms of sound scientific reporting: clarity, precision of expression, and economy of words. The latter is particularly important for posters because of their inherent space limitations. Use of first-rate pictorial material to illustrate a poster can sometimes transform what would otherwise be a bewildering mass of complex data into a coherent and convincing story. One carefully produced chart or graph often says more than hundreds of words. Use graphics for “clear portrayal of complexity” [ 5 ], not to impress (and possibly bewilder) viewers with complex artistry. Allow a figure to be viewed in both a superficial and a detailed way. For example, a large table might have bold swaths of color indicating relative contributions from different categories, and the smaller text in the table would provide gritty details for those who want them. Likewise, a graph could provide a bold trend line (with its interpretation clearly and concisely stated), and also have many detailed points with error bars. Have a clear and obvious set of conclusions—after the abstract, this is where the passerby's eyes will wander. Only then will they go to the results, followed by the methods.

A poster is a different medium from a paper, which is conventionally dry and impersonal. Think of your poster as an extension of your personality. Use it to draw the passerby to take a closer look or to want to talk to you. Scientific collaboration often starts for reasons other than the shared scientific interest, such as a personal interest. A photo of you on the poster not only helps someone find you at the conference when you are not at the poster, it can also be used to illustrate a hobby or an interest that can open a conversation.

When the considerable effort of making a poster is done, do not blow it on presentation day by failing to have the poster achieve maximum impact. This requires the right presenter–audience interaction. Work to get a crowd by being engaging; one engaged viewer will attract others. Don't badger people, let them read. Be ready with Rule 2. Work all the audience at once, do not leave visitors waiting for your attention. Make eye contact with every visitor.

Make it easy for a conference attendee to contact you afterward. Have copies of relevant papers on hand as well as copies of the poster on standard-sized paper. For work that is more mature, have the poster online and make the URL available as a handout. Have your e-mail and other demographics clearly displayed. Follow up with people who come to the poster by having a signup sheet.

The visitor is more likely to remember you than the content of your poster. Make yourself easy to remember. As the host of the work presented on the poster, be attentive, open, and curious, and self-confident but never arrogant and aggressive. Leave the visitors space and time—they can “travel” through your poster at their own discretion and pace. If a visitor asks a question, talk simply and openly about the work. This is likely your opportunity to get feedback on the work before it goes to publication. Better to be tripped up in front of your poster than by a reviewer of the manuscript.

Good posters and their presentations can improve your reputation, both within and outside your working group and institution, and may also contribute to a certain scientific freedom. Poster prizes count when peers look at your resume.

These ten rules will hopefully help you in preparing better posters. For a more humorous view on what not to do in preparing a poster, see [ 6 ], and for further information, including the opportunity to practice your German, see [ 7 ]. 

Acknowledgments

Thomas Erren's contributions to this piece are based on [ 7 ] and were stimulated by exchanges with Michael Jacobsen. Thanks also to Steven E. Brenner for useful input.

Thomas C. Erren is with the Institute and Policlinic for Occupational and Social Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Cologne, Lindenthal, Germany. Philip E. Bourne is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America.

Funding. The authors received no specific funding for this article.

Competing interests. The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

• Bourne PE. Ten simple rules for making good oral presentations. PLoS Comput Biol. 2007; 3 :e77. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030077 . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Bourne PE. Ten simple rules for getting published. PLoS Comput Biol. 2005; 1 :e57. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0010057 . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Vicens Q, Bourne PE. Ten simple rules for a successful collaboration. PLoS Comput Biol. 2007; 3 :e44. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030044 . [ PMC free article ] [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ]
• Interview with Keith Richards. Meine Leinwand ist die Stille. Der Spiegel. 1998; 45 :167–170. [ Google Scholar ]
• Tufte ER. The visual display of quantitative information. Cheshire (Connecticut): Graphics Press; 2001. p. 191. [ Google Scholar ]
• Wolcott TG. Mortal sins in poster presentations or how to give the poster no one remembers. Newsletter Soc Integr Compar Biol Fall. 1997. pp. 10–11. Available: http://www.sicb.org/newsletters/fa97nl/sicb/poster.html . Accessed 23 April 2007.
• Erren TC. Schau mich an! Ein Leitfaden zur Erstellung und Präsentation von Postern in der Medizin und den Naturwissenschaften. München/Wien/New York: W. Zuckschwerdt Verlag; 2006. [ Google Scholar ]

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How to Make a Successful Scientific Poster

Published on 18 Apr 2023

Good science goes nowhere if it’s not communicated well.

Poster sessions at scientific conferences are a hub for knowledge dissemination and research networking. So, knowing how to design a good conference poster is a big part of becoming a successful scientific communicator and sharing your work with a larger community.

Making a scientific poster can be an exciting and rewarding experience. A well-designed poster can help you showcase your research to attract the attention of fellow scientists and potential collaborators or sponsors.

So, to help you get started, this scientific poster guide covers all the bases. From a step-by-step poster creation process to useful examples and templates, you’ll find everything you need here to put together a successful scientific poster.

Students discussing during a scientific poster session.

What is a scientific poster?

A scientific poster is a visual representation of research or scientific work presented at a conference or other professional gathering. The goal is to present complex research information in a way that is easy to understand and visually engaging for conference attendees. You want to concisely tell the story behind your science, all while making it accessible to non-expert audiences.

Scientific posters can include text, figures, tables, graphs, infographics, charts, and images to convey the key findings of a research project (these elements may also be used to highlight the significance or implications of the research). A scientific poster typically consists of a large, printed sheet of paper or fabric, on which the presenter displays the results of their research in a clear, concise, and visually appealing manner. If you’re presenting at a virtual poster session , your “poster” might be a digital file, a presentation, or a recorded video.

