TIPS

 ON  POSTER  PRESENTATIONS  AT  PROFESSIONAL  CONFERENCE  

SCOTT  W.  PLUNKETT1  
 
PURPOSES  OF  CONFERENCE  PRESENTATIONS  
• To  educate  others  about  your  research  findings;   A  poster  should  n   ot  be  a  research  
• To  get  feedback/critique  from  peers  before  submitting  a  manuscript  for  publication;   paper  tacked  on  a  board!  It  
should  be  a  concise,  visually  
• To  network  with  other  scholars  who  are  interested  in  the  same  research;  and/or  
pleasing,  illustration  of  your  work.  
• To  promote  one’s  work  and  one’s  self  prior  to  applying  to  graduate  school  or  going  
on  the  job  market.  
 
ADVANTAGES  OF  POSTER  PRESENTATIONS  OVER  ORAL  PRESENTATIONS  
• A  poster  session  has  potential  to  reach  larger  numbers  of  people  than  a  typical  oral  presentation.  
• An  appealing  poster  can  interest  people  who  walk  by  who  might  not  be  in  your  specific  field  of  research.  
• A  poster  presentation  allows  you  to  interact  one-­‐on-­‐one  with  people  interested  in  your  research.  
• There  is  more  time  to  present  your  research  at  a  poster  session;  versus  the  12-­‐20  minutes  allotted  in  most  oral  sessions.  
 
PURPOSES  OF  A  VISUAL  PRESENTATION  
• Regardless  of  whether  the  visual  presentation  is  part  of  an  oral  or  poster  presentation,  the  author  should  keep  in  mind  
the  following  purposes  of  a  visual  presentation:2  
o To  connect  with  the  viewers;  
o To  direct  and  hold  the  attention  of  the  viewers;  and  
o To  enhance  the  viewers’  understanding  and  memory  by  providing  easily  digestible  information.  
• Presentations  should  accentuate  the  most  important  information  (i.e.,  the  “take  away  message”).  
• Don’t  just  present  information  that  supports  your  point  while  intentionally  leaving  off  conflicting  results  or  non  
significant  results.    
 
ETHICAL  &  PROFESSIONAL  BEHAVIOR  
• Do  not  list  your  name  on  a  poster  as  a  coauthor/presenter  unless  you  had  an  active  role  in  the  research  and  development  
of  the  content  of  the  presentation.  
• Give  citations  on  a  poster  when  paraphrasing  other’s  work  just  like  you  would  in  a  manuscript.  
o Use  an  appropriate  style  (e.g.,  APA)  when  citing.  
• The  same  poster  should  not  be  presented  at  multiple  conferences.  
• Dress  professionally  when  presenting  your  poster  –  especially  if  you  are  a  student  applying  to  graduate  programs  or  
teaching/research  positions.  You  never  know  who  might  stop  by  to  see  your  poster  and  to  meet  you.  
o Wear  comfortable  shoes  –  you  will  be  standing  for  quite  awhile.  
• Be  on  time  for  your  poster,  and  be  sure  to  take  your  poster  down  at  the  end  of  the  time.   Remember,  you     are  on  display  
• Stay  close  to  your  poster  during  the  session  so  that  you  are  available  for  discussion.   as   w ell   a s   y our   poster!  
• Wear  your  nametag!  
• Smile  and  make  eye  contact  with  people  who  pass  the  poster.    
• Greet  viewers  with  “hello”  and  offer  to  answer  any  questions  they  may  have.    
o But,  allow  the  viewers  time  to  read  the  poster  without  interruption.    
o If  they  ask  you  a  question  or  look  like  they  have  a  question,  then  that  is  your  cue  to  engage  them  about  your  research.    
• Don’t  get  too  involved  with  one  person  and  ignore  others  who  might  want  to  discuss  your  research.  
• Have  a  rough  draft  of  the  paper  as  a  handout  (e.g.,  hard  copy,  disc,  electronic  copy)  for  interested  scholars.  
o If  you  run  out  of  handouts,  have  a  sign  up  sheet  so  people  can  get  a  copy  of  your  poster.    
o Also,  some  prefer  to  leave  business  cards  for  their  handout  requests,  so  have  an  envelope  in  which  to  put  the  cards.  
o Be  sure  and  email  them  a  copy  as  soon  as  possible  (preferably  as  soon  as  you  get  access  to  the  internet).  
• Don’t  try  to  force  handouts  on  people  who  are  not  interested.  
• Don’t  take  criticism  personally.    
o One  of  the  purposes  of  a  poster  (or  oral)  presentation  is  to  get  critique  prior  to  submitting  for  publication.  
o Also,  many  scholars  who  attend  the  poster  session  are  there  to  mentor  novice  researchers.  So,  they  may  be  giving  
constructive  criticism  as  a  way  to  help  enhance  your  professional  development.  
• If  you  do  not  know  the  answer  to  a  question,  one  option  is  to  mirror  the  question  back.    
o For  example,  if  a  person  asks  “Don’t  you  think  the  variable  A  could  be  related  to  B  because  of  C?”  You  could  respond  with,  
“Hm  interesting.  Could  you  tell  me  more  about  why  you  think  this?”  

