Poster Judging Criteria

Regional Undergraduate Research Symposium

Poster Judging Categories

  • Arts and Humanities (including Behavioral Sciences, Business Studies and Economics)
  • STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Student exhibits may be entered in only one category, which should be denoted in the abstract.

Poster Judging Criteria

The purpose of a poster exhibit is to convey to a wide audience a research project's significance to scholars in the field and its potential significance to the general public. Exhibits will be judged on their quality in four areas:

1. Content: The exhibit must include:

  • Student name (or names, if more than one student is presenting the exhibit)
  • Collaborators, adviser(s), and department(s)
  • A short title of the exhibit
  • Funding sources (if applicable)
  • Objectives
  • Significance to the field
  • Significance to society in general
  • Methods
  • Results, interpretation of results and conclusions, and directions for future research if the project is completed. "Other"creative exhibits must include discussion of meaning and/or reflections on the body of work exhibited.
  • Does the project exhibit documentation of sources used for the project through the use of references.

2. Display: The core of each exhibit is a poster with text and graphics intended for a general audience. PowerPoint-style presentations are not allowed as a substitute; however, a laptop or tablet may be used as a supplement to the poster or exhibit.

  • Poster should attract attention and convey important information about the project.
  • Language should be simple and descriptions brief. Excessive jargon should be avoided; necessary technical terms should be defined.
  • Spelling and grammar must be correct.
  • Photographs, drawings, charts, tables, or graphs should be simple, well organized, and Carefully chosen when used to explain complicated technical concepts to a wide audience.
  • Poster should not exceed 3.0 feet in width and 4 feet in height (NCUR recommendation 36" x 42")

3. Oral Presentation: Each student should prepare to describe and discuss his or her exhibit, tailored specifically to make the work understandable to a non-expert audience.

  • Description should be clear and concise, and should include the major points presented on the poster.
  • Presentation must not exceed 10 minutes; judges will be instructed to observe this time limit. Note: A videotape or demonstration cannot be submitted for the discussion.
  • In cases where the student worked with collaborators, including his or her adviser, the presentation should clearly describe the student's role in the overall project.

4. Thoroughness

  • All in all, does the project show creativity?
  • Are there indications of original, critical thought?
  • Does the project exhibit a thorough investigation of the topic?

A Judging Rubric will be provided to students via email after they have completed registration.