literature review poster presentation template

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Research Poster Templates

18 creative research poster templates (word, powerpoint).

Learning how to create a research poster template is important as these are widely used in conferences, presentations, and more, especially in the academic community. A research or scientific poster template summarizes the research or information in a concise and attractive way to publicize this information and start discussions.

Table of Contents

• 1 Research Poster Templates
• 2 What makes a good research poster?
• 3 Research Poster Examples
• 4 Components of a research poster
• 5 Research Poster Presentations
• 6 The layout of your research poster
• 7 Design tips and guidelines for your research poster

What makes a good research poster?

A typical research poster template contains a combination of pictures, tables, graphs , and other elements used in presentations. This type of template is also known as a scientific poster template, an academic poster template or a science poster template. At conferences, researchers stand by their poster so they can talk about the topic more effectively.

If you want to create an effective research poster, make sure that it should:

• Be completely readable from up to 10 feet away.
• It has a short title which catches the interest of the audience.
• It has a word count of 300-800.
• The text is both concise and clear.
• Make it easier to read by using headlines, numbering, and bullets.
• Use colors, fonts, and graphics effectively.
• It has a clean and consistent layout.
• It includes your name, the name of your institution, and acknowledgments .

Research Poster Examples

Components of a research poster

Most people who create research or academic poster templates organize the information into sections. Each section contains paragraphs, charts, photos, and other elements. Each section that you plan to include must have its own purpose. Also, make sure that the viewers would have familiarity with these sections.

To make it easier for you, it’s best to organize all of the information on your template into these main components or sections:

• Introduction The elements in this section set the stage for the rest of your poster. Here, the readers learn more about your research giving them a better idea of what to expect. Condensed Abstract Background Hypothesis Purpose or Objectives
• Research This section contains all of the data you’ve collected through your research and the methods you used all throughout. It contains most of the “meat” of your template so make sure to think about this section carefully. Materials Methodology Analysis Models Results
• Conclusion Finally, this section is where you include the summary and analysis of your results. Recommendations Implications Discussion Acknowledgments Contact Information

You may choose to add more sections or elements depending on your needs. But these basic components are what the readers expect, therefore, you must pay special attention to them. Also, before creating your template, you must first answer these questions:

• What is your poster all about?
• Why do you need to create the poster? What do you hope to add to the discussion?
• What methods did you use during your research?
• What conclusions did you come to?
• What are your recommendations based on your research?

Most academic and science poster templates have columns which contain a few sections in each column. Readers go through these columns from top to bottom so you must organize the information this way. This gives your readers a clearer picture of the poster’s contents.

You can create your own research poster template or you can download starter templates and customize these according to your needs. Downloading a template makes it easier since you already have a structure to start with. But if you can’t find one which suits your preferences, you can make your own.

Research Poster Presentations

The layout of your research poster

Most types of research poster templates have similar components. There’s no standard when it comes to these types of posters. But when thinking of the layout, make sure that it’s both organized and logical. To help you out, here are some pointers to keep in mind:

• Size and orientation If you’re looking for a “standard size,” most people use 48-inches x 36-inches in landscape orientation. But if this is too small or too big for you, feel free to modify the size. Also, there’s no problem with using a portrait orientation if that works with your content.
• Background It’s important that your poster’s background doesn’t distract the viewers. This is why most people use white or other light colors for their backgrounds. You may also use subtle gradients as long as these don’t take any attention from the rest of the elements on your poster. What you should avoid are distracting colors, busy patterns or even photo backgrounds. If you want to use a dark color, you may want to use white color for your text to make it more readable.
• Styles of the title and headings The best posters allow the viewers to see the titles and headings clearly at a glance. These make it easier for the viewers to know what your poster is all about. Use boxes, strategic colors, bold text, and a lot of whitespaces to make sure that these elements standout.
• Fonts The main rule when it comes to fonts is to make sure that they’re readable. Beyond this, it’s already up to your own preferences. One good principle of design is to use a single font for the title and all the headings and a different font for the rest of the text. Also, make sure that all of the most important text on your poster can be clearly read from a normal distance. This way, even the viewers who aren’t right in front of your poster can read what’s written on it. Also, set a good spacing for the fonts as this adds to their readability.
• Colors The color scheme is an important element of your research poster template. Use colors which capture the attention of the viewers and emphasize the most important information too. It’s best to use the same colors as your own brand but this isn’t a requirement. If you want to choose different colors, you may want to opt for neutral colors and just one bold color which you may use sparingly.
• Alignment and whitespace If you want your poster to look professional, you must align all the elements well. This doesn’t mean that you should align all the elements on the left, the right or the center. You can use different alignments as long as you make sure that everything looks organized and there’s nothing out of place. Finally, you must also make sure that there’s enough whitespace between each of the elements in your poster design. There shouldn’t be any elements or text which are too close to each other as viewers who are far away can’t see these clearly. The more whitespace your poster has, the more you can emphasize the most important elements.

Design tips and guidelines for your research poster

At the very core, a research or scientific poster template serves as a visual representation of information which you’ve consolidated and organized into a format that’s easier to read. Ideally, viewers must understand the content of your poster in a matter of minutes. After all, they would probably move on if your template takes forever to read!

If you want to get the best results, make sure that your poster is well-designed, logical, and consistent. To help you out, here are some rules to keep in mind:

• Less is more When it comes to the design of your poster, you may want to go for a simpler layout instead of a loud, distracting one. Remember, this is an academic poster template. You don’t have to add cute graphics and other irrelevant elements to it. The simpler it is, the easier your viewers will understand it.
• Avoid clutter Cluttered posters aren’t appealing in the least. Using too many elements makes it difficult for viewers to find the most important information. Also, a cluttered poster makes it challenging to distinguish the sections from one another.
• Perform a final check before having the poster printed Before you have your poster printed, perform a final check on it. Make sure that everything looks great, you haven’t made any spelling or grammatical errors, and everything is easy to read and understand. As part of your final check, you may want to answer these questions: Is there a logical flow to all of the sections in the poster? Remember that all the sections must flow smoothly from start to finish. Is all the text easy to read? Make sure all of the text stands out, especially the title and all of the headings. Are all the images of a high-resolution? Zoom in to the images you’ve used to ensure their clarity and crispness. This is especially important if you plan to have a large-sized poster printed. Low-res files tend to get blurred or pixelated when printed in larger sizes. Will your viewers understand all of your data? Make sure that all non-text elements are easy to understand. If needed, include captions under them. Have you highlighted all of the most important information? This is important as well so that your viewers can look at all of the highlighted information to get a quick overview of the content of your poster.

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DEAN’S BOOK w/ Prof. CONNIE GRIFFIN

Honors291g-cdg’s blog, literature review/poster presentation guide.

