Poster Instructions
Best Practices
It's easy to get lost in the details and want to showcase as much information as possible on your poster, but the key to an engaging poster that keeps a reader's attention is to focus on three points: clarity, being concise, and having a strategic design.
Be Clear
Ask yourself, “What would I need to know if I were viewing this material for the first time?” And then state the information clearly.
- Have you provided all the obvious information?
- Will a casual observer understand your major findings after a quick look?
- Will a more careful reader learn enough to ask informed questions?
Be Concise
Keep it simple. Place your major points on the poster and save the non-essential, but interesting, highlights for follow-up discussion. Be selective. Your final conclusions or summary should leave observers focused on a brief statement of your most important findings.
- Is the sequence of information evident?
- Is the content being communicated clearly?
Use Effective Design
The design of your poster should reflect your goals to convey your research and findings clearly and effectively. We recommend you consider using our own APA mod template of the Better Poster —a newer approach that focuses on the central message more explicitly.
Why use the “Better Poster” APA mod?
- It fosters questions and discussion with your viewers
- It’s easy to identify critical takeaways
- It’s visually appealing and eye-catching, which makes people more likely to stop and read more
- It encourages presenters to be creative, think about how to translate their findings, and focus on what's important
- It has been designed with accessibility for all attendees in mind
Learn more about the
“Better Poster” APA mod.
In-person Poster Guidelines
Please note that APA 2025 attendee badges will be required for entry into the Poster Hall due to its location within the Solutions Center. Poster presenters are not exempt from this requirement and security guards will be checking badges at the entrance.
We will provide boards mounted on stands in the poster hall. The poster board surface area is 4’ (122cm) high and 6’ (183 cm) wide. Your place among the poster boards will be indicated by the number listed next to your paper in the APA 2025 program (e.g., A-1, A-2).
Participants should plan to place their materials on the poster board during the ten minutes immediately preceding the hour when their poster session is scheduled (thumbtacks will be provided). Materials must be removed from the poster board at the end of each poster session. Poster sessions must end promptly at 50 minutes after the hour in order to provide time for individuals in the next poster session to set up their posters.
We also encourage in-person poster participants to submit their poster to the virtual poster hall by uploading a digital copy of their poster to the APA 2025 platform.
Virtual Poster Guidelines
Virtual poster presenters must upload their poster to the APA 2025 platform. Log in details and instructions will be provided via email this summer. For assistance, please email convention@apa.org
- All virtual posters must be uploaded as a PDF.
- We also encourage you to upload a short explainer video along with your virtual poster. These videos are most effective when under five minutes.
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