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Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

Postdoc Research Day

Presentations Guidelines

A. General Format

  1. Title Slide….
    1. Title of the presentation
    2. Postdoc's Name
    3. Postdoc's Department
    4. Date of research….ex.,  Summer 2004

  2. General Outline of Talk/ Powerpoint:
    1. Introduction (why research was done)
    2. Materials and Methods (how it was designed and carried out)
    3. Results – (what was found)
    4. Discussion (what results mean)
    5. Acknowledgments (thank you to ….)

B. Specific Format:

  1. Introduction:
    1. Describe what research has been performed in this area. BRIEF
    2. State the gaps in existing knowledge about this area.
    3. Give the rationale for doing your project.
    4. Concisely state the specific aim(s) of your research.
  2. Material and Methods:
    1. Give a concise description of the materials (animals, cell/tissue lines, etc.) and methods (techniques) used to perform your research.  If detailed procedures, then give a general summary.
    2. Lastly, state the statistical method(s) used to test for significant differences in the data.
  3. Results:
    1. Purpose is to describe the outcome(s) of the experiment.
    2. Tables and figures may be included.  Make sure text is READABLE in tables and not too small to read.
  4. Discussion:
    1. State the results of the experiment relative to the specific aims enumerated in the Introduction.  If the specific aims were not achieved, try to explain why.
    2. Interpret the results relative to:
      1. similar or conflicting results published by others; and
      2. how they incorporate, or add to, existing knowledge in this specific area of research.

  5. Acknowledgements: -Optional slide (include names of those you wish to thank for their help).

Presentation time is 8 (eight) minutes with 2 minutes for questions & answers.  In general, it should be a maximum of 15 to 20 slides depending on how much time is spent on each slide. REHEARSE! Timers will be used. A presentation will be stopped when time has expired.