How to Design a Scientific Poster

Language and Marketing
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
How to
Design a Scientific Poster
Dieter Thoma
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
1
Example of a student poster conference
Dieter Thoma
Language and Marketing
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
FSS 2015
2
Objective of poster conference
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Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
Present your research project in a concise and attractive way and demonstrate what
you have learned about your topic and experimental/empirical research in class.
To achieve this, answer the following questions with your poster:
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What was your research question / topic?
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Why is it relevant, i.e., what is the practical or theoretical, methodological, or practical problem and
how does your work link in with previous research? What is your contribution to the field?
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What have you done to investigate the research question(s)?
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What were the results of your study?
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What do your results means for your research question/ hypotheses?
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What do your results mean if compared to previous reseach?
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What are the practical implications, if any?
The poster should be self-explanatory and target your peer students as audience.
Dieter Thoma
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
3
Organization of poster conference
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Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
All posters are on display throughout the whole conference.
Your team briefly presents their poster for 5 minutes standing in front of it (no
Powerpoint presentation or similar, just the poster).
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For another 5 minutes your team answers questions about the poster from the
audience. Ideally, you get questions from each of the other teams.
After each poster presentation, the other teams in the audience rate the poster just
presented on evaluation scales. The peer rating determines who will win the “Best
Poster Award”.
In between (blocks of) poster presentations, we have short coffee breaks where at
least one team member should stay close to their poster to answer additional
questions.
Apart from the poster plotted in A0, your provide a copy of your poster scaled down
to A4 (miniposter) as a handout for the class.
Dieter Thoma
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
4
General structure of content on a poster
1. Title
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
4. Results / findings
- The name of the project, names of
the authors and affiliation (institution)
2. Introduction [here you may vary the order]
- Report data and statistics, try to be
neurtal and don’t interpret the data
- Use visualizations (charts, figures)
5. Discussion / implications
- Research question
- Interpretation of results with respect to
- Relevance, aims & contribution of the
the research question
research
- Implications / consequences for
- Background, very brief reference to/
theory, research, practice
summary of previous research
- Hypotheses (make sure the variables 6. Conclusion
are defined / explained in the previous
- Brief summary / implications / outlook
text or here)
7. References
3. Methods
- Participants
- Design of study (experimental or
empirical, conditions), method and
materials used
- Procedure (What did the particpants
do?)
Dieter Thoma
- Bibliography and other references;
follow ABC’s of Style/ APA Style
8. Footer
- (for seminar posters): Name of
teacher, semester, title of course
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
5
Title
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
• The title contains the core message of the poster / research.
• It it is the most prominent element (still readable from a distance of 5
meters ).
• It helps the audience to quickly orient with regard to the poster’s
content.
• The pictures on the poster serve as means of orientation and as
eyechaters, too.
Dieter Thoma
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
6
Text
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
• Limit the text to essential information.
• Leave out details, as long as they are not necessary for the sense of
the your work.
• Use comprehensible and clear phrasing.
• Use short sentences.
• Use headlines for separates paragraph to provide additional structure.
Dieter Thoma
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
7
Layout and legibility
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
• Format: portrait is better than landscape because it requires less wall
space at the poster conference.
• Font size: at least 36 pt  should be readable from 1-1.5 meters
(exception: References can be much smaller).
• Fonts: Use standard (e.g., Arial, Helvetica, Times, Cambira etc.)
rather than a playful fonts.
• Don’t underline anything as it may impair readability, use bold, italics
or color instead.
• There must be a clear contrast between background and text.
Dieter Thoma
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
8
Background, images, blocks/columns
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
• The background should accentuate the information on the poster, but
should not distract from the content.
• Use figures and images to underline and explain research methods
and results.
• Use short footers below figures and images that provide a title and a
very brief description (picture story for very busy readers).
• The arrangement of the text on the poster should support the
structure of the content.
• Blocks or columns help to give the reader a better overview. Take the
reading-order into account.
Dieter Thoma
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
9
Powerpoint und Ausdruck
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Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
Sie können Ihr Poster in Powerpoint erstellen
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Neue Datei, Menü: Entwurf > Seite einrichten > Papierformat einstellen auf “Benutzerdefiniert”, 84,1
x 118,9 cm (entspricht A0-Format)
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Sie können dann die Folie auf Posterformat entsprechend ausgestalten. Zahlreiche Vorlagen finden
Sie auch im Internet.
Zum Ausdruck, Plotten
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Erzeugen Sie aus dem Powerpoint-Poster eine PDF-Datei in A0
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Erzeugen Sie aus dem Powerpoint-Poster ein “Miniposter” indem Sie es auf A4 skalieren (PPTX:
Drucken> Ganzseitige Folien > Auf Seitenformat skalieren)
Ausdruck und Druckkosten für A0-Poster
- Möglich im Rechenzentrum Uni Mannheim für 5-7 € (nur PDF); wie steht hier:
http://www.uni-mannheim.de/rum/ueber_uns/arbeitsgruppen/ivs/benutzerverwaltung/plotten/
- Copy Shops: 34-46 € 
- Diverse Online-Services
Dieter Thoma
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
10
Examples
Dieter Thoma
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
11
Examples
Dieter Thoma
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
12
Examples
Dieter Thoma
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
13
Examples
Dieter Thoma
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
14
Examples
Dieter Thoma
Lehrstuhl für Anglistische Linguistik I
Language and Marketing
FSS 2015
15