Research Poster Template: 10 Layouts With What Goes in Each Block, Plus Sizes and Type Sizes

Disclosure: NOXI publishes this guide and is one of the tools it mentions. Every layout below works in PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva or LaTeX.

A research poster is one large printed sheet that tells a single study at a glance: the question, how it was answered, the main result and what it means, read standing up by visitors who then talk to the author. A template settles three things before you write a word: the sheet size, the grid of blocks, and the order people read them in.

Each layout comes as a labeled sketch with what goes in every block. Sizes, type sizes and word counts come from university and conference guides opened on 9 November 2026; where they disagree, this page says so.

Pick a layout by the kind of study and the board you will hang it on, then jump to its sketch.

Key numbers

Six numbers that shape any research poster template, each from the guide that prints it, opened on 9 November 2026.

Which research poster template fits: six quick routes

Six routes by what you need, each with the fact behind it, checked on 9 November 2026.

• If this is your first poster at a U.S. conference → layout 1, three columns on 48 × 36 in, because the Illinois guide calls it the standard U.S. conference size and Purdue Agronomy's display boards are that size [2] [6].
• If a congress asks for A0 portrait → layout 3, two columns on 841 × 1189 mm, the minimum IFLA set for its 2026 portrait boards [12].
• If the hall will be crowded and your study has one clear answer → layout 4, the billboard, which MIT's Communication Lab describes as giving most of the sheet to a clear, direct title [18].
• If you present a clinical case → layout 7, built on the CARE checklist for case reports, timeline and informed consent included [19].
• If you have no results yet → layout 10, which gives the space results would take to your aims, your plan and the questions you want visitors to answer.
• If you are choosing a tool → your university's own template where it has one [6] [8]; PowerPoint if no side of the poster is over 56 in [14]; Overleaf if you already write in LaTeX [17]; or NOXI's Poster format if you would rather describe the poster in one request (title, authors, blocks and your numbers), set a custom page size and export a PDF (steps below).

What goes on a research poster: the blocks and their jobs

Every layout uses some of these blocks; what changes is which block gets the most space.

The University of Illinois Library's example order is title, abstract, methodology, data, results and conclusion [2]; RMIT's is introduction, methods, results, conclusion and discussion, plus references [1]. Whether an abstract goes on the poster is the conference's call.

10 research poster templates: layout ideas with what goes in each block

Copy any sketch into your editor: band A runs across the top, columns count from the left, and each block says what goes in it. Text limits follow RMIT's 50 to 75 words a block [1] and NTU's ranges per sheet [5].

1. Three-column research poster template (landscape)

For: most empirical studies and first conference posters, on a 48 × 36 in board or A0 in landscape (1189 × 841 mm). Why it works: three columns follow the left to right, top to bottom reading order the Cambridge and Sheffield Hallam guides describe [4] [3].

Fill-in tip: write block G first. If you cannot state three conclusions in a sentence each, the poster is not ready for layout yet.

2. Four-column layout for wide boards

For: boards much wider than they are tall, such as the 91 × 45 in usable space at the 2027 SOT Annual Meeting [10] or EGU26's 1978 × 1183 mm boards [9], and studies with several experiments. Why it works: on a sheet twice as wide as it is high, three columns grow too wide to read comfortably; four keep each line short.

Fill-in tip: repeat the main finding at the top of column 4. A visitor who walks up to the right end of a wide board may never reach column 1.

3. Two-column portrait layout (A0 portrait)

For: meetings that hang posters upright. IFLA's 2026 congress set DIN A0 (841 × 1189 mm) as the minimum poster on portrait boards 950 mm wide [12], and AACOM's Educating Leaders 27 recommends 48 in high by 36 in wide [11]. Why it works: a tall sheet is read from the top down, so the results move up the right-hand column instead of waiting at the bottom.

Fill-in tip: if a landscape poster from another meeting must go on a portrait board, rebuild it rather than shrink it.

