Having a professional looking poster is just as important as giving a good talk. A well-designed, easily-readable poster will impress others and hold the attention of the reader. Some general guidelines include the following:
Heading
Title, Author and Institutional Affiliation across the top of the poster (use a large, bold font)
Abstract
The abstract is a concise summary of the presented research. It should set the stage for your presentation and include the following sections: 1) What is the Problem (relevance of the research), 2) What was done to solve the problem, 3) What was the outcome. Abstracts should never include a cited reference.
Introduction and Methods
These two areas should be kept short to save room for results and discussion.
Results
The Results are the most important section of the poster. Clearly designed graphs and tables are critical. Captions should be self explanatory and informative.
Discussion
The Discussion explains why the results are significant and interesting. Include figure/table references when discussing findings. Arrows can be used to refer reader to the appropriate figure.
Acknowledgements
The acknowledgments section is one short paragraph thanking others for assistance and listing funding sources.
Additional Hints
Dress appropriately. Stay alert during the poster session, and prompt visitors to enter into a discussion about your research. Design your poster to have eye catching areas that draw the reader to important information. Font should never be smaller than 14 point.
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