conference poster presentation resources

wcucom resources

Major considerations when designing a poster

Title: Please put serious thought into the title. It needs to clearly and concisely state the point of the research. If it is catchy and humorous, that is fine but that is not the purpose of the title. Viewers will look to the title to decide if your poster is worth the time to read.

Overall format: Always keep in mind that a poster is first and foremost a VISUAL presentation of your project. Therefore, the visual aspects (images, figures, flow charts, tables, etc) should dominate the poster and the words play a supporting role. All parts of the poster should be easily visible to a visitor standing 3-5 feet away. Many beginners make the mistake of assuming a poster is simply a printed version of a publication. That is not the case, especially not for a detailed research study. More visual, less narrative. Finally, all posters should have a QR code hyperlinked to a document like a google doc or pdf that can be easily updated. That way you don't have to reprint the poster for presentation at a later conference. There are many free QR code generators available as browser extensions or websites.

Poster authorship: Individuals listed as authors should have made a significant contribution to the project being presented. Typically for medical poster presentations the authors are listed with their advanced degrees, i.e. beyond the bachelors degree. Medical students should list their medical degree by year, i.e. OMSIII, along with any graduate degrees they may have. Residents will also list by year, i.e. PGY3, plus their medical degree. Preceptors and other collaborating physicians will simply list their medical and any graduate degrees. The presenting author, who is usually the one that made the poster, is listed first.

Please refrain from the unethical practice of "honorary authorship", which is unfortunately common in the medical community.

Institutional affiliation of authors: WCUCOM students should list William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (using this exact wording) as their institutional affiliation along with the institution at which they performed the project. Nonstudent authors should indicate their professional affiliation. For example, clinical preceptors will indicate their hospital or clinic affiliation. The preceptor should always be a coauthor on a case report. All affiliated institutions, including the school, should include city, state, and zip code. (Do not include street address.) Both the WCUCOM icon and the partner institution icon should be on the poster, usually at the two top corners.

WCUCOM icons for posters RED-pdf RED-jpg BLACK-pdf BLACK-jpg

References: Again, a poster is not a publication so reference citations should be at an absolute minimum. This is usually 3-4 references. If you want to give the visitor an opportunity to find out more about your project or a longer bibliography, use the QR code to link out to additional information.

Financing your poster:

The WCUCOM Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will reimburse reasonable costs for the printing of research studies, case reports, and other approved scholarly activities to be presented at regional or national meetings.

For printing in Hattiesburg we often use Bourne Brothers Printing. If you are far away from Hattiesburg, there are many printers like Office Depot that will do this quickly and at a reasonable charge. If a local printer is not convenient, you may consider an online printer like PosterNerd or PhDPosters. Both sites have tutorials, and poster templates, with additional templates listed at the bottom of this page. Posters can be many different sizes, with the most standard size being 36 x 48 inches, i.e. 36 inches high and 48 inches wide. You should follow exactly the poster requirements of the conference.

Reimbursement process: If the poster has to be ordered online, shipping expenses will be defrayed but not necessarily completely reimbursed. Posters normally cost $65-70. If the poster needs to be shipped, reimbursement will be capped at $100 total so plan ahead and do not use overnight shipping unless you are willing to pay the overage. Second or third day air is usually more than sufficient if you are planning ahead.

Please provide three documents with your reimbursement request: 1) a pdf of the poster itself, 2) the receipt for printing of the poster, and 3) evidence that you actually presented the poster. The third item can be a conference program listing your presentation, an email from the conference organizer, or some other similar type of documentation of the presentation.

Reimbursement limitations:

Reimbursement is for ONE poster per presenting student per conference.
There is no reimbursement to reprint variations of the same poster for multiple conferences in the same year. Always include a QR code on your poster so the viewer can access revised/supplemental material and your contact information.
Posters not listing WCUCOM as the institutional affiliation of the student will not be reimbursed. Likewise, posters not displaying the WCUCOM institutional logo will not be reimbursed.
Posters not clearly related to research should be supported by the pertinent department or grant sponsor.
Preclinical education projects involving large groups of students are the responsibility of the pertinent department. For example, all aspects of the summer prosection seminar, including conference presentations, are the responsibility of the anatomy department.

There is a Travel Grant Application for WCUCOM students presenting at national conferences. This is a competitive award supported by limited funds, so funding is not automatic.