How to Design an Outstanding Scholarly Poster Adapted from the work of Marlene Berro, MS, RAC Office of Ethics and Compliance February, 2015

What is a Scholarly Poster: 2 A poster is concise overview of your project. Title: try and keep it short if possible Purpose/Introduction: invitation to read your poster; can be in bullets or short paragraphs Methods/Approach: description of methods used; can include graphics, flow charts, etc. Results/Product: if using tables, please try and keep them short Discussion/Conclusion: try to use bullets with as little punctuation as possible References: (optional) can be in a much smaller font and optional Acknowledgement of support: grant wording and/or thanking people SECTION HEADING

What’s my message? Everything you put on your poster relates to a carefully crafted message. All visuals and text should relate to those points and conclusions. 3

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Keep Graphics Clean and Simple Focus on your data! 6

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Define Your Message All visuals and text should relate to a succinctly stated message. Know your message! What is the one thing you want your audience to learn? Be bold and be explicit. –If you have an interesting result, state it clearly in the title: The Effect of Y on X Substance X Induces Y-cells –Make the strongest statements your data will support. Why soft-peddle exciting findings? 11

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Know your audience Make your message accessible to a diverse audience. AUDIENCE TYPES: 1.People in your field of specialization: – No special efforts are required to attract them. 2.People in fields closely related to yours: –They worth capturing because they can have interesting insights and perspectives. 3.People in unrelated fields: –They can be attracted by an accessible message and also offer insights and links to distant fields. 13

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Headings Should include the title, section titles, and figure captions: Summarize: –Use headings as opportunities to summarize your work in large letters. Organize: –Good headings are part of the visual grammar that helps to move readers through your poster. Use Hierarchy: –The more important the point, the larger the type. Be Bold: –Make the strongest statements your research allows. 16

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The process Planning Takes time Focus Keep it simple Layout Guide your readers Headings Orientation Graphics Keep it simple Colors Don’t overdo it Editing Always allow enough time 18

Suggested Schedule Below are some ideas for establishing milestones. This schedule assumes that you're doing other things during the week. It also allows time for you to get feedback from collaborators and peers. 19 Present! 0 Final submission -1 week Make changes suggested by mentor and peers -1 week Distribute draft for mentor AND peer review (round 2) -1 week Make changes suggested by mentor - 2 weeks Distribute draft for your mentor review (round 1) -2 weeks Begin to edit your draft ruthlessly -3 weeks Create first draft of poster -3 weeks Plan out poster on template or scratch paper -4 weeks Define message and write the abstract -4 weeks

Poster Specs and Dates Specifications: –Height: 28.5” –Width: 55” –Use the poster formats provided –Retain header formatting, logos, and acknowledgement sections. –All other color, formatting, design and flare is up to you! Deadline: –Submit online via eposterslive.com by April 20 th –You will receive instructions on how to do this via . 20

Additional Poster Templates Poster resources and templates can be found at: the CTSI website: The UCSF Library website: 21

Sample Word Counts Approximate word counts should be as follows depending on your graphics: –TITLE: not too long – convey the “issue” –INTRO: max 150 words, bulleted or short paragraphs –METHODS: max 150 words, describe each step –AIMS: 50 words, not an abstract –ANALYSIS: 60 words –RESULTS: 250 words (not counting figures) –CONCLUSION: 125 words, bulleted or short paragraphs. –ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: 50 words 22

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Edit! Edit! Edit Edit all text to simplify verbiage, to reduce sentence complexity, and to delete details. If it's not relevant to your message, remove it! Have colleagues comment on drafts. Print a small version and circulate for comment, or hang a full-size draft with pens and invite them to critique. Are your objective and main message obvious? Will readers be able to contact you? 26

Questions? 27