The Poster Display will be available in the exhibition for the duration of the Forum of the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre.

Submission

For those wishing to submit a poster, please send the title, author (including contact details) and abstract (approx 100 words) to Melissah  (forum@walis.wa.gov.au) in the WALIS Office by Friday 9 October 2009. Please call Melissah  on +61 8 9273 7042 for further information or assistance.

Poster Guidelines

There are many excellent sources on how to get the most out of a poster. We have summarised a few key points from these resources as a starting point.

If you are unfamiliar with poster sessions, the following may be useful:

• There is no need to have a presentation but be prepared to answer questions and discuss your material with interested delegates.
• You may use a computer if you wish as part of your poster. Please bring your own laptop with well-charged batteries.
  
• Do include your contact information at the bottom to allow others who are interested to contact you afterwards, especially as your poster will be on display for the whole conference.

Poster Size

The posters will be displayed on poster display boards. All posters need to be A2, A1 or A0 in size. However, in practice most posters are best kept to an A0 size of approximately 120cm by 84cm (in either orientation). This is the size that people generally expect to see and there are poster templates available to assist in preparation.

Some presenters may wish to prepare the poster presentation as a series of smaller pages of A4 or A3 size. You should plan these so that the arrangement on the board does not exceed a 120cm by 84cm area.

Layout

A reader has difficulty following long lines of text from a typical poster viewing distance, so most posters use 3-5 columns depending on orientation. A large heading spanning the whole poster block is typical, incorporating the poster title, authors and affiliations (ie. logos).

The poster content may follow the common report structure of introduction, method, results, discussion, but each section should be reduced to the key points as much as possible. Given that some posters may have a life beyond the conference, it may be appropriate to include some elements with that longer-term purpose in mind (but that are not so easily read during the poster session) but these elements should not be essential to the message of the poster.

It is generally recommended to consider communicating key points or findings using graphs, diagrams, or images as much as possible instead of complex text or tables. Communicating key elements of the poster in point form is also common. Avoid long flowing paragraphs of complex prose. Avoid block left and right margins - it makes it harder for the eye to keep track of where you are at a distance. Ragged-right margins are much easier on the eye. Don't be afraid to use white space; overly dense posters exhaust the reader and the key points are more easily missed. Also keep in mind where your conclusion will end up on the poster board and avoid dense conclusions in small print below knee level.

Element Sizes

It is better to use larger fonts wherever possible. Some suggestions are: for the main title, 85 pt; authors and affiliations, around 56pt; subheads should be around 36 pt and body text 24pt. Figure and table captions might work at 18 pt.

Diagrams, graphs and images should be of a reasonable size. One good recommendation is to aim for figures of about 13 by 18 cms at a resolution of about 180 dpi. Much higher resolutions or much larger figures may make your file unnecessarily large and unwieldy.

If you are unsure about what sizes to use, you can always use a variation on a classic technique for posters - print off your design to an A4 page on transparancy film and use an OHP to blow it up to the appropriate size on a wall - stand back about 2 metres and see if all the material is easily read.

Production

Given most posters will have a life after the conference, it is highly recommended that all posters be laminated.

Handouts

It is common practice in poster sessions to have handouts available as a supplement for those who want to take away the key message of the presentation and/or more detail. While a poster should be self-contained as a presentation and not rely on supplementary information, handouts are an excellent place to include details which take away from the visual impact of the poster itself. For example, abstracts, references, and complex statistical details or large tables can be included on a handout with only the key elements or a summary represented on the poster itself.

Additional Resources

Below are links to various sites to assist you with your poster. Good luck!

Step-by-step guide

Preparing Professional Scientific Posters

Writing and Presenting a Scientific Poster

Lots more templates (plus more tutorial stuff)