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Poster Instructions

Fulton Poster Instructions

Deadline for submitting posters: {Submission_Deadline}

How your research is judged

  1. Research (50%): Research question is interesting and builds on prior studies, research methods are appropriate, findings are substantiated with evidence and a strong argument, implications are presented as appropriate.
  2. Clarity (15%): All elements of the research including the purpose, question, methodologies, and findings are explained clearly and are logically organized.
  3. Visual (20%): Your poster is well organized with titles and headings and is visually pleasing. It includes an interesting combination of images, figures, and written text.
  4. Video (15%)

What to include on your poster

  1. Names of all investigators: students and faculty.
  2. Department name: e.g. "Psychology Department" or "School of Family Life"
  3. A title: Use the same title in the online submission form.
  4. A BYU logo: To download a high-quality version of the BYU monogram or primary logo lockup, click here; do not use the BYU medallion as it is now reserved for formal, official, institutional purposes.
  5. A description of your research.

Creating your poster

  1. Choose a program to use. Most students create their posters in Microsoft PowerPoint. You can also use programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, or Canva. There are many instructional videos on YouTube if you need help with the software.
  2. Set your poster dimensions to 44" wide and 33" high (landscape orientation). In PowerPoint, this can be done by going to Design > Slide Size > and set the aspect ratio to 4:3. Click on "Page Setup" and enter 44" for the width and 33" for the height. In Canva, when creating the file, select "Custom File" and set the dimensions to 44" wide and 33" high.
  3. Your font should be no smaller than 24 pt. Since the poster will be much larger than it is on your screen, your smallest words should be at least 24 pt font size. Headlines and subheads should be much larger. Avoid fonts that are hard to read or distracting from the actual content of your poster.
  4. Use images that are 300 dpi (dots-per-inch) or higher. When selecting images for your poster, remember they are going to be printed on a large poster. Both printing and size require high-resolution images to avoid pixelation. Ideally, the resolution of any images on your poster needs to be 300 dpi (dots per inch) or higher. Anything smaller than that will be blurry and distorted upon printing. Images found on the internet are generally 72 dpi and therefore insufficient. For free high-resolution image options, refer to this page: https://copyright.byu.edu/free-image-resources.
  5. Proofread your poster a few times. Also have a friend read through it. Once submitted, your poster will be printed and we will not reprint posters to fix errors. 
  6. Convert your poster to a PDF file format. Generally, this can be done in any program by choosing a "Save As" or "Export" option from the "File" menu. In Powerpoint, select File > Export > Save as PDF. In Canva, choose "Share" and select "Download." Change the file type to "PDF Print" and select "Flatten PDF" and change the color profile to CMYK. Download the file to your desired location.
Poster Examples
Below are examples of winning posters from previous years. You can find more posters in the hallway on the 9th floor of the Kimball Tower and in the Harold B. Lee Library's ScholarsArchive.
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