LibGuides: Academic Research Posters: &nbsp;

An academic research poster visually summarizes a research project. Its primary purpose is to convey key findings and methodologies in a concise and engaging manner using a combination of text, visuals, and graphics.

Tips & Best Practices

Keep it Simple: Use concise text and visuals, avoid overcrowding.
Readable Fonts: Select large, easy-to-read fonts for titles and text, headings should be bold and larger than the body text.
Consistent Color Scheme: Stick to a consistent and visually appealing color scheme that enhances readability.
High-Quality Images: Use high-resolution images, charts, and graphs to visually represent your findings.
Bullet Points: Use bullet points to break down information into digestible pieces.
Consistent Layout: Maintain a consistent, well-aligned layout with adequate white space.
Engaging Title: Craft a title that captures attention and succinctly conveys the research topic.
Review and Edit: Proofread your poster for spelling and grammatical errors. Seek feedback from peers or mentors.

More Resources:
UC Davis: Making an Effective Research Poster
Colin Purrington: Designing Posters
Colin Purrington: Bad Scientific Poster

Get Started

Before you start on your poster, answer these three questions about your project:

How does this research contribute to the current knowledge?
What are the key points that I want people to know about my research?
How can I visually share my research using succinct text, charts, graphs, photos and images?

adapted from NYU Libraries

Examples

from UC Davis Undergraduate Research Center

from UMBC Undergraduate Research

from Sabrina Mach

More Examples

UC Davis Academic Posters
UMBC Poster Presentation Examples

Software

Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides and Canva are common and easy-to-use programs for making research posters. CCAC students have free access to PowerPoint, which also easily allows for collaborative group work.

Downloading & Installing Microsoft Office 365

Sharing a File in Microsoft OneDrive

Poster Templates

Research poster templates are incredibly useful to provide a structure and framework for your design and content. Once downloaded, all can be customized by adjusting the colors, theme, and fonts.

fppt.com: Presentation Poster Templates

Poster Nerd: Scientific Poster PowerPoint Templates

Posters4Research: Free Templates

Template.Net: Scientific & Research Poster Templates

Poster Size

Follow your instructor's guidelines on the required size.

If printed, common sizes are 48 in x 36 in or 56 in x 42 in.

You will need to adjust the sizing of the slide before you start designing your content.

Setting PowerPoint Slide Size

Open a blank PowerPoint file, then:

Select Design
Then Slide Size
And Custom Slide Size...

Set the Slide Size in the popup:

Enter the width & height in inches; check with you instructor for recommended size
Select Ensure Fit