Literature Review & Poster/Visual Presentation Guide GIVING & GETTING EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS PRESENTATIONS In many disciplines presentations are given at academic conferences, symposia, and other places where scholars share their work with one another (including the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference).  It can be very challenging to display and communicate all of one’s research findings in a synthesized manner and short timeframe.  Following are some thoughts about both preparing your presentation and also how to maximize your experience as an audience member. I. PRESENTER’S ROLE: The overall purpose of your presentation is to share your research process and findings with the class. In all cases, whatever topic you choose for your research, the objective is to stimulate in your listeners an understanding of that topic and how you went about developing that understanding for yourself as a researcher. The purpose of your talk is to present your research. Keep that goal in mind as you consider what to include and how to organize it.. In the visual portion of your presentation, be sure to include the following:

1)    Title 2)    Your research question 3)    Examples of what you found (results) including a.    Visual and quantitative information b.    Important quotes 4)    Your conclusion

Remember to keep your presentation (and your visual material) concise. It is very easy to overwhelm an audience with too much text.  Also, be sure to use a font size that is large enough to read from several feet away. Presentation considerations. Five minutes go fast! Therefore, stick with the most important points (details can come in the Q&A session), and be sure to organize your presentation logically. Be sure to practice. Nothing will prepare you better than giving your presentation several times to an audience. Speak slowly, clearly, expressively. Make eye contact. Also make sure your visual really does support your oral presentation and aid your audience! Concluding your presentation. End your presentation with a quick summary or suggestion of what’s been gained by your research.  Then be prepared for questions. Be ready with a question of your own in case the audience needs prompting. A crucial part of your presentation is thinking about how to engage the audience. Listen closely, be sure you understand each questioner’s intent, and then answer as directly as possible. II. AUDIENCE’S ROLE: Even when not presenting, you play a crucial role in the presentation and determining its quality.  As a listener, demonstrate your interest: make eye contact with the presenter as you listen closely, and take notes so you can ask informed, pertinent, and helpful questions during the Q&A period. Putting a presenter at ease can go a long way to ensuring an effective presentation.

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10 Best Literature Review Templates for Scholars and Researchers [Free PDF Attached]

Imagine being in a new country and taking a road trip without GPS. You would be so lost. Right? Similarly, think about delving into a topic without having a clue or proper understanding of the reason behind studying it. 

That’s when a well-written literature review comes to the rescue. It provides a proper direction to the topic being studied. 

The literature review furnishes a descriptive overview of the existing knowledge relevant to the research statement. It is a crucial step in the research process as it enables you to establish the theoretical roots of your field of interest, elucidate your ideas, and develop a suitable methodology. A literature review can include information from various sources, such as journals, books, documents, and other academic materials. This promotes in-depth understanding and analytical thinking, thereby helping in critical evaluation.

Regardless of the type of literature review — evaluative, exploratory, instrumental, systematic, and meta-analysis, a well-written article consists of three basic elements: introduction, body, and conclusion. Also its essence blooms in creating new knowledge through the process of review, critique, and synthesis.

But writing a literature review can be difficult. Right?

Relax, our collection of professionally designed templates will leave no room for mistakes or anxious feelings as they will help you present background information concisely. 

10 Designs to Rethink Your Literature Reviews

These designs are fully customizable to help you establish links between your proposition and already existing literature. Our PowerPoint infographics are of the highest quality and contain relevant content. Whether you want to write a short summary or review consisting of several pages, these exclusive layouts will serve the purpose. 

Let’s get started.

Template 1: Literature Review PPT Template

This literature review design is a perfect tool for any student looking to present a summary and critique of knowledge on their research statement. Using this layout, you can discuss theoretical and methodological contributions in the related field. You can also talk about past works, books, study materials, etc. The given PPT design is concise, easy to use, and will help develop a strong framework for problem-solving. Download it today.

Download this template

Template 2: Literature Review PowerPoint Slide

Looking to synthesize your latest findings and present them in a persuasive manner? Our literature review theme will help you narrow relevant information and design a framework for rational investigation. The given PPT design will enable you to present your ideas concisely. From summary details to strengths and shortcomings, this template covers it all. Grab it now.

Template 3: Literature Review Template

Craft a literature review that is both informative and persuasive with this amazing PPT slide. This predesigned layout will help you in presenting the summary of information in an engaging manner. Our themes are specifically designed to aid you in demonstrating your critical thinking and objective evaluation. So don't wait any longer – download our literature review template today.

Template 4: Comprehensive Literature Review PPT Slide

Download this tried-and-true literature review template to present a descriptive summary of your research topic statement. The given PPT layout is replete with relevant content to help you strike a balance between supporting and opposing aspects of an argument. This predesigned slide covers components such as strengths, defects, and methodology. It will assist you in cutting the clutter and focus on what's important. Grab it today.

Template 5: Literature Review for Research Project Proposal PPT

Writing a literature review can be overwhelming and time-consuming, but our project proposal PPT slides make the process much easier. This exclusive graphic will help you gather all the information you need by depicting strengths and weaknesses. It will also assist you in identifying and analyzing the most important aspects of your knowledge sources. With our helpful design, writing a literature review is easy and done. Download it now.

Template 6: Literature Review for Research Project Proposal Template

Present a comprehensive and cohesive overview of the information related to your topic with this stunning PPT slide. The given layout will enable you to put forward the facts and logic to develop a new hypothesis for testing. With this high-quality design, you can enumerate different books and study materials taken into consideration. You can also analyze and emphasize the technique opted for inquiry. Get this literature review PowerPoint presentation template now.

Template 7: Literature Review for Research Paper Proposal PowerPoint Slide

Lay a strong foundation for your research topic with this impressive PowerPoint presentation layout. It is easy to use and fully customizable. This design will help you describe the previous research done. Moreover, you can enlist the strengths and weaknesses of the study clearly. Therefore, grab it now.

Template 8: Literature Review for Research Paper Proposal PPT

Download this high-quality PPT template and write a well-formatted literature review. The given layout is professionally designed and easy to follow. It will enable you to emphasize various elements, such as materials referred to, past work, the list of books, approach for analysis, and more. So why wait? Download this PowerPoint design immediately.

Template 9: Literature Review for Academic Student Research Proposal PPT

With this exclusive graphic, you'll have everything you need to create a well-structured and convincing literature review. The given design is well-suited for students and researchers who wish to mention reliable information sources, such as books and journals, and draw inferences from them. You can even focus on the strong points of your study, thereby making an impactful research statement. Therefore, grab this PPT slide today.

Template 10: Literature Review Overview for Research Process PPT

Demonstrate your analytical skills and understanding of the topic with this predesigned PowerPoint graphic. The given research overview PPT theme is perfect for explaining what has been done in the area of your topic of interest. Using this impressive design, you can provide an accurate comparison showcasing the connections between the different works being reviewed. Get it right away.  

Creating an effective literature review requires discipline, study, and patience. Our collection of templates will assist you in presenting an extensive and cohesive summary of the relevant works. These PPT layouts are professionally designed, fully editable, and visually appealing. You can modify them and create perfect presentations according to your needs. So download them now!

P.S. Are you looking for a way to communicate your individual story? Save your time with these predesigned book report templates featured in this guide . 

Download the free Literature Review Template PDF .

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How to prepare an effective research poster

• Related content
• Peer review
• Lucia Hartigan , registrar 1 ,
• Fionnuala Mone , fellow in maternal fetal medicine 1 ,
• Mary Higgins , consultant obstetrician 1 2
• 1 National Maternity Hospital, Dublin
• 2 Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medicine and Medical Sciences, University College Dublin
• mhiggins{at}nmh.ie

Being asked to give a poster presentation can be exciting, and you need not be daunted by the prospect of working out how to prepare one. As Lucia Hartigan and colleagues explain, many options are available

The long nights are over, the statistics have been run, the abstract has been written, and the email pops into your inbox: “Congratulations! You have been accepted for a poster presentation.”

All that work has been worthwhile. Your consultant congratulates you and your colleagues are envious of your having a legitimate excuse to go away for a couple of days, but now you have to work out how to prepare a poster. Do not despair, for you have many options.

Firstly, take this seriously. A poster is not a consolation prize for not being given an oral presentation. This is your chance to show your work, talk to others in the field, and, if you are lucky, to pick up pointers from experts. Given that just 45% of published abstracts end in a full paper, 1 this may be your only chance to get your work out there, so put some effort into it. If you don’t have access to the services of a graphic designer, then some work will be entailed as it normally takes us a full day to prepare the layout of a poster. If you are lucky enough to have help from a graphic designer, then you will need to check that the data are correct before it is sent to the printer. After all, it will be your name on the poster, not the graphic designer’s.

