Creating GREAT Posters

Melissa S. Medina, Ed.D.Assistant Dean of Assessment & Evaluation &

Associate Professor

University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy

GREAT Seminar

February 24, 2011

GREAT Poster Objectives

1. Evaluate a poster example & template

2. Review 6 specific categories of design considerations for an effective poster

3. Identify the 7 sections that a poster should contain

4. Create a poster using session guidelines

Part 1.Overview

3 GREAT Poster Requirements

1. Aesthetically pleasing visual presentation

2. Effective communication of ideas

3. Engaged presenter characteristics

Activity

1. Take 3 minutes and evaluate sample poster using checklist in handout

2. Discuss strengths & weaknesses

Part 2.Steps for Creating GREAT Posters

Step 1:

Printing Considerations & Poster Templates

Poster Template

• Typically created on a PowerPoint slide Historically created on individual slides Currently printed as one large sheet

• Template typically created on PowerPoint http://www.ouhsc.edu/gsa/Workshops2009.asp

Title of Poster (remove shadowing & italics if default) – use bold Arial fontAuthors’ full names and titles should be included here.

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Title of Poster (remove shadowing & italics if default) – use bold Arial fontAuthors’ full names and titles should be included here.

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy; Oklahoma City, OklahomaObjectives

1. Make sure to include objectives that start with measurable action verbs

2. Should an abstract be included on the poster? If the conference guidelines request its inclusion then yes, otherwise the abstract can be omitted for 3 reasons:

1. Some abstracts are printed in the conference pamphlet, so it may already available.

2. If lack of space is an issue, the abstract can be deleted since the ideas are available in the remaining poster sections

3. A printout could be available for conference attendees that has a picture of your poster on one side and your abstract, contact information, and poster references on the other side

IntroductionGuidelines for the text box sections of the poster1. Use Arial or other sanserif font. Use only 1 font on poster.

• Bold the title of each section for emphasis. • Remove italics and shadowing on all text. – hard to read • Avoid using all capital letters.

• All capital letters are easy to ignore and italics and show are hard to read.

• Use bold and underline instead.

4. When creating the sections for your poster, avoid typing in paragraphs and instead bullet or number all information.

• Each bullet should be no more than 2 lines of text per bullet.

• Add spaces between bullets so all of the text in the section is not crowded together.

• Open space facilitates reading the poster at a distance.

• Align text using unjustified (uneven line lengths) because easier to read from a distance

6. There is an implied poster flow from left to right and top to bottom.• Consider 4 columns– intro, methods, results,

discussion/summary

Notes on Using Tables. Etc.

• Using tables as seen in the example above encouraged when creating your poster.• Line or bar graphs, timelines and

other schemas are also encouraged.

• Sometimes inserting a table into this slide can be difficult. It may be easier to create the table in word and copy and paste it into your text box or save & insert it as a picture

• A table like table 2 below should be avoided because it is hard for the audience to comprehend your message. Use alternate diagram instead or make sure to explain with text.

Results – Objective 1

• Consider reporting your results using your study objectives to demonstrate alignment and facilitate comprehension.

• Try to put your results into a readable table or picture format.

• A summary section of text can accompany the table in a separate text box such as this example.

• Make sure to refer to the table (See Table 1).

Results – Objective 2Grade Analysis • Sample language structure for results: Analysis of

student performance using multivariate linear regression on scores from TBL activities to determine impact on final grade revealed that IRAT and team contribution scores significantly predicted overall grades in the course (p<.001).

• Remember to state test used & p-values.

Conclusions1.This section could also be called

summary, recommendations, etc.

2.You could also include a “future studies” slide.

Table 1: Example of Results

Table 2: Avoid These Tables

Example of Methods Schema

Table 3: TBL vs. Lecture-based Course Exam Comparisons

Discussion1.For this section you could number your

content to match your objectives. For example, discuss the results from objective 1 here.

2.Then discuss or interpret results from objective 2 here.

Other Poster Guidelines Final guidelines to consider:1. Recommended poster dimensions are 3 x 5

ft 1. (36 by 56 inches – defaulting to 56) 2.or (18 by 30 inches and tell Photo

services to double the poster size (which will also double your current font size)

• 3 x 5 is more affordable option (vs. 4X6).

2.Photographic services can print your poster (405-271-2173 in OKC). Remember to give yourself at least 3 days for drying time.

3.To use this template, delete text and use (or copy and paste) text boxes.

1.Box widths can be adjusted.