                                                                                                                                       
1  Scott  W.  Plunkett,  Ph.D.,  is  a  professor  of  psychology,  California  State  University  Northridge.  http://www.csun.edu/plunk  
2  Kosslyn,  S.  M.  (2007).  Clear  and  to  the  point:  8  psychological  principles  for  compelling  PowerPoint  presentations.  New  York:  Oxford  

University  Press.  
Poster  Presentation  Tips   Page     2  
 
• If  a  person  offers  a  constructive  critique,  then  take  his/her  advice  into  consideration.    
o For  example,  if  a  person  asks,  “Have  you  thought  about  running  blank  analysis?”  or  “Maybe  A  is  related  to  B  because  of  
E.”  You  could  respond,  “That  is  interesting.  I  had  not  thought  of  that.  I  will  definitely  consider  that.”    
• It  is  okay  to  admit  you  do  not  know  something.  
 
Avoid  visual  clutter/chaos.  
  Use  a  
SECTIONS  OF  THE  POSTER  
logical  structure  that  guides  the  
• Heading   reader  along  the  main  points  
o Title  of  the  poster   from  beginning  to  end.  
o Authors  of  the  poster    
§ Title,  major/department,  and  institution  of  the  authors  
• Introduction  
o Abstract  (optional  –  personally,  it  seems  silly  to  me  to  have  an  abstract  if  the  poster  is  a  concise  overview  of  your  
research)  
o Justification/Rationale  –  Why  did  you  do  this  study?  Who  could  benefit  from  the  results?  
§ Invest  time  in  explaining  a  compelling  reason  for  the  study  rather  than  just  showing  past  literature  that  found  
similar  results.  
o Purpose  –  Exactly  what  did  you  do?  
o Null  or  alternative  hypotheses  –  If  you  are  making  a  predication,  then  you  should  present  the  alternative  hypotheses.  If  
there  is  no  previous  research  or  theory  on  the  topic,  then  use  null  hypotheses.  Note:  If  the  study  is  exploratory,  then  
you  may  want  to  provide  research  questions.  
• Methodology  
o Sample  characteristics  
§ Sample  size  
§ Gender  
§ Age  range  and  mean  (or  median  if  the  age  is  skewed)  
§ Ethnicity  
§ Any  other  characteristics  that  may  be  of  interest  to  the  study  or  viewer/reader.  
o Procedures  –  How  were  the  data  collected?  
o Variables  and  measurement  –  How  were  the  variables  operationally  defined?  
§ List  variable,  scale,  number  of  items,  response  choices,  and  reliability  (if  applicable)  
• Results  
o Analyses  –  briefly  provide  the  rationale  for  the  analyses  conducted  
o Findings  –  provide  the  findings  in  easy-­‐to-­‐read  table(s)  or  concise  bullets  
• Discussion  –  identify  the  most  interesting  findings  and  provide  an  explanation/rationale.  
o Why  did  this  study  get  the  results?  Is  it  similar  to  past  research?  Can  theory  explain  the  findings?  Is  there  something  
about  this  data  collection  that  made  the  results  different?    
• Limitations  (optional)  
• Implications  
o Implications  for  practice  –  How  can  the  findings  help  others  (e.g.,  practitioners,  educators,  policy  makers)?    
o Implications  for  research  –  Based  on  the  results  and/or  limitations  of  this  study,  what  should  future  studies  in  this  area  
do?  
• Acknowledgments  
o Briefly  and  succinctly  acknowledge  the  following:  
§ Individuals  who  assisted  with  the  project/poster  (e.g.,  statistical  advice,  critique  of  poster,  fieldwork/lab  help);    
§ Funding  sources;  and/or  
§ Conflicts  of  interest.  
   
