research presentation practice

Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

How to Make a Successful Research Presentation

Turning a research paper into a visual presentation is difficult; there are pitfalls, and navigating the path to a brief, informative presentation takes time and practice. As a TA for  GEO/WRI 201: Methods in Data Analysis & Scientific Writing this past fall, I saw how this process works from an instructor’s standpoint. I’ve presented my own research before, but helping others present theirs taught me a bit more about the process. Here are some tips I learned that may help you with your next research presentation:

More is more

In general, your presentation will always benefit from more practice, more feedback, and more revision. By practicing in front of friends, you can get comfortable with presenting your work while receiving feedback. It is hard to know how to revise your presentation if you never practice. If you are presenting to a general audience, getting feedback from someone outside of your discipline is crucial. Terms and ideas that seem intuitive to you may be completely foreign to someone else, and your well-crafted presentation could fall flat.

Less is more

Limit the scope of your presentation, the number of slides, and the text on each slide. In my experience, text works well for organizing slides, orienting the audience to key terms, and annotating important figures–not for explaining complex ideas. Having fewer slides is usually better as well. In general, about one slide per minute of presentation is an appropriate budget. Too many slides is usually a sign that your topic is too broad.

Limit the scope of your presentation

Don’t present your paper. Presentations are usually around 10 min long. You will not have time to explain all of the research you did in a semester (or a year!) in such a short span of time. Instead, focus on the highlight(s). Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

You will not have time to explain all of the research you did. Instead, focus on the highlights. Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

Craft a compelling research narrative

After identifying the focused research question, walk your audience through your research as if it were a story. Presentations with strong narrative arcs are clear, captivating, and compelling.

• Introduction (exposition — rising action)

Orient the audience and draw them in by demonstrating the relevance and importance of your research story with strong global motive. Provide them with the necessary vocabulary and background knowledge to understand the plot of your story. Introduce the key studies (characters) relevant in your story and build tension and conflict with scholarly and data motive. By the end of your introduction, your audience should clearly understand your research question and be dying to know how you resolve the tension built through motive.

• Methods (rising action)

The methods section should transition smoothly and logically from the introduction. Beware of presenting your methods in a boring, arc-killing, ‘this is what I did.’ Focus on the details that set your story apart from the stories other people have already told. Keep the audience interested by clearly motivating your decisions based on your original research question or the tension built in your introduction.

• Results (climax)

Less is usually more here. Only present results which are clearly related to the focused research question you are presenting. Make sure you explain the results clearly so that your audience understands what your research found. This is the peak of tension in your narrative arc, so don’t undercut it by quickly clicking through to your discussion.

• Discussion (falling action)

By now your audience should be dying for a satisfying resolution. Here is where you contextualize your results and begin resolving the tension between past research. Be thorough. If you have too many conflicts left unresolved, or you don’t have enough time to present all of the resolutions, you probably need to further narrow the scope of your presentation.

• Conclusion (denouement)

Return back to your initial research question and motive, resolving any final conflicts and tying up loose ends. Leave the audience with a clear resolution of your focus research question, and use unresolved tension to set up potential sequels (i.e. further research).

Use your medium to enhance the narrative

Visual presentations should be dominated by clear, intentional graphics. Subtle animation in key moments (usually during the results or discussion) can add drama to the narrative arc and make conflict resolutions more satisfying. You are narrating a story written in images, videos, cartoons, and graphs. While your paper is mostly text, with graphics to highlight crucial points, your slides should be the opposite. Adapting to the new medium may require you to create or acquire far more graphics than you included in your paper, but it is necessary to create an engaging presentation.

The most important thing you can do for your presentation is to practice and revise. Bother your friends, your roommates, TAs–anybody who will sit down and listen to your work. Beyond that, think about presentations you have found compelling and try to incorporate some of those elements into your own. Remember you want your work to be comprehensible; you aren’t creating experts in 10 minutes. Above all, try to stay passionate about what you did and why. You put the time in, so show your audience that it’s worth it.

For more insight into research presentations, check out these past PCUR posts written by Emma and Ellie .

— Alec Getraer, Natural Sciences Correspondent

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Ten simple rules for effective presentation slides

Kristen m. naegle.

