Overview of preparing and
presenting research posters
Jane E. Miller, PhD
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Overview
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Common pitfalls in poster creation
Components of a research poster
Poster content and layout
Narrative description
Handouts
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Research posters misunderstood
• Poster sessions at conferences are often
treated as poor cousins to a speech on the
same study
– Little thought to how to make an effective poster
• Lose out on opportunity to learn from visitors
– Different people will ask about different aspects
• policy implications
• research on your topic with other data or methods
• research on same data or similar methods with other
topics
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Common pitfalls in poster preparation
• Neglecting to adapt statistical findings for broad,
varied audience
– Some policy makers and program planners
– Some quantitative analysts
– Some journalists
• Failing to communicate how research findings
apply to real-world issues
– Readers must translate statistical findings themselves
– Many won’t take the time or aren’t trained to do so
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
More pitfalls in poster preparation
• Posting pages from the paper
– Tiring for audience to stand and read entire papers at
the poster session
– Encourages viewers to merely skim your work
• Neglecting to adapt detailed paragraphs and
statistical tables into text bullets and charts
– Difficult for audience to quickly grasp key points
• Failing to devise narrative descriptions
– Lose the chance to learn from conversations with
viewers
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Posters as a hybrid form
• Less detailed than a paper on the same research
study
• More detailed than an oral conference presentation
• More interactive than either a speech or poster
– In a speech, you (the speaker) determine the focus of the
presentation
– At a poster session, the viewers drive that focus
• See podcast on comparison of paper, speech and
poster about the same research project
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Components of a research poster
• Poster pages to be mounted in conference hall
• Narrative description
• Handouts
• ALL THREE of these elements are important
– They complement one another to create an
accessible but comprehensive presentation about
your study.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Objectives of a research poster
• Identify two or three main take-home points for your
audience.
– Design the title, charts, and text to emphasize those points.
• Tell a clear, simple story
– Introduce 2 – 3 key questions that are the focus of your
poster.
– Provide a brief overview of data and methods.
– Present the evidence to answer those questions.
– Close with a summary of your findings and their
implications for research and policy.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Adapt materials for audience
– Convey the purpose, findings, and implications of your
research to the expected range of readers.
– Provide background on
– topic
– analytic methods
– Present statistical material for a varied professional
audience.
– See podcasts on
• slide design
• adapting statistical results for nonstatistical audiences.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Adapt materials for time
– Replace long prose with text bullets.
– Adapt detailed tables into charts and simple
tables.
– Hand out the paper for viewers who want
details to read later.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Contents of a research poster
• Same sections as in a research paper
• Separate pages for
– Objectives
– Background
– Data and methods (several pages)
– Results (several pages)
– Discussion and conclusions
– Policy implications
– Research implications
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Organization of a poster
• Use the “W’s” (who, what, when, where, why) to
organize the major sections of the poster.
• Introductory section:
– What are you are studying?
– Why is it important?
– How will your analysis add to the literature in the field?
• Data and methods:
– When, where, who, and how were the data collected?
– How many cases were involved?
– How were the data were analyzed?
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Organization of a poster, cont.
• Results:
– What did you find?
• Present a few key detailed results in bullets, tables, and charts.
• Conclusions:
– What were your major findings?
• Implications for policy, program, or practice:
– How can it be used to inform practice (e.g., medical),
programs, or policies related to the issue?
• Implications for research:
– What do your analyses suggest for future research?
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Number and layout of pages
• Find out the dimensions of your assigned space.
– A 8’ by 4’ bulletin board holds about 20 pages total.
– A tri-fold table-top (4’ by 3’) board holds about 12 pages
total.
• For either size poster, arrange the pages into three or
more vertical sections.
– Viewers can read each section standing in one place while
reading left to right and top to bottom.
• See associated lecture on creating effective slides,
which can be adapted as poster pages.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Title and abstract
• Title should be
– Informative so viewers will be attracted to your poster
– Large and readable
• Abstract
– Summary of key points about your study
• Readers will use it to decide whether to read the full
poster;
• Take the time to write an accurate, enticing summary.
