Poster Guidelines:(adopted from the ACS Undergraduate Research Symposium Guidelines prepared by Dr. Timm Knoerzer)

The poster session is scheduled for November 11th from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Poster presenters are requested to be at their posters to answer questions from interested parties. Refreshments will be available during the poster sessions to encourage relaxed and open discussions among participants.

  1. An 8’ by 4’ wall area will be made available for each poster. It is highly recommended by the host institution that the presenter create the poster using a single PowerPoint slide (see guidelines below) and to have the poster printed on 3’ by 4’ paper (e.g. at Kinko’s or campus print shop – The University of Rochester Medical Center has a Copy and Graphics service that is excellent; Kinko’s is cheap for black and white).
  2. In order to create a poster using PowerPoint see:

-- select “Poster Creation Using PowerPoint” for either Macintosh or PC

  1. The best posters are SIMPLE, LEGIBLE, and CONCISE. Posters should be designed to capture the attention of the viewer. The viewer should be able to scan the material rapidly (unencumbered by detail) in order to facilitate a questioning/answering dialogue between viewer and presenter. Be sure to lay the material out neatly so that it leads the viewer clearly through your research story.
  2. Present just enough information to tell your story without overwhelming the viewer with excessive detail. Present a few main points and leave the details for discussion.
  3. Lettering should be easily readable at a distance of 3-4 feet. All text lettering should be in a minimum of 14-point type; 16-point is better. Use larger lettering for major headings and even larger for the title. Be sure to choose a font that is not distracting (e.g. doesn’t contain a lot of curlicues). Use upper and lower case for all text, except major headings and the title.
  4. Judicious use of color can enhance a poster, but be careful not to overdo it.
  5. Carefully layout the poster --- avoid lining up items like soldiers on a drill field; lead the viewer through the poster with arrows, ribbon, or numbers so that no one gets lost. Try asking a colleague or mentor for feedback.
  6. Poster items to include:

(a)Title

(b)Author(s), address(es), affiliation(s)

(c)Introduction (including succinct statement of the project)

(d)Experimental techniques

(e)Results (charts, graphs, tables, spectra, etc.)

(f)Discussion (bullet-like statements rather than sentences)

(g)Conclusions (bullet-like statements rather than sentences)