Font Size Guidelines

Text Content

Reading Distance (feet)

Type Size (point)(At least)

Type Weight

Title 15-20 (Far) 84 Bold

Authors & Affiliations

15-20 (Far) 72 Bold

Main Heads 6-8 (Medium)

60 to 36 Bold

Supporting Text

3-4 (Close) 48 to 24 Regular or bold

Detail Text 3-4 (Close) 24 Regular

References(if included)

3-4 (Close) 20 Regular

Select Poster Colors

• Selecting colors for background Improved readability

• Limit the number of colors to 4 (includes B&W)• Light background with dark text• Consider cool background colors to recede into

background Light blues, grays, purples Crimson and cream are popular choices

• use strategically and abstractly

Poster Colors to Avoid

• Options to avoid: Very bright colors can be distracting Blurry

• Red text on a blue background• Blue text on a red background

Hard to read• Black text on a blue background• Yellow text on a white background

Printing Considerations

• Consider at initial planning stage• Printing deadline considerations

drying time unforeseen problems

• Give yourself > 1 week lead time• Call Photographic services

OKC campus (LIB-142: 405-271-2173)

Poster Size Considerations

• Poster size/dimensions consider “photograph” size

• 3x5 (36 x 60)• 4x6 (48 x 72)

• Priced by dimension/size $6.75 per square foot 3x5 poster = 15 x $6.75=$101.25 4x6 poster = 24 x $6.75=$162.00

• 36 x 56 (3 x 4.6) =$94.50

Step 2:

7 Poster Sections

1. Banner

• Include banner Research project title Author names University affiliation If OU seal used, ensure permissions granted

2. Should Abstract be Included?

Yes• Conference guidelines

require inclusion• Audience likes to read

because efficient

No• Redundant of other

poster content• Takes up valuable space• May be printed in

conference abstract• Could be offered as a

handout Abstract & contact

information Copy of poster

3. Introduction

• State hypothesis or study objectives May have as a separate section Use measurable verbs

• Explain importance of study question(s)• Include reference to vital literature

Only very pertinent studies, Can’t include y our entire literature review

4. Methods

• Consider putting vital information in table format• Line or bar graphs, timelines also encouraged

• Inserting a table into poster can be difficult Easier to create table in word Copy and paste it into your text box

• or save & insert it as a picture

5. Results

• Consider aligning study objectives with results reporting

• Try to put your results into a readable table or picture format• Text summary can accompany table in a separate

text box• Make sure to refer to the table (See Table 1)

• Not all tables are GREAT!

Tables vs. Other Displays

• Avoid requiring audience to interpret table data Can happen with large tables Evaluate big picture of results

• what is table revealing (increases, etc) Consider use of line graph, bar graphs, pie

graphs instead

6. Discussion - Conclusions

• Interpret results in discussion Consider alignment with objectives

• Discuss: theoretical and clinical significance of results implications of results

• May include future directions text• Conclusion section could be included with

take home points

7. References

• All information from other sources used in the poster must be referenced

• Can be typed in a smaller font

Step 3

Design considerations for GREAT posters

Poster Goal

• Intentionally consider goal of your poster Repeat message throughout

• Design poster to address one central question and state that question clearly Use data to support central question

• Provide an explicit take home message

Flow

• Follow the guidelines of a published paper• Implied flow

Top to bottom Left to right.

• Consider 4 column format1. intro

2. methods

3. results

4. discussion

Amount of Content

• Avoid large paragraphs & large blocks of text Use bullets for your statements

• Leave open space using hard returns Do not crowd text, lists, diagrams, etc. Consider using 1.5 spacing between lines of text

• Present information concisely Space is limited

• Use the active voice

Text Size & Font Selection

• Text is read from a distance of approximately 3-6 feet• Readability from distance

Use SanSerif styles (like Arial) for reading from distance• Avoid serif styles (like Times New Roman)• Use only 1 font

Type in uneven length lines (flush left, jagged right)• Emphasis

AVOID USE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, EVEN IN THE TITLE AND HEADINGS, BECAUSE IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ.• Use bold, underline, italics, and color, and vary font size

Graphics

• Graphics can increase communication effectiveness 40-50%

• Wrong visual aids have opposite effect Decreased understanding

• Ask yourself, does the graphic image:• Increase audience interest?• Increase audience understanding?• Enhance retention?• Increase efficiency (message is communicated

faster)?

Summary

• Many other posters to choose from Why choose yours?

• Aesthetically pleasing colors• Vital information/sections present• Organized, concise and bulleted text that can be

read from distance• Tables/pictures/graphs used appropriately and

described• Intentionally aligned study objectives, methods,

results and discussion

Creating GREAT Posters

Melissa S. Medina, Ed.D.Assistant Dean of Assessment & Evaluation

and Associate Professor

University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy

GREAT Seminar

February 24, 2011