During a conference poster session, a researcher usually stands by their poster display while other conference participants wander through the room, viewing presentations and interacting with various authors as they go.

What is a good size for a scientific poster?

The ideal size for a scientific poster will vary depending on your conference or event requirements. However, the most common size is 48 inches (122 cm) wide by 36 inches (91 cm) tall. This size allows for easy transportation and can fit on most poster boards or display areas.

Regardless of the common size given here, it's still important that you check the specific requirements of the event where you will be presenting, as they may have different size limitations or guidelines (the event or conference website is usually a good place to find this information). Resizing a finished poster can be a real pain. So, it’s best to check the conference requirements first thing so you can start your poster off on the right track.

One important thing to keep in mind when designing your academic poster with any digital software: It’s better to start bigger (when it comes to pixels). Also, make sure to send a high DPI image (eg. 300 DPI) for printing to ensure a high quality print.

What is the best software to make a scientific poster?

Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides are two of the most common and easy-to-use programs for making scientific posters. Adobe Illustrator is sometimes used by individuals with more advanced design skills. The best software to make an effective poster will depend on your personal preference and/or familiarity with the tools available.

Here’s a handful of popular software options for making scientific posters (and their benefits):

Microsoft PowerPoint : PowerPoint is a widely used software for creating presentations, and it can also be used to create scientific posters (by designing an entire poster on a single presentation slide). It also offers a variety of design templates and tools to create visually appealing posters. Many university computers give students and staff access to the Microsoft suite of tools, so this can be a good free option.

Google Slides : Similar to PowerPoint, Google Slides is a popular software for creating presentations (with the added ability to create scientific posters). It’s free to use which makes it one of the preferred options for early-career researchers.

Adobe Illustrator : Illustrator is a vector-based design software that is ideal for creating high-quality graphics and images. It offers advanced features for typography, color management, and image editing. However, using any Adobe software often comes with a hefty subscription price (and a steep learning curve if you’re unfamiliar with the tools).

Canva : Canva is a web-based graphic design platform that offers a variety of templates and tools for creating posters and other visual media. It is user-friendly and requires no design experience. You can get a free personal account (or pay for upgraded features).

LaTeX : LaTeX is a document preparation system that is often used for scientific publications and presentations. It offers advanced features for typesetting equations and mathematical symbols.

Mac Pages : I made 3 posters during my PhD using Mac Pages. I found it quite easy to work with to add text boxes and colored sections. It’s very similar to PowerPoint in many ways. This is an excellent option for Mac users since it’s free.

InkScape : InkScape is a great tool for students on a budget (it’s free). It offers a simple and efficient way to create vector designs or scientific illustrations.

If you’re attending a virtual conference, you may have additional options for creating a virtual scientific poster. In this case, recording on Zoom, adding audio to a slideshow on PowerPoint, or recording on Quicktime are all good options to consider. Check out our article on guidelines for a virtual poster presentation for more advice.

How to make a good scientific poster for a conference

A well-designed and informative poster that effectively communicates the key findings of your research is your primary goal.

You’ll want to make sure you tailor your poster to the context you’ll be presenting in (i.e. the size of the space, your presentation format, and the level of knowledge your audience is likely to have about your research topic). You’ll also want to give yourself enough time to finish your poster (anywhere between 5 days to a few weeks depending on how much experience you have).

Before we dive into the details of the scientific poster creation process, here’s a highlight of what makes a great scientific poster (and common mistakes to avoid):

So, keeping the above highlights in mind, here’s our step-by-step guide to help you make a scientific poster that will stand out at any conference:

1) Decide on the poster narrative and key messages

Before you begin designing your poster, plan the core content. Start by considering the purpose of your poster and the key message that you want to convey. Identify the main findings of your research and the most important conclusions that you want your audience to take away from your poster. Keep these messages in mind and then think of the varied ways you could weave them into a connected narrative (both visually and verbally) when presenting your poster. This is a great exercise to help you get better at storytelling in science in general.

Later on, when you design your poster and format it, these key messages will need to visually stand out so that someone walking by or scanning your poster can pick them up without stopping to read the full thing.

2) Decide on the sections of your scientific poster

Once you’ve determined your key message(s), you’ll need to organize your research content into sections that make logical sense. Like the abstract in a scientific paper, your poster should have sections summarizing the background and rationale, methodology, results, and the implications of your work. Some common sections included in a scientific poster include:

Title, Key Finding or Takeaway - Highlight the core message in a catchy way.

Introduction - Provide background information and a clear research question or hypothesis. Introduce only what’s necessary to address any knowledge gap.

Methods - Explain the methodology used in your research. This is often the easiest section to skip (or merge with the results to save space and tell your story better).

Results - Present the key findings of your research in a visually appealing way in the results section. Use graphs and tables with legends and titles.

Discussion - Interpret and discuss the implications of your findings.

Conclusion - Summarize your research and its significance. Comment on possible future research. This section can easily be combined with the discussion section.

Citations & Acknowledgements - Reference important materials, your institutional affiliation and thank individuals for specific contributions to your research. This can be smaller than other text so as not to distract from the core message, but it should be included somewhere.

Prompt to Find Out More - Give interested readers an easy option to dive further into your research. Include a resource link (or a QR code) to additional materials.

Keep in mind: these are common sections included in a poster, NOT required sections. Feel free to get creative with more descriptive headings or combine sections if it helps you communicate your message better (and in fewer words). And, wherever possible, think of ways to tell your story through figures and illustrations rather than through text. Biorender and the Noun Project are both great resources to help you find and create visuals for your poster.

