Poster Presentations

There are two parts to a poster presentation:

1. The poster itself is a summary of your research. It is usually a mixture of text explaining the different components of your work and visual elements, such as charts, tables, graphs, illustrations, and so on.
2. The presentation is your opportunity to talk about your research. Presenters typically stand at their poster and answer questions from audience members and/or a panel of judges.

The exact details and format of the poster presentation depends on the meeting. Some poster presentations are in-person and use printed posters hung in a gallery. Others are presented through an online meeting platform.

Posters are used to present research in many disciplines, ranging from Biomedicine to the Arts.

• Follow the rules and expectations of your specific discipline and conference.
  • Hint: see the Judging Criteria for Touro University Research Day, if you're participating in that.
• Be accurate, but concise. Don't just copy-paste your whole paper!
• Focus on the most important points. You don't have to give every detail equal space or equal time.
  • Hint: Practice giving a presentation on your poster and time yourself. If you use up more time than you'd like, or if you're exceeding a meeting-specific time constraint, you might have too much detail. On the other hand, if you take up too little time, you may want to add more detail.
• Make the visual aspects of your poster both informative and appealing. Use charts or graphs, if you can. Lay things out in a logical way.
• Don't use any images that you don't have permission to use!
  • Unsplash and Pexels are great resources for freely-usable images with permissive licenses.
  • Creative Commons Search can help you find reusable images. Just be sure to check the terms of each image's license, as some may ask you to give the author(s) credit for the image.
  • (For in-depth copyright information, see our guide on Copyright and Fair Use)

Here are some more guides to check out:

• Dr. David Yens and Timothy Valente dive into the details of making a great poster presentation
• TouroCOM/TouroCOP Poster LibGuide
• NYMC Health Sciences Library's Video on Creating Prize-Winning Posters

Touro University Research Day is a great opportunity for faculty and students to share their research. Complementing the poster sessions, keynote speakers are invited to share the results of their cutting-edge research.

If you're participating, be sure to check out the Judging Criteria for Posters. Knowing what the judges will be looking for will help you tailor it to their expectations.

When designing your poster, it's best to use a software tool you're comfortable with. Here are some possiblities:

• Presentation software like PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides
• Word processing software like Word or Pages
• Design software, such as InDesign or Illustrator

There are also templates that you can use as a starting point. Check the rules for your conference to see if they require a specific template.

Poster Examples from Touro College's 2015 Research Day

Ramona Guthrie's poster on left; Dr. Meira Orentlicher's poster on right