A typical Poster Session using Octonorm poster boards

PREPARING YOUR POSTER PRESENTATION

1. A Poster Presentation is not a “Poster” in the sense of being just one large piece of paper. It often consists of many different sheets containing text as bullet points, charts, tables, graphics and photos to help a face-to-face explanation of your topic.
2. The title of a poster should be exactly as it was written in your original submission for review. At the top of the poster there should be a banner indicating the title, authors & institutions. The lettering for this section should be not less than 2.5cms (1 inch) high.  Letters in the title should be at least 2.5cm high.
3. You may wish to put your e-mail address onto the poster as an easy point of contact for interested viewers
4. The material should be well labelled and legible from a distance of up to 2.5 meters. Lettering should be bold and at least least 1cm (3/8 inch) high, on white, pale yellow or cream-colored non-glossy paper. Use 2.5cm margins. Avoid use of fancy fonts. Use upper and lowercase letters. Fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial are easier to read.
5. Words should be spelled out, avoiding unfamiliar abbreviations
6. The text, tables and graphics should look integrated. The same typeface should be used for all and ruled lines separating different types of information should be avoided
7. Lines of text should contain about 10 to 12 words
8. Color should be used sparingly and not with great contrast
9. Tables are preferable to graphics for small data sets
10. Tables also work well when data presentation requires many localized comparison
11. Explanations should be used to enhance access to the richness of data and make graphics more attractive to the viewer. Little messages help explain data. Labels should be placed on the graphics itself, no legend is required
12. Words and illustrations should go together - tables and graphics should be integrated within the text whenever possible, avoiding clumsy diverting segregation
13. Elaborately coded shadings and cross-hatching  should be avoided
14. Organizing the poster presentation into sections such as Introduction, methods, results and conclusions are very helpful, organizing the section in the sequence that the viewer is expected to read them.
15. If the poster represents scientific findings, data, or other information that required specific methods, be sure the poster includes this "methodology". For example, how many people were surveyed, how they were recruited, what statistics were used, and any other information that will help explain the data.
16. The official language of the WCToH is English. Please PROOF READ your poster carefully before printing it, and get assistance from other colleagues with strong English skills.
17. The author should prepare all printed materials in advance and bring it with him /her to the conference.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR POSTER DISPLAY

1. Poster sessions consist of rows of posters on similar topics. The poster boards will be numbered (session numbers will be indicated at the end of each row of boards). You will be provided with the number of your poster board.  There may be multiple poster sessions scheduled concurrently, so be sure to identify the correct row of boards for your session as well as the appropriate board number as provided to you by the Poster Help Desk and indicated in the program, before arranging your poster.
2. The Organisers will provide poster boards. These will be made of Octonorm panelling as illustrated in the photograph above. Octonorm panels are hard plasticized board. Thumbtacks do not penetrate it, so soft plasticine tape will be available at the help desk for sticking your papers. Use this at the corners of each sheet.
3. The area for sticking your poster will be no more than 5 feet (60 inches or 150 cms)  in height,   by 38 inches ( 96 cm in width).  Do not exceed these size limits.
4. If you want to distribute handouts, bring approximately 10 copies. Highlight the authors names and contacts in case the viewer is interested in contacting them for more information. No audiovisual equipment is permitted for poster presentations. Bring your visiting cards.
5. The conference will NOT offer presenters any additional media for the poster sessions (videos, audios, Internet/computer connection).

POSTER HELP DESK

A Poster Help Desk will be set up by the organisers in the Poster display area. If you hand over your poster to the Help Desk by the evening of the day previous to your session, the Help Desk staff will put up your poster for you.

The Help Desk staff will also take down all posters every evening and store them. To take back your poster, please contact the Help Desk. Posters remaining unclaimed at the end of the conference will be discarded.

MORE TIPS

Lettering:
Title and subtitles should be in capital letters, although the authors and affiliations in the main title can be lower case to accentuate the title. General text should be in lower case, as this is much easier to read and should be double-spaced in large font.

One word:
Simplify! Complex graphs are too difficult to read and comprehend. Lettering on the graph should be at least 1/4" (7 mm) high and lines on the graph no thinner than 2 mm. Simple use of color can add emphasis effectively. Each graph should have a heading of 1 or 2 lines stating the take-home message. Detailed information should be provided in a legend accompanying each graph. Overall graph size should not be smaller than 5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm), the larger 8" x 10" (20.3 x 25.4 cm) format preferred.

Photographs:
Photographs and micrographs should have good contrast and sharp focus and should not contain unnecessary or distracting detail. Remember that they will be viewed from a distance of from 3 to 8 feet and should be large enough to be understood from that distance. Important objects should be labeled, and there should be clear indication of scale. Each photograph should have a heading of 1 or 2 lines stating the take-home message. Detailed information should be provided in a legend accompanying each photograph. The same size scale as stated for graphs applies: 5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm), the larger 8" x 10" (20.3 x 25.4 cm) format preferred.