Tips for Creating an Informative Poster
“One of the hallmarks of a profession is that new knowledge is generated & shared in a forum. Oral paper & poster presentations are legitimate opportunities for nurses [and members of the health sciences professions sic] to present research or scholarly ideas in a unique, creative style that is different from the traditional publication approach.”
(1994). Applied Nursing Research, 7(3), 147-157.*
Definition of a High Quality Poster
“ A visual combination of bold design, color and message intended to catch & hold the attention of a passerby long enough to implant or reinforce a significant idea in his mind.”
Wittich & Schuller(1973)*
(*Note: These tow quotations are incomplete APA citations and would not be acceptable as written in a college level paper or project.
I seem to have lost part of the citations along the way and will look for them ASAP. vpe)
Overview of The Poster Development Process: Explaining The Nuts & Bolts
Presenting a poster is a good beginning, a way to expand your career activities in a new direction.
Advantages of Choosing To Present a Poster
It’s a clear, concise, eye catching, visual summary.
Standards are not as rigorous as those of articles and speeches. (As seen by the photo display of samples.)
Typically presenting a poster is considered less formal event.
Good base for making contacts and developing relationships with mentors and colleagues for further pursuits.
Matching Types of Poster Displays for the Intended Purpose:
Research findings (results from a recent research project)
Promotional – ( i.e., announcements for National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Week posters; conference program announcements)
Informational – (i.e., posters focused on Health Education and Health Screenings at Health Fairs)
Group Displays, (i.e., a series of posters on similar topics arranged to encourage the audience to view a group of posters on similar topics)
Responding To a Call For Abstracts (Announcements by organizations who are seeking participants to create innovative and informational posters on topics for a particular event.)
1. After the acceptance of your abstract by the conference sponsors, you will receive more poster guidelines from the sponsor about the conference or event.
Where
When
Type
Content criteria
2. Be sure to call or e-mail/write the conference sponsor for clarification of poster guidelines, the specific details of how this will occur.
Instructions for the setup, display & breakdown of poster at the event
Any requirements for types of display board and paper materials
Colors
Use of Velcro tabs to attach posters to surfaces or planned use of pins and tacks
Prohibited use of electronic posters displayed via computer laptops
Any limitations on Poster Board Shapes and Styles
Specific table-top size requirements for your poster at the conference
Tryptic Style (meaning--a three part poster board display that stands alone on a table top)
Easel Stand (just as you would see an artist painting with the canvas on an easel, the Poster Board display would be created as a large and flat poster which would be mounted on an easel stand.)
Roll out of a large size paper poster (4x6 feet paper poster in a roll that needs to be hung on a wall or bulletin board with tacks.)
Electronic Posters (often created with PowerPoint software, slides, and a program loop designed to run present slides on a continuous loop via a laptop computer for the participants to view.)
3. Design: This is where you and the poster team create your image and send your message to the viewer.
4. Exploring resources to develop poster content and create a message:
Conduct a review of the literature looking for the evidence base for this particular clinical concern, searching for nationally recognized and endorsed best practices guidelines in the content area.
Use current resources to explore your content area.
(See NU 212 course handout: Additional Resources In The Areas of Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Community Health For Use In NU 212 Papers and Projects
Internet searches
Library
Professional Journals and gold standard, highly acclaimed websites with practice guidelines
Books
Dialog with colleagues & other health care professionals
Copies of abstracts or pictures of posters previously accepted for display at conference or event
Your own research project results and life experience
5. Finding financial supports to create a poster presentation and to travel to be at the conference to present it.
Check with the agency you work for funding for expenses related to the project; at the conference you are a representative of that organization, health care agency, or business.
Consider asking private industry sponsors or corporate sponsors who are interested in your topical area
(Note: This area is controversial and raises some ethical cautions, as some are concerned about the potential for conflict of interest and possible undue influence by the sponsor who is interested to pay poster expenses but then may want to comment or influence the message in the presentation, poster, lecture, etc.)
Getting Started Creating The Poster Presentation
Establish a budget for materials, time, & energy (i.e., $25, no more than 10 hours of time, dividing up the work between the team members, etc.)
Creating the Message and Using Words
Choosing computer word processing programs and graphics
Inkjet or laser printer
Use Language, health care wording, & symbols appropriate for audience
Use letters/font size that is large enough to read approximately 4 ft. away (text would be 12-14 font) and Titles would be larger (18-36). You will need to experiment a bit with this.
Remember that using both Upper & lower case makes everything easier to read, than using ALL CAPITOL LETTERS, too many italics, or unusual fonts) !!
Fonts to consider are:
Arial, Garamond, Goudy Old Style, Helvetica, or Times New Roman
Additional editing tools are:
Bolding, underlining, bullets and numbering important points for the viewer
Proofread before final poster is prepared. Ask others for input to double check for spelling and grammatical errors.
Send a clear and concise message to the viewer
Audience members will ask questions, if more information is needed
Note: the average time for viewing a poster as anyone walks through a series of displays may be less than 1-2 minutes to look at each poster.
