Academic posters are like a store display: Visual appeal gets people in the door - the content gets them to stay. Poster at the 2014 Canadian Knowledge Mobilization Forum, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 9-10 June 2014 by: Sara Fisher and Dr. Bronwynne Wilton

1. This research was supported by the OMAF and MRA-U of G Partnership
What you need to know
A good academic poster is like a store display – it must have the imagery and composition to get people’s attention. Academic posters
allow students to not only share their research but allows them to network and to develop skills they will need in their future.
What this research is about
Academic posters are an established element
of conferences and are often under-
acknowledged; however they provide a great
opportunity for students to both share their
work and network. Some university classes
are moving away from essays towards
posters as it makes students be concise yet
creative
It is important to remember that academic
posters are a lot like a window shopping
experience; it needs to look appealing to
encourage people to view the content.
What we have found
Posters are a unique because they use text,
graphics, colour, speech and gesture to convey
meaning all on a single view plane.
Developing a poster that is both informative and
engaging is a fine art. The presenter must act as a
writer, editor, designer and artist, carefully crafting
their work (or else, hours of preparation may be
easily ruined) to achieve optimal results.
The process of developing and presenting a poster
strengthens and nurtures communication skills.
They allow space for narratives and stories, where
the presenter can inform and engage with their
audiences.
To know more
Sara Fisher
(519) 826 3802
sfishe01@uoguelph.ca
Academic posters are like a store display
Sara Fisher and Dr. Bronwynne Wilton
Office of Research, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1
What we have done
To facilitate student skill development and networking
Agri-Food and Rural Link has developed a plain language
poster template (you're reading one right now) which
encourages students to tell the story of their research –
with emphasis on “who cares” and “so what”.
We also provide training sessions to the students before
they participate in one of our poster competitions which
are held in conjunction with knowledge translation and
transfer events. At the competition students give a
1-minute poster pitch to highlight their story and
encourage people to visit them at their poster.
Reference: MacIntosh-Murray (2007). Poster Presentations as a Genre in Knowledge Communication. Science Communication 28:3 pp 347-376
“Visual appeal gets people in the door - the content gets them to stay.”