Poster Guidelines

TTU Honors College

Guidelines for Preparing a Conference Poster Download these Guidelines

Poster should be able to stand alone. The Honors College will provide 36x48 cardboard trifolds. Please print your poster (Architecture has a print lab for large posters on the 9th floor) and laminate it (Region 17 Service Center on Loop 289 allows students to laminate inexpensively). We will staple the poster to the trifold at the conference.
Ask at the conference registration table if the poster will be on display for the entire conference or just during the manned session and plan accordingly. Allow yourself plenty of time for the setup so that you can relax and enjoy the presentation. Although your poster will remain in the exhibit hall throughout the session, you will only be expected to present for the time listed in the program. As a result, your poster should be constructed so that it presents the desired information in a self-explanatory manner. You are expected to be present at the end of the session to remove your poster.

Your poster represents you, your school, and the conference. Take great care to plan and organize it well. Make sure it communicates the intended information in an interesting, visual manner. The Honors College will review posters and presentations and offer suggestions before we travel to the conference. Plan to have your poster ready one week before we travel.
Keep it simple and brief. A poster is not a place for you to tack up your entire paper for people to read. Instead, think of a poster as a series of highly efficient, organized “panels” upon which appear synopses of the relevant information you want to convey – just enough to get your point across.

Organize your poster materials using headings such as “Introduction,” “The Research Question,” “The Methodology,” and “Findings.” These headings will help establish a logical flow to your poster.
Use large enough fonts so people will not have to squint to read the material. For headings, use at least a 48-point font. For text, use nothing less than 18-point.
Make your poster visually appealing. Have fun. Be creative. Incorporate color. Use photographs, graphs, charts, maps and the like. Simplify charts and figures to include only relevant information. Be attentive to the layout and placement of your materials.
Place the title of your work in a prominent position on your poster. Include your name and Texas Tech University Honors College. You may wish to attach a pad of paper to your poster for visitors who have questions or would like more information about your research.

Do not plan on using audio-visual equipment. None will be provided, and if you bring your own, it will not be secure.
Cite your research on the poster (use APA or MLA format). This can be a small box at the bottom. Yes, it is plagiarism even on a poster.
Bring your poster to Honors the day before we travel so that we can pack them in canisters. We will use protective canisters but laminating is advised.
Handouts are welcome but not required. Plan on about 40 copies. Honors will make the copies if you give us enough notice. If you do a handout, be sure to add contact information so they can email you later.

Don’t wait until the last minute to print your poster. It is common to encounter problems with printing (cropping, distortion, graphics) and need to rework the design.
Ask for help. We have some seasoned student veterans on PowerPoint and graphics that are happy to help.