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    • Revisions to MQP Format
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    • Guidelines for the MQP Poster
    • How to Develop your MQP Poster
    • Poster Template in Power Point
    • Instructions for Creating and Printing Posters
    • Example of Poster Layout (PDF)
    • Evaluation Criteria for MQP Poster Presentations (PDF)
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Guidelines for the MQP Poster

A well designed poster finds an appropriate balance between text and graphics (as well as blank space) to effectively communicate the work done, as well as the outcomes of the project. The poster should be self-explanatory. Students are encouraged to be creative in designing their poster. Depending on the focus of the project, the content as well as the relative importance of the different headings below may vary. You are encouraged to discuss with your project advisor about the poster content that will most effectively communicate the project efforts and outcomes.

Poster content:

• Title
  (Note: For projects having a sponsor it is strongly suggested that the company’s name be included in the title of the project)
• Students’ names and majors
• Advisor’s name
• WPI official logo and logo of sponsor company (if applicable)
• Abstract
  The Abstract is a very brief but clear description of what the report is all about, summarizing the work done and the results. It should not exceed 80 words and may be the same as the Abstract in the project report.
• Introduction/ Background
  The introduction must provide sufficient background material for the audience to understand the purpose of the project and its value and importance in the context of the field. Key references to the literature will typically appear in this section. Numbers can be used for references here, with the details appearing in the Reference section.
• Project Goals/Objectives
  The objectives of the project must be clearly stated. For example, make sure to differentiate between primary and secondary objectives.
• Process/Methods
  The poster should limit the detail of the techniques used and focus more on the approach taken and why that approach is the most appropriate for the questions being asked by the project.
  For projects with a significant design component, provide an analysis of the existing system or situation and the approach and steps undertaken to design the new solution or system.
• Results/Outcomes
  The results of the project should be presented in an easily understood manner. You are encouraged to use tables, graphs, and/or images, where appropriate, to demonstrate the results and outcomes. If using tables/graphs/images, be sure that you have explanatory text. If not using tables/graphs/images, use bulleted text to set off results. Do make sure that graphics are visible from a distance and avoid excessive tabular data.
  For projects with a design focus, provide the details of your design and implementation of the new solution or system. In this section you may also mention about any assessment/evaluation indicating the significance of your work.
• Conclusions and Recommendations
  Interpretation of the results and conclusions/recommendations made from the results and outcomes should be presented in this section. A few short statements stating what the researchers concluded, why they arrived at those conclusions and the importance of the conclusions should provide a good discussion. Any actions taken by the client as a result of the team’s conclusions and recommendations should be presented here.
• Acknowledgments
  (Note: This section is not a requirement.)
  Briefly acknowledge those outside of your project group who contributed to your study.
• References
  Key references will appear in this section.

Other details:

• Recommended poster size is 36" width × 28" height
  (landscape layout)
  This has roughly the same proportion as 11" × 8.5"
• Poster boards
  The Department of Management will provide each MQP team with a poster board for Project Presentation Day. Students should pick up the boards at the department main office. (The date of availability of these poster boards will be announced in D term).
• Text must be visible from a distance
  

Recommended font size
Main Title	Minimum 65 point (15 mm)
Section headings, team members' names	35 point (10 mm)
Regular text	25 point (8 mm)

• Use of sans serif font is recommended - Sans serif fonts are those that do not have fine cross-lines at the extremities of the letter. They are preferred for posters because they are easy to read from a distance. Examples of sans serif fonts are Arial and Verdana.
• Use of a white background is recommended - this makes it easier to read the poster from a distance. Also, when printing on a large format printer, a colored background requires that a lot of ink be used. Colored boxes may be used instead to emphasize the text and graphics.
• Detailed instructions on creating a poster using Power Point and on poster printing will be provided at a later date.

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Last modified: June 25, 2007 11:02:38