Scientific posters for conferences – a curious blend of art, data and academic explanation that should get those who look at them chatting like a flock of parrots over your research.
We say should because in reality, it doesn’t always work out that way. There are a lot of pitfalls that can prevent you from nailing that poster design, which in turn might get your work less attention than it deserves.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves slightly – first, we need to answer the crucial question: ‘what is a scientific poster and why should I make one?’
To make your life easier, we here at Research Unwrapped have decided to put together a guide to the whole business of academic posters, from planning and design right through to final presentation at conference.
Are you ready to balance content and design to make sure your research gets noticed?
Let’s do it.
What Is a Scientific Poster?
Simply put, scientific posters are visual representations of your research that summarise your findings and conclusions. They are an essential part of scientific conferences, as they allow researchers to share their work with a wider audience. A scientific poster typically consists of a title, author list, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions.
Posters are usually displayed on boards or walls as part of a poster session and the presenter (you) stands beside the poster to answer questions and engage with other attendees. Poster sessions can be enormous and end up turning the conference hall into something resembling a temporary art gallery, so it’s critical that your poster stands out amongst a sea of rivals.
The Importance of Scientific Posters for Conferences
The importance of scientific posters for conferences cannot be overstated. Posters provide an opportunity for researchers to showcase their work, network with peers, and receive feedback from the scientific community. It’s worth noting that while poster sessions can in theory take place at any kind of academic conference, they’re most common at the scientific ones.
A well-designed and informative poster can help you to stand out from the crowd and make valuable connections with other researchers. Moreover, scientific posters are an efficient way to communicate your research to a wider audience, as they are often viewed by many attendees during the conference.
Understanding the Purpose of Your Scientific Poster
Before designing your scientific poster, you need to understand its purpose. Typically, the purpose of a scientific poster is to communicate your research findings and conclusions to a wider audience. Your poster should be designed to attract the attention of attendees, convey your research in a clear and concise manner, and engage viewers in a discussion about your work. So, think about the key message you want to convey and how you can best present your research to achieve this goal.
If you know which key points you want to impress upon your audience, you can wrap your whole design structure around them.
Designing Your Scientific Poster – Layout and Content
The layout and content of your scientific poster are crucial to its success. Your poster should be visually appealing, easy to read, and informative. A typical scientific poster is divided into sections, including a title, author list, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. Each section should be clearly labelled and easy to follow. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to organise your content and make it easy to read. Avoid using long paragraphs or dense blocks of text, as these can be overwhelming for viewers.
At this point, let’s dive into a great example courtesy of Nicholas Wu, ecological physiologist at Western Sydney University.
Notice the visual appeal of the poster – more on that in a moment – but particularly the way the content is presented. Plenty of bullet points, sentences of a digestible length, nicely defined and clearly-headed sections – all of these features make the poster easy to read. Everything is broken up by relevant graphs and tables, which help to illustrate the key points as well as make the whole poster more attractive.
Choosing the Right Colours, Fonts and Images for Your Scientific Poster
The choice of colours, fonts, and images can make or break your scientific poster. The colours you choose should be eye-catching and complementary, but not too bright or distracting. Stick to a palette of two to three colours to keep your poster looking cohesive. Notice how well our example above harmonises ocean colours to create something that’s simply a pleasure to look at.
The fonts you choose should be easy to read and consistent throughout your poster. Avoid using too many different fonts or font sizes, as this can make your poster look cluttered. Finally, choose images that are relevant to your research and high-quality. Avoid using low-resolution or blurry images, as these can detract from the overall quality of your poster. What we love about the image of the turtle above is that it boldly illustrates Wu’s research findings – that plastic disrupts aquatic life.
Tips for Effective Scientific Poster Design
Here are some additional tips to help you design an effective scientific poster for conferences:
- Keep it simple: Avoid using too many colours, fonts, or images, as this can make your poster look cluttered.
- Use blank space: Leave some empty space around your text and images to make your poster easier to read.
- Highlight your key findings: Use graphs, tables, or images to highlight your key findings and conclusions.
- Use bullet points: Use bullet points to break up long paragraphs and make your content easier to read.
- Proofread your poster: Make sure to proofread your poster for spelling and grammar errors before printing it.
Printing and Presenting Your Scientific Poster
Once you have designed your scientific poster, it’s time to print and present it. Make sure to follow the guidelines provided by the conference for poster size and format. Double-check this so your poster doesn’t get rejected! Print your poster on high-quality paper or vinyl to ensure that it looks professional.
When presenting your poster, be prepared to answer questions and engage with attendees. Practice your presentation thoroughly beforehand to ensure that you can convey your research in a clear and concise manner.
Examples of Successful Scientific Posters for Conferences
One of the best ways to learn how to design a successful scientific poster is to look at examples from past conferences. Take a look at some of the posters presented at previous conferences in your field to get an idea of what works and what doesn’t. Pay attention to the layout, content, colours, fonts, and images employed in these posters, and use them as inspiration for your own design.
Another great example from Nicholas Wu – not strictly a conference poster, but take note of the excellent design principles on display and try to apply them to your own poster design!
Scientific Poster Templates and Tools
There are many scientific poster templates and tools available online that can help you to design an effective poster. These templates often come with pre-designed layouts and placeholders for your content, making it easier for you to create a professional-looking poster in a short amount of time. Some popular tools for designing scientific posters include Canva, Adobe Spark, and PowerPoint.
When it comes to planning and executing a poster, organising your resources can help every step of the way. Find out how Audemic can save you time and streamline the research process, keeping you sharp for your poster presentation.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, designing effective scientific posters for conferences requires a careful combination of design and content skills. By following our steps, you should be able to create a poster that will dazzle your audience. Remember to keep it simple, use bullet points, highlight your key findings, and proofread your poster before printing it. Utilise images, style and design principles and you’ll take things to an even higher level. By mastering the art of scientific posters, you’ll enhance your professional reputation and make valuable connections with other researchers in your field.
Keep striving, researchers! ✨
