how to make research poster template

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Research Poster Templates

18 creative research poster templates (word, powerpoint).

Learning how to create a research poster template is important as these are widely used in conferences, presentations, and more, especially in the academic community. A research or scientific poster template summarizes the research or information in a concise and attractive way to publicize this information and start discussions.

Table of Contents

• 1 Research Poster Templates
• 2 What makes a good research poster?
• 3 Research Poster Examples
• 4 Components of a research poster
• 5 Research Poster Presentations
• 6 The layout of your research poster
• 7 Design tips and guidelines for your research poster

What makes a good research poster?

A typical research poster template contains a combination of pictures, tables, graphs , and other elements used in presentations. This type of template is also known as a scientific poster template, an academic poster template or a science poster template. At conferences, researchers stand by their poster so they can talk about the topic more effectively.

If you want to create an effective research poster, make sure that it should:

• Be completely readable from up to 10 feet away.
• It has a short title which catches the interest of the audience.
• It has a word count of 300-800.
• The text is both concise and clear.
• Make it easier to read by using headlines, numbering, and bullets.
• Use colors, fonts, and graphics effectively.
• It has a clean and consistent layout.
• It includes your name, the name of your institution, and acknowledgments .

Research Poster Examples

Components of a research poster

Most people who create research or academic poster templates organize the information into sections. Each section contains paragraphs, charts, photos, and other elements. Each section that you plan to include must have its own purpose. Also, make sure that the viewers would have familiarity with these sections.

To make it easier for you, it’s best to organize all of the information on your template into these main components or sections:

• Introduction The elements in this section set the stage for the rest of your poster. Here, the readers learn more about your research giving them a better idea of what to expect. Condensed Abstract Background Hypothesis Purpose or Objectives
• Research This section contains all of the data you’ve collected through your research and the methods you used all throughout. It contains most of the “meat” of your template so make sure to think about this section carefully. Materials Methodology Analysis Models Results
• Conclusion Finally, this section is where you include the summary and analysis of your results. Recommendations Implications Discussion Acknowledgments Contact Information

You may choose to add more sections or elements depending on your needs. But these basic components are what the readers expect, therefore, you must pay special attention to them. Also, before creating your template, you must first answer these questions:

• What is your poster all about?
• Why do you need to create the poster? What do you hope to add to the discussion?
• What methods did you use during your research?
• What conclusions did you come to?
• What are your recommendations based on your research?

Most academic and science poster templates have columns which contain a few sections in each column. Readers go through these columns from top to bottom so you must organize the information this way. This gives your readers a clearer picture of the poster’s contents.

You can create your own research poster template or you can download starter templates and customize these according to your needs. Downloading a template makes it easier since you already have a structure to start with. But if you can’t find one which suits your preferences, you can make your own.

Research Poster Presentations

The layout of your research poster

Most types of research poster templates have similar components. There’s no standard when it comes to these types of posters. But when thinking of the layout, make sure that it’s both organized and logical. To help you out, here are some pointers to keep in mind:

• Size and orientation If you’re looking for a “standard size,” most people use 48-inches x 36-inches in landscape orientation. But if this is too small or too big for you, feel free to modify the size. Also, there’s no problem with using a portrait orientation if that works with your content.
• Background It’s important that your poster’s background doesn’t distract the viewers. This is why most people use white or other light colors for their backgrounds. You may also use subtle gradients as long as these don’t take any attention from the rest of the elements on your poster. What you should avoid are distracting colors, busy patterns or even photo backgrounds. If you want to use a dark color, you may want to use white color for your text to make it more readable.
• Styles of the title and headings The best posters allow the viewers to see the titles and headings clearly at a glance. These make it easier for the viewers to know what your poster is all about. Use boxes, strategic colors, bold text, and a lot of whitespaces to make sure that these elements standout.
• Fonts The main rule when it comes to fonts is to make sure that they’re readable. Beyond this, it’s already up to your own preferences. One good principle of design is to use a single font for the title and all the headings and a different font for the rest of the text. Also, make sure that all of the most important text on your poster can be clearly read from a normal distance. This way, even the viewers who aren’t right in front of your poster can read what’s written on it. Also, set a good spacing for the fonts as this adds to their readability.
• Colors The color scheme is an important element of your research poster template. Use colors which capture the attention of the viewers and emphasize the most important information too. It’s best to use the same colors as your own brand but this isn’t a requirement. If you want to choose different colors, you may want to opt for neutral colors and just one bold color which you may use sparingly.
• Alignment and whitespace If you want your poster to look professional, you must align all the elements well. This doesn’t mean that you should align all the elements on the left, the right or the center. You can use different alignments as long as you make sure that everything looks organized and there’s nothing out of place. Finally, you must also make sure that there’s enough whitespace between each of the elements in your poster design. There shouldn’t be any elements or text which are too close to each other as viewers who are far away can’t see these clearly. The more whitespace your poster has, the more you can emphasize the most important elements.

Design tips and guidelines for your research poster

At the very core, a research or scientific poster template serves as a visual representation of information which you’ve consolidated and organized into a format that’s easier to read. Ideally, viewers must understand the content of your poster in a matter of minutes. After all, they would probably move on if your template takes forever to read!

If you want to get the best results, make sure that your poster is well-designed, logical, and consistent. To help you out, here are some rules to keep in mind:

• Less is more When it comes to the design of your poster, you may want to go for a simpler layout instead of a loud, distracting one. Remember, this is an academic poster template. You don’t have to add cute graphics and other irrelevant elements to it. The simpler it is, the easier your viewers will understand it.
• Avoid clutter Cluttered posters aren’t appealing in the least. Using too many elements makes it difficult for viewers to find the most important information. Also, a cluttered poster makes it challenging to distinguish the sections from one another.
• Perform a final check before having the poster printed Before you have your poster printed, perform a final check on it. Make sure that everything looks great, you haven’t made any spelling or grammatical errors, and everything is easy to read and understand. As part of your final check, you may want to answer these questions: Is there a logical flow to all of the sections in the poster? Remember that all the sections must flow smoothly from start to finish. Is all the text easy to read? Make sure all of the text stands out, especially the title and all of the headings. Are all the images of a high-resolution? Zoom in to the images you’ve used to ensure their clarity and crispness. This is especially important if you plan to have a large-sized poster printed. Low-res files tend to get blurred or pixelated when printed in larger sizes. Will your viewers understand all of your data? Make sure that all non-text elements are easy to understand. If needed, include captions under them. Have you highlighted all of the most important information? This is important as well so that your viewers can look at all of the highlighted information to get a quick overview of the content of your poster.

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How to Create a Research Poster

• Poster Basics
• Design Tips
• Logos & Images

What is a Research Poster?

Posters are widely used in the academic community, and most conferences include poster presentations in their program.  Research posters summarize information or research concisely and attractively to help publicize it and generate discussion. 

The poster is usually a mixture of a brief text mixed with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. At a conference, the researcher stands by the poster display while other participants can come and view the presentation and interact with the author.

What Makes a Good Poster?

• Important information should be readable from about 10 feet away
• Title is short and draws interest
• Word count of about 300 to 800 words
• Text is clear and to the point
• Use of bullets, numbering, and headlines make it easy to read
• Effective use of graphics, color and fonts
• Consistent and clean layout
• Includes acknowledgments, your name and institutional affiliation

A Sample of a Well Designed Poster

View this poster example in a web browser .  

Image credit: Poster Session Tips by [email protected], via Penn State

Where do I begin?

Answer these three questions:.

• What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my research project?
• How can I visually share my research with conference attendees? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?
• What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

What software can I use to make a poster?

A popular, easy-to-use option. It is part of Microsoft Office package and is available on the library computers in rooms LC337 and LC336. ( Advice for creating a poster with PowerPoint ).

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Feature-rich professional software that is good for posters including lots of high-resolution images, but they are more complex and expensive.  NYU Faculty, Staff, and Students can access and download the Adobe Creative Suite .

Open Source Alternatives 

• OpenOffice is the free alternative to MS Office (Impress is its PowerPoint alternative).
• Inkscape and Gimp are alternatives to Adobe products.
• For charts and diagrams try Gliffy or Lovely Charts .
• A complete list of free graphics software .

A Sample of a Poorly Designed Poster

View this bad poster example in a browser.

Image Credit: Critique by Better Posters

• Next: Design Tips >>
• Last Updated: Jul 9, 2024 5:34 PM
• URL: https://guides.nyu.edu/posters

Free Academic Poster Templates to Customize Online

Customize free scientific poster templates to show the results of your research in a graphic and visual way. get your academic poster in minutes..

Make a  scientific poster design template  to synthesize all the information of your investigation. See in an organized way what you have learned and communicate it to everyone.

Customize a scientific poster template for your academic presentations

An academic poster is an innovative way to present the results and information obtained after scientific research. It is necessary that all parts of a scientific poster are arranged in order.

Edit.org makes it easy for you to create academic poster designs and make an incredibly good presentation. You will be able to organize everything in a professional way so that your message is clear and powerful.

