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The Morrison Method:
A How-To Guide
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In an effort to make academic research posters more accessible to a lay audience and to maximize the
information translated to conference attendees, the CHILD-BRIGHT 2020 Poster and Networking
Session hopes to incorporate use of a new poster format. This new poster design –known as the
Morrison
Method– was developed by Mike Morrison; a PhD candidate in organizational psychology at Michigan
State University that aims to streamline the insight transmitted to attendees by keeping it focused on what
participants need to know.
Here is an example of a research poster formatted using the Morrison Method:
Example provided by @mikemorrison
The following guidelines are to help you design a research poster using this method. To aid in this, we
have created a PowerPoint template that you can download and modify to suit your project. Following the
walk-through guide, a number of example posters are included for your reference.
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Based on Morrison, M. A. (2019, May 8). #betterposter. Retrieved from osf.io/ef53g
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Anatomy of a Research Poster Using this Method:
1. THE PUNCHLINE
The punchline is the main point you want people to take away from your poster. What is the minimum
need-to-know information or main finding of your study? This information will serve as the basis for your
punchline.
Translate this main finding into plain English. Plain language is interpreted faster and gets the reader’s
attention more easily. Include the punchline in the center of the poster and align it to the left. Aligning
text in the center forces your eyes to do more work. Emphasize the important words by bolding them.
2. BACKGROUND
Choose an appropriate and attractive background to highlight the punchline. Consider using CHILD-
BRIGHT colours provided in the PowerPoint template, or school colours. You may also consider using a
background image that relates to the theme of your study.
Punch Line
Ammo Bar
Silent Presenter Bar
QR Code
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3. AMMO BAR
On the right side of the poster (or whichever side you plan to stand on), create an Ammo Bar. This bar is
for you to use when answering questions. Include any resources you need to answer questions, including
but not limited to miscellaneous tables, figures, or graphs. This section is not meant as a stand-alone
section - it is only for YOU, so design and layout are not important here.
4. SILENT PRESENTER BAR
On the left side of the poster (or whichever side you do NOT plan to stand on), create a Silent Presenter
Bar. You may be busy talking to an attendee when someone else comes up to your poster wanting to learn
more about your research. This Silent Presenter Bar should serve as a stand-alone section, giving an
overview of your research in 1-4 minutes. Include all the information that you normally would on an
academic poster. Feel free to follow the traditional intro/methods/results format. If you cannot fit
everything into the ‘Silent Presenter Bar’, then you are including too much information. If the information
does not all fit, try cutting down or moving some to the Ammo Bar section.
5. QR CODE
Perhaps someone wants even more information about your research. You can include a QR code linking
to additional resources. This QR code may link to the full paper, a copy of the poster, a summary PDF of
the research, standalone figures with captions, an expanded abstract, etc.
To create the QR code:
1) Upload the additional resources somewhere (on a website, google document or drive, PDF, etc.)
2) Obtain a URL
3) Use a free QR code generator to make a QR code for this URL
a) https://www.qrcode-monkey.com
Once you have a QR code, put it somewhere on your poster. Consider placing it below the punchline so it
is easily accessible for scanning. Ensure that the QR code is large enough for someone to scan from a
distance. We recommend a minimum size of 4 by 4 inches. Now, attendees can use the camera on their
smartphones to find out more about your research
6. ADD IMAGES
To make the poster more visually appealing, consider adding images. Add a key figure (graph) or image
that visualizes your findings.
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Morrison-Method Poster Examples:
Example provided by @ElzaRechtman
Example provided by @hydrogawker
Mountain Photo by @mnthydro
Example provided by @jlaferton
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Example provided by @mhermanUNLsbs
Example provided by @Amandisols
Example provided by @katta_spiel