Secondly, check the details of the requirements. What size poster should you have? If it is too big, it may look arrogant. If it is too small, then it may seem too modest and self effacing. Should it be portrait or landscape? Different meetings have different requirements. Some may stay with traditional paper posters, so you need to factor in printing. Others present them electronically, but may have a deadline by which you need to have uploaded the poster. When planning a meeting the organisers work out how many poster boards there will be and then the numbers, so follow their requirements and read the small print.

Then make a template. It can be tempting to “borrow” a poster template from someone else, and this may buy you some time, but it is important to check what page set-up and size have been selected for the template. If it’s meant for an A2 size and you wish to print your poster on A0 paper, then the stretching may lead to pixillation, which would not look good.

Next, think about your layout. Use text boxes to cover the following areas: title (with authors, institution, and logo), background, methods, results, and conclusions. Check that the text boxes are aligned by using gridlines, and justify your text. Use different colours for titles, and make sure you can read the title from 3 metres away. Some people will put their abstract in a separate box in the top right hand corner underneath the title, and then expand a little in the other areas. That is fine, so long as you follow the golden rule of writing a poster: do not include too much text. One study showed that less than 5% of conference attendees visit posters at meetings and that few ask useful questions. 2 The same research found that, in addition to the scientific content of a poster, the factors that increase visual appeal include pictures, graphs, and a limited use of words. 2 The ideal number of words seems to be between 300 and 400 per square metre.

Now make it look pretty and eye catching, and use lots of graphics. Outline text boxes or fill them with a different colour. If you can present the data using a graph, image, or figures rather than text, then do so, as this will add visual appeal. If you want to put a picture in the background, and it is appropriate to do so, fade the image so that it does not distract from the content.

Fonts are important. Check whether the meeting has set criteria for fonts; if they have, then follow them. You do not want to stand out for the wrong reason. If there are no specified criteria, then the title should be in point size 72-84, depending on the size of the poster. The authors’ names should be either the same size, but in italics, or else a couple of sizes smaller.

If you are including the hospital logo, don’t take a picture that will not size up properly when enlarged. Instead, obtain a proper copy from the hospital administrators.

References can be in small writing. No one is likely to read them, and you are including them only to remind yourself what you learnt in the literature review. One intriguing possibility is the use of a trigger image to link the poster to online content. 3

Finally, there are also things you should not do. Don’t leave your figures unlabelled, include spelling errors, use abbreviations without an explanation, or go outside the boundaries of the poster. Don’t be ashamed that you “only” have a poster. At a good meeting you may find that the comments from passers by are an amazing peer review. We have presented at meetings where world experts have given feedback, and with that feedback we have written the paper on the flight home.

Competing interests: We have read and understood the BMJ Group policy on declaration of interests and have no relevant interests to declare.

• ↵ Scherer RW, Langenberg P, von Elm E. Full publication of results initially presented in abstracts. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007 ; 2 : MR000005 . OpenUrl PubMed
• ↵ Goodhand JR, Giles CL, Wahed M, Irving PM, Langmead L, Rampton DS. Poster presentations at medical conferences: an effective way of disseminating research? Clin Med 2011 ; 1 : 138 -41. OpenUrl
• ↵ Atherton S, Javed M, Webster S, Hemington-Gorse S. Use of a mobile device app: a potential new tool for poster presentations and surgical education. J Visual Comm Med 2013 ; 36 (1-2): 6 -10. OpenUrl

WashU Libraries

Library services for undergraduate research.

• Creating an Abstract
• What is a Literature Review?
• Creating a Poster
• Presenting Your Research
• Share Your Undergraduate Research
• Contact a Subject Librarian This link opens in a new window
• Conducting Research
• College Writing: Citizen Scientist

Research Poster

A research poster session is a visual, interactive forum. The research is conveyed graphically in an informal setting. The researcher stands next to her/his poster and is prepared to answer questions to clarify information. The poster itself IS NOT the enlarged research paper. The poster should " entice the viewer with clarity, simplicity, and pictures ".

Impactful Scientific Posters

This site is developed to help students who are creating research posters for presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. At this site you will find information about:

• What to include in a research poster
• How to design and organize a research poster
• What software programs to use to create a research poster

Research poster sessions, historically have been widely used by the scientific community in presenting original research. However there has been an increase in the use of poster sessions for undergraduate research in the social sciences and humanities.

View Sample Posters

Poster Sessions  - flick r 

A group on flickr for sharing posters and getting feedback

Poster Sessions - flick r

A group on flickr where people share photos of their posters

Online Design Resources

• Effective Poster Design   "An effective poster is a visual communications tool"
• Design Effective Posters   Contains examples of original and improved posters
• Creating Anthropology Conferences Posters: A Guide for Beginners

Considering Content

When developing an outline of a research poster, you want to consider including some of the following sections:

• Introduction or Background
• Literature Review
• Methods or Results
• Purpose or Objectives
• Acknowledges
• Works Cited

Content should be:

• clear and concise
• relevant and significant

Considering Design, Organization & Layout

The " Rule of Thirds " is a design tool used by photographers and graphic artists. The rule states that visual images (the poster) can be divided into nine equal segments (three sections high and three sestions wide. The audience's eye should travel from the top to the bottom in a Z pattern. The most important parts of the poster should be located on this "Z" shape.

Layout and design  should consider:

• balance and spacing
• consistency
• headings and fonts

Graphics should be:

• clearly relevant to project
• easily seen from a few feet away
• simply, easy to understand
• aesthetically pleasing, eye catching, but not garish
• clearly labeled

Sample layouts - at a glance

• Suggested layout arrangements
• Tips for a readable poster (PDf)
• Sample poster template (PowerPoint format)

Finding Stock Images

• U.S. Government Photos
• Library of Congress Images,   flick r  
• B ing Image Feed
• Creative Commons Images
• ArtStor Guide, fine arts images

Books from the Catalog

Journal Articles on Poster Design

Title: Visual Design Tips to Develop an Inviting Poster for Poster Presentations .

Authors: Tomita, Kei 1 , [email protected]

Source: TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning; Jul2017, Vol. 61 Issue 4, p313-315, 3p

Abstract: The article offers suggestions for making a poster presentation at an academic conference as it is different from other presentation formats. Topics discussed include integrating the results, discussion, and conclusion sections or introduction and literature review sections in order to reduce the amount of text; name and affiliation bigger than the main text but smaller than the tittle and addition of figures and tables for creating visual variety and making poster more inviting.

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Title: Effective visual design and communication practices for research posters: Exemplars based on the theory and practice of multimedia learning and rhetoric.

Authors: Pedwell, Rhianna K.; Hardy, James A.; Rowland, Susan L.

Source: Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Education ; May2017, Vol. 45 Issue 3, p249-261, 13p

Abstract: Evidence shows that science graduates often do not have the communication skills they need to meet workplace standards and expectations. One common mode of science communication is the poster. In a review of the literature we show that poster design is historically problematic, and that the guidance provided to students as they create posters for assessment is frequently inconsistent. To address this inconsistency we provide some guiding design principles for posters that are grounded in communication theory and the fundamentals of rhetoric. We also present three nondiscipline-specific example posters with accompanying notes that explain why the posters are examples of poor, average, and excellent poster design. The subject matter for the posters is a fabricated set of experiments on a topic that could not actually be the subject of research. Instructors may use these resources with their students, secure in the knowledge that they do not and will never represent an answer set to an extant assessment item. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(3):249-261, 2017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Title: The Research Poster and How it Consolidates and Communicates Key Concepts of a Research Inquiry.

