Scientific Poster Design Tips

I will be giving a talk, "Creating an Effective Poster Presentation," at the American Society for Investigative Pathology 11th Annual Career Development Program and Lunch: Fundamental Basics for Success: “How to Give Great Presentations" at  Experimental Biology 2011 in Washington, DC.  I thought I'd share some of the tips I'll be including in my handout and presentation here, based on information we provided when I worked in the NIH Office of Intramural Training and Education (a great site to check out for career and professional advice).  I hope you find these tips helpful!

Designing Your Poster

• Follow the conference guidelines 
• It's easiest to read a poster that has a light background with dark text
• Show your work as opposed to using lots of text 
• A good guideline is 20% text, 40% graphics, 40% empty space 
• Show only your most relevant data, not everything you've done
• Use 3-4 columns 
• Highlight your main ideas using bullet points (conclusions, introduction, methodology, etc)
• Make your poster self-explanatory (for when you are not standing next to it); your text should supply details but not be overwhelming
• Acknowledge your funding source(s) 

A poster is not a manuscript printed out and put onto a board! 

Make Your Poster Readable

• Title -- 96 pt
• Authors -- 72 pt 
• Affiliations -- 36-48 pt 
• Section Headings -- 36 pt 
• Text -- 28 pt 
• Acknowledgements -- 20 pt 
• These are guidelines.  Your individual needs/font sizes may vary.

Common Mistakes

• Showing too much data
• Writing too much text 
• Bad/unusual layout 
• Text blocks longer than 10 sentences 
• Waiting until last minute to print 
• Stopping after the poster is designed -- you also need to present the poster

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About Betsey Wagener

I have over seven years of experience in basic scientific research in academia, a PhD in Cancer Biology, two years of experience dedicated to scientific research administration at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and two and a half years of experience dedicated to the administration of PhD-level graduate programs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE). 

Recently, I took on a new role as a mother to my four-month old son, Ethan, which prompted a move from Washington, DC to Nashville, TN to be nearer to family and to my husband's company. I am currently working as a contractor. I have always had a strong desire to help graduate students achieve their goal of earning their degree and so I've started this blog as a way to help. My vision for this blog is to offer details on topics that I've learned are of interest to graduate students and to offer advice on navigating graduate school hurdles. I hope that you will comment or email with questions or topics you would like me to cover so that we can make a vibrant community of people following PhD Survival Skills. 

For more details on my expertise and qualifications, please see my CV.

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