How to Create a Top-Notch Poster for Your Next Congress

Scientific posters can be a wonderful way to communicate data and spark conversations. They are also an excellent tool to get word out about new findings or trials before the entire dataset is ready for a full publication. With limited space, figuring out which data to include and the best way to present it can often be tricky. A good poster should get the basic message across in a few minutes. Working with an experienced medical communications agency can help you make the most of your poster.

• Decide which data to include

What are the most interesting, important, or unexpected results from your study or research? This first step is often the most difficult, but it is crucial to not overload a poster or the viewer will get lost in the noise. Keep in mind that posters should be readable from 10 feet away and need to be eye-catching to spark conversations. The presenter also needs to be able to walk viewers through the poster, so all the information should flow in a logical order.

• Keep things simple

Posters don’t leave a lot of room to explain; it’s vital to use your space wisely. You may have a lot of data to share, but a poster should focus on key facts, save the rest for a manuscript. Text should be kept to a minimum with most of the space dedicated to visual representations of your data. All charts and graphs should be understandable at a glance.

• Make important information stand out

Large congresses often have hundreds of posters on display, and the best way to get more eyes on your poster is to make it stand out. Color is a terrific way to emphasize the information you want to share. Images, easily understandable tables, charts, and graphs can make your poster stand out in the crowd.

A med comms agency can help you find the right colors in your style guide to make any poster appealing and help differentiate it from a room full of others.

• Consider it a starting point for a full manuscript

Putting a poster together gives you the chance to begin thinking through the data and how to present it, making it easier to pull a full manuscript together. Your med comms agency can help you incorporate these steps into your publication plan.

A poster can often give you a better understanding of what data people are interested in seeing as well. You may find that in conversation, people ask about other data not on the poster, offering a fantastic opportunity to consider further analyses that could be included in a manuscript.