Authors: McAuley, Mike ; Hodgkinson, Gray

Source: Design Principles & Practices: An International Journal: Annual Review ; 2017, Vol. 11 Issue 1, p1-14, 14p, 2 Color Photographs, 3 Diagrams, 2 Charts

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Title: A practical guide to designing a poster for presentation.

Authors: Briggs, David J.  [email protected]

Source: Nursing Standard . 4/29/2009, Vol. 23 Issue 34, p35-39. 5p. 2 Diagrams, 1 Chart.

Abstract: Poster presentations are frequently used to disseminate research findings and clinical initiatives at conferences, and present module material for educational courses. However, many nurses lack confidence when it comes to designing posters. This article considers the skills required to design a poster. Aspects of good poster design are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Title: Poster design—six points to ponder .

Authors: Brown, Bernard S.

Source: Biochemical Education ; July 1997, Vol. 25, p136-137, 2p

Abstract: Students should ponder six points when designing and producing posters. They should prepare by thinking about how their findings might be presented as a poster even while they are carrying out the research, looking for possible illustrations and layouts, and taking note of how professional advertisers stick with one main message that is written in a few words and accompanied by eye-catching visuals. They should organize information on the poster so that there is balance between the three elements of text, illustrations, and space. Students' posters should have a clear pathway that follows the normal reading direction for the language used in the poster. To enhance legibility, they should use upper- and lowercase letters and ensure that type size and column width look right. A short but catchy title, bold headings, not too much text, and simple pictures will help explain their work. Students should also ensure that posters are readable at two meters in two minutes to catch potential readers' attention .

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Designing Academic Posters: Creating the Poster

• Beginning with Research This link opens in a new window
• Planning Steps
• Effective Posters
• Poster Sections
• Images and Graphs
• Making Posters
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Types of Posters

Research poster.

The content of a research poster generally follows the logic of a research paper:

Introduction : thesis/problem presented in a clear and concise way

Methods : describe them in two or three sentences

Results : graphs, tables, and/or charts summarizing the findings

Discussion : clear arguments based on your findings

Conclusion : summary and “what’s next” usually placed on the bottom right side of the poster

References : smaller fonts could be used – do not distract from the main content

Literature review poster

A literature review poster will also usually contain a table summarizing the articles/sources being reviewed.

This table will include references to the articles (in the format of in-text citations) and might include sample size, methods, interventions, outcomes, or other particulars depending on the subject.

Image description:

A diagram of a literature review poster. Download the Literature Review Table Template to view the full description of the image contents.

• Literature Review Table Template Use this table to guide you to organize your sources and thoughts for a literature review.
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Graduate Writing and Posters

• Literature Reviews
• General Writing Support
• DRAFT-Systematic and Other Reviews
• Creating & Printing Posters

Literature Review Overview

What is a Literature Review? Why Are They Important?

A literature review is important because it presents the "state of the science" or accumulated knowledge on a specific topic. It summarizes, analyzes, and compares the available research, reporting study strengths and weaknesses, results, gaps in the research, conclusions, and authors’ interpretations.

Tips and techniques for conducting a literature review are described more fully in the subsequent boxes:

• Literature review steps
• Strategies for organizing the information for your review
• Literature reviews sections
• In-depth resources to assist in writing a literature review
• Templates to start your review
• Literature review examples

Literature Review Steps

Graphic used with permission: Torres, E. Librarian, Hawai'i Pacific University

1. Choose a topic and define your research question

• Try to choose a topic of interest. You will be working with this subject for several weeks to months.
• Ideas for topics can be found by scanning medical news sources (e.g MedPage Today), journals / magazines, work experiences, interesting patient cases, or family or personal health issues.
• Do a bit of background reading on topic ideas to familiarize yourself with terminology and issues. Note the words and terms that are used.
• Develop a focused research question using PICO(T) or other framework (FINER, SPICE, etc - there are many options) to help guide you.
• Run a few sample database searches to make sure your research question is not too broad or too narrow.
• If possible, discuss your topic with your professor. 

2. Determine the scope of your review

The scope of your review will be determined by your professor during your program. Check your assignment requirements for parameters for the Literature Review.

• How many studies will you need to include?
• How many years should it cover? (usually 5-7 depending on the professor)
• For the nurses, are you required to limit to nursing literature?

3. Develop a search plan

• Determine which databases to search. This will depend on your topic. If you are not sure, check your program specific library website (Physician Asst / Nursing / Health Services Admin) for recommendations.
• Create an initial search string using the main concepts from your research (PICO, etc) question. Include synonyms and related words connected by Boolean operators
• Contact your librarian for assistance, if needed.

4. Conduct searches and find relevant literature

• Keep notes as you search - tracking keywords and search strings used in each database in order to avoid wasting time duplicating a search that has already been tried
• Read abstracts and write down new terms to search as you find them
• Check MeSH or other subject headings listed in relevant articles for additional search terms
• Scan author provided keywords if available
• Check the references of relevant articles looking for other useful articles (ancestry searching)
• Check articles that have cited your relevant article for more useful articles (descendancy searching). Both PubMed and CINAHL offer Cited By links
• Revise the search to broaden or narrow your topic focus as you peruse the available literature
• Conducting a literature search is a repetitive process. Searches can be revised and re-run multiple times during the process.
• Track the citations for your relevant articles in a software citation manager such as RefWorks, Zotero, or Mendeley

5. Review the literature

• Read the full articles. Do not rely solely on the abstracts. Authors frequently cannot include all results within the confines of an abstract. Exclude articles that do not address your research question.
• While reading, note research findings relevant to your project and summarize. Are the findings conflicting? There are matrices available than can help with organization. See the Organizing Information box below.
• Critique / evaluate the quality of the articles, and record your findings in your matrix or summary table. Tools are available to prompt you what to look for. (See Resources for Appraising a Research Study box on the HSA, Nursing , and PA guides )
• You may need to revise your search and re-run it based on your findings.

6. Organize and synthesize

• Compile the findings and analysis from each resource into a single narrative.
• Using an outline can be helpful. Start broad, addressing the overall findings and then narrow, discussing each resource and how it relates to your question and to the other resources.
• Cite as you write to keep sources organized.
• Write in structured paragraphs using topic sentences and transition words to draw connections, comparisons, and contrasts.
• Don't present one study after another, but rather relate one study's findings to another. Speak to how the studies are connected and how they relate to your work.

Organizing Information

Options to assist in organizing sources and information :

1. Synthesis Matrix

• helps provide overview of the literature
• information from individual sources is entered into a grid to enable writers to discern patterns and themes
• article summary, analysis, or results
• thoughts, reflections, or issues
• each reference gets its own row
• mind maps, concept maps, flowcharts
• at top of page record PICO or research question
• record major concepts / themes from literature
• list concepts that branch out from major concepts underneath - keep going downward hierarchically, until most specific ideas are recorded
• enclose concepts in circles and connect the concept with lines - add brief explanation as needed

3. Summary Table

• information is recorded in a grid to help with recall and sorting information when writing
• allows comparing and contrasting individual studies easily
• purpose of study
• methodology (study population, data collection tool)

Efron, S. E., & Ravid, R. (2019). Writing the literature review : A practical guide . Guilford Press.

