Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection

Part I. Creating content for a scientific poster -- Part II. Designing and printing a scientific poster -- Contacting us -- Acknowledgments, references, and recommended reading -- Appendix: he model poster used for purposes of illustration in this document.

An effective poster is not a journal article hung on a wall . Almost everyone who writes or talks about posters includes this statement in one form or another—because it’s true.

An effective poster is a clear, simple presentation that will be read and remembered. (The study may not be simple; the description of it should be both clear and simple.)

Although ideally, you—the author (or one of your coauthors or a delegate)—will be available to answer questions, a poster should be self-explanatory. Day and Gastel (1996) said that if you have to spend most of your time explaining the poster rather than responding to scientific questions,“the poster is largely a failure.”

If the poster is unattended during the time scheduled for viewing posters, the poster must be self-explanatory.