This document provides guidance on creating effective research posters. It recommends focusing a poster on a single clear message, organizing points logically, using graphics and images to tell the story, and using text sparingly. The message should be kept simple, clear, and bold, and supported by absorbing visuals. The conclusion should restate the key message. The abstract, title, headings, and captions should orient viewers and convey major points at a glance. Graphics should communicate relationships quickly with minimal text. Text elements should be short, direct, and in an active voice. Color, font, and layout should guide the eye and emphasize important information. The overall goal is to attract attention and start a conversation about the research.

1. How to present research on
posters
Your challenge is to attract the
reader’s attention long enough to
communicate your message.

2. Purpose of posters
• Show your work
• Inform
• Start a conversation
• Advertise your work

3. Posters
• Focus on a single message
• Order points logically and obviously
• Let images and graphics tell the story
• Use text sparingly

4. How? Posters use “visual grammar”
• Visualize points – show points.
• Guide by using visual logic.
• Avoid distractions.
• Display the messages consistently from
the title to the conclusions clearly stated
each time.

5. What is your message?
• Keep is simple
• Keep it clear
• Be bold and explicit
• Support it with absorbing images and
text
• State interpretation in the conclusion
• Repeat the message as often as needed

6. Know your audience
• Explain the big picture.
• Why is your problem important.
• Use plain language.
• Avoid acronyms.
• Interpret your findings. Lead your
audience by the hand.

7. The all important abstract
• Grabs the attention of the reader in less
than one minute
• Why is the work important? So what?
• What are you adding to current science?
• Very brief description of methods
• Results, conclusions, and
recommendations

8. Where to place the abstract
• DO NOT INCLUDE THE ABSTRACT IN THE
POSTER!!!! The poster is the illustrated
abstract.
• Use it to get you into the conference

9. Poster design = elevator pitch
An elevator pitch is an overview of your
work and is designed to just get a
conversation started.
An elevator pitch in 250 words tells what
is, who needs, why do they need your
work, and whoRU to see the problem.
By permission of Chris O’Leary,
wwwElevatorPitchEssentials.com

10. An effective elevator pitch has nine
things
• Concise • Clear
• Compelling • Credible
• Concrete • Consistent
• Customized
• Conversational

11. Design of a poster
• Planning
• Focus
• Layout
• Headings
• Graphics
• Text
• Colors

12. Planning
• State main point(s) and conclusion(s
)clearly and succinctly
• All visuals and text point to the main
point and conclusion
• How much space?
• How much money?
• What milestones?

13. Focus
• Stay with the message
Create a mock poster
What detail is essential to the
message?
Omit what is not essential
Edit text – reduce sentence
complexity

14. Layout
• Use visual grammar –
important: big, less
important: smaller
• Use column format
• Use organization cues

15. Layout
• Use “reader gravity”
top/bottom, left/right
• Headings help readers find the main
points
• Balance text and graphics
• White space defines the flow of
information

16. Headings: Title, section titles, and
figure captions
• Orient readers and convey major points
• Summarize
• Organize
• Are hierarchical
• Are bold
Viewers in a hurry need not to read further.

17. The Centerpiece: Graphics
• Communicate relationships quickly
• Use simple two dimensional charts
• Minimize text
• Use photos
need to be simple and clean
write explanations directly into the
graphic

18. Text
• Simple, direct and large
• Keep text elements to < 50 words
• Use phrases in the active voice
• Left justify

19. Text
• Use serif font for text – easier to read
(24pt)
• Use sans-serif font for headings (32pt)
• Title should be at least 5 cm tall

20. Colors
• Use color to attract attention, organize
and emphasize
• Light color background, dark color
lettering
• 2 to 3 colors maximum - follow a theme
• Be careful with green and red

21. Conclusion
• Every statement, graphic, table and
photo tell the story of the main Topic of
your research.
• Keep text to a minimum.
• Use graphics to tell the story.
• Prepare a one minute elevator pitch

22. Purpose of posters
• Show your work
• Inform
• Start a conversation
• Advertise your work

23. rescom.rmutl.ac.th
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Drrainer@rmutl.ac.th