Poster Sessions


What is a Poster Session?

Poster sessions are presentations by an individual or small group. They are an effective forum for the exchange of information and a means to communicate ideas, research and programs. Presenters place materials such as photos, diagrams, charts, data, and narrative text on a large poster board. You will have the opportunity to discuss your project as attendees come through the area.

The display should include a statement of the problem, objectives of the project or research, major findings and their significance and conclusions.

Most of the text above was borrowed from ARLIS/NA 2001 Poster Session Guidelines arlis2001.ucsd.edu/poster.html


Poster Session Guidelines

1. All posters will be presented on a tri-fold presentation board 36" by 48". A table on which to place posters will be provided for students.

  • Office Max - from $6.59+tax corrugated to about $12.00+tax foam
  • Staples - from $6.95 +tax, 2packs about $10.00 corrugated to around $12.00 foam
  • ASU West Bookstore - from $5.50 +tax corrugated to $11.95 +tax foam

2. Include a Title, Author(s), Course Name and Number across the top.

3. Provide an Abstract of the poster in the top left-hand corner.

  • Include title, Author(s), Course Name and Number
  • Single spaced
  • Limit to one page in length

4. Consult the professor for whom you are creating a poster for more specific guidelines.

Some guidelines were borrowed from ARLIS/NA 2001 Poster Session Guidelines arlis2001.ucsd.edu/poster.html

Ingredients of a Great Poster

1. Simplicity and legibility are important for the viewer.

2. Use colors to attract attention... choose colors carefully for readability.

3. Lettering should be simple, bold and easily legible from a distance of 3-4 feet.

4. Use graphs/tables and photographs as appropriate to convey information.

  • to find images/photos use the Library's Photos and Digital Images page
  • use software such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint to manage images, tables or text

5. Make the poster easy to follow even if you are not there -- posters should have a clear starting and ending point.

6. Arrows or numbers can help the viewer in following the poster progression.

Some guidelines were borrowed from ARLIS/NA 2001 Poster Session Guidelines and 2003 CSPG/CSEG Poster Sessions

How to Create a Poster

1. These university web sites have excellent descriptions of the process for creating a poster.

2. Sample Poster Sessions

Software

In Technopolis students can use the following software to create posters.

  • Idea generation and organization of information- use Inspiration
  • Diagramming- use Inspiration and SmartDraw
  • Creating visual representations and manipulating images - use Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, PowerPoint or Adobe PhotoShop Elements


Thank you to Bee Gallegos and Stephen Toth for providing web sites with poster session guidelines.

Last Modified: Wednesday January 29 2003 , LK