• Maximum Poster Size: 3'w x 4'h (91cm x 122cm).
Maximum poster size is determined by the size of poster stands. Posters exceeding the size of the poster stand will be displayed at Presenter’s risk (note: horizontal overhang can bend and tear). If an oversize poster impedes the walkway, Program Producers reserve the right to have the poster removed.  We appreciate the Presenter’s cooperation with poster size regulation, to ensure that all poster presenters have adequate display space.

Some pointers we hope you will consider:

• Time Management
Does your poster make a pleasing presentation from a distance? Does your poster present a “hook” that invites the reviewer to look more closely?

• Poster Placement
Place the poster so that the average viewer will have about 60% of the poster above eye level and 40% below. Looking up is easier than looking down, and if viewers have to bend down or squat to see the lower portion you may lose their attention.

• Including the Abstract
If relevant to your project provide an abstract. Use bullets with abbreviated telegraphic text and list only the main points.

• An Eye-catching Title
Use a short primary title, followed if necessary by a longer and more descriptive subtitle. If possible, word the title so as to “hook” the reviewer into looking at the poster. Avoid long, all-inclusive titles as might be appropriate for a journal article.

• Authors' Credits
Give clear attribution to the names and study years of the authors, and to faculty support if relevant.

• Headings and Content
List headings for major sections which, in the case of a research study, might include hypothesis, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. In each section use the minimum text consistent with clarity and subject matter; prefer telegraphic style whenever possible, and minimize use of full language prose as would be appropriate in an article. Make maximum use of bullets or numbered items for ease of quick review. Prefer use of the active voice, e.g., “we found,” rather than “it was found,” and declarative prose.

• Background Color
Avoid a background color that transitions over the panel from light to dark since it will reduce the contrast between some of the text and the background.

• Choosing Fonts
Make sure font size makes your poster easily readable from about five feet since you may have multiple viewers at any one time and you don’t want to exclude those with more limited visual acuity. Use the same font size throughout except for titles and headings, which can be larger, and for references, which can be smaller. Avoid unnecessary changes in font style; don’t be “cute” by shifting styles. Occasional use of italics, bold, or underline for emphasis may be appropriate, however.

• Use of Graphics
Use self-explanatory graphics that do not require reference to other parts of the poster and be sure to have complete legends and scales on the X- and Y-axes. Use bright, contrasting lines and symbols, that is, don’t have dark red lines against a dark blue background, etc. If appropriate, include a one-sentence interpretation of a graph’s significance in the text portion of the poster.

• Use of Pictures
Make sure your pictures of persons, buildings, scenery, etc., actually are relevant to your central message by providing context, etc. Use photos to reinforce content, and not solely as decoration. Place pictures close to relevant text and graphs.

• Sequence and Flow
Make sure you have the various sections of your poster in a logical sequence so your reviewer can proceed through your presentation as you intended. Do you expect your viewers to proceed left to right, and then down a row, as in a book, or to read down as in a column, or some other sequence? If there is any doubt as to sequence, provide arrows or numbers that lead the reviewer from one block to the next one.

• Take-away information
Consider the merits of providing viewers with a one-page handout that summarizes the key elements of your project (beyond what is presented in the program abstract) and provides author names and contact information. The annual GHEC conference has two central objectives—to learn from others and to network—and an attractive handout will facilitate both.

• Two-minute Test
Finally, submit your poster to the “two-minute test” with friends unfamiliar with your project. Ask them if they can, after a two-minute review, grasp the basics of your project and accurately summarize your core message?

Good luck with your project, and we look forward to seeing your poster presentation!