Biomedical Engineering and the Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America

Introduction

The “presentation slide” is the building block of all academic presentations, whether they are journal clubs, thesis committee meetings, short conference talks, or hour-long seminars. A slide is a single page projected on a screen, usually built on the premise of a title, body, and figures or tables and includes both what is shown and what is spoken about that slide. Multiple slides are strung together to tell the larger story of the presentation. While there have been excellent 10 simple rules on giving entire presentations [ 1 , 2 ], there was an absence in the fine details of how to design a slide for optimal effect—such as the design elements that allow slides to convey meaningful information, to keep the audience engaged and informed, and to deliver the information intended and in the time frame allowed. As all research presentations seek to teach, effective slide design borrows from the same principles as effective teaching, including the consideration of cognitive processing your audience is relying on to organize, process, and retain information. This is written for anyone who needs to prepare slides from any length scale and for most purposes of conveying research to broad audiences. The rules are broken into 3 primary areas. Rules 1 to 5 are about optimizing the scope of each slide. Rules 6 to 8 are about principles around designing elements of the slide. Rules 9 to 10 are about preparing for your presentation, with the slides as the central focus of that preparation.

Rule 1: Include only one idea per slide

Each slide should have one central objective to deliver—the main idea or question [ 3 – 5 ]. Often, this means breaking complex ideas down into manageable pieces (see Fig 1 , where “background” information has been split into 2 key concepts). In another example, if you are presenting a complex computational approach in a large flow diagram, introduce it in smaller units, building it up until you finish with the entire diagram. The progressive buildup of complex information means that audiences are prepared to understand the whole picture, once you have dedicated time to each of the parts. You can accomplish the buildup of components in several ways—for example, using presentation software to cover/uncover information. Personally, I choose to create separate slides for each piece of information content I introduce—where the final slide has the entire diagram, and I use cropping or a cover on duplicated slides that come before to hide what I’m not yet ready to include. I use this method in order to ensure that each slide in my deck truly presents one specific idea (the new content) and the amount of the new information on that slide can be described in 1 minute (Rule 2), but it comes with the trade-off—a change to the format of one of the slides in the series often means changes to all slides.

Top left: A background slide that describes the background material on a project from my lab. The slide was created using a PowerPoint Design Template, which had to be modified to increase default text sizes for this figure (i.e., the default text sizes are even worse than shown here). Bottom row: The 2 new slides that break up the content into 2 explicit ideas about the background, using a central graphic. In the first slide, the graphic is an explicit example of the SH2 domain of PI3-kinase interacting with a phosphorylation site (Y754) on the PDGFR to describe the important details of what an SH2 domain and phosphotyrosine ligand are and how they interact. I use that same graphic in the second slide to generalize all binding events and include redundant text to drive home the central message (a lot of possible interactions might occur in the human proteome, more than we can currently measure). Top right highlights which rules were used to move from the original slide to the new slide. Specific changes as highlighted by Rule 7 include increasing contrast by changing the background color, increasing font size, changing to sans serif fonts, and removing all capital text and underlining (using bold to draw attention). PDGFR, platelet-derived growth factor receptor.

Rule 2: Spend only 1 minute per slide

When you present your slide in the talk, it should take 1 minute or less to discuss. This rule is really helpful for planning purposes—a 20-minute presentation should have somewhere around 20 slides. Also, frequently giving your audience new information to feast on helps keep them engaged. During practice, if you find yourself spending more than a minute on a slide, there’s too much for that one slide—it’s time to break up the content into multiple slides or even remove information that is not wholly central to the story you are trying to tell. Reduce, reduce, reduce, until you get to a single message, clearly described, which takes less than 1 minute to present.

Rule 3: Make use of your heading

When each slide conveys only one message, use the heading of that slide to write exactly the message you are trying to deliver. Instead of titling the slide “Results,” try “CTNND1 is central to metastasis” or “False-positive rates are highly sample specific.” Use this landmark signpost to ensure that all the content on that slide is related exactly to the heading and only the heading. Think of the slide heading as the introductory or concluding sentence of a paragraph and the slide content the rest of the paragraph that supports the main point of the paragraph. An audience member should be able to follow along with you in the “paragraph” and come to the same conclusion sentence as your header at the end of the slide.

