Honors College Research

A poster presentation is an excellent opportunity to showcase a research project and practice presentation skills in a low-key setting.  Before the presentation, you will create a single page, poster-sized display that provides a brief overview of your research project.  Viewers will read the text, look at the images, and ask questions.  It’s that simple and it’s an easy and low-stakes way of entering the professional presentation arena.

Textual Content

Before creating a poster, you need to decide what information is important to showcase -- you do not want to print an entire research article on the page.  Instead, you should select core elements that briefly describe your project and what you learned, such as:

• An introduction to the research project -- What did you research?
• A methodology section that explains how you collected evidence.  Not all presentations may require this.  
• The results of your investigation -- What did you find out or discover?
• A discussion about the results and how they are relevant.

Graphics

Posters need to catch viewers’ eyes as they walk past.  You can do this using charts, graphs, photos and other visual elements that support your topic.  The background of your poster may also have color, but there needs to be a high contrast between text and background colors so that viewers can easily read content.  More information about ADA compliance can be found in the section Creating the presentation.

Text Size

It is best practice to use a font style that is easy to read.  Avoid italics or elaborate font styles.  Text size should be large enough to read from a distance.  Here is a general guide for text size:

Title                    at least 72 points or larger, bold

Subheading       at least 48 points, bold

Body Text           at least 24 points 

Poster size

Poster size can vary from one conference to another, so be sure to check requirements for the conference you are attending. 

• Common sizes are 24” x 36”, 36” x 48”, and 42” x 56”.  
• The size of your poster may be limited by the size that you can get printed. 
  • If you can afford to pay for professional printing, then you will have more size options to choose from. 
  • If your campus has any free printing options, then you will be limited by whatever size options they offer.

Posters can be either landscape or portrait orientation.  Landscape orientation is most commonly used, however, you may choose to present your information using portrait orientation.  It is really up to you.  Knowing the size and orientation of your poster will help you plan the visual layout. 

The First Draft

An easy way to visualize your presentation is to divide an 8.5” x 11” piece of paper into three sections using landscape orientation.  The presentation title will go at the top of the page along with your name and school affiliation.  There is no precise, one-size-fits-all approach to organizing information on the page, but it is common practice to start on the left side of the page and end on the right side.

• Starting with the left-hand column, write notes about what you will include such as introductory and background information. 
• Do the same in the middle column, but instead, make notes about the methodology your project used and/or any data or other findings that resulted from the project.
• Finally, the right-hand column discusses the relevance of the findings. 
• Don’t forget to leave space on the page to list bibliographic citations if needed.  Citations can go at the bottom of the right-hand column or at the bottom of the page.
• Don't worry about filling the entire poster with text.  You can fill blank spaces with supporting charts, graphs, photos and other visual elements that support your topic.

NOTE:  It is okay to list key pieces of information using bullet points rather than writing full paragraphs on posters. 

The following table demonstrates the basic outline of a poster:

Creating the poster

Now that you have an idea of the content and layout of your poster, you can start making it.  Use any software program that you feel comfortable with, just be sure to set the page or canvas size to match the size requirements of your poster. 

The following is a list of suggested resources for making posters:

• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Google Slides
• Poster nerd: Scientific Poster PowerPoint Templates 
• Genigraphics:  Free PowerPoint research poster templates in various sizes & styles 
• Canva.com for students         

The following LSC-NH poster template was created by history professor Neil Chatelain using Microsoft PowerPoint and is free for reuse:

Design considerations

You can make your poster as visually interesting as you like with bold colors and graphic elements.  However, it is best practice to keep the design as simple as possible.  Viewers’ focus should be on the information rather than extraneous graphic elements. 

You also need to consider ADA accessibility during the design process:

• Ensure a high color contrast between text and background.
• Do not rely on color to convey meaning.  Some viewers may be colorblind and not able to distinguish certain colors.  This is especially important when using charts and images.
• Avoid overly elaborate fonts that may be difficult to read. 
• Use large font sizes so that viewers can read the text from a distance.
• Leave enough space between elements to help distinguish one from one another.

The following websites offer further information about accessibility and design:

Before printing the poster, it is highly recommended that you have one or more people review it to ensure that:

• It is visually appealing and easy to navigate,
• The text makes sense,
• There are no spelling errors, and
• You have not forgotten a key piece of information.

If you are paying to have your poster professionally printed, then you may have the option of printing on either glossy paper or matte paper.  Glossy paper displays images better, but lights can cause a glare on the paper, making it difficult to look at.  Matte paper is easier to view but does not display finer image details as well.

Talk with your professor about printing options.  

LSC-NH students may request permission to print presentation posters for free in the Library’s Content Creation Hub by emailing NH-AskALibrarian@lonestar.edu.  Keep in mind that this free service is subject to change and may be affected by supply availibility.