18th Annual National McNair Research Conference and Graduate Fair
Poster Presentations
The poster session is becoming a popular venue for communicating research data at conferences, and this year's McNair National Conference will feature a Poster Session. Your challenge is to determine how you can best convey the essentials of your subject and your thinking so that viewers will want to know more and will engage you in additional information.
The poster session will take place in a large room and dozens of presenters (approx. 100) will be displaying their posters at the same time. You will be assigned a poster location number that will lead you to the exact area (half of a rectangular table) where your poster will be displayed. You have been allotted a specific period of time for your poster session. Please plan to arrive at least ten minutes in advance to actually set up at your space. Once the poster session officially begins, you are expected to stand with your poster for the entire time.
Additional questions regarding poster presentations should be directed to Priscilla Fortier (pfortier@uiuc.edu).
Formatting Expectations
- Plan to use the portable cardboard display board (available at all office supply stores) on which you will pre-assemble your poster or its components. The official poster board for the conference is 36" X 48" and is a tri-fold, tabletop poster board, featuring a 24" window (middle) panel and two side panels (12" each). A few of these boards will be available at the conference; however, you should plan to bring or ship your own. If you do plan to use one of the conference supplied boards, make sure that you have assembled all your components ahead of time. At the conference, these on-site boards may be picked up at the resort's front desk (while supplies last).
- Your poster (all headlines, text, etc.) should be readable from 3 feet away. In other words, you may not simply attach the pages of your paper to the display area. Instead, you must read through your paper, extract the main points, develop an outline and put that outline onto individual sheets. Use a large enough font (typeface) so that people can read from a distance. Generally speaking, the title should be approximately one inch high, headings should be at least 36 point type, and text should be at least 24 point type. Ideally, all parts of the poster should be typed or computer generated rather than handwritten. As an option, many students use printed "slides" from a Microsoft Power Point presentation created from their work.
- Your title should be quite large (36 point font or above) and should also have a color border/frame. You can create the framed effect by using construction/colored paper or poster board upon which you affix the paper.
- A typical, though not original, way to present your ideas in poster form is to have one page with an abbreviated form of your introduction; a second page with an outline of your methodology; the next pages would outline your results; the next would outline the implications of your findings. Each sheet would be glued to a colored sheet of poster board or construction paper.
- Your poster should include a clear statement of the research question.
- You will probably want to have one sheet of acknowledgments (mentor's name and department) as well as a sheet for your bibliography. Each sheet should have a colored background.
- Have someone proofread your pages before you make a final print out. Remember that you will probably not have access to a computer to make any last minute changes.
- Use a laser or ink jet printer for the final copy. Dot matrix work is completely unacceptable. Handwritten work is also undesirable.
- The Poster Session Coordinator will have a limited supply of last minute materials you might need (spray adhesive, velcro strips, tape, glue, scissors, etc.) Because of the type of poster board being used, it is inadvisable to use tacks or staples.
Presentation Expectations
- Dress appropriately for the occasion but remember to wear comfortable shoes. You will be on your feet for the entire period.
- Arrive at the session during your designated set up time to assure yourself ample time for setting up and preparing yourself.
- You must remain with your poster for the entire period. Keep in mind that most people who attend poster sessions prefer to look at the posters from a distance. This means that you must work exceptionally long and hard to make your poster both appealing and readable so that people will come closer. When you see someone staring at your poster, you should consider asking, "Can I answer any questions for you?"
- If someone asks you a question that you cannot answer, be candid yet professional. Sample responses include, "I didn't consider that aspect in my research" or "I don't have the answer to that question at this time, but if you'd like to give me your name and address, I'd be happy to contact you later."
- Consider having a few copies of your paper available for those who are really interested. If you paper is too long for this, consider having copies of your abstract. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. You might encounter a graduate school recruiter who could use this information.
- Remember to smile, smile, smile (and try to have fun)!
- You must completely remove your poster in the 30 minutes following your session.
Stylistic Considerations
A stylistically consistent poster exudes an air of professionalism to the audience. A sloppy poster implies sloppy research, so there are many stylistic decisions to be made. You should "plan" your poster's layout and design in advance of actually preparing the poster.
- FONTS: Use a clear, traditional font. "Fancy" fonts are inappropriate because they make your poster difficult to read. Refer to your "Guidelines for Poster Presentations" for suggestions about font size.
- TITLE: Poster titles can be in all caps (traditional) or not, but the title should not be excessively long. Typically, the title can fit on one or tow lines. Longer titles occupy too much poster space and detract from the information you hope to present.
- HEADINGS: Headings should be consistently styled, whether in all caps or initial caps, boldface or underlined, flush left or centered. Choose one style and be consistent throughout the poster. Use the headings appropriate to your discipline/research (such as introduction, methods, results, conclusion). Generally, poster presenters limit their headings to six or fewer.
- TEXT: Avoid thick blocks of unbroken prose. This makes it difficult for viewers to identify your main points. Therefore, you may not simply attach the pages of your research paper to the display area. Rather, identify your main points and whenever possible, especially in the methods and conclusions sections, use lists and bullets. You can always elaborate as part of your discussion with the viewers.
- COLOR: Typically, the text sections of the poster are printed on white paper. Choose one (or two other colors for backing. Some students, for example, use their school colors for the backing. Others choose a symbolic color related to the research (political spending = green). Still others make use of color theory: warm colors (red, orange, yellow) are considered higher in visibility than cool colors (blue). Remember that overuse of color detracts from a poster's overall effect because it emphasizes style over substance. Generally speaking, black is the most effect color for the text itself, except in graphs.
Adapted from Myra J. George, © 2000