Graduate Studies | University of Waterloo

Poster presentation guidelines

Posters will be evaluated for approximately three to five minutes -- presenters will have an opportunity to speak about their poster ("tell me about your poster"). More details can be found on the judging and feedback pages.

A poster is a graphically oriented summary of your research. Your poster will be mounted at eye-level on one side of a large poster board (see poster presentation logistics for further details).

Size of poster:

width (side to side) 46 inches (approx. 117 cm) by
height (top to bottom) 46 inches (approx. 117 cm) minimum (may hang over if longer than this)

The poster should provide:

clear information on background / objectives
the approach (methodology)
the major conclusions of the research (if available) and future research

A poster is considered successful if it conveys a clear message to the viewers.

Suggested layout and design format: (Note: posters used at prior conferences are acceptable)

Title: should be interesting and informative
Abstract: convey briefly and succinctly your abstract, accompanied by your name, and department
Introduction: specify the objective of your study, provide an overview of what you have done, and point out the significance and value of the research
Method: present the methodology used in your research
Results: indicate what your research has revealed (findings)
Conclusion: an explanation of the ways the results satisfy the research objective; implication of research; future work

Frequent mistakes on poster presentations:

too much text
too much colour
not enough colour
information overload (too much information)
unclear structure – clarify your objectives, approach, conclusions or perspectives
poor figures - make graphics/charts reader friendly

Return to presenter information page or Graduate Student Research Conference site.