FORMATTING   In  large  poster  sessions,  
  viewers  
• For  PowerPoint  –  36”  x  48”  or  48”  x  56”  display     slow  down  or  stop  at  posters  
• Wording   that  catch  their  attention.    
o Don’t  overwhelm  the  reader  with  too  much  information.   Sooo,  style  matters!  
o Use  phrases  instead  of  sentences  as  much  as  possible.    
o Use  bullets.    
o Use  appropriate  grammar  and  spelling.  
o Use  active,  not  passive,  verbs.  
• Avoid  visual  chaos  that  distracts  the  reader  (e.g.,  numerous  jagged  edges,  various-­‐sized  boxes  and  font  sizes,  gratuitous  
images).    
• Provide  visual  cues  to  guide  readers  through  your  poster.  
Poster  Presentation  Tips   Page     3  
 
• Make  it  aesthetically  pleasing  (because  it  enhances  a  person’s  desire  to  read  it).  
o Use  figures,  diagrams,  graphics,  or  easy-­‐to-­‐read  tables  to  explain/illustrate  ideas  or  findings.  
§ Note:  Using  graphics  downloaded  from  the  Internet  will  often  look  terrible  when  printed;  especially  if  you  make  the  
image  bigger.  
§ Make  sure  images  you  use  are  public  domain.  Just  because  it  is  on  the  internet  does  not  make  it  public  domain.  
§ Images  should  only  be  used  when  they  complement/explain  the  subject  matter.  
o Avoid  background  graphics  that  make  the  text  difficult  to  read.    
o Use  plenty  of  white  space.  
o Maintain  logical  column  alignments.  
• Color  
o Color  is  encouraged,  but  limit  the  number  of  colors  to  create  an  overall  theme  for  the  poster.  
o Use  a  light-­‐colored  background  with  black  or  dark-­‐colored  text  printed.  
o Avoid  dark  backgrounds  with  white  letters  because  it  uses  a  tremendous  amount  of  ink.  
• Use  large  enough  print,  graphs,  charts,  or  designs  to  be  read  easily  from  a  distance  of  at  least  5  feet.  
• Fonts  
o Do  not  use  ALL  CAPS.  
o Don’t  mix  a  large  number  of  fonts.  Instead,  make  the  headings/title  a  sans  serif  font  (e.g.,  Arial,  Helvetica)  and  the  body  
text  a  serif  font  (e.g.,  Palatino,  Times  New  Roman).    
§ Note:  Serif  fonts  are  easier  to  read,  especially  at  smaller  font  sizes.  
o Use  common  fonts  (e.g.,  Times  New  Roman,  Arial)  because  you  may  not  know  which  fonts  will  be  on  the  computer  that  
is  used  to  print  your  poster.  
o All  type  should  be  a  minimum  font  size  of  18  –  preferably  bigger.  
§ Font  at  the  same  level  (e.g.,  heading,  first  level  bullet)  should  be  the  same  size  and  type  throughout  the  poster.    
§ For  example,  if  you  make  a  slide  heading  42  point  Arial  Black  font,  then  all  slide  headings  should  be  the  same.  
Similarly,  if  you  make  the  text  for  a  first  level  bullet  32  point,  Times  New  Roman,  then  all  the  other  first  level  bullets  
should  be  the  same.  
• You  can  find  templates  for  posters  at  http://www.csun.edu/~cor/templates.html  
o The  templates  are  easy  to  customize  with  text,  color,  etc.  
o Do  not  adjust  the  page  setup  width  and  height  on  the  templates  as  it  will  mess  up  the  formatting  of  the  textboxes.  
o Type  in  all  the  text  before  adjusting  the  sizes  of  the  text  boxes.  It  is  easier  to  move  things  around  once  you  know  how  
much  text  will  be  in  each  box.  
• Try  to  consolidate  as  much  information  as  possible.    
o For  example,  if  all  of  the  authors  of  the  presentation  are  from  the  same  department  and/or  university,  then  there  is  no  
need  to  list  it  separately  for  each  author.  Just  list  it  once.    
o If  separate  analyses  found  similar  results,  then  try  to  consolidate  the  results  into  a  table  or  concise  summary  of  results.  
 
STARTING  FROM  SCRATCH  TO  CREATE  YOUR  OWN  POSTER  
• Open  a  blank  PowerPoint  slide  
• Go  to  “Page  setup”    
o Create  a  custom  size  –  56”  wide,  42”  height  (see  diagram  to  the  right)  
o Select  landscape  for  the  slide  (see  diagram  to  the  right)  
• Next,  you  can  select  a  slide  theme  or  just  leave  it  blank.  
• If  you  go  under  ‘view’  to  ‘master’  to  ‘slide  master’,  you  can  designate  the  
font  size,  type,  color,  and  color/type  of  bullets  for  the  text  boxes.  It  is  
much  easier  to  change  it  in  the  slide  master  than  to  change  the  text  
manually  for  each  text  box  in  your  slide.  
• Also,  you  can  designate  a  color  scheme  for  the  slide.    
• Then  go  back  to  ‘view’  to  ‘normal’.  
• You  can  now  add  your  individual  text  boxes  and/or  graphics.  
• Refer  to  the  following  page  for  working  with  graphics,  text,  etc.  in  
PowerPoint  
o http://abacus.bates.edu/~bpfohl/posters/  
 