Graphics w/ titles are easier to read, more likely to be viewed quickly taken in than typed words. Learn to think in pictures, time lines, and add
Diagrams
Charts
Pictures/Photos – 5x7, glossy, Black and White; be sure to secure permission to use another person’s photo
Graphs – Few, clear, color for clarity only
Use colors eye catching and pleasing
What are the colors of the organization you are representing, the colors of the conference sponsors/professional organization?
Who is your audience? Older adults, people who may be visually impaired? Will the lighting be adequate in the display hall for the audience to view the poster materials?
Primary color combinations
Blue & red
Black on white or amber board
Balance graphics, pictures, timelines, and words / Not too busy with long paragraphs of words
Does the content flow? Does it catch your eye and then lead it? Top to bottom, left to right?
Create sections, take all material and select the section it belongs in.
Preliminary layout / Cut up info and move around
Assembling the Parts of the Poster and Checking Your Work
Titles
Important – May be printed in program and used to select which ones to view.
Brainstorm important words, phrases & thoughts.
Try different titles.
Use subtitle if needed to best illustrate content.
Information and content
The most important aspects of the poster are content and presentation.
Depends on type of poster
Posters show, not tell.
List ideas in outline form.
Research and compile relevant data.
Does it accomplish your goal; does it tell the story you want?
Is everything relevant to your topic?
Appearance of the poster an the message
Consider the professional appearance, yet whatever decisions you make in building the poster must be financially feasible for you.
You may want to elicit the help of a graphic artist.
Increasing your own ideas and contributions decreases the cost when working with others.
Consider your plan for the poster-- Is it uncluttered, organized and concise?
Physical requirements for building the poster
What does the “call for posters” ask the developers to do?
What are the best practices messages that must be sent to the viewer?
Have you met the requirements?
Physical considerations: Developing a poster the right size and shape for the event
Utility
Disposable or durable?
How many times will it be utilized?
Wood or metal
May be too heavy
Poster board without other supports
Too light and flimsy
Laminated may be an option
Foam core board may be just what you need a combination of features that are lightweight & stiff
Easy to spray adhesive to apply materials (be careful to do this in a well ventilated, open area)
Ease of portability
Where & how must it travel (e.g., by air, in a car)
Will you be using it once and throwing it away or bringing it back to your location for multiple uses?
Shipping the poster to the conference site
Packers – Reliability a factor
Appropriate packaging
Factor in the added costs of round trip shipping.
Carry-on size poster
Durability important
Must it fit in overhead bin of airplane with these new regulations for flying?
Have you decided to bring the poster in smaller sections that assemble at the site?
Tube - roll up style poster
Mounts on bulletin board provided by conference sponsors.
Storage
Foam core must be stored flat.
Space required is a consideration.
Tubes for rolling posters
Displaying your poster
Stay with poster
Be available for interaction & networking (discussion, questions, sharing of
ideas).
Provide copies of abstracts and summaries of your main poster ideas.
Include name and how to contact you at your agency
Use business cards
Easily accessible
Supplies – Bring all of your own. Be ready for unforeseen circumstances. (e.g., tape that no longer sticks as conference hall is too cold or humid, pins and tacks that are too long or too short to use effectively)
Tape
Spray adhesive
T Tacks
Velcro – Self-adhesive fabric strips
Black Pen
White sheet – background or table cover
Dress for Success
Professional
Comfortable shoes
Learning From Others – Evaluating Conference Posters
Viewing other’s posters with a thoughtful, reflective eye, allows you to collect ideas about what is creative and concise and formulate your own ideas for the future.
Make written notes to yourself about which posters you like.
What do you like best about each poster?
How well is the topic presented?
Is the display of material visually pleasing?
Observe color combinations, letter types and sizes.
Take photos of interesting posters for future use.
More Details on Presenting a Formal Research Poster
If you are presenting a research poster
Be concise – Viewers can ask questions if more information is needed.
Overall design rules and idea of conciseness still apply. Remember Cottrell, Girvan & McKenzie (2006). 2/ed. for details on essential elements in a research article which are them transposed to brief discussions of details on the poster.**
Be sure to include:
Title of the project for the poster
Authors’ names credentials & affiliations (this would be you and the members of the poster team and where you work)
Objectives or introduction – Help the viewer to understand study background / Main purpose & scope
Study design – Description, sample, type design, interventions or treatment, length study
Results – Just major facts, numerical results in graphs and charts which easier to interpret than long paragraphs of writing
Identify any theoretical implications as discovered in the study
Conclusions – Why, who, what, when, where, how and so what/why would this information be of interest to others.
Present implications and possible applications and other applications in health related service areas
Compare your results to others
State study’s limitations- i.e., small population of participants, population drawn from a narrow geographic area or region of the country, difficulty locating participants from underrepresented racial, ethnic, or linguistic groups, research staff did not have language and cultural skills to engage participants from underrepresented racial, ethnic, or linguistic groups
Ideas for future research projects that would add to our understanding of an aspect of this current project
**Cottrell, R. R., Girvan, J. T, & McKenzie J. F. (2006). Principles and foundations of health promotion and education, 2/ed. New York: Benjamin Jennings