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Poster guidelines
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Designing a poster - some guidelines
The poster submission will be made in two phases: first, submitting the abstract of the poster
(maximum 300 words) and keywords of the study as word-documents (‘doc’ or ‘docx’
format) not later than April 15, 2011 via e-form
https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/20289/lomake.html and second, submitting the poster
(in ‘pdf’ format) no later than the 27th of April.
Posters will be reviewed by doctoral students from two other countries. The review process
should be completed until the May 13, 2011. After that, the programme will be designed and
the reviews will be sent to authors. The idea of the peer review system is to give feedback and
possibly indicate some issues that an author could consider in his/her presentation or improve
in the poster before printing out. The guidelines for peer reviewing are in the end of this
document. The reviewers will have an active role as a discussant in the poster presentation.
General aim and format
A poster is a graphically based approach to presenting research. You should aim to use
the poster as a means for generating active discussion. Simplicity is the key. Keep to
the point, and don't try to cover too many things.
Limit the text to about one-fourth of the poster space, and use ‘visuals’ (graphs,
photographs, schematics, maps, etc.) to tell your "story." A poster should be as selfexplanatory as possible so that your main job is to supplement the information it
contains. Thus, make it clear, structured, concise, and attractive.
When you begin to make your poster, first create a list of the visuals that you would use if you
were describing your project with only the visuals. Write the text after you have created the
list of visuals. As well as a paper presentation a poster should inform the audience about:
Title and authors
The necessary theoretical information and research problem statement/objective of the
project. Point out especially the reasons why was (is) the study worth doing.
Hypothesis or research questions
Method: A description of the sample, design, materials and procedure of the study
Analyses of the study (if possible)
Most important results (if possible)
Major conclusions, theoretical and/or practical implications, state and explain the
interpretations that follow from the data
References
Those who are at the beginning of their research may modify the content included in the
poster presentation, i.e. present their research plan including description of the study design
and theoretical background.
Design and layout specifications
The subject of design is complex, and any rule can be broken creatively and pleasingly by one
with an artistic flair. There are suggestions, however, that generally will make a poster more
informative, accessible, attractive and interesting. Many universities have their own poster
template to be used for this purpose – find out how it is in your university.
Be aware that your poster is viewed from a distance. Therefore, all text should be large
enough to be read from a distance of about 1.5 m. The major titles/subtitles should be in
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Poster guidelines
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large letters, at least 2-3 cm. There should be enough space between text lines (1.5-2
line spaces).
A banner displaying your poster title, name, university, department, logos, and
supervisor should be positioned at top-centre of the poster. Make sure your title is
appropriate concerning the information given on the poster.
The poster does not necessarily have to fill the entire working area. Leave some open
space in the design. An open layout is less tiring to the eye and mind.
Make it obvious to the viewer how to progressively view the poster. The poster
generally should read from left to right, and top to bottom. As this progression is vital,
the component parts should either be numbered to facilitate this or have arrows that
graphically lead the viewer through the display
Use elements of different sizes and proportions. Same-size and size-proportioned
components result in a boring design. For areas of particular emphasis try a mixture of
shapes and straight lines to attract the viewer's attention. A large and/or bright centre of
interest can draw the eye to the most important aspect of the poster – a simplified, bold
cross section illustrating a structural feature, a colourful map, a blow-up of a photo.
Make all illustrations simple and bold. Leave out any unnecessary detail in the story
being presented.
The inclusion of actual artefacts (if there are any) is a nice touch. They can be fastened
to poster board with silicone glue or positioned beside the poster separately.
Lettering
Text should be readable from 1.5 m away. Use a minimum font size of 18
the title at least
points and for
70
-point font. Various font types distract, especially
when they appear on the same sentence. Recommended readable fonts are e.g., Times-New
Roman, Century Gothic, and Arial.
Visualisation
Present numerical data in the form of graphs, rather than tables (graphs make trends in
the data much more evident). If data must be presented in table-form, keep it simple.
Visuals should be simple and bold. Leave out or remove any unnecessary details.
Make sure that any visual can "stand alone" (i.e., graph axes are properly labelled, maps
have north arrows and distance scales, symbols are explained, etc.).
Use colours to enhance comprehension, not to decorate the poster. Neatly colouring
black-line illustrations with colour pencils is entirely acceptable.
Make sure that the text and the visuals are integrated. Figures should be numbered
consecutively according to the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Each
visual should have a brief title (for example: Figure 1. Location of study area).
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Text
Keep the text brief. Blocks of text should not exceed three paragraphs (viewers won't
bother to read more than that). In many cases, conclusions can be summarized in a
bullet-point list.
Depending upon the stage or nature of your project, the text could also include sections
on future research plans or questions for discussion with viewers.
Cite and reference any sources of information other than your own, just as you would do
with a research paper. We recommend using APA style format for citations
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/). The "References Cited" is placed at the
end of the poster.
Consider using "bullet statements" to make your points short and clear. For example,
your Introduction section might consist of three "bullet statements" of your research
objectives, as follows:
Research objectives
This study sought to explore:
the effects of climate on food dispersion,
the influence of food dispersion on exposure to predators,
the relationship between group size and food intake.
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Poster review guidelines
Please, comment on the following issues when reviewing a submitted poster. Since the idea is
to give constructive feedback, provide positive examples if possible. Only a constructive and
friendly manner of making comments is helpful and requested. Indicate in the review issues
that need to be improved as well as strengths of the proposal. About 3-5 sentences about each
issue are sufficient. Please notice that all posters in the review will be presented in Helsinki.
Please entitle your review file (doc or pdf format) as “Surname of the author of the
poster_Joensuu2011_reviewer’s initials” and send it back through the web system no later
than the 13th of May, 2011 via https://elomake.helsinki.fi/lomakkeet/21038/lomake.html
I. Content of the poster
1. The title of the poster is appropriate concerning the information given on the poster.
(e.g., does the title represent the main concern of the poster?)
2. Authors, affiliation and contact information (Email address) are stated appropriately.
3. Theoretical background described is adequate for a poster. (e.g., the theoretical
information given is appropriate to comprehend the research objective. Is the information
given relevant with regard to the research objective?)
4. The aim of the study / research question is clearly communicated.
5. The information about the study is informative and concise. (information about design
and procedure intended or already used, the (planned) study design is appropriate with regard
to the research objective. Methods used or suggested fit with the research intentions?)
6. If data is reported, the results are clearly communicated. (e.g., results are reported
comprehensively.)
7. The conclusions given are reasonable. (e.g., the conclusion is reasonable and refers to the
research intentions.)
II. Layout of the poster
1. The layout of the poster is clear and structured and guides one through the presented
information.
2. The font size and the density of text are appropriate enough for reading from a
distance of about 1 meter.
3. Diagrams, graphs, and tables are used effectively to visualize information.
4. The balance between text and illustrations is well chosen.
5. The layout of the poster is appealing.
6. General comments on poster layout (How does the layout of the poster support or hinder
the communication of the research information?)