Our team of designers has created academic and scientific poster examples  as well as all kinds of academic posters  so that you just have to choose the one that best suits your needs.

Among the different templates, you can create:

• An effective science outreach poster with the ultimate goal of clearly displaying the information obtained.
• A scientific poster for the academic public to be captivated by your research.
• Create all kinds of templates to make scientific posters that you can design step by step thanks to the editor, very easy to use. Choose from our extensive catalog of templates and in a few minutes, you will have the result you expect, all for free!

How to edit an academic research poster template with Edit.org

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Free academic poster templates to download and print

Thanks to the pre-designed templates, Edit.org is one of the best programs to make academic posters in a simple and fast way, but with the results of a professional graphic designer. In addition, if you wanr, you can make a design from scratch completely to your liking.

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Free academic poster presentation templates

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Free Research Poster Templates and Tutorials

Creating engaging research posters is an important skill for every scientist. this guide provides design tips and detailed tutorials for making posters using free templates., scientific poster templates.

Whether you are creating a research poster for the first time or have years of experience, this article reviews helpful tips on how to create effective designs. There are also links to free poster templates and videos that show you how to create effective scientific posters in PowerPoint and Adobe Illustrator.

How to Make Good Poster Content

My top recommendation for creating an engaging poster for a scientific conference is to describe your results with simple main points that allow your audience to easily follow your research with minimal effort. The sections below describe how to use main point brainstorming to create poster titles and subtitles that improve audience understanding. 

Step 1. Create Short Main Points

People don't spend much time reading the poster, so the shorter you can make the main points, the better. My favorite way to determine the main points of your research poster is to brainstorm a full list of all of your research results and then create a shorter sentences that clearly summarize the information that you want your audience to know.

The first drafts of your main points can be long sentences with jargon, but the goal is to then take these full descriptions and transform them into simple phrases that allow poster viewers to visualize the results.

My tip for creating clear main points is to reduce the number of subjects, remove descriptions, and do not use more than one or two verbs. In scientific research results, there is almost always one main point action (e.g. something increases, decreases, changes, or stays the same) involving one to three components. Below are more examples of how to do this main point simplification.

Main Point Examples:

• Brainstorm:  Identification of miRNAs Upregulated by Isl1-Lhx3 During Motor Neuron Differentiation
• Better:  miRNAs Upregulated During Motor Neuron Differentiation
• Best:  miRNAs Upregulated in Developing Motor Neurons
• Brainstorm:  miR-218 Direct Spinal Cord Target mRNAs Identified using a RISCtrap Screen
• Better:  Identification of miR-218 Target mRNAs
• Best:  Identified miR-218 Targets
• Brainstorm:  Inhibition of miR-218 Activity Suppresses Endogenous Motor Neuron Generation
• Better:  miR-218 Inhibition Suppresses Motor Neuron Generation
• Best:  miR-218 is Important for Motor Neuron Development

Step 2: Create an Effective Research Poster Title

The poster title is one of the first things your audience reads and plays an important role in helping people understand your results. In order to create an effective title, I recommend that you take your optimized list of main points and try to summarize them with one big picture phrase. This is also a great way to help you brainstorm the title for research publications, but keep in mind that the poster title should be more reader-friendly than a manuscript title and use less details.

Poster Title Example:

• Brainstorm:  miR-218 is Essential to Establish Motor Neuron Fate as a Downstream Effector of Isl1–Lhx3
• Better:  miR-218 is Essential in Determining Spinal Cord Motor Neuron Identity
• Best:  miR-218 is Essential for Spinal Cord Motor Neuron Development

The brainstorm example above was used as the title for my  first-author Nature Communications paper , but unless you are in my lab or in the exact same field of research, the term "Isl1-Lhx3" may not have much meaning for you and "downstream effector" is not a common phrase. Poster titles should use more common words that are easily understood outside of my specific field of developmental biology.

Reference: All content and data examples are from my open source first-author publication in  Nature Communications .

Step 3. Create Poster Sections that Support the Main Points

After the title and main points are created, you can use these short phrases as subtitles that categorize your poster into sections that help your audience digest the information. The examples below show how you can use the main points to create guideposts in the results and a clear conclusions section that simplify the scientific story.

Research Poster Design Tips

Good visual design is also an essential part of creating an engaging research poster. People pay closer attention to details when they are easy to understand and interesting to look at. This requires that you use design best practices for color design, images, and composition to improve audience understanding. Learn how to improve your scientific poster designs with the tips below. 

Poster Color Design

Colors can make a poster standout from the crowd and enhance audience understanding. My recommendation is to use poster colors that follow the three rules below:

• Choose a light background color does not distract from the main points, such as muted blues, reds, or greens (see example image).
• Choose colors that don't have conflicts for people with color blindness.
• Limit the total number of colors used and use bright colors draw attention to the most important points of the poster.

Learn more about scientific color design in this review article:

• Best Color Palettes for Scientific Figures and Data Visualizations

Poster Illustrations and Images

The most engaging posters also contain custom illustrations or images that show the methods and results of your research. Most people will read the title and then look for pictures that enhance their understanding of your scientific story.

Consider creating custom illustrations to explain your methods and conclusions section using Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer, or Inkscape. Check out the resources below for more information on how to use scientific illustration templates and how to create your own designs.

Scientific Illustration and Image Resources

• Free Online Courses and Templates
• Animal Model and Research Illustrations
• Alternatives to BioRender
• How to Use Scientific Images

Poster Composition and Data Visualization

Good poster design also requires that you use an engaging layout and data visualizations. The goal is to make the poster easy-to-understand by using good composition techniques that reduce clutter and use graphs that make the main point clear. Below are some helpful resources that teach you how to create designs for effective scientific storytelling and figures within your poster.

Scientific Design Resources

• Scientific Figure and Graph Design Tips
• How to Make Graphical Abstracts
• Data Visualization Techniques
• Data Storytelling Tips

Create professional science figures with illustration services or use the online courses and templates to quickly learn how to make your own designs.

Interested in free design templates and training.

Explore scientific illustration templates and courses by creating a Simplified Science Publishing Log In. Whether you are new to data visualization design or have some experience, these resources will improve your ability to use both basic and advanced design tools.

Interested in reading more articles on scientific design? Learn more below:

Scientific Presentation Guide: How to Create an Engaging Research Talk

Data Storytelling Techniques: How to Tell a Great Data Story in 4 Steps

Best Science PowerPoint Templates and Slide Design Examples

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Home Blog Design How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How to Design a Winning Poster Presentation: Quick Guide with Examples & Templates

How are research posters like High School science fair projects? Quite similar, in fact.

Both are visual representations of a research project shared with peers, colleagues and academic faculty. But there’s a big difference: it’s all in professionalism and attention to detail. You can be sure that the students that thrived in science fairs are now creating fantastic research posters, but what is that extra element most people miss when designing a poster presentation?

This guide will teach tips and tricks for creating poster presentations for conferences, symposia, and more. Learn in-depth poster structure and design techniques to help create academic posters that have a lasting impact.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• What is a Research Poster?

Why are Poster Presentations important?

Overall dimensions and orientation, separation into columns and sections, scientific, academic, or something else, a handout with supplemental and contact information, cohesiveness, design and readability, storytelling.

• Font Characteristics
• Color Pairing
• Data Visualization Dimensions
• Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Scientific/Academic Conference Poster Presentation

Digital research poster presentations, slidemodel poster presentation templates, how to make a research poster presentation step-by-step, considerations for printing poster presentations, how to present a research poster presentation, final words, what is a research poster .

Research posters are visual overviews of the most relevant information extracted from a research paper or analysis.   They are essential communication formats for sharing findings with peers and interested people in the field. Research posters can also effectively present material for other areas besides the sciences and STEM—for example, business and law.

You’ll be creating research posters regularly as an academic researcher, scientist, or grad student. You’ll have to present them at numerous functions and events. For example:

• Conference presentations
• Informational events
• Community centers

The research poster presentation is a comprehensive way to share data, information, and research results. Before the pandemic, the majority of research events were in person. During lockdown and beyond, virtual conferences and summits became the norm. Many researchers now create poster presentations that work in printed and digital formats.

Let’s look at why it’s crucial to spend time creating poster presentations for your research projects, research, analysis, and study papers.

Research posters represent you and your sponsor’s research 

Research papers and accompanying poster presentations are potent tools for representation and communication in your field of study. Well-performing poster presentations help scientists, researchers, and analysts grow their careers through grants and sponsorships.

When presenting a poster presentation for a sponsored research project, you’re representing the company that sponsored you. Your professionalism, demeanor, and capacity for creating impactful poster presentations call attention to other interested sponsors, spreading your impact in the field.

Research posters demonstrate expertise and growth

Presenting research posters at conferences, summits, and graduate grading events shows your expertise and knowledge in your field of study. The way your poster presentation looks and delivers, plus your performance while presenting the work, is judged by your viewers regardless of whether it’s an officially judged panel.

Recurring visitors to research conferences and symposia will see you and your poster presentations evolve. Improve your impact by creating a great poster presentation every time by paying attention to detail in the poster design and in your oral presentation. Practice your public speaking skills alongside the design techniques for even more impact.