3) Create your poster layout and structure

Once you have a clear idea of the content that you want to include, create a rough layout of your poster. Decide on the overall structure of your poster and the placement of each section. This is a great time to pull out a sketchbook and a pencil to mess around with a few different ideas. Or, if you prefer a digital drafting process, you can start making your layout in your software of choice right away.

To make the design process easier, you might want to choose a poster template to customize. There are heaps of useful scientific poster templates available online that you can use ( this collection is a good starting point). Some universities and research centers even provide poster templates that use a specific color scheme and already include the necessary logos. Check whether your institution has a template like this and consider using it if they do - it will save you a lot of time!

Your poster layout should be well-organized, with each section following clearly from the previous one, creating a visual path that tells a coherent story. Decide what will be the direction that the information flows (i.e. left to right and then down? OR top to bottom and then to the right?). Someone who is looking at your poster should not have to jump from one side to the other in order to understand your work. Consider the use of numbers or arrows to indicate the flow of what comes next. Or get creative with eye-catching visuals that naturally draw the reader's eye through the sections in a logical order.

4) Spruce up your scientific poster with a bit of style

The visual design elements (especially colors and fonts) that you choose for your poster can have a big impact on its effectiveness. When choosing a font, consider both the font type and the font size. Picking to read and size is important to help to structure the poster content.

Choose a color scheme that is visually appealing and easy to read (free generators like Material Palette are handy for this if you don’t have an eye for design). Be sure to use high-contrast colors to make important information stand out and to help visually impaired visitors.

Choose fonts that are easy to read and make sure your chosen font size is readable from a distance. Also, consider using a pattern of varying font sizes and/or types to help visually differentiate between poster title, body text, headings, and poster highlights. Use no more than two or three different fonts in your poster overall to avoid clutter and confusion.

If you’re planning to feature a specific image or illustration in your poster, consider using it for inspiration for your color scheme or fonts. It will ensure that your final poster has a more cohesive and less cluttered look.

5) Put all the pieces of your poster together

If you’re using software like Powerpoint: First, choose your page size. Then, start to create content blocks and insert text where appropriate.

If you’re uploading pictures of any sort to your poster design, be sure to use high-quality, high-resolution images. Only import images with 300 dpi resolution (saved in PNG or TIFF formats) to your poster. Double-check to be sure you’ve uploaded good pictures: a high-quality image should not appear blurry or pixelated at 100% zoom.

Once you have your template and design elements in place, it's time to add your content. Begin with the main sections of your poster, such as the introduction, results, and discussion. Use graphs, charts, tables, and images to present your data in a clear and visually appealing way.

When adding text, use short sentences and bullet points to make it easy to read. Use headings and subheadings to break up the content and make it more visually appealing.

6) Print your scientific poster and get ready to present it

Once your poster is complete, it's time to print it so it’s ready to present at the conference. Again, it’s important that you read the conference guidelines very carefully and print your poster in the correct size and orientation. Make sure you print in the highest-quality as well.

Some institutions have dedicated printing facilities, but you can also visit a copy shop that has a large-format printer. If you haven’t had to get a poster printed before, it’s worth asking a colleague for recommendations on a good local spot. Or, if you are feeling creative, you might want to go a different route and print your poster on fabric (this gives you the option to reuse it as a unique table cloth or picnic blanket in the future).

Whatever your printing format, make sure you budget enough time for a reprint if disaster strikes (a week or more of buffer time is a good bet). It’s also worth testing printing out with a “dummy poster” on a small piece of paper. This will allow you to check that everything looks okay when printed before you spend a good chunk of change on the final, full-sized poster.

Finally, when preparing for the conference, be sure to bring all of the necessary materials with you, such as pins or velcro strips, to hang your poster. It doesn’t hurt to also have a digital copy of your poster on a thumb drive just in case something happens to yours in transit. Many conferences have onsite printing services that you could resort to in the event of a mishap.

A few extra tips to help you make a scientific poster

Just a few more helpful things to keep in mind when designing your scientific poster:

1) Quality over quantity

A little bit of text goes a long way on a poster - in fact, the fewer words the better. Posters with less text are more inviting and easier to absorb. Don’t forget that you will be there to explain your work, so there is no reason to try to include everything in the text. Shorten your text by summarizing sections with bullet points and highlighting the key messages.

As mentioned in this article on designing conference posters: If all of your text is kept to a minimum (500 words), an average person could fully read your poster in about 5 minutes. Think about how long you’d want to spend reading through a poster, and use that as motivation to chop your content down to even less than that 5-minute reading mark.

2) Use color, visuals, and white space strategically

Great posters maintain a good amount of white space around the text boxes and figures. A cramped poster is hard to read (and intimidating to passing attendees looking for catchy, quick takeaways). A safe bet is to always include more white space than you think you’ll need.

As much as graphics and visuals can help, they should only be used if they truly are helpful. Don’t get too wrapped up in “decorating your poster.” Get rid of any images or illustrations that aren’t directly related to your research and that don’t help you highlight the key messages you want to deliver.

Finally, resist the urge to use a blown up photo as your poster background. All it adds is confusion and clutter. You’re better off using a light, neutral tone in the background and adding interest with relevant, informational graphics.

This image from brightcarbon shows how good visuals and spacing can make a poster catchier and better at quickly delivering information. They’ve also got great templates for posters if you’re looking.

3) Get picky about your poster fonts and formatting

After you’ve looked at the big picture design and made sure your key message is coming across clearly, dive into the details to perfect your poster:

• Try to make all of your text boxes the same width. It keeps things visually consistent.
• If possible, keep paragraphs to 1-2 sentences rather than big blocks of text.
• Use italics instead of underlining. Underlining draws too much attention to a word.
• Don't use fancy fonts. They make your poster look busy and can make it harder to read (especially for people with dyslexia). In general, sans serif fonts are easiest to read.
• Except for a few words that you might want to highlight, ensure that all of your text is black or a dark color to create better contrast and readability.

