undergraduate research poster

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Making a Poster

What is an academic research poster.

Much like an abstract, an academic poster summarizes your research project and is designed to attract attention, communicate major points of the work concisely, and initiate conversation. An important difference, however, is that the poster should be academically sound and visually engaging: an effective poster uses images, graphs, charts, and other visual strategies with minimal descriptive text to tell a story in a concise and focused way. They are not meant to provide all the details of your work and, thus, can represent and invite feedback at any stage of the research process.

How do I prepare an academic research poster presentation?

Begin by identifying the core message or key findings of your research project. This central idea should be the poster's focus and guide the selection of content sections. Typical sections include an introduction to provide background information and context, a methods section outlining the research methodology used, results showcasing the main findings or outcomes, and a conclusion summarizing the significance of the findings and potential implications. Consult your mentor about disciplinary conventions regarding the content and composition of posters in your field. Each section should be concise and visually appealing, with graphics, images, and charts used to communicate complex information effectively. Your poster text is meant to contextualize these visuals and should be limited to 800 words. 

Below we have linked several resources to help you develop your poster content:

• Poster outline worksheet from the OUR (requires WashU Box login).
• Content considerations for scientific posters from the OUR (requires WashU Box login).
• Making an exciting poster in the Arts and Humanities from the Arts and Humanities Division of the Council of Undergraduate Research
• Some tips on how to write a good title from PLOS.

Design and Organization

Now that you have outlined the content of your poster, think about how best to organize your ideas in a visually compelling way. When designing an effective research poster, students should consider various design elements to ensure clarity, readability, and visual appeal. Aim for a layout with balanced symmetry and a logical, intuitive flow. Design considerations include colors, fonts, use of space, etc. Choose supporting graphics, images, charts, and tables strategically to draw attention to key findings.

While there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to poster organization, we offer this set of design guidelines to get you thinking. Also, look at posters from the Fall and Spring 2023 symposia for design choices you find particularly effective. Afterward, sketch a layout based on what might work for your content, personal style and field.

Poster Creation, Format and Printing

While there is various software for generating your poster, we recommend working in PowerPoint (.ppt) to create a file scaled to the specific size required by the large-format printer. Various PowerPoint templates sized for the OUR printer (36" x 48") can be found on Box.

Once the PowerPoint file is complete, it can be saved as a high-resolution Portable Document Format (.pdf) file. Conversion to a high-resolution .pdf file is required for the OUR to print files formatted on Macintosh operating systems.

How to Make a Poster Via Powerpoint

File Preparation

• Change the size of your slide to poster dimensions by selecting Page Setup from the File menu. Choose dimensions according to the specific large format printer to which you will be printing. If you plan to use the OUR for printing services, please note that OUR posters must be sized 36 inches X 48 inches (landscape or portrait orientation are both acceptable). If you are NOT printing in the OUR, make sure to check the dimensions required for the location where you are printing.
• Use high resolution photos and graphics whenever possible. A photo or graphic that looks clear on a standard (8.5 inches by 11 inches) page may look grainy or pixilated when enlarged for a poster. To correct this problem and avoid associated costs for multiple prints, examine your file carefully using Print Preview options AFTER increasing the dimensions of your page to poster size. If the quality is poor in Print Preview, replace those components of your poster with higher resolution elements.
• Before printing, double and triple check your file for errors such as spelling mistakes or overlapping images.
• Utilize the WashU logos.
• Students must obtain their mentor’s approval on their poster content prior to printing.

Discover tools and resources available to create graphics that will serve as focal points of your poster:

• Wordclouds and WordArt : word cloud generators
• Canva : design many types of graphics
• BioRender : construct scientific schematics and illustrations.
• Freepik : find graphics, stock photos, icons and more. 
• Gliffy : flowcharts 
• Excel : create tables and charts.
• GraphPad Prism : analyzing and graphing data

Poster Presentation

Finally, along with your poster, you should prepare five minute presentation of your poster that you will be able to deliver to anyone viewing your poster at the symposium. Even though you will be standing with your poster to discuss your research with viewers, the poster should be able to stand on its own with a clear, logical presentation of your research.