Literature Review Sections

• Lit reviews can be part of a larger paper / research study or they can be the focus of the paper
• Lit reviews focus on research studies to provide evidence
• New topics may not have much that has been published

* The sections included may depend on the purpose of the literature review (standalone paper or section within a research paper)

Standalone Literature Review (aka Narrative Review):

• presents your topic or PICO question
• includes the why of the literature review and your goals for the review.
• provides background for your the topic and previews the key points
• Narrative Reviews: tmay not have an explanation of methods.
• include where the search was conducted (which databases) what subject terms or keywords were used, and any limits or filters that were applied and why - this will help others re-create the search
• describe how studies were analyzed for inclusion or exclusion
• review the purpose and answer the research question
• thematically - using recurring themes in the literature
• chronologically - present the development of the topic over time
• methodological - compare and contrast findings based on various methodologies used to research the topic (e.g. qualitative vs quantitative, etc.)
• theoretical - organized content based on various theories
• provide an overview of the main points of each source then synthesize the findings into a coherent summary of the whole
• present common themes among the studies
• compare and contrast the various study results
• interpret the results and address the implications of the findings
• do the results support the original hypothesis or conflict with it
• provide your own analysis and interpretation (eg. discuss the significance of findings; evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the studies, noting any problems)
• discuss common and unusual patterns and offer explanations
•  stay away from opinions, personal biases and unsupported recommendations
• summarize the key findings and relate them back to your PICO/research question
• note gaps in the research and suggest areas for further research
• this section should not contain "new" information that had not been previously discussed in one of the sections above
• provide a list of all the studies and other sources used in proper APA 7

Literature Review as Part of a Research Study Manuscript:

• Compares the study with other research and includes how a study fills a gap in the research.
• Focus on the body of the review which includes the synthesized Findings and Discussion

Literature Reviews vs Systematic Reviews

Systematic Reviews are NOT the same as a Literature Review:

Literature Reviews:

• Literature reviews may or may not follow strict systematic methods to find, select, and analyze articles, but rather they selectively and broadly review the literature on a topic
• Research included in a Literature Review can be "cherry-picked" and therefore, can be very subjective

Systematic Reviews:

• Systemic reviews are designed to provide a comprehensive summary of the evidence for a focused research question
• rigorous and strictly structured, using standardized reporting guidelines (e.g. PRISMA, see link below)
• uses exhaustive, systematic searches of all relevant databases
• best practice dictates search strategies are peer reviewed
• uses predetermined study inclusion and exclusion criteria in order to minimize bias
• aims to capture and synthesize all literature (including unpublished research - grey literature) that meet the predefined criteria on a focused topic resulting in high quality evidence

Literature Review Examples

• Breastfeeding initiation and support: A literature review of what women value and the impact of early discharge (2017). Women and Birth : Journal of the Australian College of Midwives
• Community-based participatory research to promote healthy diet and nutrition and prevent and control obesity among African-Americans: A literature review (2017). Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

• Vitamin D deficiency in individuals with a spinal cord injury: A literature review (2017). Spinal Cord

Resources for Writing a Literature Review

These sources have been used in developing this guide.

Resources Used on This Page

Aveyard, H. (2010). Doing a literature review in health and social care : A practical guide . McGraw-Hill Education.

Purdue Online Writing Lab. (n.d.). Writing a literature review . Purdue University. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/writing_a_literature_review.html

Torres, E. (2021, October 21). Nursing - graduate studies research guide: Literature review. Hawai'i Pacific University Libraries. Retrieved January 27, 2022, from https://hpu.libguides.com/c.php?g=543891&p=3727230

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How to Create a Research Poster

• Poster Basics
• Design Tips
• Logos & Images

What is a Research Poster?

Posters are widely used in the academic community, and most conferences include poster presentations in their program.  Research posters summarize information or research concisely and attractively to help publicize it and generate discussion. 

The poster is usually a mixture of a brief text mixed with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. At a conference, the researcher stands by the poster display while other participants can come and view the presentation and interact with the author.

What Makes a Good Poster?

• Important information should be readable from about 10 feet away
• Title is short and draws interest
• Word count of about 300 to 800 words
• Text is clear and to the point
• Use of bullets, numbering, and headlines make it easy to read
• Effective use of graphics, color and fonts
• Consistent and clean layout
• Includes acknowledgments, your name and institutional affiliation

A Sample of a Well Designed Poster

View this poster example in a web browser .  

Image credit: Poster Session Tips by [email protected], via Penn State

Where do I begin?

Answer these three questions:.

• What is the most important/interesting/astounding finding from my research project?
• How can I visually share my research with conference attendees? Should I use charts, graphs, photos, images?
• What kind of information can I convey during my talk that will complement my poster?

What software can I use to make a poster?

A popular, easy-to-use option. It is part of Microsoft Office package and is available on the library computers in rooms LC337 and LC336. ( Advice for creating a poster with PowerPoint ).

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign

Feature-rich professional software that is good for posters including lots of high-resolution images, but they are more complex and expensive.  NYU Faculty, Staff, and Students can access and download the Adobe Creative Suite .

Open Source Alternatives 

• OpenOffice is the free alternative to MS Office (Impress is its PowerPoint alternative).
• Inkscape and Gimp are alternatives to Adobe products.
• For charts and diagrams try Gliffy or Lovely Charts .
• A complete list of free graphics software .

A Sample of a Poorly Designed Poster

View this bad poster example in a browser.

Image Credit: Critique by Better Posters

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Writing Resources

• Student Paper Template
• Grammar Guidelines
• Punctuation Guidelines
• Writing Guidelines
• Creating a Title
• Outlining and Annotating
• Using Generative AI (Chat GPT and others)
• Introduction, Thesis, and Conclusion
• Strategies for Citations
• Determining the Resource This link opens in a new window
• Citation Examples
• Paragraph Development
• Paraphrasing
• Inclusive Language
• International Center for Academic Integrity
• How to Synthesize and Analyze
• Synthesis and Analysis Practice
• Synthesis and Analysis Group Sessions
• Decoding the Assignment Prompt
• Annotated Bibliography
• Comparative Analysis
• Conducting an Interview
• Infographics
• Office Memo
• Policy Brief
• Poster Presentations
• PowerPoint Presentation
• White Paper
• Writing a Blog
• Research Writing: The 5 Step Approach
• Step 1: Seek Out Evidence
• Step 2: Explain
• Step 3: The Big Picture
• Step 4: Own It
• Step 5: Illustrate
• MLA Resources
• Time Management

Poster Presentation

Developing a Poster Presentation

A poster presentation is a visual presentation of your research that often includes a concise display of the abstract, purpose, method, significant literature, results, and graphs or tables. 

Poster Presentation Templates

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Presentations: Poster Content

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Poster Presentation Content

Posters are a visual representation of your research, scholarly, or creative work. Posters should be able to stand alone giving a clear concise representation of your work, without any explanation from you. Below you will find information on what content to include in your poster.  

Keep in mind - You do not have to put everything on your poster, just key points that are essential to the explanation of your project.  Handouts are good way to supply attendees with additional information that you could not include in your poster presentation. 

Tips and Tricks

Throughout a poster you act as a historian , reporter , and lawyer .

Introduction 15% - You are a Historian

Methods/Results 60% - You are a Reporter

Discussion 25% - You are a Lawyer

Title/ Heading

One of the key features of a research poster is a prominent title.  The title may be the only thing a viewer sees before they reach your poster.  Bearing that in mind, it is important that your title is short and compelling in order to capture the attention of the viewer.   

Even though this section appears first, it is often the last to be written. This section should provide viewers with a brief synopsis of the entire poster. 

Usually consists of a summarized combination of the introduction, results, and discussion sections. 

Introduction/ Background

During this section you should act as a historian, providing viewers needed information about your research topic. This section should make up about 15% of your poster and is comprised of three main parts. 

