SLAS2027 Poster Presentation Guidelines

• All presenters must be registered as full-conference attendees in order to present at SLAS2027. If the primary author is not available during the scheduled presentation time, a co-author may present the poster instead.


• It is REQUIRED that a presenter be stationed at the poster for the duration of the poster presentation session (on the assigned date of presentation).
• A single presenter may present twice maximum (2 poster presentations, or 1 podium talk and 1 poster presentation). A single organization may submit more than two abstracts, but multiple presenters must be identified accordingly.

This resource is intended for all SLAS poster presenters — from first-time submitters to experienced contributors — who want to ensure their work is communicated with clarity, scientific rigor and strong visual impact. Poster sessions are among the most interactive and high-value elements of the SLAS conference experience, and an effective poster should not only share results but also spark conversation, invite collaboration and make your work memorable to a diverse scientific audience.

The guidance below distills best practices on both visual layout and in-person presentation. It is designed to help you clearly articulate the scientific importance of your work, guide your audience through your data with intention, and prepare you to confidently engage in discussion about your methodology, interpretation and future directions.

Whether you are refining your poster for submission or preparing to present onsite as a Student Poster Award finalist, use this checklist to ensure your message is impactful, accessible, and aligned with the expectations of SLAS attendees and Student Poster Award judges (if you are in the Student Poster Award competition).

Poster Layout – How to Make a Poster that Effectively Lays Out Your Message

Your audience will be standing 3-4 ft away. To ensure that your text is legible, try the following font sizes:

• Headings: 72
• Sub-headings: 36
• Body: at least 24

The goal is not to be comprehensive, but to present a story. Three to four (3-4) key figures should be sufficient. Ensure graphs are large enough for people to interpret – nothing will anger your audience more than a graph so tiny they can’t read the axis or the labels.

Using two to three key colors can help make your poster feel cohesive. For suggestions on possible color palettes, use a color wheel.

Be creative with your layout, but remember that people tend to read posters from left to right and from top to bottom.

Presentation Style – How to Talk About Your Work

Poster presentations tend to be more of a conversation than a formal presentation. It is ok to have longer explanations prepared, but be prepared to answer questions along the way. Your audience will have varying levels of expertise in the material you are presenting. If you are uncertain, it is okay to ask before offering an explanation.

Your audience will also understand that your expertise differs from theirs. They are not expecting you to make up an answer to a question you don’t know, but rather to explain how you might go about answering their question as best as you can.

Some of your audience members will have expertise that is different and complementary to your own. A great way to build a conversation is to ask them questions to learn new possible approaches to your work.

Discussing Your Work – Anticipating Your Audience’s Questions

Be sure you can explain and justify the scientific questions your work is asking.

• Why are the questions you are trying to answer important?
• What knowledge gap are they trying to address?

Understand the methodologies you used, including limitations.

• Why did you select those approaches?
• What other experiments could you run to address limitations?
• What is the key interpretation of each figure, and can that figure be interpreted in other ways?
• If it can, why is your explanation most plausible?
• What is the next logical question that should follow your work?

Poster Dimensions:

Poster size may not exceed 3 feet 7 inches [109 cm] across and 3 feet, 6 inches [107 cm] high.

Each board will be numbered on the upper left corner. Be sure you place your presentation on the board number for which you have been assigned. If you do not know your poster assignment number, please refer to the Conference App or your poster confirmation email. Note that you will be sharing a poster board with another presenter; there will be two posters displayed per board.

Posters not printed according to the specifications above will be removed and discarded.

Pushpins will be available to mount your poster. Handouts are encouraged as is a mechanism (envelope) for collecting contact information of participants wishing to receive more information on your poster. Envelopes will NOT be available and you may not encroach on your boardmate’s space with your supplemental materials.

NOTE: There will NOT be a table underneath the poster board.

Scientific posters should be prepared in accordance with ACS Style Guidelines

Poster Board Design:

• Title Banner: Lettering should be at least 3/4 [1.9 cm] to 1 inch [2.5 cm] high (72 pt. bold). The banner should include the author(s) and affiliation(s).


• Font: Use a sans serif font such as Arial or Helvetica in a minimum size of 24 pt. (1/4 inch high). Text, figures and photographs should be readable from a distance of 4 feet.


• Bullets and Numbering: Be simple and direct in your poster presentation. Use short phrases and "bulleted" text throughout the poster. Avoid long narrative paragraphs.

Poster Board Layout:

Arrange the poster for logical flow top left to lower right. The panels may be numbered in the order they should be viewed or you may use chart pak colored tape to guide the viewer.

Poster Board Content:

The poster should include the following elements:

• Overview: A succinct summary of the purpose, methods, and results. Use phrases rather than sentences in a simple outline format.


• Introduction: A concise statement of the objective and background of the work.


• Methods: Describe the apparatus, chemistry, samples, and materials used in detail.


• Results: Use graphs, spectra, charts, and pictures with a minimum of text to illustrate results.


• Conclusions: Concise statement of the findings indicating future research directions.

NOTE: Poster presentation may not be used as a sales or marketing opportunity. No hardware, books, accessories, or saleable items may be displayed at a poster.