From Posters to e-Posters: The Evolution of a Genre

There is plenty of informative material on the production and presentation of academic posters. Tips for first-time poster presenters can easily be found online, in an informal easy-to-read style, very much resembling that of poster sessions. More sophisticated how-to tips and techniques are also available, along with discussions on how to use posters for professional development in the workplace or as a teaching and evaluation device within university courses. In recent years several disciplines have developed new ways to facilitate poster presentations and discussions using projections followed by two-three minute oral presentations, online sessions, digital interactive poster presentations, virtual science fairs and tele-conferencing. The present paper offers an overview and discussion of the literature available on academic posters, highlighting the positive as well as the negative aspects of this genre. It also seeks to describe how posters are changing/evolving through technology, in the light of recent research on new forms of oral presentation.