4. Billboard layout (#betterposter style)

For: a study with one clear answer, a crowded hall, and visitors who give each poster a few seconds. Why it works: MIT's Communication Lab describes the #betterposter template, introduced in 2019 by a psychology graduate student: a clear, direct title takes most of the sheet, supporting data and key information move to narrow side bars, and a code can link to the paper or preprint [18].

Fill-in tip: MIT's lab advises against following the template blindly: keep only the data that best supports the claim, and adapt the side bars to your audience [18].

5. Central figure layout

For: studies whose case rests on one picture: a map, a microscope image, a scan, an engineering drawing or one decisive graph. Why it works: the figure gets the double-width middle column, and everything else is arranged to explain it.

Fill-in tip: label the figure's lines or bars directly rather than with a separate legend, and, as EGU's guidelines ask, check its colors for color-vision deficiencies [9].

6. Results grid layout for data-heavy studies

For: surveys, evaluations and studies with many outcomes. Why it works: six small charts, each with its finding as a title, let a visitor scan the results in any order, and a thin method strip keeps the design in view.

Fill-in tip: number the charts so visitors can follow your talk [9]. For which chart fits which finding, see how to present data.

7. Case report poster layout

For: medicine, nursing, pharmacy and allied health. Why it works: it follows the CARE checklist for case reports, whose thirteen items run from patient information and clinical findings to a timeline of care, outcomes and informed consent [19].

Fill-in tip: the CARE checklist says the patient should give informed consent [19]. Follow your institution's and the conference's rules on consent, and remove anything in an image that could identify the patient.

8. Systematic review and literature review poster layout

For: systematic, scoping and student literature reviews. Why it works: the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram maps the records identified, included and excluded, with the reasons [20]; on a poster it becomes the results column.

Fill-in tip: start from the PRISMA template that matches your review (new or updated, databases and registers only or other sources too) and redraw it at poster size rather than pasting a screenshot [20].

9. Qualitative research poster layout (themes and quotes)

For: interview, focus group and observation studies in education, health and the social sciences. Why it works: qualitative findings are themes, not numbers, so the results become theme cards.

Fill-in tip: keep each quote to a sentence and check that your ethics approval and consent forms cover quoting participants on a public poster.

10. Work-in-progress poster (no results yet)

For: early projects, first-year doctoral students, and anyone presenting before the data arrive. Why it works: a poster session is a good place to collect feedback, so the plan and your questions take the space results would.

Fill-in tip: draw block F as a simple milestone line; our timeline template page has layouts for it. If the same project goes to a committee as slides, the research proposal presentation outline covers the talk.

Research poster size: A0, A1 and 48 × 36 inches

ISO 216 defines the A series of paper sizes, though its scope says it does not necessarily apply to posters [13]. University guides still name its sheets: A0 (841 × 1189 mm) in RMIT's guide and IFLA's 2026 instructions [1] [12], and A1 (594 × 841 mm) as Sheffield Hallam's standard [3]. In the United States, 48 × 36 in is the standard conference size in the Illinois guide [2], the most common size and the board size at Purdue Agronomy [6], and the most common size in Yale's library guide [7].

Conference poster sizes: what four meetings set

The board decides more than the paper. These are the size rules on four meetings' own pages, the newest published for each.

Two traps show up: an A0 portrait sheet is 6 mm taller than EGU26's boards, and a 48 × 36 in landscape poster, the U.S. default, is 12 in wider than AACOM's limit. Start from the conference page.

Research poster size in pixels and print resolution

Pixels matter for the pictures on a poster. Purdue Agronomy asks for images at 300 dpi or more, near 2000 pixels in at least one direction [6]; at 300 dpi a 2000-pixel photo prints about 6.7 in wide (2000 ÷ 300). Charts drawn in the poster software stay sharp at any size; screenshots do not.

Research poster font size and word count

The guides agree on the shape (a large title, mid-size headings, body text readable from a few steps away) but not the numbers: for A0, RMIT's body range is 18 to 24 pt and Cambridge recommends 40 [1] [4].