Part 1: Existing facts

In order to give viewers the "full picture", you first need to provide them with information about past research.  What facts already exist? What is already known about your research area?

Part 2: Shortcomings

Once you have highlighted past research and existing facts. You now need to address what is left to be known, or what shortcomings exist within the current information.  This should set the groundwork for your experiment.  Keep in mind, how does your research fill these gaps or help address these questions? 

Part 3: Purpose or Hypothesis

After you have addressed past/current research and have identified shortcomings/gaps, it is now time to address your research.  During this portion of the introduction you need to tell viewers why you are conducting your research experiement/study, and what you hope to accomplish by doing so. 

Materials/ Methods

In the methods and results sections of your poster you should act as a reporter.  These sections report facts about what you did and the information you gathered. 

The methods section is comprised of four parts: 

Part 1: Participants

Who or what was in the study? 

Part 2: Materials/measures:

What did you measure?

Part 3:  Procedures

How did you conduct the study?

Part 4: Data-analysis

What analysis were conducted?

This section contains FACTS - with no opinion, commentary, or interpretation. This section can be portrayed with figures and tables to cut down text from your poster.

Keep in mind when making figures: 

• Strive for simplicity - Graphics should be simple and clean in order to communicate information quickly.
• Strong titles are essential. Titles should tell a viewer what is important about the graph or what the graph shows. Keep in mind, viewers only see what you tell them to see, therefore make titles clear and concise . 
• Make sure axis and data sets are clearly labeled.
• Be sure to include captions for your graphics. Captions help explain how to read the figure and provides the viewer with additional information.

Example Graphs

Both graphs depict the same information. However, the graph on the bottom presents a more clear and concise message. 

You will notice the title of the bottom graph tells the viewer exactly what they should notice, "More than 1 in 4 Boulder Bay Public Library computer users are Hispanic or Latino".  The graph on the bottom also uses a darker color to represent Hispanic or Latino populations which draws the viewers eye to that part of the figure. 

Conclusion/ Discussion

Interpretation and commentary takes place in this section. During the conclusion/discussion section you should act as a lawyer, reminding people of why your research experiment/study is important and what significance it has to the field.  This section should make up 25% of your poster. 

In this section you should:

• Reiterate the research question/problem
• Highlight the novel or important findings. Explain the meaning of the findings and why they are significant. 
• Discuss how/if your research question was answered. Explain any new understanding or insight you have gained after you have taken the findings into consideration. 
• Highlight the importance of your research and how it may be able to contribute to and/or help fill gaps in existing research. 
• Address study limitations. 
• Make suggestions for further research

Just like when you are writing a paper a poster should include citations to any material you consulted and obtained information from while conducting your experiment/study. 

Citations are important because:

• It allows viewers to locate the material that you used, and can help viewers expand their knowledge of your research topic.  
• Indicates that you have conducted a thorough review of the literature and conducted your research from an informed perspective.
•  Guards you against intellectual theft.  Ideas are considered intellectual property failure to cite someone's ideas can have serious consequences. 

Acknowledgements

• list your funding sources (if, you have them).
• Acknowledge those who assisted you or contributed to your research. 

Best Practices for Handouts

• Your handout should be double-sided
• the first side of the paper should include a picture of your poster (this can be in black and white or color)
• The second side of the handout should include further information about your topic and your contact information.  You could include your literature review and cited references on this side. 
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Free research poster powerpoint templates.

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Free powerpoint poster templates for research poster presentations.

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PAPERLESS POSTER PRESENTATION HANDOUTS

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Instant QR Code Generator

Add functionality to your poster! Share a link to a page, your email or additional info on the web. It's easy, free and further connects your audience! 

Professional Trifold Poster Boards

Ready to use out of the box. Great solution for tabletop 36x48 Trifold poster presentations. Price includes printing, mounting and free Ground FedEx shipping.

Poster Font Size Checker

A convenient way to visualize what size the text will be on your printed poster.  Wondering how big the fonts will be on your poster? Download and print this PDF on your desktop printer.

Quick access to ALT code symbols


Click here to choose from over 350 easy to copy and use ALT code symbols.

Fabric Research Posters

Say goodbye to poster tubes with a professional fabric poster you can pack in your luggage! With our crease-resistant EasyTravel™ fabric your presentation will look professional, sharp, and will pack nicely in your carry-on.

Simplify Your Group’s Poster-Ordering Process

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Links to university corporate identity (Logo) pages

List of corporate identity pages where you can download university logos to use with your poster presentation. Help your fellow researchers. Good quality logos for use in printed research posters  are difficult to find online. If you have a link to the identity page of your university, email it to us and we will add it to our list for others to use.

UC Berkeley Texas A&M UCLA Columbia Medical Center Stanford University

Adelphi University Duke University UPENN Bradley University ENMU

UNC Chapel Hill Northwestern University Magnet recognition Seal  Howard University University of Houston

Drexel University Carlow University UNLV UNR UFL

TUFTS George Mason U. St. Scholastica College Mount Royal University Penn State

Yale University University of Wisconsin SD School of Mines USC GATECH

STARTER POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATES

Standard size research poster templates in inches use these starter poster templates as a starting point for your own poster designs, thumbnails of posters are shown in proportion to each others’ sizes based on a 48 inch (height) x 96 inch (width) display area, 36” tall x 48” wide
.

STARTER 36x48 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE The 36x48 scientific poster template size is one of the smaller sizes and also one of the most common. It is very suitable for scientific posters with low to moderate amount of text and graphics. The 36x48 research poster template can also be printed at the following sizes without distortion or any necessary adjustments: 36x48 (Standard), 42x56, 48x64, 30x40

Trifold (tabletop)

STARTER    TRIFOLD POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE These free PowerPoint poster templates are designed for a standard 3x4 foot poster presentation to be mounted on a standard Trifold poster board. This research poster template should be printed only at the following size: 36x48 (Standard Trifold) This poster template is for a standard Trifold board presentation. You can use it with poster boards available at office-supply stores or our professional ready-to-use Trifold poster presentation product. Are you looking for a larger MonsterBoard template? Use this PowerPoint MonsterBoard template.

36” Tall x 56” Wide

STARTER    36x56 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3x4.5 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is for a medium size poster. It is suitable for most poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate to large amounts of content.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
 36x56 (Standard), 42x65.3, 48x74.6

36” Tall x 60” Wide

STARTER 36x60 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3x5 foot poster presentation. This is also one of the standard sizes. It is used mostly when the height of the presentation board is only three feet and there is more content to present that can fit in a 48x36 poster.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 36x60 (Standard), 42x70, 48x80

36” Tall x 72” Wide


STARTER    36x72 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3x6 foot poster presentation. The same as the above scientific poster template, only wider by a foot. Again, it depends on how much content you need to present.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
 36x72 (Standard), 42x84, 48x96

36” Tall x 96” Wide

STARTER    36x96 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3x8 foot poster presentation. 
It’s the widest one you can use on a three foot tall presentation board. It has five columns.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
 96x36 (Standard), 24x64

42” Tall x 60” Wide

STARTER    42x60 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3.5x5 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is suitable for most poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate to large amounts of content.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
 42x60 (Standard), 36x51.42, 48x68.57

42” Tall x 72” Wide

STARTER    42x72 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3.5x6 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is for a medium size poster. It is suitable for most poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate to large amounts of content.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
 42x72 (Standard), 36x61.70, 48x82.28

42” Tall x 90” Wide

STARTER 42x90 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3.5x7.5 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is for a large size poster. It is suitable for most poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate to large amounts of content.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
42x90 (Standard), 36x77.14, 44x94.28

44” Tall x 44” Wide

STARTER 44x44 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 3.7 x 3.7 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is for a medium size poster. It is suitable for many poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate amounts of content.
 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 44x44 (Standard), 36x36, 42x42, 48x48

48” Tall x 72” Wide

STARTER 48x72 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 4x6 foot poster presentation. This PowerPoint research poster template is for a medium/large size poster. It is suitable for most poster presentations. It can accommodate moderate to large amounts of content. 
This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 48x72 (Standard), 24x36, 42x63

48” Tall x 48” Wide

STARTER    48x72 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 4x4 foot poster presentation. This scientific poster template is a good size for limited available spaces without compromising room for content.