4) Don’t be afraid to get a bit creative

We’ve listed some common poster elements and templates in this article, but that doesn’t mean you should hesitate to be creative. Think about design elements or images that are relevant to your research and that could make your poster stand out from the crowd. A few ideas to get your creative brainstorming started:

• Add hidden informational panels behind paper flaps on your poster to make the experience more interactive.
• Attach objects or physical things to add some dimension/interest to your poster.
• Bring props or handouts to supplement your poster beyond what exists on it.

The same goes for your poster layout. Don’t be afraid to completely switch things up in a way that suits your research. A twitter-famous example of this was Mike Morrisons take on the best conference poster layout:

Mike displays his poster layout (Image Source: NPR )

Mike’s innovative take on the research poster template prompted other researchers to think about how to reinvent the wheel. His video on poster sessions captures the need for this kind of creative approach perfectly. A few conferences even adopted it as their required template.

5) Get a second (and third) opinion on your scientific poster

Before you finalize your poster, make sure to review it carefully for accuracy, completeness, and visual appeal. Check for spelling and grammar errors and make sure that all of your data is presented accurately.

Print out a draft of your poster and ask a colleague or mentor to review it and provide feedback. It’s also worth getting feedback from someone with limited understanding of your research topic (they’ll be able to give you an idea of how accessible the wording is and a good review on your design without being bogged down in the technical details). Based on the feedback you receive, make any necessary revisions before finalizing your poster.

Some scientific poster examples (and reviews)

So far, this article has outlined the theory behind making a great poster. But, putting it into practice isn’t always as simple as a 6-step process. You might still be having difficulty visualizing what a good poster looks like (or thinking of ideas for your own). So, take this next section as a bit of creative inspiration. I’ve gathered a handful of posters from my network and given them a quick review based on the design recommendations above.

POSTER ONE - A Fine Figure (or a Few)

Made with: Mac Pages Shared by: Matthieu Chartier (Founder, Fourwaves)

Poster highlights:

• The use of figures and visuals helps to explain the method developed.
• Paragraphs are short and highlight key information.
• The poster isn’t divided into the classic scientific poster sections (let that creativity through!). Instead, because it’s describing a newly developed method, it’s divided into an introduction, method, validation, and applications.

Pieces to improve:

• There are a lot of different colors used. This makes it hard to identify the different sections and the structure of the poster at a glance. Converting the figures and fonts to a more uniform color scheme could help with the visual appeal to people walking by.
• The use of white space could be better (it feels a bit cramped). It would be better to leave some text out and simply mention that information when speaking with visitors during the poster session.

POSTER TWO - An Effective Contrast

Made with: Powerpoint (and figures with BioRender) Shared by: Simon Fournier (Business Development, CQDM)

• The poster contains clear sections with headings that have good contrasting colors to draw the eye (dark blue on white).
• The figure generated with Biorender is clear and is a good support material to use during the actual poster presentation.
• The use of bullet points helps distinguish the key messages.
• The title of the poster could be a bit more punchy to attract attention.
• Figures could be incorporated more to illustrate the data and draw the eye to the poster.

POSTER THREE - Colorful

Made with: Inkscape Shared by: Vincent Nault (CEO, Lumed)

• The use of figures helps to illustrate the data and break up the paragraphs.
• A good amount of information is delivered with a relatively small amount of text.
• The combination of colors is distracting at times. It’s not a complementary palette.
• The font sizes seem to vary widely and the bright yellow font is difficult to read.
• Sections don’t flow in a continuous logical order (gives the sensation of jumping around a bit when you’re trying to find the next section).

POSTER FOUR - Beauty in Simplicity

Made with: Adobe Illustrator (contains 3D rendered images created in Autodesk Maya). Shared by: Mouhanad Babi (PhD, Microscopist and Scientific Illustrator)

• The best thing about this poster is its simplicity. It only has 3 main sections.
• It’s not cramped with text and data and has a lot of white space.
• Easily read and understood in a short period of time.
• Bullet points are used well to share key information.
• The title could be a tad bit catchier.
• There is no contact information if someone wanted to reach out to the presenter.

FUN FACT: This poster was presented at the Biophysical Society of Canada in Montreal in 2017 and won the best poster prize 🏆!

POSTER FIVE - Room to Breathe

Made with : PowerPoint Shared by: Maxime Descoteaux (CSO at Imeka, Research chair in neuroinformatics)

• This poster really breathes! It’s mostly white with only darker colors used to clearly delineate the different sections.
• The content is straight to the point. It highlights the problems with existing compression formats then goes straight into the developed method and results.
• A short sentence to summarize the key conclusions would be helpful. However, leaving it out could also encourage the reader to ask the presenter and spark a conversation!

POSTER SIX - Curiosity and QR Codes

Made with: PowerPoint Shared by: Natália Teruel (from the Najmanovich Research Group )

• The presenter used small lines to link each bordered section. This guides the viewer well from one section to the next.
• The quality of the figures is high and gives a good first impression.
• The use of QR codes with a small label is a handy way to get people to dive deeper.
• A larger font-size or unique section header style would help make the structure clearer.
• The font color is far too light. It’s hard to read.

Conclusion: Making a great scientific poster

You’ve read the advice. You’ve reviewed the examples. You’ve heard what NOT to do.

What’s next?

As daunting as the task may seem, creating a scientific poster can be a lot of fun. It’s extremely rewarding to set up on the day of the poster session and see your work summarized and displayed in one big, visually appealing package.