Rule 4: Include only essential points

While you are speaking, audience members’ eyes and minds will be wandering over your slide. If you have a comment, detail, or figure on a slide, have a plan to explicitly identify and talk about it. If you don’t think it’s important enough to spend time on, then don’t have it on your slide. This is especially important when faculty are present. I often tell students that thesis committee members are like cats: If you put a shiny bauble in front of them, they’ll go after it. Be sure to only put the shiny baubles on slides that you want them to focus on. Putting together a thesis meeting for only faculty is really an exercise in herding cats (if you have cats, you know this is no easy feat). Clear and concise slide design will go a long way in helping you corral those easily distracted faculty members.

Rule 5: Give credit, where credit is due

An exception to Rule 4 is to include proper citations or references to work on your slide. When adding citations, names of other researchers, or other types of credit, use a consistent style and method for adding this information to your slides. Your audience will then be able to easily partition this information from the other content. A common mistake people make is to think “I’ll add that reference later,” but I highly recommend you put the proper reference on the slide at the time you make it, before you forget where it came from. Finally, in certain kinds of presentations, credits can make it clear who did the work. For the faculty members heading labs, it is an effective way to connect your audience with the personnel in the lab who did the work, which is a great career booster for that person. For graduate students, it is an effective way to delineate your contribution to the work, especially in meetings where the goal is to establish your credentials for meeting the rigors of a PhD checkpoint.

Rule 6: Use graphics effectively

As a rule, you should almost never have slides that only contain text. Build your slides around good visualizations. It is a visual presentation after all, and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. However, on the flip side, don’t muddy the point of the slide by putting too many complex graphics on a single slide. A multipanel figure that you might include in a manuscript should often be broken into 1 panel per slide (see Rule 1 ). One way to ensure that you use the graphics effectively is to make a point to introduce the figure and its elements to the audience verbally, especially for data figures. For example, you might say the following: “This graph here shows the measured false-positive rate for an experiment and each point is a replicate of the experiment, the graph demonstrates …” If you have put too much on one slide to present in 1 minute (see Rule 2 ), then the complexity or number of the visualizations is too much for just one slide.

Rule 7: Design to avoid cognitive overload

The type of slide elements, the number of them, and how you present them all impact the ability for the audience to intake, organize, and remember the content. For example, a frequent mistake in slide design is to include full sentences, but reading and verbal processing use the same cognitive channels—therefore, an audience member can either read the slide, listen to you, or do some part of both (each poorly), as a result of cognitive overload [ 4 ]. The visual channel is separate, allowing images/videos to be processed with auditory information without cognitive overload [ 6 ] (Rule 6). As presentations are an exercise in listening, and not reading, do what you can to optimize the ability of the audience to listen. Use words sparingly as “guide posts” to you and the audience about major points of the slide. In fact, you can add short text fragments, redundant with the verbal component of the presentation, which has been shown to improve retention [ 7 ] (see Fig 1 for an example of redundant text that avoids cognitive overload). Be careful in the selection of a slide template to minimize accidentally adding elements that the audience must process, but are unimportant. David JP Phillips argues (and effectively demonstrates in his TEDx talk [ 5 ]) that the human brain can easily interpret 6 elements and more than that requires a 500% increase in human cognition load—so keep the total number of elements on the slide to 6 or less. Finally, in addition to the use of short text, white space, and the effective use of graphics/images, you can improve ease of cognitive processing further by considering color choices and font type and size. Here are a few suggestions for improving the experience for your audience, highlighting the importance of these elements for some specific groups:

• Use high contrast colors and simple backgrounds with low to no color—for persons with dyslexia or visual impairment.
• Use sans serif fonts and large font sizes (including figure legends), avoid italics, underlining (use bold font instead for emphasis), and all capital letters—for persons with dyslexia or visual impairment [ 8 ].
• Use color combinations and palettes that can be understood by those with different forms of color blindness [ 9 ]. There are excellent tools available to identify colors to use and ways to simulate your presentation or figures as they might be seen by a person with color blindness (easily found by a web search).
• In this increasing world of virtual presentation tools, consider practicing your talk with a closed captioning system capture your words. Use this to identify how to improve your speaking pace, volume, and annunciation to improve understanding by all members of your audience, but especially those with a hearing impairment.