Explore these additional resources for presenting your poster:

• Tips for presenting scientific research posters from the OUR (requires WashU Box login)
• Presenting Conference Papers and Posters in the Humanities from the Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development Center at Texas Tech

Printing Services

Our printing services.

The OUR offers complimentary poster printing for Undergraduate Research Symposium participants and Conference Travel Award recipients . Unfortunately, we cannot offer printing for other WashU community members.

To have a poster printed, symposium participants must upload their final submission, including a poster file, by the appropriate deadline. Conference Travel Awardees can coordinate poster printing by emailing the OUR at [email protected] . 

Other On-Campus Printing Options

Please find below a list of additional printing sources both on and off campus. It is not an exclusive list, so if you have other printing sources that could be added, please contact us . (If you are NOT printing in the OUR, please check the dimensions required for the location you are printing.)

Data Services at Olin Library Detailed information including pricing and how to make an appointment is available on the Olin Library Website .

Psychology Contacts: David Archer ( [email protected] ) or Dale Wineinger ( [email protected] )

Engineering IT Help Center, Lopata Hall Room 408

Chemistry McMillen Chem Labs, Room 427 [email protected]

FedEx/Kinkos Mallinckrodt Center (in the Bookstore) 314-935-8481 [email protected]

See below for off-campus printing services

Samples of Posters

A few posters featured during past Undergraduate Research Symposia are shown below. Additional posters can be viewed in the online programs from the  Spring 2023 and Fall 2022 Symp0sia, or through the  WashU Open Scholarship  online repository. 

Sample Poster: Social Sciences

Sample Poster: Natural Sciences

Sample Poster: Humanities

Off-Campus Printing

Hi/tec copy center, cross rhodes reprographics, still have questions.

Make a Good Poster

Main navigation.

Your poster is a visual aid to use while you present your work and a way to guide an audience through your project.

Page Overview

Tips for creating poster content, design tips, poster requirements.

Create and present your poster as if you were telling a story!

• The scope of many projects is too large to fit into a single good poster--it's all about editing the story you want to tell. Hear from one presenter about this process:

“ To make my poster, I started by thinking about my art, which was the ready-made outcome of my project. I had all kinds of art: pencil sketches in my journal, acrylic disasters, marker drawings, graphic design pieces, and a whole variety of finished and unfinished pen and ink pieces. I knew I couldn’t include all of it. For instance, even though I had some graphic design pieces I really liked, I chose not to include them because I decided my poster would function better as a snapshot of my summer project, instead of as a summary .” — Major Grant Awardee 2017, ASURPS Presenter 2018

• Even if your project is something that could be described with text alone, try to think about what visuals would be interesting and helpful for your audience.
• Sometimes presenting a snapshot of your work can give the audience a more concrete understanding of what you did.

Content is important but style is often what attracts your audience.

• Use your design to guide your audience through the information. Try to create something eye catching, but easy to read.
• Use the center of your poster to display something visually interesting - perhaps an important image, a schematic of the project or a model of how all your data fits together.
• Consider using your section headings to make a statement - instead of “Results” try creating a short statement about the overall findings in each section of the poster. This makes every piece of text effective.
• Pick a simple color scheme that works well with the images you have chosen or figures you have created.

Check out examples of past posters and a video with design tips!  This content is available to the Stanford Community only.

FOR ALL POSTERS:

• Students should review our  Make a Good Poster  page for content guidance.
• Dimensions of your poster: 42 inches (wide) by 36 inches (height).
• To do this, create a new slide show and add a new slide by choosing “New Slide” from the “Insert” menu.
• To change the dimensions of this slide to poster size, select “Page Setup” from the “File” Menu. Then change the width to 42 inches and height to 36 inches.
• If you are submitting your poster with your application for printing, save the final poster in .pdf format and submit the PDF version.
• The file size should not exceed 5 megabytes.

FOR IN-PERSON PRESENTATIONS:

• If you are applying to present in-person, Undergraduate Research will print your poster free of charge  if your poster is submitted with your application .
• The computer connected to the plotter is a PC. If you are working on a Mac, check your file on a PC before submitting to ensure your fonts and images appear correctly.
• We will only be able to print your poster once.
• Posters on foamcore will not be mountable or presentable at SURPS/ASURPS.
• Posters which do not adhere to the above 42x36 guidelines will not be mountable or presentable at SURPS/ASURPS.
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What's a Research Poster?