Poster presentations create and maintain collaborations

Every time you participate in a research poster conference, you create meaningful connections with people in your field, industry or community. Not only do research posters showcase information about current data in different areas, but they also bring people together with similar interests. Countless collaboration projects between different research teams started after discussing poster details during coffee breaks.

An effective research poster template deepens your peer’s understanding of a topic by highlighting research, data, and conclusions. This information can help other researchers and analysts with their work. As a research poster presenter, you’re given the opportunity for both teaching and learning while sharing ideas with peers and colleagues.

Anatomy of a Winning Poster Presentation

Do you want your research poster to perform well?  Following the standard layout and adding a few personal touches will help attendees know how to read your poster and get the most out of your information. 

The overall size of your research poster ultimately depends on the dimensions of the provided space at the conference or research poster gallery. The poster orientation can be horizontal or vertical, with horizontal being the most common.  In general, research posters measure 48 x 36 inches or are an A0 paper size.

A virtual poster can be the same proportions as the printed research poster, but you have more leeway regarding the dimensions. Virtual research posters should fit on a screen with no need to scroll, with 1080p resolution as a standard these days. A horizontal presentation size is ideal for that.

A research poster presentation has a standard layout of 2–5 columns with 2–3 sections each. Typical structures say to separate the content into four sections; 1. A horizontal header 2. Introduction column, 3. Research/Work/Data column, and 4. Conclusion column. Each unit includes topics that relate to your poster’s objective.  Here’s a generalized outline for a poster presentation:

• Condensed Abstract 
• Objectives/Purpose
• Methodology
• Recommendations
• Implications
• Acknowledgments
• Contact Information 

The overview content you include in the units depends on your poster presentations’ theme, topic, industry, or field of research. A scientific or academic poster will include sections like hypothesis, methodology, and materials. A marketing analysis poster will include performance metrics and competitor analysis results.

There’s no way a poster can hold all the information included in your research paper or analysis report. The poster is an overview that invites the audience to want to find out more. That’s where supplement material comes in. Create a printed PDF handout or card with a QR code (created using a QR code generator ). Send the audience to the best online location for reading or downloading the complete paper.

What Makes a Poster Presentation Good and Effective? 

For your poster presentation to be effective and well-received, it needs to cover all the bases and be inviting to find out more. Stick to the standard layout suggestions and give it a unique look and feel. We’ve put together some of the most critical research poster-creation tips in the list below. Your poster presentation will perform as long as you check all the boxes.

The information you choose to include in the sections of your poster presentation needs to be cohesive. Train your editing eye and do a few revisions before presenting. The best way to look at it is to think of The Big Picture. Don’t get stuck on the details; your attendees won’t always know the background behind your research topic or why it’s important.

Be cohesive in how you word the titles, the length of the sections, the highlighting of the most important data, and how your oral presentation complements the printed—or virtual—poster.

The most important characteristic of your poster presentation is its readability and clarity. You need a poster presentation with a balanced design that’s easy to read at a distance of 1.5 meters or 4 feet. The font size and spacing must be clear and neat. All the content must suggest a visual flow for the viewer to follow.

That said, you don’t need to be a designer to add something special to your poster presentation. Once you have the standard—and recognized—columns and sections, add your special touch. These can be anything from colorful boxes for the section titles to an interesting but subtle background, images that catch the eye, and charts that inspire a more extended look. 

Storytelling is a presenting technique involving writing techniques to make information flow. Firstly, storytelling helps give your poster presentation a great introduction and an impactful conclusion. 

Think of storytelling as the invitation to listen or read more, as the glue that connects sections, making them flow from one to another. Storytelling is using stories in the oral presentation, for example, what your lab partner said when you discovered something interesting. If it makes your audience smile and nod, you’ve hit the mark. Storytelling is like giving a research presentation a dose of your personality, and it can help turning your data into opening stories .

Design Tips For Creating an Effective Research Poster Presentation

The section above briefly mentioned how important design is to your poster presentation’s effectiveness. We’ll look deeper into what you need to know when designing a poster presentation.

1. Font Characteristics

The typeface and size you choose are of great importance. Not only does the text need to be readable from two meters away, but it also needs to look and sit well on the poster. Stay away from calligraphic script typefaces, novelty typefaces, or typefaces with uniquely shaped letters.

Stick to the classics like a sans serif Helvetica, Lato, Open Sans, or Verdana. Avoid serif typefaces as they can be difficult to read from far away. Here are some standard text sizes to have on hand.

• Title: 85 pt
• Authors: 65 pt
• Headings: 36 pt
• Body Text: 24 pt
• Captions: 18 pt

If you feel too prone to use serif typefaces, work with a font pairing tool that helps you find a suitable solution – and intend those serif fonts for heading sections only. As a rule, never use more than 3 different typefaces in your design. To make it more dynamic, you can work with the same font using light, bold, and italic weights to put emphasis on the required areas.

2. Color Pairing

Using colors in your poster presentation design is a great way to grab the viewer’s attention. A color’s purpose is to help the viewer follow the data flow in your presentation, not distract. Don’t let the color take more importance than the information on your poster.

Choose one main color for the title and headlines and a similar color for the data visualizations. If you want to use more than one color, don’t create too much contrast between them. Try different tonalities of the same color and keep things balanced visually. Your color palette should have at most one main color and two accent colors.

Black text over a white background is standard practice for printed poster presentations, but for virtual presentations, try a very light gray instead of white and a very dark gray instead of black. Additionally, use variations of light color backgrounds and dark color text. Make sure it’s easy to read from two meters away or on a screen, depending on the context. We recommend ditching full white or full black tone usage as it hurts eyesight in the long term due to its intense contrast difference with the light ambiance.

3. Data Visualization Dimensions

Just like the text, your charts, graphs, and data visualizations must be easy to read and understand. Generally, if a person is interested in your research and has already read some of the text from two meters away, they’ll come closer to look at the charts and graphs. 

Fit data visualizations inside columns or let them span over two columns. Remove any unnecessary borders, lines, or labels to make them easier to read at a glance. Use a flat design without shadows or 3D characteristics. The text in legends and captions should stay within the chart size and not overflow into the margins. Use a unified text size of 18px for all your data visualizations.

4. Alignment, Margins, and White Space

Finally, the last design tip for creating an impressive and memorable poster presentation is to be mindful of the layout’s alignment, margins, and white space. Create text boxes to help keep everything aligned. They allow you to resize, adapt, and align the content along a margin or grid.

Take advantage of the white space created by borders and margins between sections. Don’t crowd them with a busy background or unattractive color.

Calculate margins considering a print format. It is a good practice in case the poster presentation ends up becoming in physical format, as you won’t need to downscale your entire design (affecting text readability in the process) to preserve information.

There are different tools that you can use to make a poster presentation. Presenters who are familiar with Microsoft Office prefer to use PowerPoint. You can learn how to make a poster in PowerPoint here.

Poster Presentation Examples

Before you start creating a poster presentation, look at some examples of real research posters. Get inspired and get creative.

Research poster presentations printed and mounted on a board look like the one in the image below. The presenter stands to the side, ready to share the information with visitors as they walk up to the panels.

With more and more conferences staying virtual or hybrid, the digital poster presentation is here to stay. Take a look at examples from a poster session at the OHSU School of Medicine .

Use SlideModel templates to help you create a winning poster presentation with PowerPoint and Google Slides. These poster PPT templates will get you off on the right foot. Mix and match tables and data visualizations from other poster slide templates to create your ideal layout according to the standard guidelines.

If you need a quick method to create a presentation deck to talk about your research poster at conferences, check out our Slides AI presentation maker. A tool in which you add the topic, curate the outline, select a design, and let AI do the work for you.

1. One-pager Scientific Poster Template for PowerPoint

A PowerPoint template tailored to make your poster presentations an easy-to-craft process. Meet our One-Pager Scientific Poster Slide Template, entirely editable to your preferences and with ample room to accommodate graphs, data charts, and much more.

Use This Template

2. Eisenhower Matrix Slides Template for PowerPoint

An Eisenhower Matrix is a powerful tool to represent priorities, classifying work according to urgency and importance. Presenters can use this 2×2 matrix in poster presentations to expose the effort required for the research process, as it also helps to communicate strategy planning.

3. OSMG Framework PowerPoint Template

Finally, we recommend presenters check our OSMG Framework PowerPoint template, as it is an ideal tool for representing a business plan: its goals, strategies, and measures for success. Expose complex processes in a simplified manner by adding this template to your poster presentation.

Remember these three words when making your research poster presentation: develop, design, and present. These are the three main actions toward a successful poster presentation. 

The section below will take you on a step-by-step journey to create your next poster presentation.

Step 1: Define the purpose and audience of your poster presentation

Before making a poster presentation design, you’ll need to plan first. Here are some questions to answer at this point:

• Are they in your field? 
• Do they know about your research topic? 
• What can they get from your research?
• Will you print it?
• Is it for a virtual conference?

