tools-only Research Poster Quality Checklist
Use this comprehensive checklist before printing or presenting your research poster.
Pre-Compilation Checks
Content Completeness
- Title is concise and descriptive (10-15 words)
- All author names spelled correctly
- Affiliations complete and accurate
- Contact email address included
- All sections present: Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions
- References cited (5-10 key citations)
- Acknowledgments included (funding, collaborators)
- No placeholder text remaining (TODO, Lorem ipsum, etc.)
Visual Content
- All figures prepared and high resolution (300+ DPI)
- Figure captions written and descriptive
- Logos available (university, funding agencies)
- QR codes generated and tested
- Icons/graphics sourced (if used)
LaTeX Configuration
- Correct paper size specified (A0, A1, 36×48", etc.)
- Correct orientation (portrait/landscape)
- Minimal margins configured (5-15mm)
- Font sizes appropriate (title 72pt+, body 24pt+)
- Color scheme defined
- All packages installed and working
Compilation Checks
Successful Compilation
- PDF compiles without errors
- No critical warnings in .log file
- All citations resolved (no [?] marks)
- All cross-references working
- Bibliography generated correctly (if using BibTeX)
Warning Review
Run in terminal: grep -i "warning\|overfull\|underfull" poster.log
- No overfull hbox warnings (text too wide)
- No underfull hbox warnings (excessive spacing)
- No missing figure warnings
- No missing font warnings
- No undefined reference warnings
PDF Quality Checks
Automated Checks
Run: ./scripts/review_poster.sh poster.pdf or manually verify:
Page Specifications
pdfinfo poster.pdf | grep "Page size"
- Page size matches requirements exactly
- Single page document (not multi-page)
- Correct orientation
Font Embedding
pdffonts poster.pdf
- All fonts show "yes" in "emb" column
- No bitmap fonts (should be Type 1 or TrueType)
Image Quality
pdfimages -list poster.pdf
- All images at least 300 DPI
- No JPEG artifacts in figures
- Vector graphics used where possible
File Size
ls -lh poster.pdf
- Reasonable size (2-50 MB typical)
- Not too large for email (<50 MB) if sharing digitally
- Not suspiciously small (<1 MB - may indicate low quality)
Visual Inspection (100% Zoom)
Layout and Spacing
- Content fills entire page (no excessive white margins)
- Consistent spacing between columns (1-2cm)
- Consistent spacing between blocks (1-2cm)
- All elements aligned to grid
- No overlapping text or figures
- White space evenly distributed (30-40% total)
- Visual balance across poster (no heavy/empty areas)
Typography
- Title readable and prominent (72-120pt)
- Section headers clear (48-72pt)
- Body text large enough (24-36pt minimum, 30pt+ recommended)
- Captions readable (18-24pt)
- No text running off edges
- Consistent font usage throughout
- Line spacing adequate (1.2-1.5×)
- No awkward hyphenation or word breaks
- All special characters render correctly (Greek, math symbols)
Visual Elements
- All figures display correctly
- No pixelated or blurry images
- Figure resolution high (zoom to 200% to verify)
- Figure labels large and clear
- Graph axes labeled with units
- Color schemes consistent across figures
- Legends readable and well-positioned
- Logos crisp and professional
- QR codes sharp and high-contrast (minimum 2×2cm)
- No visual artifacts or rendering errors
Colors
- Colors render as intended (not washed out)
- High contrast between text and background (≥4.5:1)
- Color scheme harmonious
- Colors appropriate for printing (not too bright/neon)
- Institutional colors used correctly
- Color-blind friendly palette (avoid red-green only)
Content
- Title complete and correctly positioned
- All author names and affiliations visible
- All sections present and labeled
- Results section has figures/data
- Conclusions clearly stated
- References formatted consistently
- Contact information clearly visible
- No missing content
Reduced-Scale Print Test (CRITICAL)
Test Print Preparation
Print poster at 25% scale:
- A0 poster → Print on A4 paper
- 36×48" poster → Print on Letter paper
- A1 poster → Print on A5 paper
Readability from Distance
From 6 feet (2 meters):
- Title clearly readable
- Authors identifiable
- Main figures visible
From 4 feet (1.2 meters):
- Section headers readable
- Figure captions readable
- Key results visible
From 2 feet (0.6 meters):
- Body text readable
- References readable
- All details clear
Print Quality
- Colors accurate (match screen expectations)
- No banding or color shifts
- Sharp edges (not blurry)
- Consistent print density
- No printer artifacts
Content Proofreading
Text Accuracy
- Spell-checked all text
- Grammar checked
- All author names spelled correctly
- All affiliations accurate
- Email address correct
- No typos in title or headers
Scientific Accuracy
- All numbers and statistics verified
- Units included and correct
- Statistical significance correctly indicated
- Sample sizes (n=) reported
- Figure numbering consistent
- Citations accurate and complete
- Methodology accurately described
- Results match figures/data
- Conclusions supported by data
Consistency
- Terminology consistent throughout
- Abbreviations defined at first use
- Consistent notation (italics for genes, etc.)