Presenting at conference often takes the form of a poster presentation or a paper presentation . A paper presentation is how you might normally think about "presenting" -- You stand in front of a room and talk (probably for 20, 30, or 60 minutes) about your work, maybe with PowerPoint slides.

A poster presentation is a different way of sharing information about your work. Did you ever do a science fair display in elementary or middle school? It's a bit like that. You design and print a large poster which highlights important details about your research purpose, method, and findings. Other people at the conference walk around, look at the posters, and may ask you questions about your study. Talking about your work is less structured and mostly one-on-one in these situations, compared to writing an hour-long talk.

Posters can be an easier way to get started with sharing your research, but it still takes plenty of work to design a poster that will be eye-catching, readable, and convey the most important pieces of information clearly without a lot of clutter.

Image source: Undergraduate Research Poster Samples, University of Texas at Austin

Preparing Research Posters

If presenting in person, keep in mind:

• Important information should be readable from about ten feet away
• Title and text sections are clear and concise
• Limit number of colors and fonts
• Selected graphics should be high-quality and high-resolution to print well and not look grainy

If presenting virtually, keep in mind:

• Just because viewers aren't standing ten feet away, don't make them squint at tiny print on their monitor
• Content should still look clean, uncluttered, and readable
• Use of color should still be selective and thoughtful

This 4-minute video from the American Chemical Society is a great illustration of basic poster design principles:

• Designing Conference Posters (includes downloadable templates)
• How to Create an Effective Scientific Poster
• How to Design an Award-Winning Conference Poster

Poster Design Resources

• Free Poster Templates
• Free Images for Posters
• Poster Printing at SHSU
• Poster Presentations.com
• Genigraphics
• SHSU PowerPoint Template for 42 x 65 Poster Use this template to get started with a 42x65 poster. We recommend the following minimum font sizes: Title 72 pt, Body 48 pt

Don't overdo it on your poster with busy background images that will distract readers. If your only images are your own study-related figures, that's fine! But if you find yourself needing an illustrative photo to make a research finding more clear, these resources may help.

• Wikimedia Commons Millions of freely usable media files - like the Wikipedia of images.

Posters can be printed at competitive prices in the SHSU Library. We require a minimum of 48 hours to complete a print job. A 25% discount is available on poster printing requests for SHSU faculty and staff members and university departments. View sizes, prices, and policies below:

• Poster Printing at Newton Gresham Library

Alternative Academic Poster Format Proposed by Mike Morrison

• #betterposter - Article on Inside Higher Ed
• Morrison Templates
• More Morrison-Style Templates
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• Last Updated: Aug 13, 2024 4:08 PM
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University of Missouri

Undergraduate research, how to design a research poster.

Presenting your scholarly work and research can take a number of different formats, all of which have pros and cons associated with them. While some fields use live performances or oral presentations to display their work, others use research journals or written manuscripts, while others still implement the use of research posters or gallery displays. Below is a comparison of some of the more common methods for displaying and presenting research and scholarly work.

Creating an effective research poster

We have provided a 6 step guide for you to follow. We also encourage you to attend one of our workshops “Presenting Your Research I: Story Design” and “Presenting Your Research II: Poster Design” for assistance. You may find the dates/times for these workshops (along with others) in MU Engage .

This short 5-minute video takes you through some pointers on how to create a research poster.

Consider the following questions before designing your poster. Depending on your event/audience, the poster content may be different. Presenting your work at a discipline specific conference means an audience who will have more understanding of the terminology and processes used in your work – meaning more use of discipline specific vocabulary. Whereas, presenting at an event with more laypeople (think the Spring Forum), means that most in the audience will not understand discipline specific vocabulary or graphics, so your poster content would be different as it would need to be understood by that audience.

Take time to brainstorm what you want the viewer to get from your poster (whether you are standing by it to present the information or not).

• What is your goal ?
• Who is your audience ?
• What is the most interesting/compelling part of your work?
• What will be interesting to others ?
• How can you make it interesting to others?

