A Research Poster is a way of presenting a research pertaining to a certain topic in an event. It is commonly a visual tool that shows explanation, supporting details and summarization for the topic. A Research Poster is concise and is attractive in a way that it would help the presenter to methodically explain his or her work. It is simple yet precise, and is easily identifiable and readable. It conveys all the essential information that the researcher has gathered which reflects his or her hard work. Some students also do this kind of poster enabling them to practice a way of creative presentation and when done are being posted during exhibits. Undergraduate researchers use this to share their independent topics or research.
A basic format of a Research Poster must include important contents namely Title or Project Title, Authors if there are any other researchers involved, Purpose or mainly the objective or Introduction, Methods, Findings or Results, Discussions, and summary or Conclusions. It may also include some acknowledgements prior to the research, pictures or photos, texts and some graphs in a way that would help explaining the topic. It is made out of different sections which are organized in their proper positions making a methodical lay out. Its size may vary but should be enough for the size required by the organizers of the event or following the board’s size during presentation. Some Research Posters nowadays are printed digitally and some are made manually by sticking the items out in a board.
Creating a Research Poster should be prepared for and must be given enough time in order to achieve a good poster. One must be able to include all the important contents to be able to maintain the purpose of the poster, which is to inform and communicate. Here is a step by step procedure on how to create a Research Poster:
Step1
Study the topic and make a research. Gather all the information that would be necessary to put in the poster, as well as the photos and some graphical explanations. Make a draft on how the illustration would be, in this way you will be able to come up with a good lay out.
Step2
Start by writing down the title of the poster at the topmost part and in center. It doesn’t need to be long and must be containing the essential number of words that are enough to orient the listeners or readers about the topic of the research. Think of what is the best fit for the title and make it sound inviting.
Step3
Next is to put the researcher’s name below the title. The font and size of it must be smaller than the title, include the name of other authors involve and then an email address may be optional.
Step4
Start laying out, leave a space for each photos or graphs to be added and keep a balanced space, each content in the following the order below:
A. Introduction- In this part you have to state the topic in a way that the audience would know that you fully understand the topic you have researched on, restate the topic using words that could be easily understood and should engage the readers to continue reading.
B. Materials and Methods – state out all the strategies and things that you have done and done and used in order to come up with a satisfying answer and result. Explain some deep terms that you need to use if there are any.
C. Results – state all of the gained results prior to the methods and materials used. A graph or a photo is very useful in this part so do not forget to include one or two.
D. Conclusions – in this part write down the decision or outcome reached after a careful thought and methods.
Step5
When all the texts and contents are done, lay out all the photos and graphs that are appropriate for each content. Keep the blocking and spaces clean and balanced. Lastly, include the acknowledgements that the research has to credit for.
1
A research poster is read in a horizontal way from left to right so take note of that when plotting or laying out your contents.
2
Mind the font style and font size that should be used. The title must be in the biggest font, the subtitles must be big enough to be read and understand at a distant.
3
The Research Poster must not be made 1 hour before the event or should not be rushed. It is important to be precise and prove something.
4
Pay attention to the requirements of the event, know who your audience are, and proofread every details that you include.
5
You may include a contact information for if your work was noticed and appreciated by someone in the audience there is a way for them to reach you, the same thing applies if there is another researcher who would like to add more content in you work.
6
Be precise, do not mislead the audience about your research, and inform them truthfully with what you have come up to.
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