So, plan your content carefully, choose a template that works for you, experiment with design elements, and present your research in a clear and visually appealing way. And, as always, don’t be afraid to get creative as you work toward your finished poster!

Acknowledgements

I'd like to thanks all those who contributed some tips and poster examples: Maxime Descoteaux, Natália Teruel, Rafael Najmanovich, Mouhanad Babi, Vincent Nault and Simon Fournier.

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Four conference poster templates for a successful presentation

Poster sessions are the heart of scientific conferences. Here presenters meet the visitors, exchange ideas, and form new relationships. But this will happen only if the poster design attracts visitors’ attention and its content helps the author to explain the research. A good conference poster template will make your job in designing such a poster much easier.

In this article, you will find four different conference poster templates that you can download and use right away. To find out the advantages and disadvantages of each, keep reading this article. Hint: the design we have all used most of the time will be the wrong one.

After discussing the templates, I will share tools that make designing a poster more efficient and the result – better. Let’s dive in.

No.1: Traditional academic poster template

A traditional academic-style conference poster looks a lot like the one in figure below. Its sections closely resemble those of a research paper: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Conclusions, References, and Acknowledgements. The boldest authors might have swapped the section titles for something more related to their research, but this will not disguise the general characteristics of this poster layout:

• The text is copy-pasted from the paper, often resembling a research paper stuck to a board.
• The figures require squinting even in close-up, not to mention reading them while passing by.
• Every square centimeter is filled with information
• The title reflects the topic of the study and does not say anything about the results.
• It is polluted with logos – the university, conference, etc.

You probably noticed that I have a certain dislike for the traditional style poster. I will offer better conference poster designs later in this article. But first, let me acknowledge that there are some situations when this type of layout can be useful:

• The layout is benificial when leaving the poster unattended since it allows the visitor to autonomously learn about the research. Such situations include permanent exhibition of research projects in a hallway or a website of a research project.
• The traditional posters arguably have a better chance to receive the best poster award – simply because of the amount of information that can be packed within it. The judges usually award the prizes based on the depth of the content rather a than visitor-friendly design.
• The traditional style poster can serve as a great summary of your research. Printed on a conventional paper (rather than on a poster) such a One Pager provides a condensed summary of your research for those who are not interested to read an entire paper but might spend 5 minutes to go over the key points. Cases where this could be useful include handing out to potential collaborators from the industry or to stakeholders.
• Finally, sticking to the traditional layout might be a wise choice when you expect conservative academics to judge you. For example, if the professor sent you a template for a graded poster session at the end of the course, you might just do as you’r told.

In most cases, including a conference poster session where the author is required to stand next to the poster, the traditional posted design is next to useless . Instead, use one of the three conference poster templates that I offer next.

You will access these traditional academic poster templates in the download

No.2: Presenter’s poster template

In a typical academic conference, most of the text that you have pasted on the poster is pointless. It would be an extremely socially awkward situation if the visitor would spend 10 minutes reading your poster while you silently observe this process. I can assure you that after 20 seconds one of you is going to budge and start a conversation.

A conversation is the whole point of a poster session – you, the presenter, want to interact with people. And the visitors want to hear from the author. This means that you can delete most of the text because you will be there to explain it orally.

Another pitfall of the traditional posters is the sheer amount of information they hold. The visitors can’t spend 20 minutes chatting to the presenter because they also need to browse the other 150 posters.

Actually you, the presenter, are also not interested in spending a lot of time with a single visitor because other potential guests, seeing that you are busy might simply pass by. This reduces your networking opportunities. Who knows – perhaps one of the people to whom you didn’t talk had a brilliant idea for a collaboration.

So there you go – most of the time neither the presenter nor the visitor are particularly interested in chatting for more than a couple of minutes. And yet, none of them knows how to politely get out of the conversation so it drags on.

Now that we have identified the key problems with the typical academic poster, let’s take a fresh look at designing a more effective one. The figure below shows a conference poster template that I designed to help you intuitively apply the best poster design principles. Its main focus is on visual information – graphs, flow charts, and illustrations. Since this template is going to be used when the author is present to explain the content, let’s call it The Presenter’s Poster.

The template is simple enough to ensure that designing the poster will not take more of your time than creating the traditional poster.

When using the Presenter’s Poster template, focus on the most important results. If visitors want to dive into the details, hand out your full research paper or add a link on your poster for downloading it. Better yet, exchange contacts and agree to meet during the lunch break for an in-depth conversation. You can also exchange business cards and follow-up once you are back home.

Scrapping the excessive information from the poster is going to free up space on the poster. Now you can make the charts and illustrations large enough for people to see them without a magnifying glass. Not only will it facilitate discussions; larger figures are more likely to attract the interest of passers-by.

You will access these Presenter’s Poster templates in the download

A guide for poster design

My book Scientific Presentation Skills will explain what to include in each of the Presenter’s Poster sections to facilitate fruitful conversations.

No.3: #betterposter template

“So, tell me about your poster”

This is probably the most frequent opening when a visitor stops by a new poster. Mike Morrison, the originator of the #betterposter layout, thinks this alone shows the inability of the traditional poster design to convey anything meaningful about its content. If a glance at the poster would already answer this basic question, the visitor could approach the author with a more meaningful question thus making the conversation more efficient for both parties. 

A peek at the poster should also signal the passer-by if he or she is even interested in a conversation. It is not worth chatting if either side will not benefit much and there are many other posters to visit. 

The solution? Mike calls it #betterposter. See an example in the figure below.