Step 2: Make an outline

With a clear purpose and strategy, it’s time to collect the most important information from your research paper, analysis, or documentation. Make a content dump and then select the most interesting information. Use the content to draft an outline.

Outlines help formulate the overall structure better than going straight into designing the poster. Mimic the standard poster structure in your outline using section headlines as separators. Go further and separate the content into the columns they’ll be placed in.

Step 3: Write the content

Write or rewrite the content for the sections in your poster presentation. Use the text in your research paper as a base, but summarize it to be more succinct in what you share. 

Don’t forget to write a catchy title that presents the problem and your findings in a clear way. Likewise, craft the headlines for the sections in a similar tone as the title, creating consistency in the message. Include subtle transitions between sections to help follow the flow of information in order.

Avoid copying/pasting entire sections of the research paper on which the poster is based. Opt for the storytelling approach, so the delivered message results are interesting for your audience. 

Step 4: Put it all together visually

This entire guide on how to design a research poster presentation is the perfect resource to help you with this step. Follow all the tips and guidelines and have an unforgettable poster presentation.

Moving on, here’s how to design a research poster presentation with PowerPoint Templates . Open a new project and size it to the standard 48 x 36 inches. Using the outline, map out the sections on the empty canvas. Add a text box for each title, headline, and body text. Piece by piece, add the content into their corresponding text box.

Transform the text information visually, make bullet points, and place the content in tables and timelines. Make your text visual to avoid chunky text blocks that no one will have time to read. Make sure all text sizes are coherent for all headings, body texts, image captions, etc. Double-check for spacing and text box formatting.

Next, add or create data visualizations, images, or diagrams. Align everything into columns and sections, making sure there’s no overflow. Add captions and legends to the visualizations, and check the color contrast with colleagues and friends. Ask for feedback and progress to the last step.

Step 5: Last touches

Time to check the final touches on your poster presentation design. Here’s a checklist to help finalize your research poster before sending it to printers or the virtual summit rep.

• Check the resolution of all visual elements in your poster design. Zoom to 100 or 200% to see if the images pixelate. Avoid this problem by using vector design elements and high-resolution images.
• Ensure that charts and graphs are easy to read and don’t look crowded.
• Analyze the visual hierarchy. Is there a visual flow through the title, introduction, data, and conclusion?
• Take a step back and check if it’s legible from a distance. Is there enough white space for the content to breathe?
• Does the design look inviting and interesting?

An often neglected topic arises when we need to print our designs for any exhibition purpose. Since A0 is a hard-to-manage format for most printers, these poster presentations result in heftier charges for the user. Instead, you can opt to work your design in two A1 sheets, which also becomes more manageable for transportation. Create seamless borders for the section on which the poster sheets should meet, or work with a white background.

Paper weight options should be over 200 gsm to avoid unwanted damage during the printing process due to heavy ink usage. If possible, laminate your print or stick it to photographic paper – this shall protect your work from spills.

Finally, always run a test print. Gray tints may not be printed as clearly as you see them on screen (this is due to the RGB to CMYK conversion process). Other differences can be appreciated when working with ink jet plotters vs. laser printers. Give yourself enough room to maneuver last-minute design changes.

Presenting a research poster is a big step in the poster presentation cycle. Your poster presentation might or might not be judged by faculty or peers. But knowing what judges look for will help you prepare for the design and oral presentation, regardless of whether you receive a grade for your work or if it’s business related. Likewise, the same principles apply when presenting at an in-person or virtual summit.

The opening statement

Part of presenting a research poster is welcoming the viewer to your small personal area in the sea of poster presentations. You’ll need an opening statement to pitch your research poster and get the viewers’ attention.

Draft a 2 to 3-sentence pitch that covers the most important points:

• What the research is
• Why was it conducted
• What the results say

From that opening statement, you’re ready to continue with the oral presentation for the benefit of your attendees.

The oral presentation

During the oral presentation, share the information on the poster while conversing with the interested public. Practice many times before the event. Structure the oral presentation as conversation points, and use the poster’s visual flow as support. Make eye contact with your audience as you speak, but don’t make them uncomfortable.

Pro Tip: In a conference or summit, if people show up to your poster area after you’ve started presenting it to another group, finish and then address the new visitors.

QA Sessions 

When you’ve finished the oral presentation, offer the audience a chance to ask questions. You can tell them before starting the presentation that you’ll be holding a QA session at the end. Doing so will prevent interruptions as you’re speaking.

If presenting to one or two people, be flexible and answer questions as you review all the sections on your poster.

Supplemental Material

If your audience is interested in learning more, you can offer another content type, further imprinting the information in their minds. Some ideas include; printed copies of your research paper, links to a website, a digital experience of your poster, a thesis PDF, or data spreadsheets.

Your audience will want to contact you for further conversations; include contact details in your supplemental material. If you don’t offer anything else, at least have business cards.

Even though conferences have changed, the research poster’s importance hasn’t diminished. Now, instead of simply creating a printed poster presentation, you can also make it for digital platforms. The final output will depend on the conference and its requirements.

This guide covered all the essential information you need to know for creating impactful poster presentations, from design, structure and layout tips to oral presentation techniques to engage your audience better . 

Before your next poster session, bookmark and review this guide to help you design a winning poster presentation every time. 

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How to Make a Science Research Poster: Design

• Example Posters and Critiques

Design: Text

• Text – less is more!
• Use graphics to tell the story when possible
• Use just a few sentences to describe the figures

Design: Fonts

• Large text – should be able to read it from a few feet away (~ 80 pts or larger for title, 36 or larger for headings, 24 or larger for text, 18 or larger for captions)
• a san serif font such as helvetica, arial, or calibri often used for title and headings
• serif fonts such as times new roman, cambria, georgia, or palatino often used for text
• don’t use comic sans.
• Use bolding , not all caps, for emphasis and use sparingly (once or twice on the poster, if at all). Italics should be saved for species names.

Design: Clean Background

• Large background images are usually distracting and not recommended

Design: Spacing

• The poster should have white space around all text and figures – it shouldn’t look crammed 

Image credit: https://colinpurrington.com/tips/poster-design

Design: Colors

• About 8% of men and 0.5% of women are color-blind. It's therefore critical to choose colors that will readable to your entire audience.
• Use color-blind friendly colors. Avoid certain combos such as green & red or blue & purple (see the chart below)
• The blue boxes illustrate that color combos can look very different in color-blinded and non-color-blinded vision. For non-color-blinded vision, green and bluish green is almost indistinguishable but for a color-blinded person, red and green are similarly difficult to tell apart.

Image credit: http://jfly.iam.u-tokyo.ac.jp/color/#see

Design: Alignment

• Make sure everything is properly aligned and evenly spaced. PowerPoint and other graphics software packages such as Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape have alignment functions.
• Below is an example of a poster that has poor alignment. Aligning boxes, figures, and text boxes helps keep the reader focused on the science rather than distracting design.

Poor alignment

Good alignment

How to align in PowerPoint: 

• Select two or more objects
• Find the alignment tool under the Arrange Objects icon of the Home tab 
• Choose which edges you want to align (i.e. top, bottom, left, right)

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• Next: Example Posters and Critiques >>
• Last Updated: Aug 16, 2022 9:44 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.cmu.edu/scienceposters

University Library

Research Posters

• Elements of a poster

CREATING YOUR POSTER

Color scheme choices.

• WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR POSTER
• More helpful tips
• Visualizations & images
• Illinois logo
• Archiving - Grad Students
• More Resources
• Oral Presentations
• 2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium This link opens in a new window

You have two choices when creating a research poster:

• You can create your poster from scratch by using PowerPoint, Adobe InDesign, or a similar design program. 
• You can use one of the  University of Illinois Research Poster Templates .

Sizing your Poster

• If you are presenting for the  Undergraduate Research Symposium , resize your slide to width 48 inches by height 36 inches.
• If you are presenting at a  professional conference , your instructions should indicate the size limits of your poster. Standard U.S. conference poster size is 48" by 36". 

​ IMPORTANT: You must change the size of your slide before you start working on your poster. This will ensure that your images and text do not become pixilated when the poster is printed. See below for specific instructions. 

How to correctly size your poster in PowerPoint:

• Select the "Design" tab
• Click "Slide Size"
• Select "Page Setup"
• Under the "Slides sized for:" dropdown menu, select "Custom"
• Set the "Width" and "Height" to what is needed for your poster
• Click "OK" 

How to correctly size your poster in Adobe InDesign:

When a new document is created in Adobe InDesign, a dialogue box prompts you to enter dimensions:

• Change the dimension metric to inches from the drop down box.
• Margins are intentional space from an object to the edge of the poster, intended not to be trimmed. You can set this to 0 inches on all sides unless you have a specific plan to use margins in your design.
• Bleed shows the printer where to trim white space that occurs when printing color onto white poster paper. If you are printing your poster, include at least a 0.25 inch bleed on each side; remember not to place any content in the bleed as it will be trimmed by the printer.
• Slug is a space for the creator to leave any notes for the printer. You can set this to 0 inches unless you have notes. 

