Scientific Poster Design

Step by step guide on how to write and design a scientific poster

UKDBT01890 August 2014

“Nurses working in diabetes have a lot to share about good clinical practice and

care delivery. TREND-UK believes this tool is an excellent way of helping

nurses to gain confidence in sharing best practice through the development

of a poster presentation.” Company Confidential ©2014 Eli Lilly and Company 2

Why don’t we write more posters?

• Lack of time

• Overworked

• Not a priority

• Don’t know where to start

• Never done one before

• What should I include?

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Why should you consider writing a poster?

Provides a platform to document your work, develop and share good practice with your immediate peer group and wider circle.

Reflects your input into patient care and service development in line with environmental changes within the NHS. The current climate within the NHS encourages measurement and communication – poster presentation is an opportunity to address this need.

Positively contribute to the existing information available in your area of research.

Demonstrates your motivation within your field of work and raises your profile both internally and externally.

Generates an opportunity to present at meetings/conferences and encourages publications.

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So where do you start?

Decide on which meeting you going to submit your poster (e.g. Diabetes UK, EASD, ADA) and ensure you are able to meet the requirements for the conference such as;• Submission dates • Programme topics • Planning ahead where possible

Review the guidelines and details required including;• Size of poster • Portrait style • Printing timelines etc ensuring you strictly adhere to the submission criteria

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What is appropriate to share?Information presented in a poster may be based on...

• Original research

• Evaluation of a new protocol or device

• Case series: This can cover new methods of management or treatment

• Audit results6

All types are valid. These can be applied to the area of care which is being reviewed

Before you begin…

Before a poster is accepted for a conference you may be required to submit an abstract – ‘call for abstracts’.

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An abstract in essence is the required summary of your poster and should accurately summarise what you have done. The abstract is

used for inclusion within the conference ‘meeting brochure’. Check if there is an assigned conference template,

if not, then the following generic headings will provide a basic structure for you to follow.

Structure of a typical abstract

• Title

• Introduction/Background: This should be approx 5 lines

• Aims/Purpose: One sentence should cover this

• Methods and analysis: Briefly describe what you did, measurement tools used

• Results: Clearly state the facts or outcome

• Discussion: This covers your opinion of what you think the results meanWhat are the implications and any limitations?

*Do not include the abstract on your poster

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Writing your poster

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Preparing the poster will allow more in depth information to be shared with colleagues to the original abstract however the content structure remains the same.

Title

• Capture the focus of what you have done

• Try to use a catchy title – one that is short, concise and easily understood

• Always include the author(s) details underneath the title of your poster

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Aims/Purpose

This clearly states what you are going to look at, for example:

‘The aims of this study was….’

or

‘The purpose of this project was…..’

to provide a brief overview to the audience.

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Introduction/Background

This section defines the topic you are investigating and gives the background analysis as to why you are looking at this topic and why it is important - the rationale and significance.

In terms of layout, this section can consist of text or bullet points depending on your individual preference. Also within this section is where you may reference national documents/guidelines to support your rationale.

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Methods & Analysis

This section should explain the design of what you did and should be clear so that your audience can quickly understand and evaluate your approach.

Due to space limitations there may or may not be enough details as to allow another person to replicate what you did, however it should provide enough information for an individual to decide if the method you used was valid.

This section should include the information on any subjects included –how they were selected, measurement tools used, protocols and other details which were important in undertaking your work.

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Results

Clearly state the facts or outcome which you established from your work. This should include any findings along with statistical analysis of the data, figures and/or tables which document your results. All data should be clearly labelled. The results should be consistent with the aim/purpose of the study.

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Conclusion

• This can be a separate section or can be incorporate as the last paragraph of your discussion section. Any conclusions which are drawn from the data need to be supported by the findings. This should be the strongest part of the poster and is often the area which is focussed on first

• Ensure all your details are added onto the poster

• Author details-name, organisation and logo, contact details, date

• References which you may have cited in the background section

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How your poster is measured

Scale of 1-5

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Scientific Validity

Relevance to Practice

Originality Clarity of Writing

Clarity of Presentation

Overall Impression

It has to be over 21 to be accepted

Sample posters

This poster template is

available on: https://www.lillypro.co.uk/diabetes/hcps/professional-resources/PosterWritingGuide

Finally…

Finally, some questions to ask yourself as a Checklist Tick Box:

Submission dates and conference requirements Have you checked for spelling mistakes and grammar? Correct size for the conference-portrait or landscape Is your poster clear and uncluttered-does it grab the

reviewers attention? Is your poster legible from a short distance? Before sending for printing it is advisable to get an A3

copy produced to proof read for errors before committing to final print

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