Developing a Poster Presentation
This article is currently under review and may not be up to date. Please come back soon to see the finished work! (3/03/2023)
Original Editor - Amanda Ager
Top Contributors - Ewa Jaraczewska, Amanda Ager, Jess Bell and Kim Jackson
Introduction[edit | edit source]
A poster presentation comes in many different forms. It visually represents a clinical case study, a newly developed program or a scientific study through text, charts, graphs, and other visual aids. A poster presentation allows viewers and knowledge users to read research material at their leisure and to interact with a presenter by asking questions about the methods or critical findings of the research. [1] Research posters summarise information concisely and attractively to help publicise it and generate discussion. This page addresses the process of developing a formal, research-based poster presentation. It can be used as a reference guide in all projects involving a poster presentation.
General Guidelines[edit | edit source]
An academic, scientific, or clinical poster is called a poster presentation, and these terms can be synonyms. Posters range in size and can be arranged in a portrait or landscape orientation. It can also be in-person or presented virtually.
The following are the general rules applied to a poster presentation:
- It should start a conversation.
- It is a colourful abstract, not a wall-mounted essay
- It aims to grab the attention of the audience, which in turn will generate interest in the area of the work it covers
- Research posters should help publicise research and generate discussion.
Building a Poster Presentation[edit | edit source]
The Aims[edit | edit source]
When developing a poster presentation, the author must answer the following three questions:
- What is the most important/exciting/astounding finding from the research project?
- What is the best way to visually share the research with conference attendees? Should charts, graphs, photos, or images be used?
- What is the focus of the talk that will complement the poster?
Steps in Creating a Poster Presentation[edit | edit source]
- Choose the audience and the purpose of the presentation. The presentation could be:
- A requirement of the degree programme or clinical placement.
- A presentation of the research findings at an academic conference.
- An expression of complex material in an accessible way for a non-specialist audience.
- Define the purpose of the poster. It may include the following:
- To help others learn something about your work.
- To introduce a new and interesting perspective on a topic.
- Present a clinical case or the development of a new programme.
- Engage with colleagues, share ideas and network.
- To help in gaining experience with openly communicating and talking about the work and research
- Conceptualise the poster
- Key headings
- Graphs or images
- Colour scheme
- Ask for feedback before finishing the poster. The feedback should focus on the following elements:
- Readability of the poster
- Formatting
- Submit the poster
- Submit a few days before the deadline.
- A PDF copy of the poster may be required ahead of the scheduled event.
Key Elements of Building a Poster[edit | edit source]
The MoSCoW Method[edit | edit source]
The MoSCoW technique helps to prioritise the list of requirements for a specific project. [2] It offers predictability to projects and leaves no white spaces in the plan. [3]
The MoSCow method can help to decide the elements of the poster presentation. In addition, the MoSCoW technique can assist with prioritising what to include in the presentation:
- Divide a blank page into the following four categories to help decide the importance of information, and organise the poster presentation according to the results received:
- Must have
- Should have
- Could have
- Won’t have.
- The texts categorised as “won’t have” and “could have” can be immediately removed.
- “Should have” requires further assessment
- “Must have” is the only information category that needs to go on a poster.
Headings[edit | edit source]
The following are the critical elements of the poster:
- Title: like a newspaper headline, catchy, simple, short and snappy.
- Authors: include everyone who contributed to the poster and permitted you to use their name.
- Affiliations: organisations that are represented by the authors and the location where the research took place, with contact details
- Headings:
- Introduction: short background on the topic, aims and objectives
- Methods: brief, written in a short bullet. It should include objectives, and basic parameters, including target sample, setting, study duration, inclusion/exclusion criteria, statistical techniques, key interventions assessed, and primary outcome measures, space permitting.
- Results: data analysis and stratification, results which answer the stated hypothesis, pertinent and critical graphs, graphics, images, and tables
- Conclusions: derive directly from the results section, Obvious confounders and limitations, key improvements, the potential for project expansion, impact statement if clinically applicable
- References: integral to your project
Additional Information[edit | edit source]
Additional information to mention in the bottom corner (usually in a smaller font) includes:
- Type of manuscript (if published work)
- Funding
- Ethical approval
- QR code to your research or professional website (for example, LinkedIn, ResearchGate).
Tables, Figures, and Images[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Soon CSL, Tudor Car L, Ng CJ, Tan NC, Smith H. What Is the Utility of Posters? Qualitative Study of Participants at a Regional Primary Healthcare Conference in Asia. Med Sci Educ. 2022 Nov 3;32(6):1405-1412
- ↑ Kravchenko T, Bogdanova T, Shevgunov T. Ranking requirements using MoSCoW methodology in practice. InCybernetics Perspectives in Systems: Proceedings of 11th Computer Science On-line Conference 2022, Vol. 3 2022 Jul 5 (pp. 188-199). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
- ↑ Miranda E. Moscow rules: A quantitative exposé. InAgile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming: 23rd International Conference on Agile Software Development, XP 2022, Copenhagen, Denmark, June 13–17, 2022, Proceedings 2022 Jun 9 (pp. 19-34). Cham: Springer International Publishing.