Creating a STEM research poster: Home

Research posters are an effective way of visually sharing your research. A poster usually includes brief text with tables, graphs, pictures, and other necessary information. 

The following sections are usually included on a poster:

• Title
• Authors and their affiliations
• Introduction/background
• Materials and methods
• Results
• Conclusions
• References
• Acknowledgements

• Short, catchy title
• Bullets, numbering, and headings that make it easy to read
• Consistent and clean layout
• Important information can be read from 10 feet away
• Include citations for any sources used
• Avoid jargons and acronyms
• Includes acknowledgments, your name, and institutional affiliation

Layout: 

• Arrange content in the order that people naturally read. In English, we read left to right, top to bottom
• Arrange content in 2-4 columns
• Leave white space around the entire poster and between content, keeping spaces even

Image Credit: Compiled from Hess, G.R., K. Tosney, and L. Liegel. 2014. Creating Effective Poster Presentations.

Color:

• Stick to 2-3 colors
• Use dark text on a light background
• Do not use excessively bright colors
• Be aware of color schemes that may cause issues for those with problems differentiating colors (e.g. red and green next to each other)

Fonts:

• Use sans serif (e.g. Arial) fonts for titles and headings
• Use serif (e.g. Times New Roman) fonts for text
• Font size depends on the size of your poster. Some guidelines: 
  • Title: 80-120 point
  • Names/Affiliations: 60-90 point
  • Headings: 44-80 point
  • Text: 32-52 point

Graphics:

• Graphics should be large enough to be read from a few feet away
• Do not use clipart or generic graphics
• Give all graphics (charts, tables, graphs, photographs) a title

To begin your research, consult with a Polk State College librarian. The librarians can help you research effectively, discover more about your topic, and find credible information efficiently.