Prepared by
for
The Centre for Applied Cognitive Research
May 22, 2003
The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for poster presentations. Using sample posters that have been presented at psychology conferences, successful techniques and common pitfalls will be identified.
Title, Author names, Author Affiliations. These are usually presented in large font across the top of the poster. You may also wish to note the conference name, date, and location in smaller font.
Introduction. Name the phenomenon being investigated, e.g., “working memory involvement in arithmetic,” “the ties effect,” “the symbolic distance effect.” Define the phenomenon briefly, in simple language. If the purpose of your study was to contrast two models or hypotheses, these can be identified, and their proponents named, but with minimal description. The purpose of the research should be stated. It is often effective to phrase the goal as a question, e.g., “What is the duration of memory for unconsciously perceived information?” The viewer should be able to quickly ascertain what the research was about.
Methods. Describe the variables that were manipulated, how stimuli were presented, and how responses were recorded. A succession of screen shots is often an effective way to illustrate the methods. High-quality graphics and the use of color add to visual appeal.
Results. Typically, this section will have a few graphs, framed by explanatory text. Graphs should be kept as large and as uncluttered as possible. The number of graphs should be limited to three if at all possible. The same data can be presented in many different ways. Make sure that your graphs clearly support the story that you want to tell. (Think about why you chose these few graphs out of the many possible ways to present your data.) Extraneous information should be removed from graphs in order to avoid confusing the viewer. Remember that the point of the poster is to stimulate discussion, not to provide a complete report of the results.
Conclusions. State the implications of your findings: “Variable X influences performance measure Y under these conditions...The ABC model of the blah-blah phenomenon was / was not supported.” The gist of the results can be briefly restated here if space permits.
Ø Keep the introduction and conclusions short. The viewer should be able to read these sections in less than two minutes and be able to understand what the study was about.
Ø Define terms that are likely to be novel to the viewer. Definitions of terms should be easy for the viewer to find.
Ø Use illustrations to break up the text where possible, especially in the Methods and Results sections.
Ø Be brief! You WILL confuse your reader when you use many words. Keep in mind that viewers are typically viewing several dozen posters in a single session, and will be easily overwhelmed by the challenges of small font and too much detail.