Posters · Glossary
What is a research poster?
A research poster is a single large board that presents one study so a reader can take it in while standing in front of it. It carries the same structure as a paper, abstract through conclusion, but compressed to roughly a thousand words, with the findings shown as figures and key numbers rather than described in prose.
The mistake almost everyone makes first is treating the board as a paper printed large. A poster is read in about three minutes by somebody holding a coffee, and it has to survive that.
Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder
3 min read · Published
What goes on the board
Almost every conference board carries the same set: a title band with the authors and their affiliations, an abstract, an introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusions and references. The layouts that work add three things a paper does not have: key numbers set large enough to read from a distance, numbered figures with captions that stand alone, and a participant flow where the study design has one. The furniture matters too: a logo, an author block with superscripts, and a QR code to the full paper.
How long it should be
About a thousand words across every section, which is roughly a fifth of a short paper. That constraint is what forces the useful edit. If a section cannot be cut to fit, it is usually carrying detail that belongs in the paper the QR code points at. A board with three thousand words on it is a board nobody finishes, and the sections at the bottom right are the ones that go unread.
Reading order is a design decision
A reader arrives at the title, then looks for the finding. Layouts that put the headline numbers near the top, immediately after the abstract, get read; layouts that bury the result in the fourth column do not. Columns should be read top to bottom before left to right, and the numbering on figures should follow the same path, so somebody scanning does not have to guess.
Questions people ask
How many words should a research poster have?
Around a thousand across all sections. That is enough for a full abstract, a labelled methods block, a results narrative and a conclusion, with room left for figures. If you are over two thousand, the board has become a document and the reader will skim rather than read.
Does a poster need an abstract if the conference has a book?
Usually yes, because the board has to stand alone for somebody who never opened the book. Keep it to the four sentences that matter: what you asked, what you did, what you found and what it means. It is also the block a passer by reads to decide whether to stop.
How many figures should it carry?
Two to four, each with a caption that makes sense without the body text. One figure should be the result, given more space than the others. Figures that show method rather than finding are usually better replaced by a labelled protocol block, which takes less room and reads faster.
Should the references be on the board?
Three or four, chosen rather than exhaustive: the guideline you followed, the registration, and the one or two studies you are answering. A full reference list on a poster is space spent on something nobody reads standing up. Put the rest behind the QR code.
What is the QR code for?
The paper, the preprint, the protocol or the data. It converts the board from a summary into a doorway, and it is the only thing on the poster that survives after the reader walks away. Point it at something stable that you control, since the board cannot be edited once printed.
Make one with posters
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Create a poster with OneCraftRelated questions
- What is a CONSORT flow diagram?A CONSORT flow diagram tracks every participant from screening to analysis. What each box holds, why the arithmetic must reconcile, and how it fits a poster.
- A0 against 36x48: poster sizes comparedA0 is 841 by 1189 mm and the international standard. 36 by 48 inches is the North American board. They are close but not interchangeable.
- What DPI does a poster need?A poster is read from a metre away, so about 100 pixels per inch at full size is enough. Why 300 DPI is a photographic habit that does not apply.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .