Overview of Poster Presentations at SCCUR

Each poster MUST be of the following dimensions: 48'' width by 36'' height.

When creating a poster, it's important to be mindful of the limited space available. 

Choose carefully what you want to present, and make sure your display is self-explanatory and has a clear, logical flow. Even if you're not present, others should be able to follow the order easily.

To avoid making the poster look cluttered, use consistent white space between sections of text, figures, and headings. Ensure there's enough white space so the poster doesn't look too busy. Select a color scheme that complements, contrasts, and gives continuity to your poster.

Before designing your poster, create a rough draft on paper or as a PowerPoint slide. Keep in mind that you should limit the amount of text, as viewers will be standing a few feet back from the poster when reading it. Remember that "a picture is worth a thousand words," especially in a poster presentation.

Finally, consider using a horizontal format for your poster to ensure that words, figures, pictures, and tables are approximately at eye level.

Preparing Your Poster

Each poster MUST be of the following dimensions: 48'' width by 36'' height.

Title: Poster titles should be short, descriptive, and easily readable from 5-10 feet away. Use no abbreviations, capitalize the first letter of major words, and keep the letters no less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) high.

Names: All authors' names and affiliations should appear directly below the title, and should be about 25% smaller than the title. Include authors' first and last names. Use abbreviations where appropriate.

The Body of the Poster: Besides an abstract, the poster for an empirical study normally includes an introduction, methods, results, discussion, and literature-cited sections. Non-empirical studies should be organized appropriately for the discipline. Consult with your faculty mentor if you have questions about disciplinary conventions.

Graphics: A poster is a visual representation of your study, and it should have a significant amount of graphics. These graphics should be visible from a distance of 6 feet. It is important to label or describe any charts, tables, figures, graphs, or photos used in the poster. Each figure, table, chart, or photo should have a unique number and a brief caption to identify it clearly.

Text: Use a font size of at least 20 points for main sections and maintain a simple and consistent font type throughout. Avoid using more than two fonts and use bold and italic instead. Suggested typefaces include Times New Roman, Arial, and Garamond. Use a combination of upper and lower-case letters to improve readability.

Edit, review, and spell-check all the elements of your poster display.

Setting Up Your Poster

  • The host institution will assign a number to each poster presentation. This number will correspond to a number on a poster board.

  • When mounting your poster, use the push pins provided. Do not use tape, Velcro, glue sticks, or other permanent fasteners.

  • Please mount your poster at least 10 minutes before your assigned session and leave it up throughout the session. 

  • Posters should be removed immediately following the designated poster session.

Presenting Your Poster

  • All presenters should plan to be present at their poster for the entire poster session.

  • Prepare and practice a two-minute summary of your project. Often viewers ask for a synopsis of your ideas and findings. This time for dialogue and exchange of ideas facilitates networking with interested viewers.

  • It is important to speak and interact professionally.