SUPER excited to present my #BetterPoster built from the @mikemorrison concept at the @waynestate Lipids Symposium today! pic.twitter.com/TSHYkPoyjQ — Matt Kuhn, DVM, PhD (@MattKuhnDVM) May 7, 2019

You will notice that the first thing attracting attention in the design is the supersized text. This punchline is meant to summarize in plain English the take-home message of the poster. It allows the passers-by to quickly decide if they would like to get into more details. If they do, they can approach the author who then explains the research using the smaller bits of the poster. Mike Morrison puts it simply: 

A poster that successfully communicates one thing is more effective than a poster that fails to communicate a thousand things. 

When talking about the thousand things he is, of course, referring to the traditional academic poster. 

You will access these #betterposter templates in the download

Best of all, Mike has created two videos that explain the pitfalls of the traditional poster and how the #betterposter can help make poster sessions better. Grab some popcorn, they are worth watching!

No.4: Infographic style poster template

At every scientific conference, there will most probably be at least one neatly designed poster resembling the example figure below. It will immediately attract the attention of passers-by. More eyes on you promise many more fruitful conversations during the conference.

To create an infographic-style poster, you will have to come up with the design, create neat-looking graphics, care about the colors, and do many other things. This will take more work compared to the couple of hours you probably spent on creating the last poster. At the same time,  the designing of one is less demanding than you probably think.

On http://peerrecognized.com/graphics you will help you see how to find useful graphics for illustrating a poster.

It is possible to design an infographic-style poster using PowerPoint, but a more specialized app will make it easier. One such tool is Canva, so I created this poster template using it. To use the tool, you will have to create a user profile but once this is done, the free version should serve your needs well enough.

You will access these infographic style poster templates in the download

A potential drawback of an infographic-style poster is that at some point it will fail to be scientific enough. For example, if you are attending a specialist research conference in your field, the visitors might want to see detailed charts, correlations, p-values, and jargon. Replacing these with pretty images, cartoons, and infographics might fail to leave an impression of you as a serious scientist. For this reason, before creating such a poster, consider the type of audience you will encounter.

Poster design software

Now that we have reviewed four radically different poster layouts, let’s look at some tools that will help create them.

PowerPoint is the No.1 used app for designing posters. For this reason, I made most of the templates using this tool. The familiarity of the software is its main benefit, but other tools (after a learning curve) might actually make the design process more enjoyable and the result – better. Cost: yes

Adobe InDesign is the go-to app professionals use for designing posters. It offers many features that PowerPoint doesn’t, for example wrapping of text around images. These features make InDesign a powerful tool for creating professional-looking posters. Once mastered, you might use it for other science-related tasks. Cost: yes.

Publisher is Microsoft’s version of page layout design software. Due to the general familiarity with Microsoft’s products, many might find it more intuitive than InDesign. Besides, it is quite likely that you already have it installed on your PC. Cost: yes.

Canva is an online tool that offers many stylish poster templates and useful icons for creating infographics and scientific posters. Cost: There is a free version and a premium upgrade with a larger library of images. I have found that the free version is enough, especially since I most often use my own images.

Piktochart is similar to Canva as it allows creating infographics, posters, presentations, and graphics. Especially useful for social media. Cost: yes

Finding images for posters

The posters will most often hold graphics with your results, flowcharts, or images that you created. But in some cases, you might need a generic image, for example, to visually demonstrate the problem you are solving (e.g. plastics littering a sandy beach if you are researching bio-degradable plastics). The problem is, you are not allowed to simply use whatever you find online. Images are by default protected by copyright and you need permission from the author to re-use them publicly. Fortunately, many people choose to make their work shareable.

Here are some tools that allow finding images that you can reuse freely. Check the license though. Even if you are allowed to re-use them, in most cases you are obliged to give attribution to the author.

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that enables sharing of different types of creative works that normally would be copyrighted. It also offers a search engine for searching free-to-use images. Cost: free.

Unsplash offers a selection of generic photographs that the authors have chosen to make freely available to everyone. Even attribution is not mandatory, but of course, the authors will appreciate it. Cost: free.

Creating images for posters

If you need to create your own icon or drawing, here are some tools that will help to do it.

Adobe Illustrator is the go-to software many professionals use for creating and editing vector graphics. Cost: Yes.

Inkscape is an open-source alternative to Illustrator and it can do many of the same things without breaking the bank. There is also a strong Inkscape user community for when you hit a wall. Cost: free.

Adobe Sketchbook is a free drawing software by Adobe. It is especially nice to use if you own a digital drawing pad or a tablet. I used Sketchbook for creating all the illustrations for the Peer Recognized series books. Cost: free.

Krita is an open-source alternative to Adobe Sketchbook. Cost: free.

Other useful poster design tools

Not everyone has an eye for choosing matching colors. And we don’t have to, because tools like the Adobe color wheel help to select a color palette that is pleasing to look at. Even better, its accessibility feature offers a tool for selecting colors that ensure enough contrast for the easy readability of the poster. It can also serve as a check for making sure colorblind people can easily understand your poster. Cost: free.

Both Microsoft and Apple already include grammar-checking tools which will be enough for many. But for someone like me who is not a native speaker, Grammarly can do miracles by helping to improve the readability. Best of all, you can download an add-on for Windows, Mac, or your Internet browser. Get it here: https://app.grammarly.com/apps Cost: free for the most useful features.

Prepare for presenting the poster

Designing a good poster is only one of the steps in getting ready for a conference poster session. Now you have to prepare for presenting it to your visitors. The presentation and the following conversations might help you generate new ideas, form new research partnerships, or even find friends.

My name is Martins Zaumanis and with my book Scientific Presentation Skills I will show you how to make the most out of a poster presentation using a three-step system:

• select a fitting design for the particular audience
• polish a pitch for piquing the interest of visitors
• prepare for conversations.

