Preparing a Poster for the Poster Session

(Adapted from Summer Science Poster Preparation)

Content:

• Title, authors, abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, literature references, and acknowledgements should be included in your poster
• Focus the content so that your reader can get through your poster in no more than 5 minutes
• Anticipate your audience

Layout:

• Posters should be made using Powerpoint - see instructions for how to make a PowerPoint poster and here
• Posters should be 48” wide x 36” high. You should leave a 1/2" margin, at least, around the edge. Do not use photos as background.
• All text should be at least 24 point, including text within graphics; avoid too much text
• Components should be organized so that reader can easily find the next section
• Avoid distracting backgrounds and color schemes
• Links to poster-making websites can be found at the Biology Department website (the first link doesn’t work)

Samples:

• A sample poster from the Kenyon Summer Science Scholars program is located at P:data/biology/Sample_Poster.ppt
• Additional sample posters from past Summer Science Poster Sessions can be viewed online
• NOTE: the sample posters are from research done over a long period. Your posters may not have the same depth of information. They are presented only as guidelines for how a poster should be presented.

Using digital photos in your poster:

• Any pictures you use should be jpeg (.jpg) files. DO NOT USE TIFF FILES.
• You do not need better than 300 dpi resolution. If you know how to set this feature, do so. Otherwise, just save it as JPG, or low-resolution JPG.

How to have your poster printed:

• Dudley Thomas (Chemistry) will be printing your posters on the wide-format printed located in the basement of Tomsich (TOM012).
• Save your file as a Windows 95/98 presentation - this will ensure that all components are printed correctly
• Save your file with a name that follows this format: ENVSSmokejumping (i.e., "ENVS" followed by the name of your group)
• Save a copy of your file in P:Temp:ENVS112
  • For DRAFTS - P:Temp:ENVS112\PosterDrafts
  • For FINAL - P:Temp:ENVS112\PosterFinal
  • Send an email to thomasdg@kenyon.edu letting him know the filename for your poster.
• You will receive an email reply when your printed poster is ready to be picked up.

Deadlines:

• Printing of a draft copy is HIGHLY encouraged. This will allow you to catch errors, and will also allow us to identify printing problems well in advance of the poster session. If you want a draft copy printed, it must be submitted to the P drive by Wednesday, April 26. If they are later than that, you may not be able to get a draft printed.
• The deadline for DRAFT copies: Thursday, April 28 at 9 AM. Printed final posters will be available for pickup by 5PM on Friday, April 29.
• The deadline for FINAL copies: Monday, May 2 at 9AM. Printed final posters will be available for pickup by 5PM on Monday, May 2 or 5PM Wednesday, May 4.
• Take your final printed poster to class for set up on Tuesday (May 2) or Thursday (May 4) at 8:30 AM
• Poster presentation will be on the second floor or Fischmann. There will be coffee and donuts to get you started in the morning.