If you ever want to change your poster dimensions after starting the poster, you can do so through the Document Setup Menu .

Using multiple font styles can really make your poster stand out and look professional. Consult this graphic to understand different font styles, what fonts work best together, and what fonts to avoid.

Sticking to a color scheme can help your poster look professional. Consistent use of color can help your viewer understand how information is organized on your poster. Not sure where to start with color?

• Pick colors from an image (including a custom one you're planning to use on your poster)
• Use Illinois branding colors

Not sure what to do with the hex code from a brand guide or color palette generator?

• Adobe InDesign

Always check that your text is accessible on background colors using WebAIM's free contrast checker.

If printing your poster, it's a good idea to do a small-scale test print of your poster before getting it printed. Colors often appear brighter and more vibrant on a screen than when printed. There still might be some variation in color depending on the color scale the printer uses, but it will be a closer match on paper than what you see on screen.

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• Last Updated: May 13, 2024 2:05 PM
• URL: https://guides.library.illinois.edu/poster

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• General Guides

Research Posters: Toolkit

• Templates and Designing Your Poster
• Writing Abstracts

Template Options

Best practices, additional considerations.

• Data Visualization
• Design Choices
• Before you Print
• Virtual Presentations
• In-Person Presentations
• Publishing Your Poster
• Citing Sources This link opens in a new window
• Workshop: Creating Research Poster Presentations

Selecting a Layout

Once you have gathered the content of your project, you can decide how to organize the content on your poster. Choose the structure that best showcases the significant findings of your research. 

In many academic disciplines, particularly the sciences, research projects are often organized according to the  IMRAD format:

• Introduction/Background
• Results AND
• Discussion/Conclusion

If your research uses a historical or an experimental approach, consider alternate layouts such as  timelines, Q&As, or any other narrative format  that correlates well with your research.

Each of these templates are highly customizable.  Please feel free to make adjustments to the color schemes and fonts and to add photographs, icons, illustrations, charts, and other design elements. We strongly encourage you to make your poster stand out!

The 4-column poster template is widely used for research posters and works well for the IMRAD format. Information is read from top to bottom, left to right. 

The 3-column template is also suited for the IMRAD format, but may also be used for timelines, etc. Information on this template is read from top to bottom, left to right. This template is nearly identical to the Four Column Poster Template, but accommodates larger images and figures.

The Alternative Poster Template has a minimalist design, so consult with your instructor before opting to use this template. Information on this template is read a little differently; audience members will first be drawn to the large heading in the center, then read the information in the left column, and then look at the images and figures in the right column. Because this template is a minimalist design, you may want to use a QR code to link to a web site with additional details that don't fit on the poster itself.

Research posters are designed to provide the significant highlights of a research project in a visual, eye-catching way. Here are some best practices to guide you:

• Catchy title
• Clear statement of purpose
• Readable design: Horizontal layouts usually include 3-5 columns with balanced combination of text and graphics
• Be brief: 500 – 1,000 words, comprised of short paragraphs and bulleted lists
• Figures/Tables should have a clear purpose and be clearly labelled
• Major findings/results should be the focus
• Bibliography should be selective, usually 3 – 5 citations

Most people naturally read Four-Column posters from left to right, top to bottom. If your poster layout deviates from this, you will need to make the organization clear to your audience through the use of arrows or other icons to show how the audience should read the information. 

The layout of any poster can be improved with the intentional use of images, figures, icons, headings, and any other means of breaking up the text of your research poster. That being said, approximately  40% of your poster should be "blank space"  that is free of text, figures, and images. 

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• Next: Data Visualization >>
• Last Updated: Jul 24, 2024 9:28 AM
• URL: https://lib.stpetersburg.usf.edu/posterpresentations

Scientific Poster PowerPoint Templates

Looking for Billboard Poster Templates?

Billboard Posters, also called better posters or Posters 2.0 , are a new style of scientific poster that intends to simplify posters and make sharing information easier in a shorter amount of time. We have templates and tutorials to get you started.

Billboard Poster Templates

Here are some PowerPoint templates to get you started. Feel free to change the colors and layout as needed. These templates are within the PowerPoint page size limit of 56" and comes in several different aspect ratios, each of which can be printed in a number of sizes (as listed).

Persuading Sapphire

• 48 x 36 56x42 | 64x48
• 48 x 24 72x36 | 84x42 | 96x48
• 36 x 24 54x36 | 63x42 | 72x48
• 36 x 36 (square) 42x42 | 48x48
• 36 x 48 (vertical) 42x56 | 48x64

Pondering Peacock

Assessing Slate

Hypothetical Ocean

Philosophical Seafoam

Conceptualizing Cobalt

Perceptual Pewter

Deliberating Watermelon

Concentrative Chartreuse

Intuitive Cerulean

Intellectual Sage

Inquisital Anchor

Ruminative Mauve

Debating Denim

Comprehensive Crimson

Rational Rouge

Introspective Porpoise

Melancholy Medallion

Concluding Cider

Pragmatic Graphite

Imaginative Arctic

Speculative Stone

Contemplative Cloud

Theorizing Vermillion

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Customer Reviews

Research poster creation tutorials.

Is your poster the right size?

Free poster size checker.

Quickly confirm the measurements of your poster template. Make sure you start with right dimensions to achieve the correct poster size upon printing.

What size poster can I create?

Not sure what size poster you need for your presentation? This page offers simple instructions on how to get started.



Already have a template? Check its size now!

You received a poster template from a colleague, or maybe you have used this template in the past. Now is the time to confirm that it is the correct size for your upcoming presentation.

How to download your PowerPoint research poster template

See how to download the right PowerPoint poster template from the PosterPresentations.com website, and how to minimize sizing errors.

Overview of a research poster template

Overview of the PowerPoint poster templates, what’s on the templates and how it can make your design experience easier.

Adjusting font sizes

Are you wondering whether the fonts on the poster are too big or too small to read from a reasonable viewing distance? There is an easy way to find out.

How to zoom in and out in PowerPoint

Learn how to zoom in and out of the  template as you work on your poster presentation.

How to change the template's column configuration

Learn how to change the column configuration on the Slide Master.

How to prepare the content of your poster

Learn how to save time by preparing the content of your poster before you start working on your presentation.

How to add a title to your poster

Learn how to optimize the size of your poster's title bar.

How to add text to your poster

Learn how to add text to your poster with cop-and-paste or by creating a text box.

How to add pictures to the poster template

How to add pictures to your poster and what to avoid when sizing them.

How to delete the Quick Guide bars

The Quick Guides are outside the poster area and cannot be printed or be on your PDF but if you still want to remove them here is how.

How to convert our poster templates to Google Slides

If you want to use our poster templates but don't have access to PowerPoint, you can use Google Slides. Here is how to convert your PowerPoint template to Google Slides.

Typical research poster structure

The typical structure of a research poster can vary slightly depending on the specific requirements and guidelines of the conference or event where it will be presented, but it usually includes the following sections: Title: A concise and informative title that reflects the main topic or research question. (includes list of the study's authors, followed by institutional affiliations). Introduction: An introduction that provides background information on the topic, outlines the research question and highlights the significance and relevance of the study. Methods: A clear and concise description of the methods and techniques used in the study. Results: A summary of the main findings of the study, including any relevant statistical analyses. Discussion: Discuss the implications of the findings, their relevance to the field, and any limitations or areas for future research. Conclusion: A brief summary of the study's main findings and key takeaways. References: A list of the sources cited in the poster. In addition to these sections, a research poster should also include clear and visually appealing graphics, such as tables, charts, and images, to help illustrate the key points and findings of the study. The poster should be well-organized, easy to read, and visually engaging to capture viewers' attention and effectively communicate the research findings.

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How to create a research poster

• Getting Started
• Planning your Poster
• Designing a Poster
• Poster Templates & Examples
• Printing your Poster
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Poster Templates

• PHD Posters - Templates These basic template files make it easy to get your PowerPoint poster just the right size.
• Free research poster templates - Slidesgo
• Free Research Posters on Canva Browse high quality Research Poster templates for your next design. Requires a Canva account (free).

Poster Examples

• PHD Posters - Examples Some examples of PhD posters (also useful templates for research posters)
• ePosters - The Online Library of Scientific Posters ePosters is an open-access library (ISSN 1754-1417) that allows you to view the latest scientific and medical posters. Presenters are welcome to upload their posters and reach a new global audience. Conference organizers and scientific companies can partner with us to showcase their posters in dedicated galleries
• Faculty of 1000 Poster Repository A few example of posters for health sciences research.
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How to Make a Successful Scientific Poster

Published on 18 Apr 2023

Good science goes nowhere if it’s not communicated well.

Poster sessions at scientific conferences are a hub for knowledge dissemination and research networking. So, knowing how to design a good conference poster is a big part of becoming a successful scientific communicator and sharing your work with a larger community.

Making a scientific poster can be an exciting and rewarding experience. A well-designed poster can help you showcase your research to attract the attention of fellow scientists and potential collaborators or sponsors.