– Can reword as “What We Learned”
• See diagram of layout for an 8’ by 4’ bulletin board
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Left-hand panel
• One-page abstract or brief summary
– Provide overview of your work
– State your key findings and implications
• Set the stage for the research question
– State why the topic is of policy interest
• Anticipate policy or program implications
– Summarize major empirical or theoretical work
– State hypotheses or project aims
– Explain how project fills in gaps in previous work
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Middle panel
• Briefly describe data source, variables, and methods.
• Present results in tables or charts accompanied by text
annotations.
• Diagrams, maps, and photographs are effective for
conveying issues difficult to capture in words. E.g.,
– Create a timeline to convey timing of different components
of a longitudinal study.
– Use a schematic diagram of relationships among variables to
illustrate causal order.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Right-hand panel
• Summarize your findings.
– Relate them back to the research question or project aims.
• Discuss study strengths and limitations.
• Identify implications of your findings for
– Policy
– Practice
– Programs
• Suggest directions for future research.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Layout of an 8’ by 4’ poster
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Layout of a tri-fold poster
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Practical considerations
• Find out how the posters are to be mounted so
you can bring appropriate supplies.
– For table-top presentations, need tri-fold poster
board.
– For bulletin board, need push pins, glue stick, or
stapler.
• Allow ample time to pin up pages at conference.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Narrative description of a poster
• What is a narrative?
• Why do you need one?
• Contents of a narrative:
– Overview to say to each person who visits your
poster
– Modules for specific sections of the poster
• Choose among them in response to individual
questions.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Narrative modules
• Modules to address different aspects of study
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Background
Previous studies in the published literature
Study design
Analytic methods
Results: Short module for each results page
Conclusions
Implications for policy, practice, or programs
Implications for future research
• Questions to engage viewers about their reactions,
suggestions.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Why use handouts?
• To remind readers about your project and how
to reach you.
• To provide detailed
– literature review
– data and methods
– tables of results
– citations not included on poster
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Contents of handouts
to accompany a poster
• Your executive summary or abstract with a few
key tables or charts.
• A title page with abstract and your slides,
printed several to a page.
• Include your contact information on either
version.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Practice presenting your poster
• Prepare and practice your narrative modules so you
can say them without consulting notes.
• Rehearse with a test audience who knows the
interests and statistical proficiency of your viewers.
– Have them critique contents and layout of poster.
– Ask them to:
• Identify unclear elements of the poster or narrative
• Flag jargon to be paraphrased or defined
• Point out issues you haven’t covered in your narrative
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Summary
• Posters are a unique format
≠ speech
• Posters allow for extended, conversation with viewers.
≠ paper
• Poster sessions are live presentations
• NOT a time for viewers to read a 30-page research paper!
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Focus on a few key points
Create a clear story line
Use charts and text bullets to convey points quickly
Supplement with handouts and an oral overview
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Suggested resources
• Chapter 13 in Miller, J. E. 2015. The Chicago Guide to
Writing about Numbers, 2nd Edition.
• Miller, J. E. 2007. “Preparing and Presenting Effective
Research Posters.” Health Services Research 42 (1,
Part I): 311–28.
• Beilenson, J. 2004. “Developing Effective Poster
Presentations.” Gerontology News 32 (9): 6–9.
• Briscoe, M. H. 1996. Preparing Scientific Illustrations:
A Guide to Better Posters, Presentations, and
Publications, 2nd Edition. New York: Springer-Verlag.
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Suggested online resources
• Podcasts on
– Designing slides for a speech
– Comparison of paper, speech, and poster
– Presenting statistical results to nonstatistical
audiences
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Suggested practice exercises
• Study guide to The Chicago Guide to Writing
about Numbers, 2nd Edition.
– Question #3 in the problem set for chapter 13
– Suggested course extensions for chapter 13
• “Reviewing” exercise #1
• “Writing” exercises #1 through 6
• “Revising” exercises #1 and 2
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.
Contact information
Jane E. Miller, PhD
jmiller@ifh.rutgers.edu
Online materials available at
http://press.uchicago.edu/books/miller/numbers/index.html
The Chicago Guide to Writing about Numbers, 2 nd edition.