Poster guide

The IMRaD Structure of a Scientific Poster (and Its Variants)

IMRaD on a conference poster: what each section is for, how long it should be, why this structure dominates, and how to adapt it to your discipline.

July 4, 2026 · 8 min read

Quick answer: the IMRaD structure on a poster

IMRaD stands for Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. It is the standard skeleton of a scientific work: it guides the reader from the problem to the conclusion, in the very order of the research process. On a poster, you keep this sequence, but each section is condensed: a few sentences, lists, numbers, rather than paragraphs.

Why IMRaD became the standard

The IMRaD structure is not an arbitrary convention. A landmark study by Sollaci and Pereira, published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association in 2004, shows that IMRaD became the near-exclusive structure of the original scientific article, adopted by about 80% of journals as early as the 1970s. Its strength: it mirrors the process of discovery (a question, a method to answer it, observations, an interpretation).

A reader used to science expects this order. Respecting it lowers their mental load: they know where to find the method, where to look for the results. That is especially valuable on a poster, read standing up in a few seconds.

What each section is for (and how long)

On a poster, restraint is the rule. Here is the role of each block and a length guideline.

Title, authors, affiliations

Not an IMRaD section, but the first thing read from several meters away. A short, jargon-free title, ideally a claim or a result. A key reference here: "Designing conference posters" by biologist Colin Purrington, one of the most cited resources on the topic.

Introduction

Three to five sentences. The problem, the stakes, the objective. Not a literature review: one strong idea is enough to set the context.

Methods

Condensed, in bullet points: population, measures, analysis, timeframe. The reader should understand how you obtained your results, without the detail of an article. A study flow diagram is often better than a paragraph.

Results

The heart of the poster. As George Hess and colleagues (NC State University) note in AMEE Guide No. 40, a poster is first a visual communication tool: favor charts, big numbers and tables over text. Each figure must be understandable on its own, with a short caption.

Discussion and conclusion

On a poster, Discussion and Conclusion are often merged into a short block: what to take away, the limitations, one or two perspectives. One or two ideas, no more.

References and contact

A few key references (not the full bibliography), a contact, and increasingly a QR code to the full paper.

Variants by discipline

IMRaD is the foundation, but not all research fits it the same way.

Quantitative research (health, sciences): IMRaD applies almost as is, with numerical results and figures.
Qualitative research and humanities: "Results" is sometimes replaced by themes or verbatim quotes, and "Methods" describes the corpus and analysis rather than a protocol.
Clinical (case) poster: the outline often becomes Case presentation, Management, Outcome, Discussion.
Single-message poster: the Better Poster logic highlights one result and pushes the full IMRaD into a sidebar.

The principle stays the same: a logical sequence the reader can follow effortlessly. Adapt the labels, not the clarity.

IMRaD and the number of columns

On an A0 portrait, the IMRaD order reads naturally from top to bottom, in two or three columns. In landscape, the page is wider and shorter: you often need more columns so the content fits without being cut off. A good template handles this distribution for you.

That is the approach of Folio Poster: twelve templates that all share the IMRaD skeleton (you lose nothing when switching models), with a layout that adapts to the format and an A0 or A1 print-ready export. For the fundamentals, see the guide how to make a scientific poster; to compare layouts, the poster templates page.

In summary

IMRaD = Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion: the standard research skeleton.
It prevailed because it mirrors the scientific process and lowers the reader's effort.
On a poster, each section is condensed: short sentences, lists, figures.
The results are the heart: show them, don't tell them.
Adapt the labels to your discipline, never at the cost of clarity.

Frequently asked questions

What does IMRaD mean?
Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. It is the standard structure of a scientific work, carried over to conference posters.

Do you have to follow IMRaD on a poster?
It is the most readable and expected outline, but it adapts: qualitative research, clinical posters or single-message posters express the idea differently. What matters is a logical, clear sequence.

How long should each section be?
Introduction: 3 to 5 sentences. Methods and results: lists and figures. Conclusion: one or two ideas. A poster is read in under a minute: each section must get to the point.