- Consistent units (don't mix metric/imperial)
- Consistent decimal places
- Consistent citation format
Accessibility Checks
Color Contrast
Test at: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
- Title-background contrast ≥ 7:1
- Body text-background contrast ≥ 4.5:1
- All text meets WCAG AA standard minimum
Color Blindness
Test with simulator: https://www.color-blindness.com/coblis-color-blindness-simulator/
- Information not lost with deuteranopia (red-green)
- Key distinctions visible with protanopia
- Patterns/shapes used in addition to color
- No critical info conveyed by color alone
Visual Clarity
- Clear visual hierarchy (size, weight, position)
- Logical reading order
- Grouping of related elements obvious
- Important info emphasized appropriately
Peer Review
30-Second Test
Show poster to colleague for 30 seconds, then ask:
- They can identify the research topic
- They can state the main finding
- They remember the key figure
5-Minute Review
Ask colleague to read poster (5 minutes), then ask:
- They understand the research question
- They can explain the approach
- They can summarize the conclusions
- They identify what makes it novel/important
Feedback
- Noted any confusing elements
- Identified any unclear figures
- Checked for jargon that needs definition
- Verified logical flow
Pre-Printing Final Checks
Technical Specifications
- PDF size exactly matches conference requirements
- Orientation correct (portrait vs landscape)
- All fonts embedded (verified with pdffonts)
- Color space correct (RGB for screen, CMYK if printer requires)
- Resolution adequate (300+ DPI for all images)
- Bleed area added if required (typically 3-5mm)
- Crop marks visible if required
- File naming convention followed
Printer Communication
- Confirmed paper type (matte vs glossy)
- Confirmed poster size
- Provided color profile if required
- Verified delivery deadline
- Confirmed shipping/pickup arrangements
- Discussed backup plan if issues arise
Backup and Storage
- PDF saved with clear filename:
LastName_Conference_Poster.pdf - Source .tex file backed up
- All figure files backed up
- Copy saved to cloud storage
- Copy saved on USB drive for conference
- Digital version ready to email if requested
Digital Presentation Checks
If presenting digitally or sharing online:
File Optimization
- PDF compressed if >10MB (for email)
- Test opens in Adobe Reader
- Test opens in Preview (Mac)
- Test opens in browser PDF viewers
- Test on mobile devices
Interactive Elements
- All QR codes tested and functional
- QR codes link to correct URLs
- Hyperlinks work (if included)
- Links open in new tabs/windows appropriately
Alternative Formats
- PNG version created for social media (if needed)
- Thumbnail image created
- Poster description/abstract prepared
- Hashtags and social media text ready
Conference-Specific
Requirements Verification
- Poster size matches conference specifications exactly
- Orientation matches requirements
- File format correct (usually PDF)
- Submission deadline met
- File naming convention followed
- Abstract/description submitted if required
Physical Preparation
- Poster printed and inspected
- Backup printed copy prepared
- Push pins/mounting materials ready
- Poster tube or flat portfolio for transport
- Business cards/handouts prepared
- Digital backup on laptop/phone
Presentation Preparation
- 30-second elevator pitch prepared
- 2-minute summary prepared
- 5-minute detailed explanation prepared
- Anticipated questions considered
- Follow-up materials ready (QR code to paper, etc.)
Final Sign-Off
Date: ________________
Poster Title: _______________________________________________
Conference: _______________________________________________
Reviewed by: _______________________________________________
All critical items checked: [ ]
Ready for printing: [ ]
Ready for presentation: [ ]
Notes/Issues to address:
Quick Reference: Common Issues
| Issue | Quick Fix |
|---|---|
| Large white margins | Reduce margin in documentclass: margin=5mm |
| Text too small | Increase scale: scale=1.5 in beamerposter |
| Blurry figures | Use vector graphics (PDF) or higher resolution (600+ DPI) |
| Colors wrong | Check RGB vs CMYK, test print before final |
| Fonts not embedded | Compile with: pdflatex -dEmbedAllFonts=true |
| Content cut off | Check total width: columns + spacing + margins = pagewidth |
| QR codes don't scan | Increase size (min 2×2cm), ensure high contrast |
| File too large | Compress: gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -dPDFSETTINGS=/printer ... |
Checklist Version
Version 1.0 - For use with LaTeX poster packages (beamerposter, tikzposter, baposter)