Distance is the better test. NTU Library's guide ties type size to reading distance: 30 pt reads from 1.8 m (6 ft), 48 pt from 3 m (10 ft) and 72 pt from 4.2 m (14 ft) [5]. RMIT asks for all text, figures included, to read from 1 to 2 meters and the title from 2 to 3 [1]. Two meetings set letter heights instead of points: AACOM asks for body text at least 1/4 in high and headings at least 3/4 in [11], and SOT asks for title strip lettering at least 1 in high [10].

A working rule: use the conference's minimum where it sets one, keep body text at 24 pt or larger on a full-size poster (the Illinois and Purdue floor; Cambridge and Sheffield Hallam suggest more), and size the title so it reads from across the aisle.

How many words on a research poster

NTU Library suggests about 250 to 400 words for A1 and 300 to 600 for A0 [5]; RMIT keeps each block to 50 to 75 words [1]. Count the title, blocks and captions, not the references. Cut the introduction first: one block of context is enough for someone standing in front of you.

How to make a research poster in seven steps

These steps work in any tool; the figure spreads them over six weeks.

1. Read the call for posters before anything else

Write down the size, the orientation, whether it is printed or an e-poster, the print deadline and any required template or blocks.

2. Write the title as your finding

Turn the result into one plain sentence, as MIT's Communication Lab advises for the main claim [18]. If the study is not finished, the title is the question.

3. Choose one of the ten layouts

Match it to the study type and the board: most studies fit layout 1, a single clear answer fits layout 4, a clinical case fits layout 7.

4. Draft each block to its word budget

Write the conclusions first, then the captions, methods and introduction, each block within 75 words and the total within NTU's range [1] [5].

5. Make the figures

One finding per chart, with the finding as the chart's title and the axis labels in plain words. Number the figures and check their colors for color-vision deficiencies, as EGU's guidelines ask [9].

6. Build at full size and set the type

Set the real size before adding anything, apply the type sizes above, then read a small proof at arm's length.

7. Export a PDF and order the print early

Purdue Agronomy's print service accepts only PDF and asks for requests at least 24 hours ahead [6]; Illinois advises a bleed of at least 0.25 in on each side [2]; and Yale's library notes that cloth posters can cost more and need more lead time, but travel well [7].

Research poster template in PowerPoint, Google Slides, Canva and LaTeX

How each tool sets a poster-size page, from its own help page, opened on 9 November 2026.

Research poster template in PowerPoint

Open a blank presentation, go to the Design tab, choose Slide Size, then Custom Slide Size, and enter the width and height; PowerPoint accepts inches, centimeters or pixels [14]. Microsoft lists 1 in as the smallest and 56 in (142.24 cm) as the largest width or height [14], so A0 (118.9 cm tall) and 48 × 36 in both fit, while a poster wider than 56 in, such as SOT's 91 in space, has to be built at half size and printed at 200%. Set the size first: when you change it later, PowerPoint may ask how to scale what is already there, and Microsoft notes that choosing Maximize can leave content that no longer fits on the slide [14].

Research poster template in Google Slides

Open the presentation, click File, then Page setup, choose Custom, and enter a size in inches, centimeters, points or pixels [15]. Google's help page names no largest size, so test your full dimensions on a blank file before you build.

In Canva

Canva's help center offers custom dimensions in px, in, mm or cm, and the same page gives two different maximums. Its setup step says width and height "should be at least 40px and not more than 8000px"; its limits list reads "Maximum dimensions: 8000 x 3125 px" [16]. The page does not explain the difference; Canva says the fields turn red when a size is outside its limits. If yours is refused, build smaller in the same proportions and have the printer scale it.

In LaTeX on Overleaf

Overleaf's poster gallery includes templates from universities and research institutes, some built with the beamerposter package and some on the baposter class, and notes that you can switch between landscape and portrait and choose A0, A1, A2, A3 or A4 [17]. It suits fields that already write papers in LaTeX, since equations and references carry over.

Your university's own template

Many institutions publish branded templates that already carry the right logos and colors. Yale's library offers Yale-branded templates sized to fit its Medical Education Day limit of 44 × 44 in [8], and Purdue Agronomy links a PowerPoint template from its poster printing page [6]. Use your institution's version where it exists, and move its blocks into whichever of the ten layouts fits your study.