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International Conference on Hybrid Imaging (IPET 2024)

Conference secretariat.

• [email protected]

Guidelines for virtual e-poster presentations

All virtual e-poster presentations at IPET 2024 will be delivered as part of a specific session, according to the published programme. Unless otherwise instructed, each virtual e-poster presentation is expected to be no longer than 4 minutes . Time limits  will be strictly observed .   

Following please find some guidelines with regard to your presentation: 

• Keep your presentation to  a maximum of 4 minutes .
• Prepare your virtual e-poster presentation in PowerPoint (PPT)  using this template . Here are some handy links on how to prepare a pre-recorded e-poster:   
• Recording on a PC
• https://iaea.mediasite.com/Mediasite/Play/c9b93d4089f445c88c34c67bc28221fb1d  
• Recording on a Mac
• https://iaea.mediasite.com/Mediasite/Play/ad0dc19aca484fa7971f2556ed4222931d  
• Upload here your complete presentation , using the PPT template, no later than September 20, 2024. Please name your presentation with your abstract ID number and your family name (ID#000PPT_virtual_Familyname.ppt)
• You will receive a Webex link for the time of your virtual e-poster presentation to allow for 1 minute of questions and answers if needed.

Your abstract will be made available in the book of abstracts.

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Sep 11, 2024

Association of Cancer Care Centers Oral Presentation and Posters Selected for 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer

ROCKVILLE, MD - The Association of Cancer Care Centers (ACCC) today announced the topics of its oral presentation and 4 poster abstracts selected for showcase at this year’s 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), held September 7-10, 2024, in San Diego, CA.

Mary Pasquinelli, APRN, FNP-BC, a nurse practitioner in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep, and Allergy at UI Health, will deliver the oral presentation, Improving Supportive and Social Care in Lung Cancer with the 4R Oncology Model for Patient Care Planning and Delivery , on Sunday, September 8, at 3:30 p.m. Pasquinelli’s presentation will explore how to improve supportive and social care in lung cancer with the 4R Oncology Model for patient care planning and delivery.

ACCC’s poster abstracts span topics including access to biomarker tests, improving care coordination to address healthcare inequities, exploring rural Appalachian community perceptions and practices to inform screening interventions, and a quality improvement initiative to address biomarker testing and quality of care delivery for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

“ACCC works to support its members in providing quality, comprehensive care for their patients,” said ACCC President Nadine Barrett, PhD, MA, MPH. “Members want to address inequities to provide the best quality care to all patients. Accordingly, this year’s ACCC presentations to the oncology community at World Lung seek to ensure equity is at the forefront of lung cancer care decisions throughout the entire journey: through screening, diagnosis and treatment.”

ACCC Abstracts released at WCLC in September 2024:

• (Oral Presentation) Improving Supportive and Social Care in Lung Cancer With the 4R Oncology Model for Patient Care Planning and Delivery
• Session: OA07 - Opportunities for Optimizing Supportive Care Session Date & Time: Sunday, Sep 8, 2024, 3:30 PM - 4:45 PM
• Presenting Author: Mary Pasquinelli
• (Poster) Improving Patients’ Awareness of Biomarker Test Timing and Purpose With 4R Oncology Intervention
• (Poster) Improving Care Coordination to Address Healthcare Inequities in Lung Cancer
• (Poster) Exploring Rural Appalachian Community Perceptions and Practices on Health and Lung Cancer to Inform Screening Interventions
• (Poster) A Quality Improvement Initiative to Address Biomarker Testing and Quality of Care Delivery for Early-Stage NSCLC at 3 Cancer Centers in the US

About the Association of Cancer Care Centers

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SOPHiA GENETICS Announces Poster Presentations at ESMO 2024

Research presented will include the applications of new diagnostic tools and machine learning multimodal signatures in clinical trials

BOSTON and ROLLE, Switzerland , Sept. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH), a cloud-native healthcare technology company and a global leader in data-driven medicine, will be presenting multiple posters at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 being held in Barcelona, Spain September 13-17, 2024 . The ESMO Congress is a globally influential oncology platform for clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, journalists and healthcare industry representatives from all over the world.

The details of the presentations are as follows:

Title:   Analytical validation of an NGS panel-based ecDNA detection device for use as a clinical trial assay for the POTENTIATE clinical study of the novel CHK1 inhibitor, BBI-355 Poster Session:  New Diagnostic Tools, Poster #1198 Date/Time:  Sunday, September 15, 2024, 17h20 CEST Presenting Author:  Julien Pontis, Technical Product Manager and Lead Data Scientist, SOPHiA GENETICS

This poster presentation will focus on the analytical validation of a next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel-based extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) detection device. This innovative device has been developed as a clinical trial assay for Boundless Bio's ongoing, first-in-human POTENTIATE Phase 1/2 clinical study of its lead ecDNA-directed therapy (ecDTx), BBI-355.

"ecDNA-enabled cancers have a unique biology, with a growing body of research showing these tumors rapidly evolve and typically fail to respond to targeted therapies, leading to worse patient prognoses, including poor time to progression and overall survival. We have developed and validated a proprietary algorithm to detect ecDNA from the outputs of NGS panels routinely used to detect alterations in patient tumors that can be used to select patients for clinical trials," said Julien Pontis , Technical Product Manager and Lead Data Scientist at SOPHiA GENETICS .

