Creating Posters: School of the Sciences

Posters for science courses, including biology, biochemistry, chemistry, math, and physics, have specific requirements.  Check out the examples and instructions here.

This .pptx file can be used as a template for a vertical poster of your own. Use it as a starting point for presenting your research in a format that is easy to read and understand.

The School of the Sciences has its own poster printer for professional SOS‐related use, such as the student poster session or attending a conference.  Printing costs $20 for a black and white poster or $30 for a color poster.  Please send requests at least 1 week in advance.  The poster order form is here.

Most posters for science-related research should include:

• Title
• Names of authors, co-authors, and their institution(s)
• Introduction
• Aim or purpose
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• References

Title

• The title spans the entire width of the poster.
• Sometimes the institution's seal is used on either side of the title.

Names of authors, co-authors, and their institution(s)

• This section also spans the entire width of the poster.
• Authors should be listed in the appropriate order, with the lead author first.
• The names of their institutions and the addresses go below.
• Stevenson University – School of the Sciences should be somewhere in the title or name section.

Introduction

• Here is where your poster starts to go into a three-column layout.  Each of these sections may be outlined by a box, or you may choose to use a consistent background color.
• Your introduction should be brief and outline the background of your research.

Aim or purpose

• This section describes the goal of your research.

Methods, Results, Discussion

• Be clear but concise.
• Be picky about what the data you display.  You can't include every table and graph, or they won't be readable.  Pick a few of the clearest or most important.  Remember that you'll have time to discuss your findings with your audience.

Acknowledgments

• You may have an acknowledgments section where you thank your co-researchers, mentors, professors, family, friends, funders, or more.  If you received external funding, your department may have standard wording that they'll ask you to use.

References

• Your references should be listed in the appropriate format, exactly as they would for a paper or other written report.

Contact Information

• Your poster should include your name and email address.