Poster title goes here, containing strictly only the essential number of words...

Author’s Name/s Goes Here, Author’s Name/s Goes Here, Author’s Name/s Goes HereBiology Department, Western Washington University 516 High St., Bellingham, WA 98225

First…general information on formatting:

The poster must be readable from a distance of 2 meters. The title is capitalized with lettering at least 72 point (2 cm high); authors’ names in upper and lower case lettering at least 42 point (11 mm high). Text lettering is at least 18 point (5 mm), with a line spacing of at least 1 mm. (The lettering on this template is larger than the minimum requirements.)

Information should be well organized and presented concisely. A poster should include the following headings, in separate sections, arranged in sequence on the poster: Abstract, Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions.

Keep written text to a minimum (this is a visual presentation). “Bullets” and short phrases are usually effective for the Methods and Results sections. 3 to 5 colorful large graphs, flow charts, diagrams, and/or photographs are suggested. Captions and legends should be brief and to the point.

Summarize purpose, hypothesis, methods, results, and interpretation of results and their significance in the abstract. Report mean values and results of statistical tests (if applicable). This section should be 1 paragraph of roughly 100-200 words.Important: Write this section last. DO NOT present information in the abstract that isn’t found elsewhere in the poster.

Tips for making a successful poster…

Re-write your paper into poster format ie.simplify everything, avoid data overkill.

Headings of more than 6 words should be in upper and lower case, not all capitals.

Never do whole sentences in capitals or underline to stress your point, use bold characters instead.

When laying out your poster leave breathing space around your text. Don’t overcrowd your poster.

Try using photographs or color graphs with white plot area. Avoid long numerical tables.

Spell check and get someone else to proof-read.

Importing / inserting files…

Images such as photographs, graphs, diagrams, logos, etc, can be added to the poster.

To insert scanned images into your poster, go through the menus as follows: Insert / Picture / From File… then find the file on your computer, select it, and press OK.

The best type of image files to insert are JPEG or TIFF, JPEG (file extension .jpg) is the preferred format.

Be aware of the image size you are importing. The average color photo (13 x 18cm at 180dpi) would be about 3Mb (1Mb for B/W greyscale). Reduce the size before importing. Call the STC if unsure.

Avoid the use of images from the web. If you do, be sure to provide the appropriate citation.

Notes about graphs…

For simple graphs use MS Excel, or do the graph directly in PowerPoint.

Graphs done in a scientific graphing programs (eg. Sigma Plot, Prism, SPSS, Statistica) should be saved as JPEG or TIFF if possible. For more information contact the STC.

The Student Technology Center (HH 121) is available to help with formatting and printing your poster on the large format printer. Make a printing appointment at least 5 days in advance, or earlier during busy times of the quarter. Call to make appointments for assistance in poster design and/or poster printing (650-4300).

Once you have completed your poster in this template, bring it to STC at your scheduled appointment time for printing.

Note: Do not leave your poster until the last minute. Make your appointment in advance by calling the STC. Allow at least 5 working days before you need to use it.

This section is generally relatively large. Interpret your results and discuss their significance. Relate your results to previous studies on the topic.* Discuss the study limitations (without being too apologetic). Include recommendations for further research or improvements on methods.

Conclude this section with a carefully chosen set of bulleted items.

*Include references as you discuss how your results relate to work of others.

Simply highlight this text and replace.

This is not a required section. However, if you want to thank someone who supported your work financially or otherwise, this is where you would do that. Just highlight this text and replace with your own text if you want.

Captions to be set in Times or Times New Roman or equivalent, italic, 18 to 24 points, to the length of the column in case a figure takes more than 2/3 of column width.

Captions to be set in Times or Times New Roman or equivalent, italic, between 18 and 24 points. Left aligned if it refers to a figure on its left. Caption starts right at the top edge of the picture (graph or photo).

Captions to be set in Times or Times New Roman or

equivalent, italic, between 18 and 24 points. Right aligned

if it refers to a figure on its right. Caption starts right at

the top edge of the picture (graph or photo).

Captions to be set in Times or Times New Roman or equivalent, italic, 18 to 24 points, to the length of the column in case a figure takes more than 2/3 of column width.

Captions to be set in Times or Times New Roman or equivalent, italic, between 18 and 24 points. Left aligned if it refers to a figure on its left. Caption starts right at the top edge of the picture (graph or photo).

Abstract

Introduction

Materials & Methods Results

Acknowledgements

How to use this poster template…

Simply highlight this text and replace it by typing in your own text, or copy and paste your text from a MS Word document or a PowerPoint slide presentation.

The sub-title text boxes can be moved up or down depending on how big or small each of your sections are.

The body text / font size should be between 18 and 32 points; Arial, Helvetica or equivalent.

Keep body text left-aligned, do not justify text.

The color of the text, title and poster background can be changed to the color of your choice.

Discussion