Innovations in Research Presentations at Academic Conferences
Modern technology has made it possible to expand the features of your conference poster. While printed posters are still effective and the standard at academic conferences, there are new ways to integrate digital features to better engage with your audience. Not only that, but these innovative components improve the accessibility of your research presentation.
In addition, interactive and multimedia elements are keeping audiences engaged and presenting opportunities for follow up after the conference. These innovations help research presentations stand out, which is important when posters are required to apply the same standards. It's not about just captivating your audience for a few minutes, but also ensuring they want to continue learning about you and your research.
Here, we'll look at a few ways you can expand the possibilities of communication and knowledge sharing with your conference poster.
An overview of the basics of research presentations
Research presentations are succinct summaries of a research paper. They are meant to express the important parts of a study in a short and easy-to-understand way. Much like an abstract, they take the viewer on a journey through the process, from the reason for conducting the study, to the methods, the results, and conclusions.
Most presentations take the form of a conference poster. These are visual aids for your summaries. Usually on a large white canvas, they contain text and graphics that pair with a verbal presentation. Ultimately, they should be visible from a few feet away and understandable even if the poster is unattended.
Tips for success
There are a few things to keep in mind when designing your research presentation:
- The exact specifications of the conference poster differ between conferences. This includes size, font, colors, and other material aspects. Make sure to follow the outlined requirements. Failure to do so could result in being unable to display your research.
- Keep text to a minimum. One to two sentences on each part of the study should be sufficient. You won't be able to get every bit of detail on the board, and you don't want to. This makes the poster visually unappealing and difficult to read.
- Where you can, opt for graphics and images instead. Depending on your area of study, you may be able to supply images of your subjects, creations, or findings. Additionally, dense sections, such as the Results, which describe all of the data, may be better communicated as tables, charts, and other graphics. This clears up space for more text while also turning hard data into something approachable for the public.
- White space is important. You want there to be visual distinctions between your text and images. Additionally, cramming your board obscures your words, making the poster too difficult to read.
Innovating the research presentation
While printed posters have served academics well, there's always room for improvement. Digital features incorporate interactive and accessibility elements that improve the viewing experience for conference attendees. They also make it possible to leave an impression before, during, and after your research presentation. For example, you can create a digital brochure for your poster, allowing attendees to view the material ahead of time, acting like an advertisement. Some conferences have the capacity for audio and visual content. If that's the case, you can use videos to show or explain your findings, as well as provide a recorded overview of the study so that you can answer questions from some attendees while others are learning about your project. Essentially, this allows you to be in two places at once.
Having QR codes and hyperlinks on your poster will drive traffic to your other work and contact information. This means you're more likely to receive follow-ups from interested attendees. It also helps you promote your research paper and other academic materials.
Other interactive features include participation. You could create a poll, survey, or quiz for attendees to take. Some third-party websites, such as Kahoot, allow you to add a rotating list of participants to take your predetermined quiz. Craft questions that address your research and encourage active listening, especially if there's a small prize for winners. Interactive features could also include videogames and simulations where feasible.
E-posters
A fully digital poster is also a recent innovation that can change the game for your research presentation. A wider variety of visual aesthetics is possible since screens can cast certain colors more clearly. For example, white text on a print poster might be difficult to read, but white text on an e-poster tends to show up better. Additionally, e-posters can fit multiple dimensions, since they can be made viewable on a large screen, laptop, or phone. This also means you can share a link to your conference poster so that attendees can review it on their personal device once the conference is over.
Additionally, e-posters are more customizable. You can choose from a wider range of fonts, capabilities (such as integrating audio and visuals directly in your research presentation rather than having it as an external experience), and formats. The same advice as above remains, though. Make sure you fully understand the conference's specifications for posters, both in print and digital. It may be fun to make use of all these features, but they may not be within the guidelines of a particular conference.
Benefits of including recent innovations in a conference poster
Digital, interactive, and multimedia components attract viewers to your station. This is because they promise entertainment and provoke interest from people passing by. A research presentation with video elements that can be seen from afar may attract people who want to see what's going on. Participation games standout in a conference environment, as do digital aspects that include colors, audio, and visuals that most print posters won't include. By having features that standout, you have better odds of attracting attendees for the sake of investigating why your presentation is different from the others.
Additionally, these features are accessible. Digital screens can be zoomed in on, making the text larger for those with visual impairments. Videos can also include captioning for the hearing impaired. Audio also assists in that respect. Visual components make academic content easier to understand, meaning that members of the general public will also be able to engage with your research. Visual elements that explain your work also make room on your poster for more text without cramming, so your poster will be more appealing to look at overall.
More than aesthetics
Digital innovations can also help you organize your research presentation. For example, Sciforum's Digital Poster Gallery ensures that your presentation is online and synchronized with any additions or changes you make to the poster. It keeps a record of your presentation long after it's finished, too, meaning it will always be available. This gives your work the opportunity to continuously be discovered.
For more information about Sciforum's products, which enhance the conference experience, check out our products or contact us with any questions.
Overall, innovations in research presentation features continue to expand the possibilities of knowledge dissemination. Discover new tools that will improve your research by making it more accessible, clear, and engaging.