Research poster examples: one study filled in, block by block

Here is layout 1 filled in with published data: reading for fun among 13-year-olds in the NAEP long-term trend assessment, as the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports it [21]. It is a secondary analysis, a poster a student can make from public data.

The same study as a billboard (layout 4): the center sentence would read "Only 14% of 13-year-olds read for fun almost every day in 2023, about half the 2012 share", with the chart and the score table in the right side bar and the methods in the left. The data stay the same; the emphasis changes.

At the poster session: the short talk and what to bring

Most visitors will ask you to walk them through it. Prepare a talk of about a minute: the question, how you answered it, the main result pointing at its figure, and what it means. Then stop and let them ask. Our guide on how to make a presentation covers the same habits for a talk with slides, and if your abstract is moved to an oral session instead, turning a research paper into a conference presentation gives a 10-minute outline. Bring pins or tape if the meeting does not supply them.

What to check before you print and present

Every line here is something only you, your supervisor or your conference can confirm.

Three ready requests to paste into NOXI

Paste one into NOXI and replace the words in brackets.

Make it in NOXI: a research poster from one request

NOXI 2.0 makes 14 formats from one request, and a research poster uses the Poster format, which starts at A4 or A3 and takes a custom size in the Design panel. It is free to start: the free plan covers five documents a month, and every change after that, by chat or by hand, is free. No credit card is needed to start, and downloads carry no watermark, on the free plan too. The full list of formats is in the NOXI 2.0 launch article.

To compare AI poster tools more widely, our AI poster maker ranking scores eleven of them on documented rules.

Frequently asked questions

What is the standard size of a research poster?

There is no single standard. In the United States, the Illinois, Purdue and Yale guides name 48 × 36 inches landscape as the standard or most common size. Elsewhere, guides name ISO 216 A-series sheets: about A0 (841 × 1189 mm) at RMIT, A1 (594 × 841 mm) at Sheffield Hallam. The conference's guide decides, so read it first.

Should a research poster be landscape or portrait?

Follow the board. Landscape suits boards such as Purdue Agronomy's, 48 × 36 inches, and the EGU26 boards in Vienna, 1978 mm wide and 1183 mm high. Portrait suits meetings such as IFLA 2026, whose boards were 950 mm wide, and AACOM Educating Leaders 27, which recommends 48 inches high by 36 wide.

What should a research poster include?

A title that states the finding or question, authors and affiliations, a short introduction, the question or aim, methods, results as figures titled with their findings, conclusions, references, acknowledgements and contact details. The University of Illinois Library's guide also lists an abstract. Some conferences require extra items, so check the call for posters.

How many words should a research poster have?

NTU Library's poster guide suggests about 300 to 600 words for an A0 poster and 250 to 400 for A1, and RMIT's guide keeps each text block to no more than 50 to 75 words. In practice, write the conclusions first, then cut the introduction and methods until the total fits.

What font size should I use on a research poster?

For a 48 × 36 inch poster, the Illinois guide asks for a title of at least 72 pt and body text of at least 24 pt; Purdue recommends 36 pt or more for body text. For A0, Cambridge asks for a title of at least 90 pt and recommends 40 pt body text. The conference's minimum wins.

How do I set up a research poster template in PowerPoint?

Before adding any content, open the Design tab, choose Slide Size, then Custom Slide Size, and enter the width and height, for example 48 by 36 inches. Microsoft lists 56 inches as the largest width or height PowerPoint accepts, so build a larger poster at half size and ask the printer to scale it up.

Is a scientific poster template different from a research poster template?

Not in structure. Both names describe the same sheet: a title band, then introduction, methods, results and conclusions, read left to right and top to bottom. Laboratory fields lean on figures and the three- or four-column layouts, clinical fields add case reports, and reviews add a PRISMA flow diagram. Pick by study type, not by name.

What is a billboard-style research poster?

A layout that gives most of the sheet to the main finding, written as one plain sentence in very large type, with the authors, a short abstract, supporting figures and references in narrow side bars. MIT's Communication Lab traces it to the #betterposter template, introduced in 2019, and advises adapting it to your audience rather than following it blindly.

