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Communicating Research: Poster Design

A Guide to Research Poster Design

What is a Research Poster?

A research poster is a form of visual communication. It comprises of text and other visual elements which are then organised and placed onto a layout to produce a highly readable “illustrated abstract”.

This guide will provide you with the information that you need to create an effective research poster.

Elements in a Research Poster

A poster contains text and other visuals elements such as graphics, space, colour and background.

Textual elements

  • Title
  • Introduction
  • Materials & Methods
  • Results / Findings
  • Conclusion / Discussion
  • References
  • Acknowledgements
  • Authors’ names, contacts & affiliations


Other visual elements

  • Background
  • Colour
  • Diagrams
  • Graphics
  • Icons
  • Images
  • Space