Rule 8: Design the slide so that a distracted person gets the main takeaway

It is very difficult to stay focused on a presentation, especially if it is long or if it is part of a longer series of talks at a conference. Audience members may get distracted by an important email, or they may start dreaming of lunch. So, it’s important to look at your slide and ask “If they heard nothing I said, will they understand the key concept of this slide?” The other rules are set up to help with this, including clarity of the single point of the slide (Rule 1), titling it with a major conclusion (Rule 3), and the use of figures (Rule 6) and short text redundant to your verbal description (Rule 7). However, with each slide, step back and ask whether its main conclusion is conveyed, even if someone didn’t hear your accompanying dialog. Importantly, ask if the information on the slide is at the right level of abstraction. For example, do you have too many details about the experiment, which hides the conclusion of the experiment (i.e., breaking Rule 1)? If you are worried about not having enough details, keep a slide at the end of your slide deck (after your conclusions and acknowledgments) with the more detailed information that you can refer to during a question and answer period.

Rule 9: Iteratively improve slide design through practice

Well-designed slides that follow the first 8 rules are intended to help you deliver the message you intend and in the amount of time you intend to deliver it in. The best way to ensure that you nailed slide design for your presentation is to practice, typically a lot. The most important aspects of practicing a new presentation, with an eye toward slide design, are the following 2 key points: (1) practice to ensure that you hit, each time through, the most important points (for example, the text guide posts you left yourself and the title of the slide); and (2) practice to ensure that as you conclude the end of one slide, it leads directly to the next slide. Slide transitions, what you say as you end one slide and begin the next, are important to keeping the flow of the “story.” Practice is when I discover that the order of my presentation is poor or that I left myself too few guideposts to remember what was coming next. Additionally, during practice, the most frequent things I have to improve relate to Rule 2 (the slide takes too long to present, usually because I broke Rule 1, and I’m delivering too much information for one slide), Rule 4 (I have a nonessential detail on the slide), and Rule 5 (I forgot to give a key reference). The very best type of practice is in front of an audience (for example, your lab or peers), where, with fresh perspectives, they can help you identify places for improving slide content, design, and connections across the entirety of your talk.

Rule 10: Design to mitigate the impact of technical disasters

The real presentation almost never goes as we planned in our heads or during our practice. Maybe the speaker before you went over time and now you need to adjust. Maybe the computer the organizer is having you use won’t show your video. Maybe your internet is poor on the day you are giving a virtual presentation at a conference. Technical problems are routinely part of the practice of sharing your work through presentations. Hence, you can design your slides to limit the impact certain kinds of technical disasters create and also prepare alternate approaches. Here are just a few examples of the preparation you can do that will take you a long way toward avoiding a complete fiasco:

• Save your presentation as a PDF—if the version of Keynote or PowerPoint on a host computer cause issues, you still have a functional copy that has a higher guarantee of compatibility.
• In using videos, create a backup slide with screen shots of key results. For example, if I have a video of cell migration, I’ll be sure to have a copy of the start and end of the video, in case the video doesn’t play. Even if the video worked, you can pause on this backup slide and take the time to highlight the key results in words if someone could not see or understand the video.
• Avoid animations, such as figures or text that flash/fly-in/etc. Surveys suggest that no one likes movement in presentations [ 3 , 4 ]. There is likely a cognitive underpinning to the almost universal distaste of pointless animations that relates to the idea proposed by Kosslyn and colleagues that animations are salient perceptual units that captures direct attention [ 4 ]. Although perceptual salience can be used to draw attention to and improve retention of specific points, if you use this approach for unnecessary/unimportant things (like animation of your bullet point text, fly-ins of figures, etc.), then you will distract your audience from the important content. Finally, animations cause additional processing burdens for people with visual impairments [ 10 ] and create opportunities for technical disasters if the software on the host system is not compatible with your planned animation.

Conclusions

These rules are just a start in creating more engaging presentations that increase audience retention of your material. However, there are wonderful resources on continuing on the journey of becoming an amazing public speaker, which includes understanding the psychology and neuroscience behind human perception and learning. For example, as highlighted in Rule 7, David JP Phillips has a wonderful TEDx talk on the subject [ 5 ], and “PowerPoint presentation flaws and failures: A psychological analysis,” by Kosslyn and colleagues is deeply detailed about a number of aspects of human cognition and presentation style [ 4 ]. There are many books on the topic, including the popular “Presentation Zen” by Garr Reynolds [ 11 ]. Finally, although briefly touched on here, the visualization of data is an entire topic of its own that is worth perfecting for both written and oral presentations of work, with fantastic resources like Edward Tufte’s “The Visual Display of Quantitative Information” [ 12 ] or the article “Visualization of Biomedical Data” by O’Donoghue and colleagues [ 13 ].

