Guidelines for Poster Presentations

Poster sessions are a good way for authors to present papers and meet with interested attendees for in-depth technical discussions. In addition, attendees find that poster sessions a good way to sample many papers in parallel. Therefore, it is important that you display your results clearly and strikingly so as to attract people who might have an interest in your paper.

You should prepare your poster well in advance of the conference and bring all of your printed poster materials to the conference. Ideally your poster should be plotted on a single 30" X 40" sheet in landscape orientation. Alternatively, you can generate 6-10 8.5" X 11" pages and tack them together at the conference. We will provide blank foamboard 30"x40" poster boards, easels, pins and tape at the conference. You should bring everything else that you need with you to the conference.

Your poster should cover the KEY POINTS of your work. It should NOT attempt to include all the details; you can describe them to those that are interested. The ideal poster is designed to (1) attract attention; (2) provide a brief overview of your work; and (3) initiate discussion.

Carefully prepare your poster well in advance of the conference. There will be no time or materials available for last minute preparations at the conference. If you think you may need certain materials, other than tape or the poster board itself, BRING IT WITH YOU.

The title of your poster should appear at the TOP in CAPITAL letters about 25mm (1'') high. Below the title, put the author(s)' name(s) and affiliation(s).

The flow of your poster should be downward in columns, starting at the TOP LEFT and ending at the BOTTOM RIGHT.

Use color for highlighting and to make your poster more attractive. Think about what attracts you to posters and other visual displays. BE CREATIVE! Use pictures, diagrams, cartoons, figures, etc., rather than text wherever possible.

Use text sparingly. Try to state your main result in six (6) lines or less, in lettering about 15mm (5/8'') high. This size is needed to ensure people can read your poster from a distance. The smallest text on your poster should be at least 9mm (3/8'') high, and the important points should be in a larger size.

Make your poster as self-explanatory as possible. This will save your efforts for discussions.

Presenting Your Poster at the Conference

You should set up your poster during the 30 minutes just prior to the Poster Session. Plan to remain with the poster for the entire session and then take your materials down immediately.

Prepare a one-minute pre-poster overview and a short presentation (several minutes) that you can periodically give to those assembled around your poster. Be ready to give it several times as people move though the area. Plan to spend the entire session at your poster.

If possible, more than one author should attend the session to aid in the presentations and discussion, and to provide the main presenter with a chance to rest, and to answer questions.