Before you can begin designing the poster, you have to consider a few things. And the first thing is:

Poster Size

Before you go plugging in data, text and images you need to decide on the overall size of YOUR poster. Some conferences/events have specific size limitations – VERIFY THIS FIRST! Otherwise, you may find yourself scrambling to redesign a poster last minute.

Here, however is some standard information for you to consider:

Mizzou’s Spring Forum – the boards and easels used are 2 sizes: 45in x 45in (square), or 36in x 60in (wide rectangle). Poster sizes vary, however we have found that 36in x 42in, or 42in x 48in are typical.

Poster Orientation

Your poster may be a rectangle in portrait orientation (‘hotdog’), or landscape orientation (‘hamburger’); OR, you may have a square poster. This is where you consider how to communicate your work and how it will best ‘flow’.

Mizzou poster templates

Mizzou has some poster templates (branded with Mizzou logos and colors), that you may download to use. You may find them at the Mizzou Branding & Licensing website here (scroll down to ‘Research Posters’ and please note that they are automatically sized to 56in x 36in – so you should resize them based upon what YOU want your poster size to be. You do NOT have to use these templates, but you may find them helpful. Check with your mentor .)

Now that you have determined what you want to communicate to your audience, and the poster size in which you will do this – you have to consider the content itself. How will the information be placed on the page to best flow and be understood by the viewer?

Consider the following items to include:

• Abstract, if appropriate
• Background/Introduction
• Research Question/Problem/Hypothesis
• Methodology (Materials & Methods)
• Conclusions, Future Studies
• Acknowledgements

Remember to:

• Make it easy for the reader to follow
• Anchor your information with something familiar
• Label figures and images
• Use sections, headlines
• What can be visual about your work?
• What needs to be explained ? ( And can it be explained more clearly using visuals? )
• What context do you need to provide?
• Biography/influences on your authors
• Lists, timelines
• Key quotations/text
• Cultural context
• Graphs, charts
• Illustrations
• Resist temptation to overuse color
• Use color for meaning and significance
• Use color to highlight important content
• Frames around poster components
• Bullet points
• Headlines of text, headings
• Check the University of Missouri Identity Standards website to download Mizzou logos and confirm your color of “Mizzou gold.”
• Determine title that is understandable to an audience outside of your field/major
• List authors of poster
• Consider font type, size, color, etc.
• Include the MU logo (and other logos depending on the nature of your work)

You should plan for your poster to take a minimum of 2-4 business days ( 48-72 hours ) to be printed. You must plan in advance for your poster pickup – we recommend that you consult the printer and ask for their timeline as you are not their only customer, and each printer will have different turnaround times.

Poster printing costs range depending on the size and type of material which you select for your poster – the average poster costs about $60.00.

BEFORE YOU PRINT! Check your poster for typos and grammatical errors. Has your mentor given you the ‘okay?’

• FedEx has partnered with us to provide presenters a special price for printing posters. To get this special price you MUST use this online portal to submit your poster, in PDF format. You will required to provide your contact information and pay for your poster in advance by credit card.
• 36in x 48in poster (landscape or portrait layout) = $30.00
• 36in x 36in poster = $22.50
• Custom size poster, the price will be $2.50/sq foot
• Staples (115 Conley Road)
• UPS Store – three locations 503 E. Nifong, Ste H 2000 E. Broadway 2101 W. Broadway #103
• Ellis Library has created a list of additional printers in the Columbia area.

We also recommend that you view past posters in your category to get a sense of what has been done. Click here to view the 2020 and 2021 online Spring Forum presentations.

Other resources.

• NYU Libraries How to Create a Research Poster
• Colin Purrington: tips for making posters
• UC Davis: How to Make and Effective Poster
• Science: How to prepare a scientific poster
• Fresh Spectrum: How to design a research poster using CANVA

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Create an Engaging Research Poster

Creating an effective research project poster is crucial for increasing engagement while presenting your study at conferences. Poster sessions allow you to showcase your work, receive feedback, and network with other researchers. Your poster should be visually appealing, well-organized, and concise, including elements like a descriptive title, introduction, methodology, results, and conclusions. As a presenter, always be ready to discuss your research, answer questions, and provide contact information for follow-up inquiries.

Utilize these poster production resources for creating and printing your research poster to ensure high quality!

Research Project Posters Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of a poster session?