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the countless presenters, colleagues, students, and mentors from which I have learned a great deal from on effective presentations. Also, a thank you to the wonderful resources published by organizations on how to increase inclusivity. A special thanks to Dr. Jason Papin and Dr. Michael Guertin on early feedback of this editorial.

Funding Statement

The author received no specific funding for this work.

Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to make a scientific presentation

Scientific presentation outlines

Questions to ask yourself before you write your talk, 1. how much time do you have, 2. who will you speak to, 3. what do you want the audience to learn from your talk, step 1: outline your presentation, step 2: plan your presentation slides, step 3: make the presentation slides, slide design, text elements, animations and transitions, step 4: practice your presentation, final thoughts, frequently asked questions about preparing scientific presentations, related articles.

A good scientific presentation achieves three things: you communicate the science clearly, your research leaves a lasting impression on your audience, and you enhance your reputation as a scientist.

But, what is the best way to prepare for a scientific presentation? How do you start writing a talk? What details do you include, and what do you leave out?

It’s tempting to launch into making lots of slides. But, starting with the slides can mean you neglect the narrative of your presentation, resulting in an overly detailed, boring talk.

The key to making an engaging scientific presentation is to prepare the narrative of your talk before beginning to construct your presentation slides. Planning your talk will ensure that you tell a clear, compelling scientific story that will engage the audience.

In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know to make a good oral scientific presentation, including:

• The different types of oral scientific presentations and how they are delivered;
• How to outline a scientific presentation;
• How to make slides for a scientific presentation.

Our advice results from delving into the literature on writing scientific talks and from our own experiences as scientists in giving and listening to presentations. We provide tips and best practices for giving scientific talks in a separate post.

There are two main types of scientific talks:

• Your talk focuses on a single study . Typically, you tell the story of a single scientific paper. This format is common for short talks at contributed sessions in conferences.
• Your talk describes multiple studies. You tell the story of multiple scientific papers. It is crucial to have a theme that unites the studies, for example, an overarching question or problem statement, with each study representing specific but different variations of the same theme. Typically, PhD defenses, invited seminars, lectures, or talks for a prospective employer (i.e., “job talks”) fall into this category.

➡️ Learn how to prepare an excellent thesis defense

The length of time you are allotted for your talk will determine whether you will discuss a single study or multiple studies, and which details to include in your story.

The background and interests of your audience will determine the narrative direction of your talk, and what devices you will use to get their attention. Will you be speaking to people specializing in your field, or will the audience also contain people from disciplines other than your own? To reach non-specialists, you will need to discuss the broader implications of your study outside your field.

The needs of the audience will also determine what technical details you will include, and the language you will use. For example, an undergraduate audience will have different needs than an audience of seasoned academics. Students will require a more comprehensive overview of background information and explanations of jargon but will need less technical methodological details.

Your goal is to speak to the majority. But, make your talk accessible to the least knowledgeable person in the room.

This is called the thesis statement, or simply the “take-home message”. Having listened to your talk, what message do you want the audience to take away from your presentation? Describe the main idea in one or two sentences. You want this theme to be present throughout your presentation. Again, the thesis statement will depend on the audience and the type of talk you are giving.

Your thesis statement will drive the narrative for your talk. By deciding the take-home message you want to convince the audience of as a result of listening to your talk, you decide how the story of your talk will flow and how you will navigate its twists and turns. The thesis statement tells you the results you need to show, which subsequently tells you the methods or studies you need to describe, which decides the angle you take in your introduction.

➡️ Learn how to write a thesis statement

The goal of your talk is that the audience leaves afterward with a clear understanding of the key take-away message of your research. To achieve that goal, you need to tell a coherent, logical story that conveys your thesis statement throughout the presentation. You can tell your story through careful preparation of your talk.

Preparation of a scientific presentation involves three separate stages: outlining the scientific narrative, preparing slides, and practicing your delivery. Making the slides of your talk without first planning what you are going to say is inefficient.

