You might have a BAD poster if

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You might have a BAD poster if

• A PSA from four PHD students who have been there

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1. your poster is CUT PASTED from a PAPER
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2. if your poster is in 12-point font

• If it doesnt fit, you must SHORTEN IT!!!

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3. If your poster has more EQUATIONS than WORDS
OR FIGURES

• Equations should be explained with terms
  identified

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4. If a passing observer cant find ABSTRACT and
RESULTS at a glance
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5. If YOU cant find what youre talking about on
your own poster
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6. If your poster contains COMIC SANS

• My work is a joke!!

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7. If your poster contains CLIP ART
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8. If your poster is comprehensible only to your
direct colleagues/subfield

• Minimize jargon, especially in titles

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9. If you are not at your poster for, at the VERY
VERY LEAST, the full session you are listed for
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10. If you are wearing a torn undershirt, tuxedo,
an evening gown, etc
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DO

• Start from the beginning when presenting
• For a relatively GENERAL AUDIENCE poster session
  (like this), do put your work in context
• Grand motivation
• Your sub-field
• Its OK if your results are a small part of the
  poster, as long as its clear that they are YOUR
  RESULTS
• have your contact information
• Do it in PICTURES
• if that doesnt work, do it in WORDS
• if that doesnt work, do it in EQUATIONS
• if that doesnt work, do it in MIME
• remember that people LIKE TO HEAR WHAT THEY
  ALREADY KNOW!
• have white papers/copies of the poster/preprints
  in a professional conference