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Presentation Tips and Templates

The goal of a research poster is to have an organized visual display of your research project and findings. All posters should include one of the CUR logos

Recommended Poster Size:

  • 48″ x 36″

Elements of a Poster:

  • Title
  • Author(s) and Institution(s)
  • Background/Introduction
  • Abstract (optional)
  • Methodology
  • Results (if you have them)
  • Conclusions
  • Future Directions
  • References
  • Acknowledgements (optional)

Characteristics of a Good Poster:

  • Organized – Has an ordered, logical flow of information.
  • Concise – Uses bullets and phrases vs long sentences & paragraphs.
  • Self-explanatory – Tells a story and conveys your take-away message and is easily understood even if you aren’t present.
  • Visually Appealing – Attractive and makes visitors want to stop by and ask questions.

Tips for Effective Poster Presentations:

  • Tell readers why your work matters
  • Overall appearance – graphics, text, colors
  • Organization – objective, results, conclusion, etc.
  • Minimize text & use appropriate graphics
  • Sketch your poster layout on paper first

Templates and Logos:

Traditional Poster PowerPoint Template

Traditional Poster Canva Template

Modern Poster PowerPoint Template

Modern Poster Canva Template

CUR Round Logo

CUR Banner Logo

CUR Gator Logo White

RESEARCH PITCH

In your presentation, it is not necessary to cover all the minute details; if someone wants to know those, they can ask a question. Instead, focus on the bigger picture of your research, results, and conclusions. Cover the important topics of your research and get your point across.

For examples on conveying information concisely, check the video links below:

In your pitch, some elements you may want to include are:

  • Hook – This is a sentence or two that you use to get people’s attention and draw their interest. It could be a question or a statement that introduces the topic and its importance.
  • Introduction – After you deliver the hook, it is crucial that you explain who you are (name, year, and major), in what capacity you completed this work.
  • Set-up or Question – After capturing their attention and introducing yourself, you want to quickly indicate (if you have not already) why your issue is important and how your research fits a need, but mostly you want to set up your central research question or problem, hopefully sparking the audience to start asking you more questions.
  • Minimize text & use appropriate graphics
  • Sketch your poster layout on paper first

Presentation Tips:

  • Please dress in business attire.
  • Plan what you are going to say in response to the statement, “tell me about your research” and “why should I care”.
  • Use plain language, your elevator pitch should target all audiences including those that know nothing about your topic.