Here, we provide a 4 step guide to writing your scientific presentation:

• Outline your presentation
• Plan your presentation slides
• Make the presentation slides
• Practice your presentation

Writing an outline helps you consider the key pieces of your talk and how they fit together from the beginning, preventing you from forgetting any important details. It also means you avoid changing the order of your slides multiple times, saving you time.

Plan your talk as discrete sections. In the table below, we describe the sections for a single study talk vs. a talk discussing multiple studies:

The following tips apply when writing the outline of a single study talk. You can easily adapt this framework if you are writing a talk discussing multiple studies.

Introduction: Writing the introduction can be the hardest part of writing a talk. And when giving it, it’s the point where you might be at your most nervous. But preparing a good, concise introduction will settle your nerves.

The introduction tells the audience the story of why you studied your topic. A good introduction succinctly achieves four things, in the following order.

• It gives a broad perspective on the problem or topic for people in the audience who may be outside your discipline (i.e., it explains the big-picture problem motivating your study).
• It describes why you did the study, and why the audience should care.
• It gives a brief indication of how your study addressed the problem and provides the necessary background information that the audience needs to understand your work.
• It indicates what the audience will learn from the talk, and prepares them for what will come next.

A good introduction not only gives the big picture and motivations behind your study but also concisely sets the stage for what the audience will learn from the talk (e.g., the questions your work answers, and/or the hypotheses that your work tests). The end of the introduction will lead to a natural transition to the methods.

Give a broad perspective on the problem. The easiest way to start with the big picture is to think of a hook for the first slide of your presentation. A hook is an opening that gets the audience’s attention and gets them interested in your story. In science, this might take the form of a why, or a how question, or it could be a statement about a major problem or open question in your field. Other examples of hooks include quotes, short anecdotes, or interesting statistics.

Why should the audience care? Next, decide on the angle you are going to take on your hook that links to the thesis of your talk. In other words, you need to set the context, i.e., explain why the audience should care. For example, you may introduce an observation from nature, a pattern in experimental data, or a theory that you want to test. The audience must understand your motivations for the study.

Supplementary details. Once you have established the hook and angle, you need to include supplementary details to support them. For example, you might state your hypothesis. Then go into previous work and the current state of knowledge. Include citations of these studies. If you need to introduce some technical methodological details, theory, or jargon, do it here.

Conclude your introduction. The motivation for the work and background information should set the stage for the conclusion of the introduction, where you describe the goals of your study, and any hypotheses or predictions. Let the audience know what they are going to learn.

Methods: The audience will use your description of the methods to assess the approach you took in your study and to decide whether your findings are credible. Tell the story of your methods in chronological order. Use visuals to describe your methods as much as possible. If you have equations, make sure to take the time to explain them. Decide what methods to include and how you will show them. You need enough detail so that your audience will understand what you did and therefore can evaluate your approach, but avoid including superfluous details that do not support your main idea. You want to avoid the common mistake of including too much data, as the audience can read the paper(s) later.

Results: This is the evidence you present for your thesis. The audience will use the results to evaluate the support for your main idea. Choose the most important and interesting results—those that support your thesis. You don’t need to present all the results from your study (indeed, you most likely won’t have time to present them all). Break down complex results into digestible pieces, e.g., comparisons over multiple slides (more tips in the next section).

Summary: Summarize your main findings. Displaying your main findings through visuals can be effective. Emphasize the new contributions to scientific knowledge that your work makes.

Conclusion: Complete the circle by relating your conclusions to the big picture topic in your introduction—and your hook, if possible. It’s important to describe any alternative explanations for your findings. You might also speculate on future directions arising from your research. The slides that comprise your conclusion do not need to state “conclusion”. Rather, the concluding slide title should be a declarative sentence linking back to the big picture problem and your main idea.

It’s important to end well by planning a strong closure to your talk, after which you will thank the audience. Your closing statement should relate to your thesis, perhaps by stating it differently or memorably. Avoid ending awkwardly by memorizing your closing sentence.

By now, you have an outline of the story of your talk, which you can use to plan your slides. Your slides should complement and enhance what you will say. Use the following steps to prepare your slides.