What happens during a poster session at a conference?

A poster session typically consists of rows of posters either on freestanding poster boards or set up on tables using cardboard trifolds. Presenters stand next to their posters and attendees walk up and down the aisles, stopping at posters that interest them. Presenters should be ready to give a quick (2-3 minute) summary of their poster and should be ready to answer questions about the project.

Although not required, it is nice to have one-page copies of your poster to hand out to attendees. Alternately, you may create a sign-up sheet and email your poster to those who are interested.

What are the components of a conference poster?

A poster conveys your study on one big sheet of paper (usually 36" x 42"). The components vary depending on your discipline as well as the type of project, but here are some of the typical elements:

Title and Authors

• Remember to use a big font that can be seen at a distance (70-80 point font at minimum).
• The title is what often brings passers-by to your poster - make it descriptive and catchy.

Institution

• You can download the institutional logo instead of writing out "Kennesaw State University."
• Be sure to follow the logo rules !
• You can use an additional logo depicting you department or college if you have one.

Introduction/Background/Literature Review

• Lead the reader into your particular study.
• Include citations from past research.
• How does your study make a unique contribution to the literature?
• Present a research question or hypotheses.

Methodology

• Who or what represents your sample? If you used people or animals, how many? Can you provide some information about your sample (e.g., demographic information like gender, age, etc.)?
• What was the methodology and procedure of your study? Describe study materials such as survey questions, observations, interviews, etc. 
• What were the main results of your study?
• Graphs and charts are more visually appealing than words.

Discussion/Conclusions

• What is the main take-home message of your study?
• Provide an explanation for the results.
• Connect your results to past research on this topic.
• What are the limitations of you research?
• What are some future research ideas that stem from your study?
• What are the implications/applications of your study for broader society?
• Cite only the references you used in your poster, not everything you read over the course of doing your research.
• Use the citation style for your discipline (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

Acknowledgements

• In this section, cite individuals who aren't authors but who contributed in some way (if applicable). 
• You should also acknowledge any financial help you received as part of this research (e.g., grants). 

Contact Information

• Include your email on the poster so that if attendees have any questions, they can contact you.

What does an effective poster look like?

• It has an eye-catching title.
• It is organized logically.
• It is concise (bullets and numbering are good) -- approximately 800 words maximum.
• It can be understood on its own without needing explanation from the author.
• It does not have any grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors.
• Title: ~72-point font
• Section Headers: ~60-point font
• Text: At least 32-point font
• Don’t forget the axes on graphs - that font needs to be big too.
• The font is consistent throughout the poster, easy to read (serif styles like Times New Roman), and professional (avoid Comic Sans!)
• It contains high-resolution graphics (charts, photos, images). Images pulled from the Internet are often fuzzy when blown up on a poster (and may be copyrighted as well).
• It uses a clean, consistent layout with some white space available
• It uses non-distracting colors and backgrounds (avoid a dark background, which uses an enormous amount of ink to print).

What should you do as a poster presenter?

• Dress professionally. Business casual is usually fine, but check with your faculty supervisor regarding appropriate dress at the conference you're attending.
• Wear comfortable shoes. You'll likely be standing for the entire poster session (often 60-90 minutes). Also, there is typically a lot of walking at a conference. You don't want your feet to hurt the whole time!
• At least one author should be near the poster during the allotted session.
• Be on time, and take down your poster on time.
• Smile and greet people as they approach your poster.
• Let them take the lead (some people prefer to read; others prefer to talk to you).

How do I make and print my poster?

Typically, posters are created on one PowerPoint slide and enlarged using a poster printer.

The Office of Undergraduate Research has a plotter printer that will produce high quality, single page, 36 x 42 color posters. This printer is available for use by all KSU undergraduate researchers at no charge for printing posters that are directly tied to poster presentations by undergraduates. Please see more information about poster printing .

Are there any online resources available about making research posters?

Yes. Here are a few good ones to check out: 

• Research Posters (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
• How to Create a Research Poster: Poster Basics (NYU Libraries)
• Guide to Creating Research Posters (University of Texas at Austin)
• Designing Conference Posters
• CUR Arts and Humanities Division: How to Make a Poster
• Poster Planning Worksheet (Radford University)
• Making Meaningful Posters (Radford University)

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Poster Design Templates

Before thinking about the specifics of your project and the content you’d like to include in your poster, take a look at some templates for student research posters. Many free templates can be found online, and students who attend an Office of Undergraduate Research poster workshop will have access to over 15 UT-branded templates on Canvas.

