Designing a Poster Presentation
Add Author Names and Information
Rasmussen College
Present the information in a simple, understandable way.
Consider the audience and ensure the message of the poster is clearly stated.
Limit the amount of information, keep clear and concise.
If the poster is considered educational for a general audience, like patient education, using second person is appropriate.
“If you a fever greater than 101, call your doctor”
If the poster is academic, created for peers and/or colleagues, use third person.
“The patient should contact their doctor with fevers greater than 101”
CONTENT
Use bullet points to promote readability
Avoid use of multiple fonts
Color is encouraged, but limit the number of colors to create an overall theme
Use contrast between font color and background color.
This poster uses black font and a white background. This contrast allows for the words to be easily read.
Consider visual breaks between content.
This poster uses some white space between bullet points to promote ease of reading.
Use indentation to visually show the difference between main points and supportive points.
This section uses a traditional bullet point for the main points, then adds supportive examples indented below.
FORMAT
Photos should be relevant to the poster’s purpose and should be obtained from the public domain to avoid copyright issues
Copyrighted Images include figure captions beneath the photo:
Figure #. Short description of figure. Taken from: “Title of Image,” by fist initial. Middle initial. Author last name, year (
http://URL)
Most clip art is free to use including: from a software application you purchased (i.e. Microsoft Office), in the public domain, or covered be a Creative Commons license doe not need a caption
PHOTOS
Use in-text citation for academic poster presentations
In-text citation does the following;
Allows the reader to discern which content comes from the literature versus content that is your opinion
Acknowledges the source you obtained the information and ideas from
Validates that the content shared goes beyond your opinion and is documented in a credible source by an expert
Allows the reader an opportunity to visit the original source if they desire more information
PARAPHRASING
Paraphrase and summarize information added to your poster.
Information that has been paraphrased from a source should be followed by in-text citation of your source (author, year).
In text citation supports where the idea comes from, it does not allow for information to be copied and pasted directly from the source.
Any content that is the same wording requires quotations and citation for direct quotes (author, year, p. XX) or (author, year, para. xx)
Avoid ‘the tweak.’ The tweak refers to copying a statement from a source and then trying to ‘tweak’ it by changing a word here and there. Instead, trust your understanding of what you read. Read it, then restate the main points in your own words.
IN TEXT CITATION
Reference all sources that have been used and cited in the poster
References should be scholarly, credible, and formatted in APA style
This list may be in a smaller font size than the main sections of your poster
References
CREDIBLE REFERENCING
Purpose: How and why was the source created.
Relevance: The value of the source to your needs.
Objectivity: The reasonableness and completeness of the information.
Verifiability: The accuracy and truthfulness of the information.
Expertise: The authority of the authors and the source.
Newness: Age of the information
One technique that you can use to help determine whether a resource is credible, reliable, and timely is the PROVEN source evaluation process:
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