• Write the slide titles to match your talk outline. These should be clear and informative declarative sentences that succinctly give the main idea of the slide (e.g., don’t use “Methods” as a slide title). Have one major idea per slide. In a YouTube talk on designing effective slides , researcher Michael Alley shows examples of instructive slide titles.
• Decide how you will convey the main idea of the slide (e.g., what figures, photographs, equations, statistics, references, or other elements you will need). The body of the slide should support the slide’s main idea.
• Under each slide title, outline what you want to say, in bullet points.

In sum, for each slide, prepare a title that summarizes its major idea, a list of visual elements, and a summary of the points you will make. Ensure each slide connects to your thesis. If it doesn’t, then you don’t need the slide.

Slides for scientific presentations have three major components: text (including labels and legends), graphics, and equations. Here, we give tips on how to present each of these components.

• Have an informative title slide. Include the names of all coauthors and their affiliations. Include an attractive image relating to your study.
• Make the foreground content of your slides “pop” by using an appropriate background. Slides that have white backgrounds with black text work well for small rooms, whereas slides with black backgrounds and white text are suitable for large rooms.
• The layout of your slides should be simple. Pay attention to how and where you lay the visual and text elements on each slide. It’s tempting to cram information, but you need lots of empty space. Retain space at the sides and bottom of your slides.
• Use sans serif fonts with a font size of at least 20 for text, and up to 40 for slide titles. Citations can be in 14 font and should be included at the bottom of the slide.
• Use bold or italics to emphasize words, not underlines or caps. Keep these effects to a minimum.
• Use concise text . You don’t need full sentences. Convey the essence of your message in as few words as possible. Write down what you’d like to say, and then shorten it for the slide. Remove unnecessary filler words.
• Text blocks should be limited to two lines. This will prevent you from crowding too much information on the slide.
• Include names of technical terms in your talk slides, especially if they are not familiar to everyone in the audience.
• Proofread your slides. Typos and grammatical errors are distracting for your audience.
• Include citations for the hypotheses or observations of other scientists.
• Good figures and graphics are essential to sustain audience interest. Use graphics and photographs to show the experiment or study system in action and to explain abstract concepts.
• Don’t use figures straight from your paper as they may be too detailed for your talk, and details like axes may be too small. Make new versions if necessary. Make them large enough to be visible from the back of the room.
• Use graphs to show your results, not tables. Tables are difficult for your audience to digest! If you must present a table, keep it simple.
• Label the axes of graphs and indicate the units. Label important components of graphics and photographs and include captions. Include sources for graphics that are not your own.
• Explain all the elements of a graph. This includes the axes, what the colors and markers mean, and patterns in the data.
• Use colors in figures and text in a meaningful, not random, way. For example, contrasting colors can be effective for pointing out comparisons and/or differences. Don’t use neon colors or pastels.
• Use thick lines in figures, and use color to create contrasts in the figures you present. Don’t use red/green or red/blue combinations, as color-blind audience members can’t distinguish between them.
• Arrows or circles can be effective for drawing attention to key details in graphs and equations. Add some text annotations along with them.
• Write your summary and conclusion slides using graphics, rather than showing a slide with a list of bullet points. Showing some of your results again can be helpful to remind the audience of your message.
• If your talk has equations, take time to explain them. Include text boxes to explain variables and mathematical terms, and put them under each term in the equation.
• Combine equations with a graphic that shows the scientific principle, or include a diagram of the mathematical model.
• Use animations judiciously. They are helpful to reveal complex ideas gradually, for example, if you need to make a comparison or contrast or to build a complicated argument or figure. For lists, reveal one bullet point at a time. New ideas appearing sequentially will help your audience follow your logic.
• Slide transitions should be simple. Silly ones distract from your message.
• Decide how you will make the transition as you move from one section of your talk to the next. For example, if you spend time talking through details, provide a summary afterward, especially in a long talk. Another common tactic is to have a “home slide” that you return to multiple times during the talk that reinforces your main idea or message. In her YouTube talk on designing effective scientific presentations , Stanford biologist Susan McConnell suggests using the approach of home slides to build a cohesive narrative.

To deliver a polished presentation, it is essential to practice it. Here are some tips.

