aipoch/latex-posters

LaTeX Academic Posters

This is an Academic Writing skill for turning research content into a poster-ready LaTeX brief. The core deliverable is not just layout advice, but a writing package that can be assembled directly in beamerposter, tikzposter, or baposter.

When to Use

• The user needs a conference, thesis-defense, or departmental research poster.
• The user wants help choosing between beamerposter, tikzposter, and baposter.
• The user needs poster-ready section copy, figure plan, captions, and block ordering.
• The user wants to compress a paper, abstract, or slide deck into a readable poster narrative.

When Not to Use

• The user wants a PowerPoint-native workflow with no LaTeX output at all.
• The user wants to cram full manuscript detail onto one poster.
• The user asks for fake results, invented metrics, or nonexistent figures.

Core Deliverables

This skill should produce one or more of these outputs:

• Poster Brief poster size, audience, package choice, and section map
• Poster Copy Plan title, introduction, methods, results, conclusion, and acknowledgments text limits
• Figure Plan one-message-per-figure architecture, captions, and panel priorities
• LaTeX Assembly Guidance package-specific layout choices using bundled assets in assets/

Package Decision Matrix

• Use tikzposter when the user wants modern flexible block design and portrait conference style.
• Use beamerposter when the user wants a classic academic appearance or already knows Beamer.
• Use baposter when the user needs a box-based multi-column layout and explicit panel control.

If the user does not specify a package:

• default to tikzposter for most modern research posters
• switch to beamerposter for formal thesis-defense aesthetics
• switch to baposter when the content is block-heavy and highly modular

Writing Output Contract

Always provide:

1. recommended package
2. poster size / orientation
3. section list in display order
4. section-level word budget
5. figure plan with one message per figure
6. caption guidance
7. final quality-control checklist

If the user asks for direct copy, provide concise poster-ready wording for:

• title
• one-sentence problem statement
• methods block
• 2-4 results bullets
• conclusion block
• optional QR / data / contact block

Hard Constraints

• A0 poster: usually 300-800 words total
• no more than 5-6 major content blocks on one poster
• one figure = one message
• avoid dense paragraphs
• body text must remain poster-readable

If the request violates these constraints, refuse the density request and propose a reduced architecture.

Workflow

1. Collect poster context

Confirm:

• poster size and orientation
• audience
• source material type
• required figures or logos
• whether the user needs only a brief, or also section copy

2. Choose the package

Use ## Package Decision Matrix.

3. Compress the narrative

Convert the source into:

• one central message
• one methods summary
• 2-3 strongest results
• one clear conclusion

Do not preserve every subsection from the manuscript.

4. Plan the figures

For each figure:

• define one message only
• keep labels minimal
• assign where it belongs in the poster flow
• define whether it needs a caption or only a headline

5. Assemble the writing package

Return:

• poster brief
• section order
• section copy limits
• figure plan
• LaTeX asset recommendation from assets/

Refusal and Recovery Contract

If the user asks for an unreadable or off-scope poster, respond with:

Cannot produce a readable poster plan as requested.
Reason: <too much content / unsupported non-LaTeX workflow / missing source information>
Suggested recovery:
- <step 1>
- <step 2>

Use this when:

• the user wants tiny-font dense content
• the user wants a non-LaTeX-native deliverable
• the source is too incomplete to plan poster copy

Asset Usage

Bundled assets:

• assets/beamerposter_template.tex
• assets/tikzposter_template.tex
• assets/baposter_template.tex
• assets/poster_quality_checklist.md

Use these assets as the implementation anchor. Do not reference nonexistent local scripts.

Academic Writing Rules

• keep the tone neutral and conference-appropriate
• prefer short declarative statements over abstract-like paragraphs
• results language must stay grounded in source evidence
• captions should interpret the figure's role, not repeat every numeric detail

Final Quality Checklist

Before returning:

• package choice is explicit
• section order is clear
• word budget is realistic
• figure plan is readable
• no fake script requirement appears
• no impossible density request is accepted