Presentation and publication skills: How to prepare a scientific poster

A good scientific poster should capture the interest and imagination of the viewer and the overall aim should be to make the target audience want to know more about the topic. A well prepared poster will speak for itself and significantly aid the presenter in sharing the findings of their work. It can often lead to new and exciting collaborative opportunities. Although a well presented poster cannot make up for poor data, a poorly presented poster can lessen the impact of the work and cause it to be overlooked. This article emphasises some of the considerations that need to be borne in mind to make a poster scientifically valid, have visual impact and be attractive to the viewer. The key points are brevity, clarity, neatness and readability.