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research poster template 36x48

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Poster Presentations

  • Size, Layout, and Text

Elements of a Poster

Change size in powerpoint, using the ruler, grid, and guides in powerpoint, more powerpoint training, template resources, font choice, text alignment.

  • Colors and Images

Your poster should include these elements:

  • Author(s), with affiliations and emails

If your poster is a representation of a research study, you will want to include the following sections:

  • Introduction or objective
  • Conclusions and/or discussion
  • Acknowledgements

If your poster is a representation of an event or other kind of project, you may want to forego formal abstract sections in favor of the 5 Ws:

  • Who (introduce the author, organization, or community)
  • What (what did you do? how did you do it?)
  • Where (where did you do it?)
  • When (when did it take place?)
  • Why (what are the outcomes, implications, or future possibilities?)

To change the size in Powerpoint:

  • Go to the Design tab and choose "Slide Size" (it's on the right size of the ribbon)
  • Choose "Custom Slide Size"
  • Change "Slides sized for:" to "Custom"
  • Fill in your desired width and height. 

Click the View tab to see checkboxes that will allow you to turn on the Ruler, Grid, and Guides (click the image below to see a screenshot).

Powerpoint ribbon location

Ruler : Allows you to see the dimensions of your slide. You'll see a vertical and horizontal ruler.

Grid : By default, the gridlines are 1 inch apart. Right click in white space of your poster to get more options for spacing. This enables precise alignment.

Guides : By default, you'll get one horizontal and one vertical guide placed in the center of your poster. Right click on a guide to add more guidelines, or to delete one. You can use Guides to invisibly define columns of your poster, margins, and more. This gives you manual control, alternatively, you can use Smart Guides (see below).

Smart Guides : Powerpoint has a built-in system for showing you alignment as you move objects around. The video below demonstrates what Smart Guides look like.

Once you've got your slide layout set, you'll want to start creating Shapes and Text Boxes. Here are some tips and tricks for working with objects:

  • Use Ctrl+D to duplicate any object.
  • Then you can format them all at once, identically!
  • You can also group them, for easier movement and alignment (right click to see the Group option).

Most posters are landscape (horizontal) orientation. The title/author(s) will be across the top, with 3–4 columns below that contain the rest of the poster elements. Make sure you leave plenty of white space in your design—a poster crammed full of text and images is very difficult to read.

Here is an example of a 2 column poster layout using the 5 Ws for headings (who, what, where, when, and why):

research poster template 36x48

Use the links below to download this template and other similar templates in two sizes: 24x36 and 36x48. These templates include a variety of placeholder elements for photos and figures.

  • 2 column Powerpoint template, size 24x36
  • 3 column Powerpoint template, size 24x36
  • 3 column Powerpoint template, size 36x48
  • 4 column Powerpoint template, size 36x48

Below are some additional web resources where you can search for templates. Keep in mind that you may need adjust the size of a template for your own poster. Alternatively, you can use the resources on this page to design your own layout in Powerpoint.

  • David Geffen School of Medicine poster templates Although this is labeled for the sciences, the information can be used in many disciplines.
  • Penn State poster template
  • PhD Posters
  • MakeSigns.com poster templates
  • The body of your poster should have a minimum 24 point font . Viewers should be able to read your smallest text from a few feet away.
  • The title of your poster should have a 50+ font size, depending on the size of your poster and the length of the title.
  • Do not use all uppercase letters for the title or body of the poster.
  • Avoid using more than 2 or 3 different fonts in one poster.
  • Stick with basic fonts like Times New Roman or Georgia for serif, or Arial or Helvetica for sans-serif. Avoid elaborate, difficult-to-read, or cartoon-like fonts.

research poster template 36x48

  • In general, left-align your text boxes (with the possible exception of your title and any image captions). Avoid centering the text on your whole poster.
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  • Last Updated: Nov 9, 2023 2:31 PM
  • URL: https://guides.library.ucla.edu/posters

Research Poster Template

Presenting research findings at an academic meeting? Create your poster using these UB-branded templates, which include accessible and optimally accessible versions in both print and digital formats.

On this page:

A student presenting a poster that uses UB's research poster template.

An example of a printed research poster.

Printable Poster Templates

These customizable PowerPoint templates are available in the following sizes only: 24'' x 18'', 36'' x 48'', 41'' x 36'', 42'' x 40'', 48'' x 36''.

If a different size is required than what is available here, you may adjust the template as needed, but do not stretch or modify the master brand mark or crest within the template.

Download files:

For best results, print your research poster through University Print Services . This is UB's preferred, on-campus vendor with lower costs than outside vendors and an experienced staff to help you. 

A student presenting a poster using UB's digital poster template.

An example of a digital poster presented on a freestanding digital display.

Digital Display Template

The digital version is designed for presentations on flat-panel HD displays in a 16:9 ratio. Do not use this version for printed displays.

Download file:

This template is designed only for digital display applications , such as on a smart TV.  University Print Services cannot print this version of the poster template.

Template Accessibility

Each template file has two poster versions, one that is “accessible” and another that is “optimally accessible.” While both versions are accessible, the “optimally accessible” version relies on patterns rather than color to visually differentiate the regions within the charts and graphs, which is better for certain types of color blindness.

Accessible Version

Zoom image: Research Poster Template

Optimally Accessible Version

Zoom image: Optimally Accessible Research Poster PowerPoint Template

A free online educational resource is available through Deque University to improve your web accessibility knowledge and skill set. The full curriculum contains over 30 courses on creating accessible documents, testing and more, which are extremely valuable skills for web developers, content editors and all faculty and staff who create online materials.

> Please register to access Deque University courses.

The University at Buffalo is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone, and applying the relevant accessibility standards to ensure we provide equal access to all users. If you experience any difficulty in accessing the content or services on this website, or if you have suggestions about improving the user experience, please contact:

University Communications at [email protected] or 716-645-6969 

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Poster Templates

Designing effective posters: poster templates.

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These templates are free for you to use as starting points for any research poster you need to make. Feel free to experiment with different colors, fonts, and layouts! 

Be sure to find out the size and orientation requirements of your poster before you begin designing. Most digital posters are either in the ratio 4:3 (standard size) or the ratio 16:9 (widescreen). The most common size for print posters is 48 inches wide by 36 inches tall. See our Getting Started page for more information on how to adjust the size of a slide.

All of these templates include a general UNC logo as part of the design. Although you are welcome to use the general logo, many schools encourage students, faculty, and researchers to use the logo that is specific to their school. You may not edit the logos in any way (other than resizing the logo in its entirety). Please see our page on using UNC Logos before including a logo in your poster. 

Standard (4:3 ratio; 48 in. x 36 in.)

  • Standard 4:3 (48x36) Poster Template - Style 1 PowerPoint Template
  • Standard 4:3 (48x36) Poster Template - Style 2 PowerPoint Template
  • Standard 4:3 (48x36) Poster Template - Style 3 PowerPoint Template
  • InDesign Template

Widescreen digital (16:9 ratio; 56 in. x 31.5 in.)

  • Widescreen 16:9 Poster Template - Style 1 PowerPoint Template
  • Widescreen 16:9 Poster Template - Style 2 PowerPoint Template
  • Widescreen 16:9 Poster Template - Style 3 PowerPoint Template
  • Last Updated: Nov 12, 2024 8:09 AM
  • URL: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/posters