What is a Scientific Poster?

A scientific poster is a concise and visually engaging way to present your research findings. It summarises the aims, methods, results, and conclusions of your project in a format that can be easily displayed and understood — even in your absence.

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Typically created using software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, a poster combines text, charts, and images to communicate key messages effectively. Once designed, your poster should be printed (usually in A0 size) and brought to the conference for display.

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How to Design Your Poster

In PowerPoint, design your poster on a single slide. You can set the correct dimensions by selecting the "Design" tab → Page Setup and adjusting the size as required.

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At a minimum, your poster should include:

• Title

• Author names and affiliations

• Sections: Background, Aims/Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions

A great poster should:

• Catch the reader’s eye with clear visual appeal

• Be easy to follow and intuitively laid out

• Contain enough detail to be informative but not overwhelming

• Use figures and diagrams to illustrate key ideas and support the text

Remember, posters are meant to be read quickly, so keep text brief and focused. What can’t be said in words should be shown visually.

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Key Sections

Background/Introduction

Provide a short summary of the research topic and why it matters. You may wish to include one or two illustrative figures to help explain your background.

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Aims/Objectives

State clearly what your research aimed to achieve. This is often the most important section, as it sets the focus for the rest of the poster.

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Methods

Describe the process of your project concisely. If possible, use a flow diagram to summarise steps or experimental design as this saves space and makes your methods easier to follow.

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Results

This section should showcase your key findings using graphs, charts, or tables.
Tips:

• Ensure all axes and labels are clear and easy to read.

• Keep graph backgrounds simple, avoid gridlines and clutter.

• Consider recreating figures in software like Excel for a cleaner look.

• Include p-values or key statistics directly on the graphs for clarity.​

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Conclusions

Summarise your key findings in one or two sentences. When presenting, take the opportunity to discuss the implications of your results on how they could inform practice or inspire further research.

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You may also mention limitations briefly in discussion rather than on the poster itself to conserve space.