So, to help you get started, this scientific poster guide covers all the bases. From a step-by-step poster creation process to useful examples and templates, you’ll find everything you need here to put together a successful scientific poster.

Students discussing during a scientific poster session.

What is a scientific poster?

A scientific poster is a visual representation of research or scientific work presented at a conference or other professional gathering. The goal is to present complex research information in a way that is easy to understand and visually engaging for conference attendees. You want to concisely tell the story behind your science, all while making it accessible to non-expert audiences.

Scientific posters can include text, figures, tables, graphs, infographics, charts, and images to convey the key findings of a research project (these elements may also be used to highlight the significance or implications of the research). A scientific poster typically consists of a large, printed sheet of paper or fabric, on which the presenter displays the results of their research in a clear, concise, and visually appealing manner. If you’re presenting at a virtual poster session , your “poster” might be a digital file, a presentation, or a recorded video.

During a conference poster session, a researcher usually stands by their poster display while other conference participants wander through the room, viewing presentations and interacting with various authors as they go.

What is a good size for a scientific poster?

The ideal size for a scientific poster will vary depending on your conference or event requirements. However, the most common size is 48 inches (122 cm) wide by 36 inches (91 cm) tall. This size allows for easy transportation and can fit on most poster boards or display areas.

Regardless of the common size given here, it's still important that you check the specific requirements of the event where you will be presenting, as they may have different size limitations or guidelines (the event or conference website is usually a good place to find this information). Resizing a finished poster can be a real pain. So, it’s best to check the conference requirements first thing so you can start your poster off on the right track.

One important thing to keep in mind when designing your academic poster with any digital software: It’s better to start bigger (when it comes to pixels). Also, make sure to send a high DPI image (eg. 300 DPI) for printing to ensure a high quality print.

What is the best software to make a scientific poster?

Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides are two of the most common and easy-to-use programs for making scientific posters. Adobe Illustrator is sometimes used by individuals with more advanced design skills. The best software to make an effective poster will depend on your personal preference and/or familiarity with the tools available.

Here’s a handful of popular software options for making scientific posters (and their benefits):

Microsoft PowerPoint : PowerPoint is a widely used software for creating presentations, and it can also be used to create scientific posters (by designing an entire poster on a single presentation slide). It also offers a variety of design templates and tools to create visually appealing posters. Many university computers give students and staff access to the Microsoft suite of tools, so this can be a good free option.

Google Slides : Similar to PowerPoint, Google Slides is a popular software for creating presentations (with the added ability to create scientific posters). It’s free to use which makes it one of the preferred options for early-career researchers.

Adobe Illustrator : Illustrator is a vector-based design software that is ideal for creating high-quality graphics and images. It offers advanced features for typography, color management, and image editing. However, using any Adobe software often comes with a hefty subscription price (and a steep learning curve if you’re unfamiliar with the tools).

Canva : Canva is a web-based graphic design platform that offers a variety of templates and tools for creating posters and other visual media. It is user-friendly and requires no design experience. You can get a free personal account (or pay for upgraded features).

LaTeX : LaTeX is a document preparation system that is often used for scientific publications and presentations. It offers advanced features for typesetting equations and mathematical symbols.

Mac Pages : I made 3 posters during my PhD using Mac Pages. I found it quite easy to work with to add text boxes and colored sections. It’s very similar to PowerPoint in many ways. This is an excellent option for Mac users since it’s free.

InkScape : InkScape is a great tool for students on a budget (it’s free). It offers a simple and efficient way to create vector designs or scientific illustrations.

If you’re attending a virtual conference, you may have additional options for creating a virtual scientific poster. In this case, recording on Zoom, adding audio to a slideshow on PowerPoint, or recording on Quicktime are all good options to consider. Check out our article on guidelines for a virtual poster presentation for more advice.

How to make a good scientific poster for a conference

A well-designed and informative poster that effectively communicates the key findings of your research is your primary goal.

You’ll want to make sure you tailor your poster to the context you’ll be presenting in (i.e. the size of the space, your presentation format, and the level of knowledge your audience is likely to have about your research topic). You’ll also want to give yourself enough time to finish your poster (anywhere between 5 days to a few weeks depending on how much experience you have).

Before we dive into the details of the scientific poster creation process, here’s a highlight of what makes a great scientific poster (and common mistakes to avoid):

So, keeping the above highlights in mind, here’s our step-by-step guide to help you make a scientific poster that will stand out at any conference:

1) Decide on the poster narrative and key messages

Before you begin designing your poster, plan the core content. Start by considering the purpose of your poster and the key message that you want to convey. Identify the main findings of your research and the most important conclusions that you want your audience to take away from your poster. Keep these messages in mind and then think of the varied ways you could weave them into a connected narrative (both visually and verbally) when presenting your poster. This is a great exercise to help you get better at storytelling in science in general.

Later on, when you design your poster and format it, these key messages will need to visually stand out so that someone walking by or scanning your poster can pick them up without stopping to read the full thing.

2) Decide on the sections of your scientific poster

Once you’ve determined your key message(s), you’ll need to organize your research content into sections that make logical sense. Like the abstract in a scientific paper, your poster should have sections summarizing the background and rationale, methodology, results, and the implications of your work. Some common sections included in a scientific poster include:

Title, Key Finding or Takeaway - Highlight the core message in a catchy way.

Introduction - Provide background information and a clear research question or hypothesis. Introduce only what’s necessary to address any knowledge gap.

Methods - Explain the methodology used in your research. This is often the easiest section to skip (or merge with the results to save space and tell your story better).

Results - Present the key findings of your research in a visually appealing way in the results section. Use graphs and tables with legends and titles.

Discussion - Interpret and discuss the implications of your findings.

Conclusion - Summarize your research and its significance. Comment on possible future research. This section can easily be combined with the discussion section.

Citations & Acknowledgements - Reference important materials, your institutional affiliation and thank individuals for specific contributions to your research. This can be smaller than other text so as not to distract from the core message, but it should be included somewhere.

Prompt to Find Out More - Give interested readers an easy option to dive further into your research. Include a resource link (or a QR code) to additional materials.

Keep in mind: these are common sections included in a poster, NOT required sections. Feel free to get creative with more descriptive headings or combine sections if it helps you communicate your message better (and in fewer words). And, wherever possible, think of ways to tell your story through figures and illustrations rather than through text. Biorender and the Noun Project are both great resources to help you find and create visuals for your poster.

3) Create your poster layout and structure

Once you have a clear idea of the content that you want to include, create a rough layout of your poster. Decide on the overall structure of your poster and the placement of each section. This is a great time to pull out a sketchbook and a pencil to mess around with a few different ideas. Or, if you prefer a digital drafting process, you can start making your layout in your software of choice right away.

To make the design process easier, you might want to choose a poster template to customize. There are heaps of useful scientific poster templates available online that you can use ( this collection is a good starting point). Some universities and research centers even provide poster templates that use a specific color scheme and already include the necessary logos. Check whether your institution has a template like this and consider using it if they do - it will save you a lot of time!

Your poster layout should be well-organized, with each section following clearly from the previous one, creating a visual path that tells a coherent story. Decide what will be the direction that the information flows (i.e. left to right and then down? OR top to bottom and then to the right?). Someone who is looking at your poster should not have to jump from one side to the other in order to understand your work. Consider the use of numbers or arrows to indicate the flow of what comes next. Or get creative with eye-catching visuals that naturally draw the reader's eye through the sections in a logical order.

4) Spruce up your scientific poster with a bit of style

The visual design elements (especially colors and fonts) that you choose for your poster can have a big impact on its effectiveness. When choosing a font, consider both the font type and the font size. Picking to read and size is important to help to structure the poster content.

Choose a color scheme that is visually appealing and easy to read (free generators like Material Palette are handy for this if you don’t have an eye for design). Be sure to use high-contrast colors to make important information stand out and to help visually impaired visitors.

Choose fonts that are easy to read and make sure your chosen font size is readable from a distance. Also, consider using a pattern of varying font sizes and/or types to help visually differentiate between poster title, body text, headings, and poster highlights. Use no more than two or three different fonts in your poster overall to avoid clutter and confusion.

If you’re planning to feature a specific image or illustration in your poster, consider using it for inspiration for your color scheme or fonts. It will ensure that your final poster has a more cohesive and less cluttered look.

5) Put all the pieces of your poster together

If you’re using software like Powerpoint: First, choose your page size. Then, start to create content blocks and insert text where appropriate.

If you’re uploading pictures of any sort to your poster design, be sure to use high-quality, high-resolution images. Only import images with 300 dpi resolution (saved in PNG or TIFF formats) to your poster. Double-check to be sure you’ve uploaded good pictures: a high-quality image should not appear blurry or pixelated at 100% zoom.

Once you have your template and design elements in place, it's time to add your content. Begin with the main sections of your poster, such as the introduction, results, and discussion. Use graphs, charts, tables, and images to present your data in a clear and visually appealing way.

When adding text, use short sentences and bullet points to make it easy to read. Use headings and subheadings to break up the content and make it more visually appealing.