 This research poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 48x48 (Standard), 36x36, 24x24, 42x42

48” Tall x 96” Wide

STARTER    48x96 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 4x8 foot poster presentation. This poster template is for the largest size poster usually allowed in conferences.

It can accommodate a lot of content. You can use this template if you also have a large number of photos, tables, charts, and text.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 48x96 (Standard), 24x48, 42x84, 36x72

40” Tall x 30” Wide

STARTER    40x30 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard 40x30 inch poster presentation. This vertical poster template can accommodate a moderate amount of content. It can accommodate several photos, tables, charts, and a decent amount of text. This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
 40x30 (Standard), 48x36, 56x42

Free PowerPoint poster templates in metric sizes (cm) for international poster conferences

Thumbnails of posters are shown in proportion to each others’ sizes based on a 200 cm (height) x 100 cm (width) display area, 91 wide x 122 tall.

STARTER    91cmX122cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 91 cm by 122 cm scientific poster presentation for international poster sessions. This PowerPoint poster template is essentially a vertical version of a standard 48x36 inch poster presentation. 

This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
 91 cm x122 cm (Standard 36x48 inches), 76x102 cm

70 Wide x 100 Tall

STARTER 70cmX100cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 70 cm by 100 cm scientific poster presentation for international poster sessions. This PowerPoint poster template is for a small size poster poster presentation commonly used at international conferences.

This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes: 70 cm x100 cm (Standard 27.5x39.37 inches), 100x143 cm

100 Wide x 140 Tall

STARTER    100cmX140cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 100 cm by 140 cm scientific poster presentation for international poster sessions. This PowerPoint poster template is for a small size poster poster presentation commonly used at international conferences.

This scientific poster template can be printed at the following sizes:
 100 cm x140 cm (Standard 39.37x55.12 inches)

1 Meter x 1 Meter

STARTER    100cmX100cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 1 meter by 1 meter scientific poster presentation for international or domestic poster sessions. This template is commonly required at the Keystone Symposia research poster conferences.

This scientific poster template can be printed at the following size:
 100 cm x 100 cm (Standard 39 x 39 inches). Any square size up to 121 x 121 cm

100 Wide x 200 Tall

STARTER    100cmX200cm POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric 1 meter by 2 meter scientific poster presentation for international or domestic poster sessions.

 This scientific poster template can be printed at the following size:
 100 cm x 200 cm (Standard 39 x 78 inches)

STARTER A0 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric A0 scientific poster presentation at a 841mm x 1189mm size for international or domestic poster sessions. This scientific poster template can be printed at the following size:
 46.81 inches x 33.11 inches

STARTER    A1 POWERPOINT POSTER TEMPLATE This free PowerPoint poster template is designed for a standard metric A1 scientific poster presentation at a 594mm x 841mm poster size for international or domestic poster sessions. This scientific poster template can be printed at the following size:
 23.39 inches x 33.11 inches

VIRTUAL POSTER PRESENTATION

STARTER    POSTER TEMPLATES These free PowerPoint poster templates are designed for screen presentations at virtual meetings Virtual - Standard Screen (4:3 Ratio) Virtual - Wide Screen (16:9 Ratio)

Virtual poster sessions for conferences and meetings of all sizes

If you are a meeting organizer we can help you set up a virtual poster session, free yourself from managing poster submissions and provide your meeting's attendees with a versatile presentation platform that will meet all your requirements.

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Literature Reviews

• Rod Library Databases by Subject

All high-quality research projects start with a thorough literature review; researchers search scholarly journals to find out what has been done on the topic previously, then they build on that prior research.

• Research Guides Librarian-created research guides with tips and suggested databases relevant to your major, topic, or course.
• Liaison Librarians Librarian assigned to each UNI academic department. Contact for one-on-one research assistance.
• Ask Us Librarians and library assistants are here to assist with your research. You can contact us in person, via email, chat, etc.

Citing Sources

Be sure to cite your sources, both in-text and in a bibliography box on your poster. You also need to cite any images/charts you reproduced. If you created images/charts using data from a source, cite that source. Need help? Ask a librarian !

• Cite Your Sources by Claire Bowling Last Updated Jun 7, 2024 306 views this year
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• Page 1 of 5

• USC Libraries
• Research Guides
• Health Sciences
• Pharmacy Student Scholarly Project
• Literature Review as a whole project type

Pharmacy Student Scholarly Project: Literature Review as a whole project type

• Develop a Question
• IRB and CITI
• Literature Review as part of a project
• Data Management
• Make a Poster
• Present Research
• Citation Management Software
• Help for Mentors

What is a Literature Review project type?

Every PSP needs to include a short literature review of a few paragraphs. You can also choose to do a  literature review including critical and structured methods as your entire PSP project. This page provides help for those who are considering or conducting a literature review as their PSP project. The Review Articles research guide will also include additional useful information for those conducting this project type.

Format and scope

Every PSP is presented as a poster. Each poster will include about 500 words of text and 3-5 images (figures, tables, diagrams, etc.). For a literature review poster, you need to provide full references for all materials cited in your poster. If there is space, you may include the references on the poster, or you can create a separate document.

Within this relatively limited word count, you need to explain why the topic you chose is important to explore, explain your search process, explain the selection process, identify trends in the literature, and provide critical analysis and insight into your topic. Many poster authors choose to display the search process, display of trends, and critical analysis/insight in figures and reserve the text for the other portions.

Starting a Literature Review PSP

How do I develop a topic? Literature reviews are most useful when they respond to a theme in the literature. You cannot select a topic for a literature review without  first looking at the literature. There needs to be a significant volume of papers that you can read that have some rationale or reason to be examined as a group.           First, identify a broad question or topic. Search for encyclopedia articles, textbook chapters, and literature reviews about this topic. Read a few sources and look for aspects or factors that interest you inside this broad topic. If your broad topic was "Counseling on new prescriptions," some aspects you might identify are: Some patients refuse counseling when offered. Some patients are not satisfied with counseling received. There are several competing methods for counseling. There are many locations in which counseling takes place-- via phone, via videochat, in a private office, at a counter in a retail store.           These smaller aspects or factors would be good candidate topics to consider for a literature review project. "What factors in the retail store, location available for counseling, and pharmacist demeanor can influence a patient to accept or refuse counseling?," "What methods are used to assess patient satisfaction with counseling and which is most reliable?," "Is counseling using active listening techniques more effective in producing patient satisfaction, when compared to traditional counseling?," or "What factors lead to patient satisfaction or dissatisfaction with counseling services provided at community pharmacies?" seem like they might be well-scoped for this length/depth of project.

These are examples of questions that might guide the process of searching, selecting, and identifying relevant studies for inclusion in a literature review project.

- There are many individual studies describing a specific disease/condition, specific treatment, specific process, or specific idea.

• Can you learn something new by combining data from individual original studies?
• What gaps remain in the research focused on this specific topic? Why is this gap important or necessary to be filled?

