How to make a research poster for a conference

A conference poster has a few seconds to make someone stop walking. Once they stop, it has to explain your work in a few minutes, often while you are talking to someone else. This guide shows how to make a research poster, from planning and layout to printing and presenting.

Check the requirements first

Before you design anything, check the conference’s poster size and orientation. Boards vary between venues. A common size is A0 (841 × 1189 mm) in portrait orientation, but follow what the conference tells you; a poster that does not fit the board is a problem you cannot fix on the day.

Plan the story, not the paper

A poster is not your paper printed large. Decide on the one message you want people to take away, and build the poster around it. Use your abstract as the starting point and cut, rather than expand.

How to make a research poster: layout

• Put a short, specific title across the top, with authors, affiliations and logos underneath.
• Arrange content in two to four columns that read top to bottom, left to right.
• Make your key finding the largest element after the title, in a box or a single bold sentence.
• Leave white space. A crowded poster looks like work, and people walk past it.
• Use headings that state points, for example “Online feedback raised completion rates”.

Text that can be read from a distance

• Keep the total text short; aim for a poster someone can read in five minutes.
• Title text should be readable from several metres away, and body text from about a metre and a half.
• Use one or two plain fonts and dark text on a light background.
• Replace paragraphs with short bullet points where you can.

Figures and tables

• Let figures carry the results. Simplify them and label them directly.
• Use high-resolution images; images copied from slides often print blurred.
• Choose colours that also work for colour-blind readers, and do not rely on colour alone.
• Use patient images only with documented consent.

Printing and travel

1. Export a PDF at the exact final size and check it at 100% zoom on screen.
2. Print a small proof on A4 to catch errors before the full print.
3. Choose fabric printing if you are flying: it folds into a bag and does not crease badly.
4. Bring a few printed A4 copies or a QR code linking to your abstract or contact details.

Presenting your poster

• Prepare a 30-second summary and a 2-minute version.
• Stand beside the poster, not in front of it, and greet people who stop.
• Ask visitors about their work; poster conversations work best in both directions.
• Note the names of people you talk to and follow up after the conference.

At Eurasia Conferences posters are displayed on both days, most conferences hold a chaired poster session, and ADPS 2027 and WGRM 2027 have a best poster award. Poster presenters receive the same certificate and DOI as speakers.

Related guides

• Oral, poster or online presentation: which should you choose?
• How to give a 10-minute conference presentation