MISCELLANEOUS  
• Printing  your  poster  –  Printing  your  poster  will  require  the  use  of  a  plotter  printer.  Check  with  your  university  to  see  if  
there  are  free  or  inexpensive  ways  to  print  on  campus.    
o You  will  need  to  allow  at  least  a  week  to  print  your  poster  in  case  there  are  unexpected  glitches  (e.g.,  plotter  printer  
runs  out  of  ink,  no  paper,  a  graphic  or  table  on  the  poster  is  causing  printing  errors).  
Poster  Presentation  Tips   Page     4  
 
o In  the  Psychology  Department  at  CSUN,  a  poster  can  be  printed  for  free  by  emailing  it  to  Valdis  Volkovskis  
([email protected]).  However,  the  poster  needs  to  be  approved  by  your  major  advisor  first;  so  CC  your  major  
advisor  when  you  email  Valdis  so  he  will  know  it  has  been  approved.  Also,  Valdis  may  have  specific  requirements  for  
printing,  especially  before  conferences  where  many  Psychology  faculty  and  students  are  attending  (e.g.,  Western  
Psychological  Association).  So,  check  with  Valdis  to  see  if  there  are  any  special  requirements  for  printing  prior  to  
emailing  the  poster  to  him.  Be  very  respectful  of  his  time  and  requirements.  
• Tips  when  printing  a  PowerPoint  poster  
o If  you  use  a  slide  background  that  is  a  picture  or  a  texture,  it  will  often  create  a  large  file  that  can  exceed  the  plotter  
printer’s  memory  and/or  take  a  long  time  to  print.  It  is  best  to  use  a  single  color  or  a  fading  color  for  the  background.  
o Sometimes  embedded  Word  tables,  Excel  charts,  and  Visio  drawings  in  PowerPoint  files  don’t  print  correctly.  Convert  
them  to  images  (JPEGs,  TIFFs,  EPS,  etc.)  before  adding  them  to  your  slide.  
• Transporting  your  poster  –  There  are  many  ways  to  transport  your  poster  to  conferences.  The  nice  carrying  cases  can  
be  quite  expensive.  There  are  also  cardboard  tubes  for  just  a  couple  of  dollars.    
o Be  sure  and  write  your  contact  information  on  the  poster  in  case  it  gets  lost.  
o Also,  many  people  I  know  have  inadvertently  left  their  posters  at  bus  stops  (myself  included),  in  the  plane,  in  their  car,  
etc.  It  is  easy  to  forget  since  it  is  not  part  of  our  usual  travel  luggage.  I  write  a  note  to  myself  on  my  boarding  pass  and  
on  my  hotel  confirmation  page  that  reminds  me  to  check  that  I  still  have  my  poster  tube.  
o Also,  carry  your  poster  on  the  plane  instead  of  checking  it  as  luggage  (if  possible).    
§ Airlines  are  notorious  for  losing  poster  tubes  since  they  can  roll  around.  And,  this  will  possibly  save  money  given  the  
new  fees  for  checked  luggage  on  many  airlines.  
§ Some  airlines  have  restrictions  on  carrying  on  poster  tubes  and/or  charge  a  fee  for  carrying  posters  on  the  plane  
(ugh!).    
§ If  others  are  going  to  the  same  conference,  put  multiple  posters  in  one  tube  to  save  space  and/or  fees.  
o Options  instead  of  transporting  posters  to  conference:  
§ Mail  the  poster(s)  to  the  hotel.  
§ Mail  the  poster  to  someone  who  is  attending  the  conference  who  lives  close  to  the  conference  location.  
§ Email  the  poster  to  a  printing  place  (e.g.,  Kinko’s)  close  to  the  conference  hotel  and  have  them  print  the  poster.  
• After  the  conference  –  Many  departments  and/or  research  labs  like  to  display  the  posters  after  the  conference.  So,  
check  with  your  major  advisor  to  see  if  you  should  transport  the  poster  back  from  the  conference.  
 
SOME  GREAT  ONLINE  RESOURCES  FOR  POSTER  PRESENTATIONS  
http://www.swarthmore.edu/NatSci/cpurrin1/posteradvice.htm  
http://www.asp.org/Education/Howto_onPosters.html  
http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/NewSite/index.html  
http://colinpurrington.com/tips/academic/posterdesign