How to write and publish a scientific paper - Barbara Gastel, Robert A. Day 2022

Preparing the poster
How to prepare a poster
Conference communications

Preparing a poster often begins with writing an abstract for the selection committee. As with an oral presentation, this abstract should be carefully written. It should conform to all stated requirements, and it should be readably worded for easy peer review. Before writing the abstract, think ahead to what the poster will look like. Choose as your topic a part of your research that is focused enough to present effectively as a poster (Mitrany 2005) rather than trying to cover so much that a bafflingly cluttered poster would result.

The title of your poster should be short and (if feasible) attention-grabbing; if it is too long, it might not fit in the space. The title should be readable to a distance of 10 feet (about 3 m). The typeface should be bold and dark, and the type should be at least about 1 inch (about 25 mm) high—in other words, at least about 72 points. Unless the conference organizers require titles to be in all capital letters, use mainly lowercase letters; in addition to taking up less space, they make the title easier to read, as lowercase letters vary more in shape than capital letters do. (Compare “PRESENTING POSTERS” and “Presenting Posters.”) The names of the authors should be somewhat smaller. The text type should be large enough to be readily readable (normally at least 18 points). Large blocks of type should be avoided; where feasible, use bulleted or numbered lists.

A poster should be self-explanatory, allowing viewers to proceed at their own pace. If the author must spend most of their time merely explaining the poster rather than responding to scientific questions, the poster is largely a failure.

Having ample white space throughout the poster is important. Distracting clutter will drive people away. Try to make it very clear what is meant to be looked at first, second, and so forth (although many people will still read the poster backward). Visual impact is particularly critical in a poster session. If you lack graphic talent, consider getting the help of a graphic artist, such as from the media resources department at your institution.

A poster should contain highlights, so that passersby can easily discern whether the poster is of interest to them. If they are interested, there will be plenty of time for them to ask questions about the details. Also, consider preparing handouts containing more detailed information; they will be appreciated by colleagues with similar specialties. Another option is to include a QR code for accessing further information.

A poster may actually be better than an oral presentation for showing the results of a complex experiment. In a poster, you can organize the highlights of several threads well enough to give informed viewers the chance to recognize what is going on and then get further details if they so desire. The oral presentation, as stated in chapter 27, is better for getting across a single result or point.

The really nice thing about posters is the variety of illustrations that can be used. There is no barrier (as there sometimes is in journal publication) to the use of color. All kinds of photographs, graphs, drawings, paintings, radiographs, maps, and even cartoons can be presented. Try to use images that both attract and inform. Make the images large enough to see easily, and keep them simple enough to understand quickly.

Once the poster is drafted, check it carefully. Be sure, for example, that all the illustrations are clearly labeled and the poster includes your contact information. Proofread the poster, and have others do so too—lest you discover too late that your coinvestigator’s name was misspelled. If you will present a physical poster, consider what material to print it on. Traditionally, posters have been printed on heavy paper. Some presenters have their posters printed on cloth for easier transport.

If you are traveling by airplane to a conference, carry your poster with you. Do not check it in your luggage—it might be delayed until after the poster session if, as happened to a colleague of ours, you are flying to San Jose but your luggage gets routed to San Juan. Regardless of whether your poster is conventional or electronic, have a backup copy in case the original is lost, destroyed, or damaged. For example, carry a copy on a USB drive, email a copy to yourself, save a copy in the cloud—or do more than one of these.

There are many excellent posters. Some scientists indeed have considerable creative ability. It is obvious that these people are proud of the science they are doing, and they are pleased to put it all into a pretty picture.

There are also many terrible posters. A few are simply badly designed. The great majority of bad posters are bad because the author is trying to present too much in them. Huge blocks of typed material will not be read, especially if the type is small. Crowds will gather around the simple, well-illustrated posters; the cluttered, wordy posters will be ignored.