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EVS380: Environmental Toxicology: Poster Content

Posters vs. Papers

   Poster Paper
Audience Multiple people One person
Interaction   Back & forth/Q&A One-sided
Content Highlights only     Comprehensive
     

Acknowledgement

Some content on this guide adapted with permission from George Mason University Writing Center.

Poster Content Tips

  • Be concise and clear in your language.
  • Do not use contractions such as don't or can't.
  • Use only standard/common abbreviations such as ex.
  • Use spellcheck. Then use a real live Writing Center consultant. They are better than spellcheck.
  • The following sections are usually included on a poster. Modify to your needs & your instructor's requirements. 
    • Title (larger font, descriptive--so your audience can tell at a glance what it's all about)
    • Author's name (you!)
    • Abstract (write this last, use article abstracts as examples)
    • Introduction
    • Materials and Methods
    • Results (graphs/charts are good)
    • Discussion (what are you concluding, what should happen next, such as additional research)
    • Acknowledgments (optional, opportunity to thank people who assisted in your research)
    • Literature Cited (also called References, in the specified citation style. Each source listed here should be cited in-text in your poster)

Poster Visual Tips

  • Justify your text & ensure that lines don't break in the middle of words.
  • Use a standard, simple font such as Times New Roman, Calibri, or Arial.
  • Use large font & make section headings bold and/or a bit larger.
  • Dark text on light background is best. It is easiest to read and uses less ink when printing.
  • There should be logical flow between sections. A standard arrangement is columns followed top to bottom and left to right. Try something like the example below (sections are labeled as for an experimental poster in the sciences).

See more tips & sample posters at: http://www.ncsu.edu/project/posters/Sample poster