Communicating Your Findings

The act of research and creative activity becomes scholarship when the work is shared with the greater community for assessment, and when there is the goal of contributing to and advancing the scholarly conversation. The following are common ways in which you may communicate your findings:

  • Presenting a poster – A poster is a way to visually showcase your research. It should convey information in a concise way and stand on its own, but also benefit from your presence and verbal presentation. The University Libraries can assist you with creating a poster via regularly offered workshops as well as this detailed guide.
  • Delivering a talk – You can also share your work and receive feedback by delivering a talk to individuals in your field, such as at a regional or national conference. Generally, you will be given up to 10 minutes for an oral presentation with time at the end to answer questions from the audience.
  • Performing creatively – In the arts, undergraduate research encompasses creation, performance, analysis, and commentary. Thus, scholarly work in this area is often shared in the form of a performance or presentation. The performance may be an original piece or an original interpretation of the work of someone else.
  • Publishing a paper – We highly suggest you discuss plans for publication and authorship at the beginning of a project with your mentor. If you have made a significant contribution to a research project, your mentor may encourage you to assist in taking the findings and turning them into a full-length paper suitable for publication.