How do I make a research poster without results?

Use a work-in-progress layout. Put the problem, the gap and your aims in the first column, the planned design and any pilot data, labeled as preliminary, in the second, and a timeline, expected outcomes and two or three questions for visitors in the third. A poster session is a good place to collect feedback.

Can NOXI make a research poster from my abstract?

Yes. Choose the Poster format, attach your abstract, name the title, authors and blocks, and paste your results as a table; NOXI builds the charts from it and keeps every source on the page. Set the size in the Design panel, for example A0, then export a PDF for print. The free plan covers five documents a month.

Sources & methodology

Every size, type size, word count and date comes from the publisher's own page, opened signed out on 9 November 2026, with its last-updated date where shown. Conversions are ours, at 25.4 mm to the inch. The ten layouts are editorial working templates, not published standards. The filled example uses only NCES figures.

• [1] A poster "sized roughly at A0 size (841 x 1189 mm)"; titles 80 to 96, headings 30 to 36, body 18 to 24; text blocks of no more than 50 to 75 words; a 3 cm border; text readable from 1 to 2 meters and the title from 2 to 3 meters; introduction, methods, results, conclusion and discussion sections, and "don't forget to include your references" · RMIT University Learning Lab, Poster presentations, checked 9 November 2026.
• [2] Standard U.S. conference poster size 48 by 36 in; slide resized to width 48 in and height 36 in for the Undergraduate Research Symposium; title at least 72 pt; all text at least 24 pt; a bleed of at least 0.25 in on each side; example structure and optional elements; reading order left to right and top to bottom. Last updated 23 September 2026 · University of Illinois Library, Research Posters: Step by step, checked 9 November 2026.
• [3] The standard size for a research poster is A1 (594 x 841 mm), portrait or landscape; columns, reading order and white space; type sizes for A1: title 100 to 150 pt, headings and subtitles 60 to 100 pt, body 30 to 50 pt, captions and references 20 pt · Sheffield Hallam University Library, Research Posters: Layout and structure and Colour and style, checked 9 November 2026.
• [4] Titles at least size 90 for an A0 poster; size 40 recommended for body text on A0; content read left to right and top to bottom; check the event's size requirements and word limit. Last updated 6 October 2026 · University of Cambridge Libraries, Creating Effective Research Posters, checked 9 November 2026.
• [5] A1 poster, about 250 to 400 words; A0 poster, about 300 to 600 words; legible from 1.8 m (6 ft) at 30 pt, 3 m (10 ft) at 48 pt, 4.2 m (14 ft) at 72 pt. Last updated 23 September 2025 · Nanyang Technological University Library, Communicating Research: Poster Design, Text and Fonts, checked 9 November 2026.
• [6] Most common size 48 by 36 in; display boards 48 by 36 in; print roll up to 42 in wide; body text 24 to 36 pt, 24 pt an absolute minimum, 36 pt or above highly recommended; titles two or three times the body size; images 300 dpi or above, near 2000 pixels in at least one direction; PDF the only file type accepted; requests at least 24 hours in advance; a PowerPoint template that may be rearranged. Page last modified 13 October 2026 · Purdue University College of Agriculture, Agronomy, Poster Printing Guidelines, checked 9 November 2026.
• [7] Most common sizes 36 in tall by 48 in wide (landscape); paper usually cheapest and quick, cloth more expensive with more lead time but good for travel. Last updated 30 June 2026 · Yale University Library, Academic Poster Resources: Software, Printing, & Help, checked 9 November 2026.
• [8] Poster dimensions limited to 44 in wide by 44 in tall because of the display boards; Yale-branded templates from Yale University Library that fit the limit. Updated 15 October 2025 · Yale School of Medicine, Medical Education Day poster guidelines, checked 9 November 2026.
• [9] Boards 1978 mm wide by 1183 mm high in landscape format; minimum font size of 16 pt; legible at 1.5 to 2.0 m; number or letter the elements; check color schemes for color-vision deficiencies; EGU26, 3 to 8 May 2026, Vienna and online · European Geosciences Union, EGU26 Poster presenter guidelines, checked 9 November 2026.
