Student Inquiry amd Research Program Details
The Poster Presentation
Poster displays of student investigations are set up at IMSA prior to IMSAloquium. During the IMSAloquium poster session, all students stand by their posters to be available for questions and discussion with interested parties.
Posters display the work visually; with exhibit, text, graphs, drawings, photographs, and the like. The poster should tell the story of the work. Material presented via poster should be simple, yet convey the work that was completed. Bulleted text containing the key points is standard. Someone viewing the poster presentation does not want to read large volumes of textual material.
The poster content and layout should be arranged for optimal visual appeal, including graphics and pictures as appropriate. Remember to include on your poster a written citation for each source of visual content that is not your own original creation. Terms for how to use and/or cite such sources may differ: some sources require written permission before reproducing images; other sources may require only that a reproduction contains a writen citation of the source.
Poster content that were hastily assembled results in a poster that looks hastily assembled. Allow plenty of design time to achieve a visually appealing result. After the poster has been designed, consider using IMSA's poster printer to automate production. See the poster guidelines below for detailed assistance.
Visual Displays
Some investigations, such as artistic visual arts, music, or creative writing projects, may not lend themselves to the traditional visual presentation. You will need to be creative in putting your visual display together, but it should contain the basics such as title, your name, your advisor(s) name(s), abstract, introduction, discussion/conclusion, and bibliography. Your display should contain samples of your work, its evolution, plus an academic discussion of how you pursued your investigation and what you have learned. Your advisor may have additional ideas; materials and assistance are available in the Grainger Center for Investigation and Inquiry (GCII) - contact the Grainger Center Director for help.
What will differ, and probably make your poster more unique, is how creative you choose to make it. Keep in mind those issues of quality craftsmanship and general visual appeal should be an important goal. Select a font(s) that do not clash and are easily readable. Choose colors and backgrounds that will not clash or be too intense for the viewer to look at. If you use fluorescent colors, use them sparingly. Take creative license to make a visually appealing but creative poster. Some people have the expectation that since your investigation is a creative experience, it should have a more creative visual poster/display than most. So, live up to that expectation.
Poster Samples
Because some investigation topics may involve significantly different approachs, their cooresponding posters should reflect this distinctiveness. To help address poster preparation questions for such areas, it may be useful to consider the following:
Please discuss poster question with your advisor before you put the poster content together in a permanent form.
Preparing the Poster
Basic poster content includes the title of the investigation, your name, your advisor(s) name(s), abstract, introduction, discussion/conclusion, bibliography and citation of all graphics/pictures that are not your original work. Make sure you identify yourself, your advisor(s), and display your investigation title PROMINENTLY on your poster!
Poster design DOs include:
- Your poster should be visually appealing
- Your poster should flow from beginning to end. However, individuals viewing your poster will most likely begin in the middle and then move to elements that surround the data and results.
- Text should be easily read from a distance of 4 feet
- Use a font size of 14 point or larger
- Information should be contained in statements that are bulleted and short - do not use lengthy text as people will not take the time to read it.
- Begin preparation of your poster early; present it to your advisor for review at least one week in advance of the display due date.
- Diagram your poster layout before you assemble it in its final fixed form.
Poster DON'Ts include:
- DON'T use background colors that are difficult to look at.
- DON'T staple your power point slides to the wall.
Ensure that you allow time for your advisor to review and provide feedback on your poster, and time to make any recommended changes, before you print your final poster for display at IMSAloquium.
Poster Production Resources
Posters should be large enough to be interesting from several feet away. Heavy duty poster board, construction paper, and poster glue are familiar old "techonologies" for poster assembly. The student may wish to consider completely designing the poster in electronic form and using the specialized poster printer to print poster content on special poster-sized printer paper.
Poster Display Logistics
Logistical information will be made available closer to the time of the presentation at IMSAloquium. Or, you can contact the SIR Coordinator for logistical details on your poster display.
Poster Evaluation
The poster is evaluated to give feedback on the effectiveness of this visual means of communicating key points and results of the project. Evaluation forms will help you understand areas of assessment and associated criteria and can serve as a useful checklist during the early stages of poster design and preparation:
At IMSAloquium, an assigned evaluator will use the appropriate evaluation form to evaluate and give feedback on your poster display.