Advanced Laboratory Research Resources

Parts of a Poster

Title: List the title of your paper, the names of all group members and your sponsoring faculty member, and your department and college information.

Content:

• Background Information: A clear, concise summary of information. What does someone need to know to understand your work?
• Research Objective: State your research question and the goal of your project.
• Methodology: Explain your methodology, your sample preparation, and your analysis.
• Results: Present your data with graphs, charts, and figures. Be sure to explain briefly what the data shows.
• Conclusion: What did you find and why is that important? If someone only reads the Background Information, Research Objective, and Conclusion, they should still understand the purpose and results of your research.
• Acknowledgments: A place to thank those who have helped you with this research.
• References: Properly formatted citations 

Formatting your poster:

• Font size: A poster should be easily read at a reasonable distance.  Follow the below guidelines:
  • Title: 85pts
  • Authors: 56pts
  • Headings: 36pts
  • Body Text: 24pt
  • Graphic/Image Captions: 18pt
• Font Style: Sans-serif fonts are easiest to read. Consider these options: Arial, Calibri, Open Sans, Quattrocento, or Nunito.
• Color Contrast: Strong color contrast will make your poster easier to read. Ensuring that all visual representations of data also have strong color contrast will make them readable by those with color blindness.
  • Recommendations:
    • Option 1: Title/Heading background: Westminster blue (RGB (0, 56, 101) / Hex 003865), Title/Heading text: White, Accent colors: Light blue (RGB (108, 172, 228) / Hex: 6CACE4) or Teal (RGB: (87, 133, 117) / Hex: 578575)
    • Option 2: Title/Heading background: Pale blue (RGB (171, 202, 233) / Hex: ABCAE9), Title/Heading text: Black or Westminster blue (RGB (0, 56, 101) / Hex 003865), Accent colors: Westminster blue (RGB (0, 56, 101) / Hex 003865) or Teal (RGB: (87, 133, 117) / Hex: 578575)
  • You can certainly use other color schemes, but it is important to ensure you have strong, clear color contrast.

For more tips on creating a visually appealing and professional-looking poster, visit this guide by MakeSigns. 

Tips for maximum poster success:

• Your poster should represent you as a chemistry professional. Do not hand-write anything!
• Dr. Boylan recommends using PowerPoint to make individual “panels” that will make up your overall poster. 
• Think about how the visuals and data will play off one another. You can frame the panels with construction paper to add more visual appeal.
• Do not use more than 12-15 panels.