6) Print your scientific poster and get ready to present it

Once your poster is complete, it's time to print it so it’s ready to present at the conference. Again, it’s important that you read the conference guidelines very carefully and print your poster in the correct size and orientation. Make sure you print in the highest-quality as well.

Some institutions have dedicated printing facilities, but you can also visit a copy shop that has a large-format printer. If you haven’t had to get a poster printed before, it’s worth asking a colleague for recommendations on a good local spot. Or, if you are feeling creative, you might want to go a different route and print your poster on fabric (this gives you the option to reuse it as a unique table cloth or picnic blanket in the future).

Whatever your printing format, make sure you budget enough time for a reprint if disaster strikes (a week or more of buffer time is a good bet). It’s also worth testing printing out with a “dummy poster” on a small piece of paper. This will allow you to check that everything looks okay when printed before you spend a good chunk of change on the final, full-sized poster.

Finally, when preparing for the conference, be sure to bring all of the necessary materials with you, such as pins or velcro strips, to hang your poster. It doesn’t hurt to also have a digital copy of your poster on a thumb drive just in case something happens to yours in transit. Many conferences have onsite printing services that you could resort to in the event of a mishap.

A few extra tips to help you make a scientific poster

Just a few more helpful things to keep in mind when designing your scientific poster:

1) Quality over quantity

A little bit of text goes a long way on a poster - in fact, the fewer words the better. Posters with less text are more inviting and easier to absorb. Don’t forget that you will be there to explain your work, so there is no reason to try to include everything in the text. Shorten your text by summarizing sections with bullet points and highlighting the key messages.

As mentioned in this article on designing conference posters: If all of your text is kept to a minimum (500 words), an average person could fully read your poster in about 5 minutes. Think about how long you’d want to spend reading through a poster, and use that as motivation to chop your content down to even less than that 5-minute reading mark.

2) Use color, visuals, and white space strategically

Great posters maintain a good amount of white space around the text boxes and figures. A cramped poster is hard to read (and intimidating to passing attendees looking for catchy, quick takeaways). A safe bet is to always include more white space than you think you’ll need.

As much as graphics and visuals can help, they should only be used if they truly are helpful. Don’t get too wrapped up in “decorating your poster.” Get rid of any images or illustrations that aren’t directly related to your research and that don’t help you highlight the key messages you want to deliver.

Finally, resist the urge to use a blown up photo as your poster background. All it adds is confusion and clutter. You’re better off using a light, neutral tone in the background and adding interest with relevant, informational graphics.

This image from brightcarbon shows how good visuals and spacing can make a poster catchier and better at quickly delivering information. They’ve also got great templates for posters if you’re looking.

3) Get picky about your poster fonts and formatting

After you’ve looked at the big picture design and made sure your key message is coming across clearly, dive into the details to perfect your poster:

• Try to make all of your text boxes the same width. It keeps things visually consistent.
• If possible, keep paragraphs to 1-2 sentences rather than big blocks of text.
• Use italics instead of underlining. Underlining draws too much attention to a word.
• Don't use fancy fonts. They make your poster look busy and can make it harder to read (especially for people with dyslexia). In general, sans serif fonts are easiest to read.
• Except for a few words that you might want to highlight, ensure that all of your text is black or a dark color to create better contrast and readability.

4) Don’t be afraid to get a bit creative

We’ve listed some common poster elements and templates in this article, but that doesn’t mean you should hesitate to be creative. Think about design elements or images that are relevant to your research and that could make your poster stand out from the crowd. A few ideas to get your creative brainstorming started:

• Add hidden informational panels behind paper flaps on your poster to make the experience more interactive.
• Attach objects or physical things to add some dimension/interest to your poster.
• Bring props or handouts to supplement your poster beyond what exists on it.

The same goes for your poster layout. Don’t be afraid to completely switch things up in a way that suits your research. A twitter-famous example of this was Mike Morrisons take on the best conference poster layout:

Mike displays his poster layout (Image Source: NPR )

Mike’s innovative take on the research poster template prompted other researchers to think about how to reinvent the wheel. His video on poster sessions captures the need for this kind of creative approach perfectly. A few conferences even adopted it as their required template.

5) Get a second (and third) opinion on your scientific poster

Before you finalize your poster, make sure to review it carefully for accuracy, completeness, and visual appeal. Check for spelling and grammar errors and make sure that all of your data is presented accurately.

Print out a draft of your poster and ask a colleague or mentor to review it and provide feedback. It’s also worth getting feedback from someone with limited understanding of your research topic (they’ll be able to give you an idea of how accessible the wording is and a good review on your design without being bogged down in the technical details). Based on the feedback you receive, make any necessary revisions before finalizing your poster.

Some scientific poster examples (and reviews)

So far, this article has outlined the theory behind making a great poster. But, putting it into practice isn’t always as simple as a 6-step process. You might still be having difficulty visualizing what a good poster looks like (or thinking of ideas for your own). So, take this next section as a bit of creative inspiration. I’ve gathered a handful of posters from my network and given them a quick review based on the design recommendations above.

POSTER ONE - A Fine Figure (or a Few)

Made with: Mac Pages Shared by: Matthieu Chartier (Founder, Fourwaves)

Poster highlights:

• The use of figures and visuals helps to explain the method developed.
• Paragraphs are short and highlight key information.
• The poster isn’t divided into the classic scientific poster sections (let that creativity through!). Instead, because it’s describing a newly developed method, it’s divided into an introduction, method, validation, and applications.

Pieces to improve:

• There are a lot of different colors used. This makes it hard to identify the different sections and the structure of the poster at a glance. Converting the figures and fonts to a more uniform color scheme could help with the visual appeal to people walking by.
• The use of white space could be better (it feels a bit cramped). It would be better to leave some text out and simply mention that information when speaking with visitors during the poster session.

POSTER TWO - An Effective Contrast

Made with: Powerpoint (and figures with BioRender) Shared by: Simon Fournier (Business Development, CQDM)

• The poster contains clear sections with headings that have good contrasting colors to draw the eye (dark blue on white).
• The figure generated with Biorender is clear and is a good support material to use during the actual poster presentation.
• The use of bullet points helps distinguish the key messages.
• The title of the poster could be a bit more punchy to attract attention.
• Figures could be incorporated more to illustrate the data and draw the eye to the poster.

POSTER THREE - Colorful

Made with: Inkscape Shared by: Vincent Nault (CEO, Lumed)

• The use of figures helps to illustrate the data and break up the paragraphs.
• A good amount of information is delivered with a relatively small amount of text.
• The combination of colors is distracting at times. It’s not a complementary palette.
• The font sizes seem to vary widely and the bright yellow font is difficult to read.
• Sections don’t flow in a continuous logical order (gives the sensation of jumping around a bit when you’re trying to find the next section).

POSTER FOUR - Beauty in Simplicity

Made with: Adobe Illustrator (contains 3D rendered images created in Autodesk Maya). Shared by: Mouhanad Babi (PhD, Microscopist and Scientific Illustrator)

• The best thing about this poster is its simplicity. It only has 3 main sections.
• It’s not cramped with text and data and has a lot of white space.
• Easily read and understood in a short period of time.
• Bullet points are used well to share key information.
• The title could be a tad bit catchier.
• There is no contact information if someone wanted to reach out to the presenter.

FUN FACT: This poster was presented at the Biophysical Society of Canada in Montreal in 2017 and won the best poster prize 🏆!

POSTER FIVE - Room to Breathe

Made with : PowerPoint Shared by: Maxime Descoteaux (CSO at Imeka, Research chair in neuroinformatics)

• This poster really breathes! It’s mostly white with only darker colors used to clearly delineate the different sections.
• The content is straight to the point. It highlights the problems with existing compression formats then goes straight into the developed method and results.
• A short sentence to summarize the key conclusions would be helpful. However, leaving it out could also encourage the reader to ask the presenter and spark a conversation!

POSTER SIX - Curiosity and QR Codes

Made with: PowerPoint Shared by: Natália Teruel (from the Najmanovich Research Group )

• The presenter used small lines to link each bordered section. This guides the viewer well from one section to the next.
• The quality of the figures is high and gives a good first impression.
• The use of QR codes with a small label is a handy way to get people to dive deeper.
• A larger font-size or unique section header style would help make the structure clearer.
• The font color is far too light. It’s hard to read.

Conclusion: Making a great scientific poster

You’ve read the advice. You’ve reviewed the examples. You’ve heard what NOT to do.

What’s next?

As daunting as the task may seem, creating a scientific poster can be a lot of fun. It’s extremely rewarding to set up on the day of the poster session and see your work summarized and displayed in one big, visually appealing package.

So, plan your content carefully, choose a template that works for you, experiment with design elements, and present your research in a clear and visually appealing way. And, as always, don’t be afraid to get creative as you work toward your finished poster!

Acknowledgements

I'd like to thanks all those who contributed some tips and poster examples: Maxime Descoteaux, Natália Teruel, Rafael Najmanovich, Mouhanad Babi, Vincent Nault and Simon Fournier.