• [10] Posters mounted horizontally on a usable space of 91 in wide by 45 in high (231.1 by 114.3 cm); title strip lettering at least 1 in (2.54 cm) high; readable from five feet; acceptance notices early January 2027; discounted printing for orders by 19 February 2027; final print orders by 10 March 2027; Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio · Society of Toxicology, 2027 Annual Meeting, Poster Planning, checked 9 November 2026.
• [11] Recommended 48 in high by 36 in wide (portrait); smaller posters accepted if no wider than 36 in, commonly 24 by 36 in portrait or 36 by 24 in landscape; two posters per board; body text at least 1/4 in high, headings and subheadings at least 3/4 in; Philadelphia, 14 to 16 April 2027 · AACOM Educating Leaders 27, Poster Guidelines, checked 9 November 2026.
• [12] Poster boards 950 mm wide and 2250 mm high, portrait; DIN A0, 841 mm wide by 1189 mm high, the minimum size for printed posters; recommended no larger than 900 mm wide and 1900 mm high; poster sessions on 11 and 12 August 2026 · IFLA World Library and Information Congress 2026, Instructions for Accepted Posters, checked 9 November 2026.
• [13] ISO 216:2007, Writing paper and certain classes of printed matter, trimmed sizes, A and B series, and indication of machine direction; valid from 29 August 2007; its scope specifies trimmed sizes and does not necessarily apply to newspapers, published books, posters or other special items. ISO's own page refused the request (HTTP 403), so the record was read at the Estonian Center for Standardisation and Accreditation · EVS, ISO 216:2007, checked 9 November 2026.
• [14] Design tab, Slide Size, Custom Slide Size; widths and heights in inches, centimeters or pixels; minimum 1 in, maximum 56 in (142.24 cm); choosing Maximize when resizing can leave content not fitting on the slide · Microsoft Support, Change the size of your PowerPoint slides, checked 9 November 2026.
• [15] File, Page setup, Custom: a size in inches, centimeters, points or pixels; no maximum stated · Google Docs Editors Help, Change slide size and measurement units in Google Slides, checked 9 November 2026.
• [16] Custom dimensions with units px, in, mm or cm; setup step: width and height "should be at least 40px and not more than 8000px"; limits section: "Maximum dimensions: 8000 x 3125 px"; fields turn red outside the limits · Canva Help Center, Design from scratch, checked 9 November 2026.
• [17] LaTeX poster templates, among them ones from universities and institutes, some using the beamerposter package and some the baposter class; "Switch between landscape or portrait, A0, A1, A2, A3, and A4 size posters" · Overleaf, LaTeX templates: Posters, checked 9 November 2026.
• [18] #betterposter introduced in 2019 by a psychology graduate student; a clear, direct title takes the majority of the space and data and other key information sit in small side bars; a QR code linking to the paper or preprint as a simple addition; the lab's advice: the main claim as a complete sentence, large and legible, only the data that best supports it, more white space, and no blind use of templates. Blog post by Kasey Love, 27 September 2023 · MIT Biological Engineering Communication Lab, Toward an #evenbetterposter, checked 9 November 2026.
• [19] The CARE checklist's thirteen items, from title to informed consent, including a timeline of historical and current information from the episode of care as a figure or table, and that the patient should give informed consent · CARE case report guidelines, Checklist, checked 9 November 2026.
• [20] The flow diagram maps the number of records identified, included and excluded, and the reasons for exclusions; templates for new and updated systematic reviews, searching databases and registers only or other sources too · PRISMA 2020 flow diagram, checked 9 November 2026.
• [21] In 2023, 14% of 13-year-olds reported reading for fun almost every day, 3 percentage points lower than 2020 and 13 lower than 2012, and lower than in all previous assessment years; the never or hardly ever share was larger for students below the 25th percentile; average scores down 4 points in reading and 9 in mathematics since 2020, and 7 and 14 since 2012 · NCES, The Nation's Report Card, NAEP Long-Term Trend Assessment Results, 2023, checked 9 November 2026.