Title:  TRIDENT: Machine learning (ML) multimodal signatures to identify patients that would benefit most from tremelimumab (T) addition to durvalumab (D) + chemotherapy (CT) with data from the POSEIDON trial Poster Session:  NSCLC, Metastatic, Poster #1325 Date/Time:  Saturday, September 14, 2024, 12h00 CEST Presenting Author:  Ferdinandos Skoulidis, Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology , University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

This poster will feature the TRIDENT study, which leverages machine learning to develop multimodal signatures that can identify patients who would benefit most from the addition of tremelimumab to the durvalumab and chemotherapy regimen in the context of first-line treatment of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Dr. Ferdinandos Skoulidis from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will present the findings, which are based on a retrospective multimodal analysis of the POSEIDON Phase 3 trial.

Abstracts for these posters are available on the conference website .

For more information on SOPHiA GENETICS , visit SOPHiAGENETICS.COM , or connect on LinkedIn .

About SOPHiA GENETICS   SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH) is a cloud-native healthcare technology company on a mission to expand access to data-driven medicine by using AI to deliver world-class care to patients with cancer and rare disorders across the globe. It is the creator of the SOPHiA DDM™ Platform, which analyzes complex genomic and multimodal data and generates real-time, actionable insights for a broad global network of hospital, laboratory, and biopharma institutions.  For more information, visit SOPHiAGENETICS.COM  and connect with us on LinkedIn .

SOPHiA GENETICS products are for Research Use Only and not for use in diagnostic procedures unless specified otherwise. The information in this press release is about products that may or may not be available in different countries and, if applicable, may or may not have received approval or market clearance by a governmental regulatory body for different indications for use. Please contact [email protected] to obtain the appropriate product information for your country of residence. 

SOPHiA GENETICS Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy, products, and technology, as well as plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on our management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including those described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . No assurance can be given that such future results will be achieved. Such forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update these forward-looking statements contained in this press release to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which such statements are based, unless required to do so by applicable law. No representations or warranties (expressed or implied) are made about the accuracy of any such forward-looking statements.

SOURCE SOPHiA GENETICS

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SOPHiA GENETICS announces poster presentations at ESMO 2024

Research presented will include the applications of new diagnostic tools and machine learning multimodal signatures in clinical trials

SOPHiA GENETICS SA

SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH) is a cloud-native healthcare technology company on a mission to expand access to data-driven medicine by using AI to deliver world-class care to patients with cancer and rare disorders across the globe. It is the creator of the SOPHiA DDM™ Platform, which analyzes complex genomic and multimodal data and generates real-time, actionable insights for a broad global network of hospital, laboratory, and biopharma institutions. 

Credit: SOPHiA GENETICS

Boston, MA and Rolle, Switzerland, September 12, 2024 – SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH), a cloud-native healthcare technology company and a global leader in data-driven medicine, will be presenting multiple posters at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2024 being held in Barcelona, Spain September 13-17, 2024. The ESMO Congress is a globally influential oncology platform for clinicians, researchers, patient advocates, journalists and healthcare industry representatives from all over the world.

The details of the presentations are as follows:

Title:  Analytical validation of an NGS panel-based ecDNA detection device for use as a clinical trial assay for the POTENTIATE clinical study of the novel CHK1 inhibitor, BBI-355 Poster Session: New Diagnostic Tools, Poster #1198 Date/Time: Sunday, September 15, 2024, 17h20 CEST Presenting Author: Julien Pontis, Technical Product Manager and Lead Data Scientist, SOPHiA GENETICS

This poster presentation will focus on the analytical validation of a next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel-based extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) detection device. This innovative device has been developed as a clinical trial assay for Boundless Bio’s ongoing, first-in-human POTENTIATE Phase 1/2 clinical study of its lead ecDNA-directed therapy (ecDTx), BBI-355.

“ecDNA-enabled cancers have a unique biology, with a growing body of research showing these tumors rapidly evolve and typically fail to respond to targeted therapies, leading to worse patient prognoses, including poor time to progression and overall survival. We have developed and validated a proprietary algorithm to detect ecDNA from the outputs of NGS panels routinely used to detect alterations in patient tumors that can be used to select patients for clinical trials,” said Julien Pontis, Technical Product Manager and Lead Data Scientist at SOPHiA GENETICS.

Title: TRIDENT: Machine learning (ML) multimodal signatures to identify patients that would benefit most from tremelimumab (T) addition to durvalumab (D) + chemotherapy (CT) with data from the POSEIDON trial Poster Session: NSCLC, Metastatic, Poster #1325 Date/Time: Saturday, September 14, 2024, 12h00 CEST Presenting Author: Ferdinandos Skoulidis, Department of Thoracic Medical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

This poster will feature the TRIDENT study, which leverages machine learning to develop multimodal signatures that can identify patients who would benefit most from the addition of tremelimumab to the durvalumab and chemotherapy regimen in the context of first-line treatment of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Dr. Ferdinandos Skoulidis from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will present the findings, which are based on a retrospective multimodal analysis of the POSEIDON Phase 3 trial.

Abstracts for these posters are available on the conference website .

For more information on SOPHiA GENETICS, visit SOPHiAGENETICS.COM , or connect on LinkedIn .

About SOPHiA GENETICS   SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH) is a cloud-native healthcare technology company on a mission to expand access to data-driven medicine by using AI to deliver world-class care to patients with cancer and rare disorders across the globe. It is the creator of the SOPHiA DDM™ Platform, which analyzes complex genomic and multimodal data and generates real-time, actionable insights for a broad global network of hospital, laboratory, and biopharma institutions.  For more information, visit SOPHiAGENETICS.COM and connect with us on LinkedIn .

SOPHiA GENETICS products are for Research Use Only and not for use in diagnostic procedures unless specified otherwise. The information in this press release is about products that may or may not be available in different countries and, if applicable, may or may not have received approval or market clearance by a governmental regulatory body for different indications for use. Please contact [email protected] to obtain the appropriate product information for your country of residence. 

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Media Contact:   Kelly Katapodis

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