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Blog Data Visualization 10+ Informative Research Poster Templates to Share Information

10+ Informative Research Poster Templates to Share Information

Written by: Jennifer Gaskin Dec 19, 2022

If an infographic isn’t enough to help convey your ideas… what is the next best thing?

Research posters.

Whether you’re connecting with your employees or sharing important data, creating a research poster can help you engage and inform your audience in a big way.

Learn more about research posters, how they can help you tell your story and how you can create one easily using Venngage’s research poster templates .

Click to jump ahead:

What is a research poster?

Research poster templates & examples, what should a research poster include, what are some ways to use research posters, common research poster layouts, research poster faqs.

A research poster is a visual communication tool that can help you visualize data, summarize complex information or explore detailed processes. Any organization can use research posters for both internal and external needs.

Here’s an example of a scientific poster template:

Need more ideas for presenting your cool science findings? Check out our gallery of awesome scientific poster templates for a little inspiration!

Though “poster” is in the name, research posters are not always printed. Still, if you’re considering making a research poster, it’s a good idea to think about whether you want to print it or not. Otherwise, consider a different format, such as an infographic or social media post if the information only needs to live online.

Related : 12 Types of Posters for Every Business Need [Templates Included]

Here are some more examples of research poster templates to inspire your next project:

While I always recommend bright, bold colors, those don’t always play well with office printers. So consider saving a research poster template like this one, which is shades of gray, white and black and may help save on ink.

Use this compact research poster template if you want to help your audience get the gist of your research without using a larger sheet of paper.

For students looking to present their research project in a visually engaging way, this simple research poster template can be a game-changer. It allows you to effectively communicate your findings with a clear layout and space for impactful visuals.

Remember that by its nature, a poster is meant to be very eye-catching. Consider using the artwork in this poster, which uses a popular, 3D-esque illustrative style that may make your audience take a second look.

3D visuals are part of our graphic design trend predictions for 2023. Want to know the rest? Check them out here: 8 Graphic Design Trends that Will Dominate 2023

The designer of this poster didn’t create it originally as a research poster, but it’s a good example of how with just a little bit of text, you can make something visually striking and inspiring. Update the copy to include some data visualization and this will be a no-brainer addition to your research report repertoire.

If you’re crafting a research poster to present your environmental findings, check this one out. This ocean conservation poster template dives deep (pun intended!) to show you how to present your findings like a pro.

This next research report template passes what I call the squint test, which is useful when creating a poster. Close one eye and squint the other one when looking at this poster; you see very little text here and (depending on your eyesight), you can probably still make out the general shape of the data. That makes it ideal for a poster, which is designed to be read from a slight distance.

Related : 21+ Poster Background Images and Professionally Designed Templates

The specifics of what to include in a research poster depend on its purpose, but here’s a look at what’s usually involved:

Methodology or sourcing

Let’s explore each element.

Poster title

This could be general, simply describing the topic, or it could be more of a headline, letting readers know the most important information you learned in your research. Or it could ask a question that’s answered in the content. That’s all really up to you.

In this scientific poster template, for example, the title contains the findings of the research:

With a poster, you might think you have more room to include a lot of copy, but the opposite is true. Limiting your text to the bare minimum helps the visuals shine and makes your poster more eye-catching. Which brings us to the next point…

Icons, images, charts, graphs and other visuals

Especially with a poster, it’s crucial to engage the readers’ eyes. Otherwise, you’d simply write a report that’s filled with text. So you should use icons or photos if you’re creating a summary research poster and data visualization if your research poster will also include data.

Information transparency is always important, but it’s especially so with research posters. Users need to know the answer to “Says who” when they read your poster, so be sure to save a small space to explain where you got your information, whether it was an internal or external source.

Need to clearly explain a concept, process or information? Educational posters might be a better option. Grab one of our convenient educational poster templates to jumpstart your informative creation.

A research poster is the vehicle for your information if you have a few key points or data that you want your audience to understand. This begs the question: how is a research poster different from an infographic?

Well, unlike infographics which you often find online, posters are usually printed, and so there’s a natural limit to the amount of space you have.

That means no matter how great your research is, if you want to use a poster to get your message across, you have to consider the amount of content you can fit within the poster template. Here are some ideal ways to use research posters:

Summarize information

This vibrant poster was created to explain a complicated scientific concept, but the end result is anything but complicated. By boiling their information down to its essential elements and using a striking color palette, the designer is able to grab and hold the audience’s attention.

For more tips on poster design, check out our guide: Poster Design Guide: How to Make an Eye-Catching Poster in 2022

Visualize data

Charts, graphs and data, oh my! Numbers are the star of the show when it comes to research posters that visualize data. Whether you’re using line charts, pie graphs or column graphs, consider making your charts and graphs larger than life with a research poster. (Get some more data-heavy inspiration with these research infographic examples.)

For more examples of scientific posters, check out this post: 8 Scientific Poster Examples [and How To Create One]

Spread the word

Research posters can also help you get the word out about important dates. Case in point: the research poster template below. Here, the designer shared important facts and visualized data on Diabetes Awareness Month, making it the best of both worlds when it comes to research posters.

This template doubles as a great event or medical poster. Interested in learning more? Read:

• 20+ Attention-Grabbing Event Poster Templates, Backgrounds & Design Tips
• 10 Event Poster Design Ideas [+ Free Templates]
• 15 Medical Poster Templates for Patient Education
• 45 Free Poster Templates to Captivate Any Audience [100% Editable]

Here’s a look at the most common layouts/formats of a research poster:

This cognitive behavior research poster was designed to fit an A4 piece of paper, and it can easily be adapted for letter-sized paper as well.

Using research on alcohol addiction, the designer of this poster chose a horizontal format, which could fit on a letter-sized page or be scaled to work on a tabloid page, which is 17 inches wide and 11 inches tall.

For more information on poster layouts, check out our guide: How to Apply the Right Layout To Your Poster

Do you have more questions about research posters? We’ve got answers.

How do you write a research poster?

When writing the content for a research poster, the most important thing to remember is you need to be brief. Unlike other types of visual communication, with a poster, you have a limited amount of space. So the key is to edit repeatedly until you get down to the shortest amount of text possible.

Is there a poster template in Word?

Microsoft Word offers many poster templates, though whether any would work for research poster purposes depends on your needs and how much text you’ll need to include. However, given that it’s a word-processing tool and not a design tool, Word is less-than-ideal as a place to create an engaging research poster.

How do I make a research poster in PowerPoint?

Create a new slide using the dimensions of a standard letter, A4, tabloid or other print size and add your text, visuals, graphs and other items. Considering that it’s an online presentation tool , though, PowerPoint isn’t the best platform for creating an engaging research poster.

In summary: Make a big impact with your research results by presenting them in a poster

Research posters are an excellent way to inform employees about a complicated topic, share details about sales data or engage your audience using external numbers. Be sure to keep text to a minimum if you really want to draw people in.

Interested in creating a research poster yourself? Sign up for a free Venngage account and choose from our professional, easy-to-edit poster templates:

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Poster Presentations

• Design and Appearance
• Dissemination

Free Resources

• Photos and Graphics
• Helpful Links

Your college will have templates available for your use. Reach out to a faculty member or student affairs for more information. 

• Texas A&M General Research Template A branded presentation template designed for research posters. more... less... Your College will also have department specific templates.
• Scientific Poster Making Templates Makesigns.com provides design tips and free poster templates
• Texas A&M VetMed Templates Free templates for students and faculty in Veterinary Medicine
• Texas A&M Public Health Templates Free templates for students and faculty in Public Health

Texas A&M Logos:  

• Logos : Logo downloads are available to Texas A&M faculty and staff for use in marketing and informational material. Others wishing to use Texas A&M marks must seek approval from the Office of Business Development. 

The following websites are free to create graphics and visualize data. 

• Dygraphs : A fast, flexible open source JavaScript charting library that can handle huge data sets.
• Piktochart : Create your own infographics based on your data.
• Cacoo : Drawing tool that allows you to create a variety of diagrams such as site map, flowchart, mind map, wire frame, UML diagram and network diagram.

InkScape : A great tool for simple and efficient ways to create vector designs or scientific illustrations. 

The following websites contain images that are free and legal to use: 

Creative Commons  

Pixabay  

StockSnap  

Unsplash  

Wikimedia Commons  

Images should have a resolution of 300 dpi for printing. 

Microsoft PowerPoin t

• Can be used to create scientific posters
• Design an entire poster on a single presentation slide
• Offers a variety of design templates and tools   
• Microsoft PowerPoint tools are free with a TAMU email address

Google Slides  

• Ability to create scientific posters
• Free to use with the creation of a Gmail account

Canva  

• Web-based graphic design platform 
• Offers a variety of templates and tools for creating posters and other visual media
• User-friendly and requires no design experience
• Free personal account (or pay for upgraded features

For more information, see the links below:

• Northwest Center for Public Health Visually Communicating Public Health Data
• NYU Libraries
• University of West Florida
• << Previous: Dissemination
• Last Updated: Aug 9, 2024 10:03 AM
• URL: https://tamu.libguides.com/posterpresentations