Presentations Guidelines for Posters

Undergraduate Research & Creative Achievement Day 2026

Presentations Guidelines for Displaying Posters in the RAC

(Oral presenters and exhibitions/performances have a separate set of guidelines on the presenters’ resources website.)

Displaying Your Poster

On April 21 and 22 (Day of URCAD)

Come to the RAC on Tuesday, April 21– the day before URCAD, to hang your poster on your allotted poster number. This means you must plan to print your poster BEFORE April 21.  You will be assigned a poster number- keep an eye on your email for your assigned number. There will also be large TV screens in the RAC listing your poster title and number. We will provide push pins to hang your poster on the easel. Pick up your name tag and wear it at URCAD.

Day of URCAD:

Please plan to arrive BEFORE your allotted poster session start time. If you are presenting in the morning session (10-11:00am), please arrive by 9:45am. Please place your backpack in the backpack storage area before going to your poster. At 10am, go directly to your poster board, put on your name tag, and start talking with visitors.

If you are presenting in the afternoon session (1-2:00pm), please arrive by 12:45. Please place your backpack in the backpack storage area before going to your poster. At 1pm, go directly to your poster board, put on your name tag, and start talking with visitors.

Be prepared to give a 30-second “walk through” of your poster to viewers. Explain succinctly why the project was undertaken, how you studied your subject, what your results were, and the conclusions you have drawn from the results. Be prepared to answer questions about each section of your poster and explain charts and graphs.

Removing Posters: 

You can remove your poster after the session has ended. You may have a friend remove your poster for you. Do not remove your poster early, and plan to stay for the entire 1 hour session.

Special Needs: 

Make sure you have confirmed with Dr. April Householder the need for electricity, special equipment, a table, or a larger space.

Creating Your Poster: 

**poster templates are available on the UR website at: https://ur.umbc.edu/urcad/resources/

Most effective, informative, interesting posters have the following in common:

  • Language that is easy to understand and that is free of jargon
  • Large, easy-to-read typefaces with informative subheadings
  • Legible colors and layout
  • Small “chunks” of information rather than long paragraphs of text
  • Orderly, logical progression of information
  • Informative summary statement or title for each element or panel

Elements of a Poster:

Draft and format the information you want to present in each of these areas:

  • Title/Banner (Typically shorter than your formal research project title)
  • Author(s), department(s), affiliation (UMBC)
  • Overview/background of the topic area
  • Statement of the research question
  • Definitions of technical terms, if necessary
  • Methodology
  • Findings/data
  • Interpretation/discussion of findings
  • Conclusions
  • Future research suggested by findings
  • Acknowledgements of individuals/organizations that contributed to this project. This typically repeats the funding acknowledgement from your URCAD abstract.

Points to Remember:

  • Use a font size of at least 28 points for text. Titles and subheadings should be even larger (36 to 48 points) so that they stand out.
  • Make your presentation understandable to an educated layperson.
  • Define ALL technical terms. If certain terms are used throughout your poster, you can include a panel that lists definitions.
  • Use bullets and/or boldface to highlight the most important points.
  • Include a summary of the most important points, and a statement of the “take-home” message. This should be the last element or panel of the poster.
  • Don’t pounce on people as they approach. Let them read and ask a question.

Planning the Poster Layout:

Posters will be mounted in the RAC on backing with the dimensions: 30” h x 40” w.

Placing text in vertical columns is typically recommended, allowing a viewer to shift position after reading each column, rather than moving back and forth in front of the poster. This becomes important when several people are viewing your poster at once. You can see examples of posters from previous years on our website:

https://ur.umbc.edu/urcad/resources/

The poster should be in landscape format.  Posters exceeding the 30 x 40” format will not fit on the easels.

Poster Printing:

Have all content approved by your mentor before printing. Printers on campus include:

  1. commonvision, UMBC Student Design and Print Center commonvision@umbc.edu, 410-455-1884. Files can be e-mailed or brought into the office on a flash drive. Cost is calculated based on size and paper type (luster paper is standard). See online cost calculator at commonvision.umbc.edu/calculator. Payment can be via campus card, department card, or department chart string. The last day to request your poster is Friday, April 13th at 5 p.m. After this date, a late fee of $25.00 may be charged, and orders will be accepted on a case by case basis. Be sure to state your maximum size of 30” h x 40”w. Turnaround times start at the time of file approval, not when the email is sent. Make sure to respond promptly to any follow up questions.
  2. Research Graphics – Please refer to specific printing instructions and cost of printing at https://researchgraphics.umbc.edu/welcome/poster-printing/ Lab or Department chartstrings are preferred payment, if paying yourself, you will need to fill out an additional Off-Campus Billing Form. Deadline to submit files for printing (PI or department must approve print and submit chartstring) is April 15th at 5pm EST.Be sure your PDF file is no larger than 30”h x 40” w.
  3. Departmental print shops – some departments or programs on campus have access to large format printing. Please check with your mentor to see if they have a preferred method for printing posters.
  4. Posters can also be printed at commercial stores such as Office Depot and Staples, but timelines and fees will depend on the store. Also, these places do not accept departmental or UMBC payments.

Resources:

April Householder – Office of Undergraduate Research: aprilh@umbc.edu, 5-5754

Devon Fick – Office of Undergraduate Research: dfick1@umbc.edu, 5-5513

Timothy Phin – Department of Ancient Studies: tphin@umbc.edu

Emma Hagen- Commonvision: ehagen1@umbc.edu

Melissa Penley Cormier- Research Graphics: 102 Biological Sciences Building (410) 455-2257,  melico1@umbc.edu