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You will be expected to stand by your poster during the session. Two local members of the examination board and an intercollegiate or external examiner will separately discuss your poster with you before agreeing a mark.
The recommended size for the poster is A0 (841 x 1189mm) and should preferably be printed in landscape layout.
Further information on designing A0 posters is available on a KCL webpage, How to make A0 posters. Instructions on printing posters from a PAWS workstation are here.
A clear, simple, uncluttered arrangement is the most attractive and the easiest to read.
The title lettering should be approximately 3"/8cm high, with authors' names and affiliations in somewhat smaller print.
All lettering should be legible from a distance of approximately 5'/1.5m. Type size should be at least 24 point, in bold style. The typeface chosen should be a simple and clear one (e.g., Helvetica, Arial). Titles should be in all upper case letters. The remainder of the text be in a combination of upper and lower case letters.
Color should be used sparingly, to provide contrast. The featured parts of the poster can be highlighted with warm colours, and the less important parts can be done in cool colours. Some suggestions for colour combinations are as follows: Green on white, red on white, black on white, blue on white, white on blue, and white on black.
Illustrations should be simple and eye-catching, with unnecessary detail left out. If possible, convert tables to graphic displays. Pie graphs can be used to show parts of a whole, line graphs can be used to show trends or changing relationships, and bar graphs can be used to show volumes.
Patient confidentiality must be protected. No names should appear in illustrations.
Further guidance is available from several websites, e.g.,
Design of scientific posters
Creating effective posters
Colin Purrington
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