Preparing an Effective Poster Presentation Barbara Alexander Pan Harvard Graduate School of Education

Why choose poster presentation format? Common format at professional conferences Ideal context in which to get constructive feedback from interested professionals Purpose of poster presentation Telling an interesting story about a research issue or set of research findings

Components of a poster presentation Title, name and affiliation of author(s) (see Slide 1 above for illustration) Introduction What general issues are you addressing? How do these issues emerge from existing research? Research questions What were your specific research questions? Method What were your sources of data? How were data collected? (e.g., surveys, observations, direct assessments of participants, secondary analysis of existing data)

Discussion/Conclusions How were data analyzed? Coding/reliability (if applicable) Qualitative analysis Quantitative analysis Results How do the data address each research question posed above? Discussion/Conclusions What do the findings suggest? What are the educational implications of the findings for parents, teachers, administrators, and/or policy makers? What are next steps for future research? References Cite using APA format in text; include full reference list in handout

Presentation considerations Poster should be well-organized clear and informative visually appealing Poster is not meant to tell comprehensive story Choose information to include carefully Prepare handout to supplement poster Be prepared to verbally walk viewers through study and elaborate where necessary

Understand presentation context before preparing poster Are boards provided? If so, what size? (4x6 or 4x8 most common) Are posters meant to be free-standing and/or displayed on table top (SRC 2008)? Note: tri-fold boards may be purchased from many copy stores Is wall space available for displaying poster? Limited wall space for SRC 2009 Are spaces assigned beforehand? (usually the case for most professional conferences; not for SRC 2009; come early to snag prime real estate)

Decide how many slides fit well on space available On tri-fold board, rule of thumb is title banner and 14 slides in horizontal orientation, or the equivalent On 4x6 board, equivalent of 24 slides in horizontal orientation Some slides may be trimmed to less than 8.5x11 size after printing Slides mounted on colored paper require slightly more space

Choose a legible and visually appealing format Consider formatting your poster in PowerPoint Font Sans serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Verdana, Helvetica) are easier to read Minimum 20-point for text, 40- or 48-point for title Black text easiest to read; reserve color for highlighting key words or headings Be consistent in font size for parallel elements or headings in poster Use same font for text and any graphics

Background and Color Scheme Avoid busy, distracting backgrounds Use maximum of 2-3 colors Be consistent in use of color throughout Consider using a ready-made color scheme in Power Point Choose a color combination that works well for color-blind individuals (e.g., black on white, red on white, turquoise on black, magenta on black) Orientation of slides Usually top to bottom, then left to right Numbering slides may be helpful Single-panel presentation Visually appealing Expensive Bulkier to transport

Figures Often preferable to textual presentation Think carefully about how to highlight the desired point or comparison to be made Make sure labels are legible Use consistent scale for y-axis on multiple graphs, whenever possible Use consistent colors for same construct, grouping variable, etc. in multiple figures Test comprehensibility of figures with naïve viewer Begin with succinct text covering each content component, then prune as necessary to fit space, adhere to design principles and avoid excessive text density Get feedback on draft of poster from both naïve and knowledgeable viewers

Prepare handouts 1-2 pages (can be two-sided) May abstract poster content or duplicate it in entirety Include references Include author email/correspondence address Have some copies on hand Have business cards or sign-up sheet in case copies are exhausted Prepare 3-5 minute explanation of poster as alternative/supplement to viewers’ reading of poster

Other Resources Nicol, A.A., & Pexman, P. (2003). Displaying your findings: A practical guide for creating figures, posters, and presentations. Washington: American Psychological Association. Nicol, A.A., & Pexman, P. (2003). Presenting your findings: A practical guide for creating tables. Washington: American Psychological Association.