-  Each study uses a specific methodology to investigate a specific question.

• What methods have been used to investigate a specific disease, drug, condition, process, or idea?
• What has been learned as a sum of these investigations?
• Are there different research methods that would help improve studies on this disease, drug, condition, process, or idea? Which methods and why? 

Examples of critical literature review posters

These samples are from teams outside of USC. The poster examples are provided for content only; they do not follow the USC PSP guidelines for formatting posters.

• Hussain JSA, Bedran-Russo A, Seprum-Clavier A. Pulp Capping Agents: a Literature Review. Poster presented at Academy of General Dentistry 2015 Annual Meeting, June 18-21, 2015, San Francisco, CA. Available online at https://www.epostersonline.com/agd2015/node/104
• Dalal, M. Chamomile Cures: a literature review. Poster prepared during 2nd year medical school coursework at the University of Texas Medical Branch, 2016.
• Nomali M, Alipasandi K, Hoseinjani E et al. Prediction tools for hospital readmission among patients with heart failure: a literature review [version 1; not peer reviewed]. F1000Research 2017, 6:1721 (poster) (https://doi.org/10.7490/f1000research.1114897.1)
• Edgecombe, K. Non-pharmacological Preoperative Anxiety Treatments In Pediatric Anesthesia Presented at the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants conference 2018.
• Khalil S, Mhaskar R. A Review of Patient Safety Curricula in U.S. Medical Schools. Presented at University of South Florida (USF) Research Day 2018.
• Varela VC, Radu SC, Kirby RS. A Review of Biliary Atresia. Presented at University of South Florida (USF) Research Day 2017.

Common questions

How many papers do I need to find? How many papers do I need to cite? Expect to find and read about twice as many materials as you cite in your final project. Most PSP Literature Review projects cite 5-20 references.

I picked my topic, but can't find more than a few relevant articles. Not every topic is appropriate for a literature review. There needs to be a significant amount of published information that has some commonalities. Before you talk to your mentor about changing your topic, consider:

• Did you do a thorough search, using multiple databases, and searching using subject headings and/or keywords? You can contact the library for help with searching.
•  It takes several years to plan, conduct, write, and publish a study. If your topic is less than 5 years old, there may not have been time for these processes to occur.  However, conference proceedings, position statements, policy documents, and opinion papers often discuss new ideas before research is conducted. Is it possible to incorporate these non-peer reviewed, semi-scholarly sources into your discussion of this topic?
• Conducting a thorough search and determining that there is a lack of published research evidence is, itself, a novel finding. Unfortunately, a poster describing this would be very boring to read. Consider expanding your original idea, and try to critically engage with the topic. You might try explain why there may be a lack of publications, offer suggestions for how to improve research in this field, or describe barriers in the funding and research processes.

I picked a really narrow topic, but I still get too many articles. How do I get fewer articles? The goal of a literature review is to select articles that have some reason to be examined together. If you have an overwhelmingly large number of articles, it is a clue that your topic is too broad, and you need to narrow it down further. Using these ideas to narrow your topic might mean changing your search, by adding/removing keywords or filters; or, you might read abstracts to find studies that meet some criteria.

• Factors relating to the studies: Can you find studies that have some comparable data-- use the same methodology; use the same measurement tool; measure the same outcomes; follow patients for the same amount of time; etc.?
• Factors relating to the participants in the studies: Do they use the same drugs; include or exclude patients with a single condition or co-existing conditions; focus on a specific group (age, gender, socioeconomic status, language, geographic region, stage of illness, etc.)?
• Factors relating to the other literature on this topic: If another review included papers from 1995-2005, perhaps your review could start at the year 2006. If another review covered adult women with a condition, perhaps your review could cover adult men with the same condition.
• Factors relating your topic to other systems and processes: If you are thinking about counseling, are there any laws that broadened the scope of practice for pharmacist counseling? Perhaps comparing patient satisfaction with counseling from before and after this law was passed would be interesting. If you are thinking about counseling via telecommunications devices, there may be technological milestones you might use to limit your search to specific timeframes, such as the introduction of smartphones around 2007; or mass adoption of smartphones around 2011.
• << Previous: Literature Review as part of a project
• Next: Data Management >>
• Last Updated: Apr 12, 2024 2:21 PM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/healthsciences/psp

Reference Examples

More than 100 reference examples and their corresponding in-text citations are presented in the seventh edition Publication Manual . Examples of the most common works that writers cite are provided on this page; additional examples are available in the Publication Manual .

To find the reference example you need, first select a category (e.g., periodicals) and then choose the appropriate type of work (e.g., journal article ) and follow the relevant example.

When selecting a category, use the webpages and websites category only when a work does not fit better within another category. For example, a report from a government website would use the reports category, whereas a page on a government website that is not a report or other work would use the webpages and websites category.

Also note that print and electronic references are largely the same. For example, to cite both print books and ebooks, use the books and reference works category and then choose the appropriate type of work (i.e., book ) and follow the relevant example (e.g., whole authored book ).

Examples on these pages illustrate the details of reference formats. We make every attempt to show examples that are in keeping with APA Style’s guiding principles of inclusivity and bias-free language. These examples are presented out of context only to demonstrate formatting issues (e.g., which elements to italicize, where punctuation is needed, placement of parentheses). References, including these examples, are not inherently endorsements for the ideas or content of the works themselves. An author may cite a work to support a statement or an idea, to critique that work, or for many other reasons. For more examples, see our sample papers .

Reference examples are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Chapter 10 and the Concise Guide Chapter 10

Related handouts

• Common Reference Examples Guide (PDF, 147KB)
• Reference Quick Guide (PDF, 225KB)

Textual Works

Textual works are covered in Sections 10.1–10.8 of the Publication Manual . The most common categories and examples are presented here. For the reviews of other works category, see Section 10.7.

• Journal Article References
• Magazine Article References
• Newspaper Article References
• Blog Post and Blog Comment References
• UpToDate Article References
• Book/Ebook References
• Diagnostic Manual References
• Children’s Book or Other Illustrated Book References
• Classroom Course Pack Material References
• Religious Work References
• Chapter in an Edited Book/Ebook References
• Dictionary Entry References
• Wikipedia Entry References
• Report by a Government Agency References
• Report with Individual Authors References
• Brochure References
• Ethics Code References
• Fact Sheet References
• ISO Standard References
• Press Release References
• White Paper References
• Conference Presentation References
• Conference Proceeding References
• Published Dissertation or Thesis References
• Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis References
• ERIC Database References
• Preprint Article References

Data and Assessments

Data sets are covered in Section 10.9 of the Publication Manual . For the software and tests categories, see Sections 10.10 and 10.11.

• Data Set References
• Toolbox References

Audiovisual Media

Audiovisual media are covered in Sections 10.12–10.14 of the Publication Manual . The most common examples are presented together here. In the manual, these examples and more are separated into categories for audiovisual, audio, and visual media.

• Artwork References
• Clip Art or Stock Image References
• Film and Television References
• Musical Score References
• Online Course or MOOC References
• Podcast References
• PowerPoint Slide or Lecture Note References
• Radio Broadcast References
• TED Talk References
• Transcript of an Audiovisual Work References
• YouTube Video References

Online Media

Online media are covered in Sections 10.15 and 10.16 of the Publication Manual . Please note that blog posts are part of the periodicals category.

• Facebook References
• Instagram References
• LinkedIn References
• Online Forum (e.g., Reddit) References
• TikTok References
• X References
• Webpage on a Website References
• Clinical Practice References
• Open Educational Resource References
• Whole Website References