LibGuides: Research Posters: Making Posters

There are many things to keep in mind when making a poster of your academic work. This guide features tips to help you.

While these tips are geared primarily towards science and health science posters, anyone making a poster can use them. You can also see our guide on Making Humanities Posters.

Content

Include your name and school
You usually don't need an abstract on your poster, especially if it is in a program
You may want to follow the IMRAD structure: intro, methods, results, and discussion
Make sure your project is clearly stated
Find the sweet spot for word count: use enough text to describe your project but avoid large blocks of text
Advice for scientific posters

Images

Using images will make your poster more interesting and engaging. However, if you are using someone else's image, make sure you are not violating copyright law. Remember to cite any images you use. Also make sure that any photo you choose is high enough quality that it will not be pixelated when blown up to poster size.

Here are some sources for images with Creative Commons licenses:

Creative Commons search
Creative Commons Flickr search
Wikimedia Commons
Library of Congress Digital Collections (double check the rights before using)

Design

Your font size and style are important. Your poster needs to be readable from a distance.
Make sure you make your poster to the right specifications. This is crucial!
Your poster must flow and be organized so the reader knows how to read it. Utilize white space.
Score your poster with this quiz from University of TX at Austin

Software

There are lots of software options for designing your poster.

Costs associated: