Participant Information

Student URC Eligibility

Students must be currently enrolled at UNC Charlotte to participate in the conference. Graduate students and post-baccalaureate students may participate if 1) the presented research was completed at UNC Charlotte as an undergraduate and 2) their undergraduate graduation date was no earlier than the December prior to the conference.

Students may submit up to two research projects as first or sole author. If two projects are submitted then the presentations must be different formats: one oral and one poster. It is allowable, however, for a student to be listed as a secondary (or tertiary, etc.) author on multiple presentations.

Choosing a Research Project

Before you decide how you are going to present your research, you must have research to present. To get started, see the Research Opportunities page.

Choosing a Presentation Format
  • Students may present their research as either oral or poster presentations at the conference, depending on their own preferences or those of their Department. The same project may not be submitted as both oral and poster format.
  • Students should first check with their research advisor to determine if there is a preferred format.
  • In general, particularly if this is your first research presentation, if you are completing your work in the semester in which the conference occurs or the work is not in its final stage at the time of the URC, posters are a great way to synthesize your work and ensure that you have covered all aspects of your research.
  • Oral presentations require a very polished and finished synthesis of ideas and conclusions and so typically are reserved for more extensive work (a thesis vs a class-project) that is in the very final stages.
Oral Presentation Instructions
  • Students should bring a USB thumb drive with their presentation and upload their presentation in their assigned room prior to 9 a.m. on the day of the conference.
  • Each student will have 12 minutes to speak with 3 minutes for questions. (A good rule of thumb for written speeches is 120 words per minute)
  • Each room will be supplied with a computer with PowerPoint software and a projector. If you need additional AV equipment or other special accommodations for your presentation, you must inform the conference staff no later than one week before the conference.
  • Students will be informed of their presentation time and location by email.

These are links for pointers on giving a good conference oral presentation:

Poster Presentation Instructions
  • Posters should be no larger than 32 inches tall x 40 inches wide in size. Students are responsible for mounting their own presentation on a foam board that can be placed on an easel. Foam boards will be available for the participants on the day of the URC event. Students may download and use this template for their poster presentation.
  • Posters submitted for printing through the Office of Undergraduate Research with support from the Division of Research must be submitted no later than 5pm on April 1, 2024 in pdf format only here.
  • Each student should be present at their poster during the published presentation time on the day of the conference.
  • Students will be informed of their presentation location by email.

​Poster formatting tips:

  • The title of your poster should appear across the top in large letters.  Titles in a 80-pt. font will stand out and be easy to read.  The minimum font size for poster titles should be 40-pt. The recommended font size for the body text is 24-36-pt. There is a max. 10 MB file size limit. You can access a UNC-Charlotte approved poster template here: https://our.charlotte.edu/resources.
  • Below the title, put the name of the student presenter, co-presenter(s), faculty mentor(s), and the school or institution.
  • Use at least a 24-pt. font or larger for the main text.
  • Posters generally read from left to right and top to bottom in columns.
  • Use color for highlighting and to make your poster more attractive.  Use pictures, graphs, diagrams, and graphics rather than text whenever possible.
  • Limit the text. Your audience will be reading through many posters. Most of your audience will likely not read large blocks of text, so use bullets instead of paragraphs whenever possible.
  • The ideal poster is designed to attract attention, provide a brief overview of your work, and initiate discussion.

Here are some links for pointers on giving a good poster presentation:

  • Poster Design Tips – General advice with some specific suggestions and instructions for different types of software.