In general, most poster templates aim to communicate information clearly and quickly, with visual elements serving to separate different sections of the poster and direct attention to key findings. A clean, easy-to-read poster makes use of helpful visual cues.

• Lots of white space
• Elements that are aligned, not too close together and are evenly spaced
• Limited use of color
• Different font
• A bar, line or use of color at the section header
• Good ones include Helvetica, Times New Roman, Trebuchet, Century Gothic
• Sans serif fonts (e.g. Helvetica) usually work a little better than serif fonts (e.g. Cambria)
• Minimal use of outlines, boxes, color backgrounds, gradients
• Lots of photos and figures

As you begin the poster-making process, keep in mind the templates below. Note what they have in common (UT or college wordmark, limited and consistent use of color, prominent use of visual aids) and what they don’t include (clichéd fonts, inconsistent style between sections, overly busy colors and backgrounds).

Even a well-designed poster can benefit from the ample white space and clean layout of these templates:

A new poster template has emerged as an alternative to the above templates, taking the idea of minimizing the noise and distraction to a new degree. You can read more about this poster template developed by Mike Morrison, a doctoral student in psychology at Michigan State University, here.

If you’d like to access these and other templates for creating your own research poster, register for an Office of Undergraduate Research poster workshop .

You can also access templates created by the College of Natural Sciences on their research posters page.

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Poster Presentations

Why make a poster, ucla poster events, examples of effective posters, what you need, advice from the web, ucla undergraduate poster information.

• Size, Layout, and Text
• Colors and Images

A poster is a visual representation of your research. Your poster should:

• be eye-catching
• tell the story of your research - concisely
• enable the viewer to engage with your research

The viewer should walk away remembering you and your work, not the way the poster looked.

• Undergraduate Research Center - Sciences: Science Poster Day
• David Geffen School of Medicine Scholarship Day

"A Novel Approach to Campus Health and Wellness: The UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative," by Tyler D. Watson and Ryan Babadi.  Click to enlarge. 

Most people use Microsoft Powerpoint to design their posters - it's a common program that's easy to use. In this guide, we'll assume that you're using Powerpoint.

If you'd like to explore other options, you could also use graphic design software such as Photoshop or InDesign, or a program meant specifically for creating posters.

• Poster Perfect An article from The Scientist Magazine with tips on effective poster design.
• Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation This article also includes advice on the poster session itself.
• Mortal Sins in Poster Presentations or How to Give the Poster No One Remembers What not to do.
• APHA Guidelines for Accessible Posters Rules for accessible poster presentations.
• Designing Conference Posters This page has lots of great advice on poster design.
• UCLA Undergraduate Research Center-Presenting Your Research General tips on poster design from the Undergraduate Research Center.
• URC Workshops If you're a UCLA undergraduate, you can attend a URC-sponsored abstract or poster workshop in Spring quarter.
• Next: Size, Layout, and Text >>
• Last Updated: Nov 9, 2023 2:31 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.ucla.edu/posters

Undergraduate Research: Posters

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Online Tutorials

• UT at Austin: Guide to Creating Research Posters This sources contains samples and examples of posters alongside tips for messaging, reviewing, printing, and presenting your poster.
• UNC: Poster and Presentation Resources The academic poster design portion of this guide contains useful links to support creating a research poster. Other portions of this site will help with presenting your research and poster.
• NCSU: Creating Effective Poster Presentations Designed and organized like a research poster, this source contains an introduction to research posters along with other tools to support poster creation.

Blogs and Sites

• Better Posters: A Resource for Improving Poster Presentations Blog
• Colin Purrington: Designing Conference Posters This page gives a summary of what research posters are and how to get started. The subpages detail what you should put in different sections, provide free templates, and give tips on avoiding common mistakes.

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Print on Campus

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• Newman Library Posting printing information is available under the dropdown "Plotter Printer."
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• Last Updated: Jul 11, 2020 3:06 PM
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