1. DESIGNING A SCIENTIFIC POSTER
CAROLINE ERB-MEDINA
cerb@gc.cuny.edu
MACAULAY ITF - QUEENS COLLEGE
Adapted from a presentation created by Maggie Dickinson

2. What is a Scientific Poster?
It is:
• A visual means for communicating a summary
of research.
• Typically created for an academic or
professional community.
• Should highlight the most important research
findings in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

4. Today’s Goals
• Learn the basics of poster design
• Determine how to create a successful poster

5. Poster Requirements
• Each group must create one poster to be
presented by all group members.
• Posters can be made with
PowerPoint, Keynote, or Illustrator.
• Dimensions must be 48” x 36”.

6. Selecting Slide Size in PowerPoint
• Choose the theme tab
• Select page setup in the top left hand corner
• Highlight slide size
• Pick your dimensions under “page setup”

7. Deadlines
• Final version printed at Macaulay by
appointment only: November 30
• Poster presentations will be held on:
Wednesday, December 5, 6:00-8:30
Thursday, December 6, 6:00-8:30
Sunday, December 9, 10:00-12:30, 1:30-4:00

8. Suggested Components
• Introduction/background
• Problem Statement
• Objectives (and possibly constraints)
• Strategies
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Supporting graphs and images

9. How to Use Text
Break text up with bullets or numbers.
(As is done in this slide)
Indenting shows subordination
See?
 Avoid lengthy paragraphs that give far too much
detail, like talking about why you did what you did and
whether you dislike positivism because there is such a
thing as reality out there and it operates in a certain way
and we should be able to access that in some shape,
form, or fashion and besides it’s all from some stuffy
old dead guy thinking too hard, anyway.

10. Less is More
Teeth are ideal for Teeth & Life History
studying life history Incremental growth
because they grow Not remodeled
incrementally, are not Resistant to environmental
remodeled during an stress
individual’s lifetime, and
are not highly subject to
environmental stresses.

11. Design Essentials
Make sure your font colors stand out against the
background.
 Use fonts people can read.
Titles & headings should be 40 to 70 pt.
Body text should never be less than 14 pt.
Be consistent with colors and use them to guide the
reader.
Use one color for headings, another for body text.
Use a single color background, anything else will
not come out clearly in your printout.

12. What makes a bad poster?

13. What is wrong with this poster?

14. What is Wrong With This Poster?

15. Sample Poster Templates

16. Left to Right, Top to Bottom Flow
Title & Authors

17. Left to Right Flow in Rows
Title & Authors
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

18. Centered Image & Peripheral Explanations
Title & Authors

19. Centered Explanation, Peripheral Images
Title & Authors

20. Sample Posters

24. Registration for Sessions has Opened
Sign up at:
http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/seminar3
presentations/signup/

25. Scientific Poster Resources
Scientific Poster Design and Layout (makedesigns.com):
http://www.makesigns.com/tutorials/poster-design-layout.aspx
Advice on Designing Scientific Posters (Swarthmore College):
http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm“Do’s and
Don’ts of Poster Presentation”
Example of Bad Scientific Poster (Colin Purrington):
http://colinpurrington.com/2012/example-of-bad-scientific-poster/
Advice for Making Posters with PowerPoint (The University of Alabama)
http://as.ua.edu/undergraduateresearch/presenting-your-work/making-
posters/