Information for Poster Presenters

Preparing Your Poster

Please prepare your poster to communicate the main points of your work to stimulate discussion with your viewers. You should be able to deliver your poster content in about three (3) minutes and then respond to questions and comments.

You are invited to watch this YouTube video on creating a better scientific poster in less time. You are not required to use this format, but it may improve the poster presentation experience. Mike Morrison, the graduate student who created this video, has also shared additional resources for implementing his recommendations, which you can adapt to your needs.

• The display area is 45 inches wide by 45 inches high; you will be sharing a 96 inch x 45 inch display board with another poster presenter.
• Each poster space will be marked with an abstract number (i.e., P1-A). Students will be assigned numbers that include an “S” (P1-A-S). Please mount your poster on the poster board labeled with your assigned abstract number.
• Each abstract is assigned a number that provides information. For example: for an abstract assigned P1-A-S, the “P” means it is a poster abstract; the “1” indicates where it is located in the poster display area (placed in numerical order); the “A” means that the poster will be attended and presented during Poster Session A; and the “S” means it is a student author.
• Push pins will be provided to mount your poster to the poster board. You are also welcome to bring your own push pins and/or Velcro.
• There will be a table underneath each poster board where you can leave handouts. If you would like to make your poster somewhat simple but provide greater detail on your work in a handout, you may do so. Conference organizers will not be responsible for making copies of presenters’ handouts.

Here are additional suggestions to improve the visual display and presentation of your poster:

• Let the poster do the work – your audience should not have to interpret the message.
• Make your poster simple and to the point. Avoid jargon.
• Use your poster to show, not tell. Express your points as graphics (graphs, charts, illustrations, and photographs). Make sure to include captions.
• Keep it visually clean; avoid jagged edges; guide the viewer by using a logical order with section headings to emphasize the main points.
• State your main points in large font headings; use smaller font for details.
• Summarize your results/findings with bullet points.
• Catch your reader’s attention with accent colors for contrast and to highlight main points.
• Use borders or white space to separate sections and increase legibility.
• Make all elements, even the figure legends, visible from 3 to 4 feet away.
• Use large, bold fonts. Text color should highly contrast the background color for legibility for all attendees, including those who are colorblind.
• Use simple fonts. Generally sans serif fonts (e.g., Helvetica) are good for titles, but use a font with serifs for text (e.g., Times New Roman). They help guide the viewer’s eye.

Poster Judging

Unless you opted out of having your poster judged (an opt-out was available during the abstract submission process), at least three judges will rate your poster on a pre-established set of criteria (the research poster criteria are on page 1 and the practices poster criteria are on page 2).

Poster Session Schedule

SETUP: Wednesday, 4 October 2023, 10:00 AM - 12:15 PM. All posters (Sessions A and B) must be set up during this time.

SESSION A: Wednesday, 4 October 2023, 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM. Those assigned to Session A should attend your poster to answer questions. Poster judges will circulate at this time.

SESSION B: Thursday, 5 October 2023, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM. Those assigned to Session B should attend your poster to answer questions. Poster judges will circulate at this time.

TAKE-DOWN: Friday, 6 October 2023, 7:30 AM – 12:00 PM. All presenters should take down their posters at this time. Remaining posters that are still mounted on the poster boards will be disposed of after 12:00 PM.

Poster Printing

The best way to ensure you have your poster on time is to carry it with you when you travel. However, if you choose to ship your poster to the hotel, please ship it to your name and hotel room number (not to the attention of the conference). We are not responsible for lost posters.

Many people have their posters printed at their institution, by a print shop that can ship directly to the hotel, or by a printer near the conference venue. Make sure your printer provides the required size (45" x 45"). A couple of options are Spoonflower (fabric posters; online vendor; offers a tutorial) and UTPoster (paper and fabric posters; in downtown Toronto; offers fast turn-around).

See below for more about fabric posters.

Consider a Fabric Poster

• Fabric posters are more durable than paper and can be used multiple times.
• They can also be packed in your luggage instead of poster tubes, which may eliminate extra security checks at the airport.
• Place your fabric poster in a bag or other container before placing it in your luggage to protect it from accidental spills or other damage.
• To avoid wrinkles, pack your fabric poster as you would clothing that you don't want to crease. Use plastic, fabric, paper, or cardboard in between the folds, and/or roll the poster around a small cardboard tube.
• Check with your printer to see if the fabric they use can be ironed to remove creases. If this is the case, iron the poster face-side down and use the lowest temperature setting with no or light steam. You can also place a towel on the poster as a barrier between the iron and the poster.
• See the Spoonflower tutorial on creating a fabric poster.