Professional Development Schools

Next Steps and Deadlines

• Submit supporting travel documents and letter(s) of thanks per the directives outlined in your acceptance letter within 1 month of returning from your IPDS study away experience.
• Complete your research abstract following the guidelines below and submit via email to Tamara Horstman-Riphahn at horstmath@buffalostate.edu within 1 month of returning from your IPDS study away experience.
• Create your poster following the guidelines outlined below. Submit your final poster to your faculty mentor and Tamara (School of Education) at horstmath@buffalostate.edu at least 1 month prior to the PDS conference or other approved event.
• Present your poster/findings at the annual PDS Conference or (approved) alternate event.

About the PDS Conference Poster Sessions

• Participants must submit a Poster Presentation Proposal to be included in the upcoming PDS Conference agenda. Visit the PDS Conference webpage at https://pds.buffalostate.edu/conference for details. NOTE: The deadline is generally the first week of June each year.
• Participants may choose to share their research poster on a laptop or a printed poster. Note your preference on the online conference proposal form.
• There will be several posters on display. Easels are not assigned, but there will be enough for each presentation to have one easel. Plan to arrive well in advance of your assigned poster time.
• You are expected to be present next to your poster during your scheduled time so you will be available to interact with your audience and answer questions about your poster.
• You will be provided with one easel, a 32” x 40” foam core board, and mounting pins You can rotate the board so your poster can be vertical or landscape.
• A limited number of tables may be available (upon request) to be shared with other presenters. Posters should be placed on easels and tables saved for other items directly related to the presentation (e.g., laptops, artwork).

Title

The title is your first and best chance to inform your audience about your presentation. Pick a title that is descriptive and interesting. Using humor or an interesting association or word combination may attract attention to your presentation.

Authors / Investigators

Beneath the title, include the name and major/department of everyone who was part of the project facilitation team.

Abstract

Abstracts are stand-alone documents. Someone reading your abstract should have a good understanding of the work you conducted/will conduct, the question you sought to answer, and the purpose for conducting the project. Your abstract must be a single paragraph, approximately 200-250 words in length that clearly describes your research activity. Avoid citations. If you have not completed your activity, include any preliminary findings; even if your conclusions change as you gather data and synthesize results, preliminary conclusions define the implications and significance of your research.

Your abstract should include the following:

• clear identification or explanation of the question or problem you are posing
• relevant background information to place your question/problem in context
• methods or approach you used to collect data and/or obtain information
• any preliminary or final results and conclusions you have at the time of preparing your abstract
• a sentence or two that gives your audience a preview of what they can expect within your presentation/poster

Methods

Methods includes the basic parameters of your study and describes how your data was collected (e.g., survey questions, classroom observations) including target sample, setting, techniques, subjects.

Findings / Results

Findings/Results describes what you discovered from the data. Summarize responses/observations. You may briefly summarize the responses/observations by each question or, if comparing locations or topics, you may summarize similarities and differences. Include images or tables that demonstrate your findings in a visually appealing manner.

Conclusions / Next Steps

The Conclusions must derive directly from the results section and answer only the question or topic you proposed. Note obvious limitations as well as potential improvements or ways to expand the project if conducted in the future.

References (optional): References are wordy and space consuming. Only cite key references that are integral to your study. List in smaller font.

Adapted from SRCC presentation guidelines.

Designing Your Poster

• Your poster should be 30x40 either vertical or horizontal.
• Conference attendees represent a diversity of disciplines so you should aim your poster for a general audience.  Limit the use of discipline-specific terminology (jargon).
• Your poster should be easy to follow and tell the story of your project. Anyone viewing your poster should understand what you did and discovered.
• Poster headings should be clear and bold. Use short headings relevant to your study.
• Include a Title and Abstract on your poster. Other sections to consider are (titles can be changed) Background, Methods, Findings/Results, Interpretations, Conclusions, Next Steps, etc.
• Your poster should have a mix of text, images, and/or tables and enough detail to tell your research story. A text-only poster is unlikely to be read. A pictures/figures-only poster does not explain the significance of your project.
• Recommended Software: Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint is relatively easy to use for creating posters. Templates have been created to make the process easier for students. Follow the guidelines below.
• Alternative Software: Adobe Illustrator and InDesign have more features but are more complex. Adobe Photoshop is great for modifying images but is complex and expensive. Microsoft Excel can generate graphics and export to PowerPoint but may need ‘cleaning up’.

Layout

• Use “reader gravity” that pulls the eye from top to bottom and left to right.
• Use Headings and Boxes to help readers follow your story.
• Balance the placement of text and graphics to create visual appeal. 
• Use white space to help define the flow of information.
• Use Headings and Boxes to help readers follow your ‘story’.
• Balance the placement of text and graphics to create visual appeal.
• Use color to help organize your poster. For example, a light color background and dark color letters is easier to read. Don’t overdue the number of colors--use 2 or 3 at the most. If you use multiple colors, use them in a consistent pattern to avoid distracting and confusing the person reading your poster. Fluorescent colors should be avoided as they attract attention but then wear out readers’ eyes.
• Keep text at a minimum; edit carefully to avoid repeating information and too many details.

Text and Graphics

• Text size should be large enough so it is easy to read. Keep text to a minimum. 
• Photos are a good way to draw attention to your poster. Be sure each photo has a caption that explains what the photo is showing and only use photos that illustrate your text. 
• Photos should be high resolution (about 1200 x 1800 pixels or larger). Avoid web images unless they are of high resolution and approved for using for educational purposes. Images obtained from the web should include the source (photographer credit). Images that include children must be pre-approved by the related school/parent.
• Photos must remain proportional. To avoid distorting or stretching an image when resizing, click on the image and always use the CORNER handles to enlarge or shrink the image. Do you use the handles midway on the outer edges. Be sure to crop out unnecessary aspects of the photo.
• Clip Art should be avoided unless no other image is available.
• Graphs should have clearly labeled axes, be simple, and use colors that are easy to see against the background.

Template & Steps

• Your poster should be 30x40 either vertical or horizontal.
• Download a template from the Design and Print Center: https://designandprint.buffalostate.edu/static/dp/templates
• Open PowerPoint and go to Page Setup to change the dimensions. On a Mac select File then Page Setup. On a PC select Design then Page Setup.
• Add text, pictures, graphs, and/or tables.
• Review your poster carefully, fixing any spelling or grammatical errors. Look for areas where you can improve the aesthetics (e.g. edit sentences that push a word or two into the next line, ensure the font pattern is consistent).