How to Prepare for a Poster Presentation

1. How to Prepare for a Poster Presentation Shared by Kari Kokka and Lizzie Adelman (EdD D2 students) Materials from Professors Nancy Hill and Barbara Pan and Students Lauren Capotosto, Kristy Cooper March 26, 2013 in preparation for the HGSE Student Research Conference

2. Why give a poster presentation? • Opportunity for the presenter and the audience to engage in one-on-one discussion • Opportunity for the presenter to get feedback and insight from the audience • Literature • Methods • Possible explanations for findings • More genuine exchange of ideas than a panel presentation

3. What happens during a poster session? • Posters are displayed in an exhibit area for a designated time period • Presenters stand by their posters to engage with audience members as they walk through the exhibits • Audience moves through the displays stopping at posters related to their interests • Presenters discuss their work with visitors to their posters • Presenters and visitors can exchange information for follow up conversations (more on handouts later)

4. What will happen during the SRC poster session? • Posters will be displayed on tables in Elliot Lyman (using tri-fold board displays) during one of two dedicated poster sessions • Presenters will stand by their posters at designated portions of the poster session • Presenters will discuss their work with visitors to their posters • Presenters will visit other posters when they are not sharing their poster

5. Preparing Your Poster • Materials for a Poster: • Conference posters are typically 3.5-4 feet by 5.5-6 feet, and are typically printed on large expensive, glossy poster paper • For the SRC, posters must be on tri-fold boards so they can be displayed on tables (and expensive, glossy printing is unnecessary) • 15 slides • can use the 4th floor color printer at Gutman • Tri-fold boards are available at many copy stores (e.g. Staples)

6. Preparing Your Poster • Contents of a Research Poster: • Title Sheet • Introduction • Research Question(s) • Methods • Results • Discussion/Conclusion • References (can use PowerPoint to create your slides)

7. Title Sheet • Should include • Presentation Title • Author’s Name(s) • Affiliation • (Email address optional)

8. Introduction • Introduce the general issues your research covers • Present what is already known about these issues in existing research • Gaps in the literature • Rationale for your study • Best to include citations in small font at the bottom of this sheet

9. Research Question(s) • State the specific research questions you address

10. Methods • Describe your data sources and how you collected your data • Examples: surveys, observations, interviews,existing dataset, etc. • Give specifics such as number of participants, length of interviews, etc. • Describe how you analyzed your data • Coding scheme, quantitative methods, etc.

11. Results • Present what you found in your data • Connect the data to each of your research questions • Exhibits are powerful here: • Tables, Graphs, Figures, Pictures • Interview quotes • Passages from field notes

12. Discussion/Conclusion • Link your findings to broader issues • State the implications of your work for students, parents, teachers, administrators, and/or policymakers. • Limitations (optional, if space) • Note directions for future research

13. References • List references in APA format • This is the one piece of your poster that can be in very small font

14. Making Your Poster Effective Plan your poster in the same way you would plan a powerpoint presentation

15. Making Your Poster Effective • Be selective and focus on the major points from your research • Minimize detail • Avoid jargon • General audience vs. expert audience • Have a clear organization • Go for visual appeal

16. Making Your Poster Effective • Be thoughtful about graphics: • Capitalize on the informative nature of tables, graphs, figures, and pictures • Create a display that enhances conversation • Utilize color - particularly to highlight key takeaways • Use large lettering (at least 20-point font)

17. Some Design Tips • Powerpoint slides make for great templates, but avoid busy, distracting backgrounds • Standard-size tri-fold boards hold about 15 slides in horizontal orientation • You can trim some slides to smaller than 8.5x11 size • You might mount slides on colored paper • Use a minimum of 20-point font, and use a consistent font throughout • Black text is easiest to read

18. Use a handout • 1-2 Pages (single sheet of paper) • Might supplement the poster with additional information • Might summarize the poster • Might duplicate the poster content exactly • Include your contact information for follow-up • Or go Green: Include sign-up sheet to email poster slides • You can also bring business cards if you have them

19. Preparation Tips • Prepare a 3-5 minute explanation of your poster to share with audience members who stop at your poster. • Practice your spiel with a few folks ahead of time for practice. • Have fun! It’s a great time to meet others with similar research interests and to share your thinking. You can also stop by nearby posters and checkout your colleagues’ work.

20. Other Resources Nicol, A.A., & Pexman, P. (2003). Displaying your findings: A practical guide for creating figures, posters, and presentations. Washington: American Psychological Association. Nicol, A.A., & Pexman, P. (2003). Presenting your findings: A practical guide for creating tables. Washington: American Psychological Association.