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Present your Research or Creative Activity

Undergraduate researchers are encouraged to attend conferences to present research, meet potential graduate school mentors, and network with researchers from across the country.

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Center (UROC)

Students participating in research are encouraged to disseminate their work at regional or national conferences in the format that best fits their disciple. 

  • Poster Presentation: a visual summary of your work that you present to conference attendees during an open poster session.
  • Oral Presentation or Conference Talk: a formal presentation of your work to a conference audience. Typically range from 10-15 minutes to an hour.
  • Other Presentation Formats: Some disciplines use round tables, panels, demonstrations, or other formats for showcasing their scholarship. If Posters and Oral presentations aren't common in your field, talk to a mentor in your discipline to be sure what presentation format is right for your project.

Undergraduate Research Events

CSUMB has a variety of campus-wide events, including the Spring Showcase, Fall Showcase, and Summer Symposium where you can present your research, scholarship or creative activity. Students are also encouraged to explore others: 

There are also discipline specific conferences that are esigned for researchers in a specific field to present their research and connect to other researchers with similar research interests. Talk to faculty and other students in your field about conferences in your discipline. Examples of conferences with strong support for undergraduate research are:

Preparing for a Poster Presentation

UROC offers workshops on poster development and presentation each semester. Ready to start building your poster? Download our guidelines and check out our favorite online resources to help you develop a great poster to showcase your work. Don't forget to check in with your research mentor to acknowledge your funding sources

Funding your conference travel

Attending conferences is an investment in your professional development,  but keep in mind the typical costs while traveling: registration, travel to the conference, hotel or other accommodations, and meals.

Most conferences offer travel awards, grants or scholarships. Check the conference website or contact the organizers for details on how to apply. These are usually due 6-8 months before the conference so plan ahead.

If you're a participating UROC student, you may be eligible for a UROC Travel Award. Those are only available to students presenting an oral or research poster presentation at a professional conference. Please contact UROC to learn more. 

Preparing and Delivering an Oral Presentation

Oral presentations include similar elements as a research poster, but are simply displayed differently. Thinking strategically about layout, color choices, etc, remains the same. Below is a list of elements that your presentation should include. These are also fairly synonymous with national conference standards, but it is always recommended that you consult with your research mentor beforehand. 

Before you begin to build your presentation, you must choose the platform. Students often choose PowerPoint or Google Slides when building their poster and oral presentation. Each slide should contains an important element that will ensure a great oral presentation set-up. 

Title: 1 slide

Should be brief, specific, and informative.

  • Includes all authors and institutions. Be sure to list yourself as the first author. 
  • If authors are from different institutions or departments (e.g. you are from CSU Monterey Bay, your second author is from Monterey Peninsula College, and your third is from Stanford) list your names and accompanying institutions under project title as below.

Introduction: 1 - 3 slides

  • Describe the background of your study. What is the problem you are addressing and why is it important? What is the context of your research with your discipline? 
  • This can be multiple slides.

Research Question: 1 slide

  • Highlight your specific research questions, hypotheses, and/or goals. 

Methods: 1-3 slides:

  • Describe the methodologies used to test your hypothesis. 
  • Include details about your study system (e.g. locations, subjects/species, theoretical frameworks), and how you collected and analyzed data. 
  • This can be multiple slides.

Results: 2-5 slides:

  • State your key findings without providing interpretation. 
  • Use figures, graphs, or tables to present your data visually. 
  • All figures, graphs, and tables should include: 
    • Clear axis labels and a legend explaining any symbols or abbreviations used. 
    • Be numbered.
  • This can be multiple slides

Discussion/Summary/Conclusion: 2-4:

  • Do not just restate your results, interpret them! 
  • Use this section to highlight the take-home message of your research. 
  • Describe your next steps or future work, if applicable. 
  • This can be multiple slides.

Literature Cited: 1 slide:

  • Only list articles or books cited in the text of your poster. 
  • Follow the same citation guidelines you would use for writing a report. 

Final Slide: 1 slide

  • Acknowledgements
  • Thank any individuals not listed as coauthors and/or lab(s) that assisted you with your research. 
  • Acknowledge your funding sources. 
  • Including logos in this section is also an option, though some prefer to place them near the title to prevent the space from appearing cluttered.