• For your first run-through, practice alone. Pay attention to your narrative. Does your story flow naturally? Do you know how you will start and end? Are there any awkward transitions? Do animations help you tell your story? Do your slides help to convey what you are saying or are they missing components?
• Next, practice in front of your advisor, and/or your peers (e.g., your lab group). Ask someone to time your talk. Take note of their feedback and the questions that they ask you (you might be asked similar questions during your real talk).
• Edit your talk, taking into account the feedback you’ve received. Eliminate superfluous slides that don’t contribute to your takeaway message.
• Practice as many times as needed to memorize the order of your slides and the key transition points of your talk. However, don’t try to learn your talk word for word. Instead, memorize opening and closing statements, and sentences at key junctures in the presentation. Your presentation should resemble a serious but spontaneous conversation with the audience.
• Practicing multiple times also helps you hone the delivery of your talk. While rehearsing, pay attention to your vocal intonations and speed. Make sure to take pauses while you speak, and make eye contact with your imaginary audience.
• Make sure your talk finishes within the allotted time, and remember to leave time for questions. Conferences are particularly strict on run time.
• Anticipate questions and challenges from the audience, and clarify ambiguities within your slides and/or speech in response.
• If you anticipate that you could be asked questions about details but you don’t have time to include them, or they detract from the main message of your talk, you can prepare slides that address these questions and place them after the final slide of your talk.

➡️ More tips for giving scientific presentations

An organized presentation with a clear narrative will help you communicate your ideas effectively, which is essential for engaging your audience and conveying the importance of your work. Taking time to plan and outline your scientific presentation before writing the slides will help you manage your nerves and feel more confident during the presentation, which will improve your overall performance.

A good scientific presentation has an engaging scientific narrative with a memorable take-home message. It has clear, informative slides that enhance what the speaker says. You need to practice your talk many times to ensure you deliver a polished presentation.

First, consider who will attend your presentation, and what you want the audience to learn about your research. Tailor your content to their level of knowledge and interests. Second, create an outline for your presentation, including the key points you want to make and the evidence you will use to support those points. Finally, practice your presentation several times to ensure that it flows smoothly and that you are comfortable with the material.

Prepare an opening that immediately gets the audience’s attention. A common device is a why or a how question, or a statement of a major open problem in your field, but you could also start with a quote, interesting statistic, or case study from your field.

Scientific presentations typically either focus on a single study (e.g., a 15-minute conference presentation) or tell the story of multiple studies (e.g., a PhD defense or 50-minute conference keynote talk). For a single study talk, the structure follows the scientific paper format: Introduction, Methods, Results, Summary, and Conclusion, whereas the format of a talk discussing multiple studies is more complex, but a theme unifies the studies.

Ensure you have one major idea per slide, and convey that idea clearly (through images, equations, statistics, citations, video, etc.). The slide should include a title that summarizes the major point of the slide, should not contain too much text or too many graphics, and color should be used meaningfully.

Preparing Effective Presentations

The purpose of a presentation is to communicate the  main ideas from your research.

Effective presentations make learning more likely. They also enhance the perception of the presenter in the eyes of the professional community. Boring, ineffective, or overly long presentations are quickly forgotten.

When you have prepared your presentation, practice it as many times as possible, and practice at least once in front of friends or family. Practicing will make you comfortable with your material so you don’t have to consult your notes as much, and you will know exactly how long each part takes. It will also help you refine your content so that you emphasize the most important points.

Academic presentations at conferences are typically limited to 10-15 minutes with 5 minutes allowed for questions, but this changes from conference to conference so you should make sure to check. Presentations at the Celebration of Undergraduate Research, for example, are 10 minutes long with 3 minutes for questions.

You will need to carefully budget your time and practice to ensure that you can complete your presentation within the time allotted. Practicing your presentation with a timer will help make sure you can consistently stick to the allotted time.

On average, you should plan on spending 1-2 minutes per slide. Changing slides frequently will help you avoid spending too long on any one part of your presentation and will keep your listeners engaged.

Usually a presentation is like a very short version of a research paper. It should include:

• Who you are and who else helped with the project (co-researchers, funding sources, advisors).
• What problem or issue you studied and why it matters.
• The most important things you found out. Briefly include how you got your results but don’t go into too much detail. This is often where people include too much detail that is only of interest to those working on a similar project, so keep it to 1-2 sentences.

Poor delivery can ruin an otherwise well planned presentation. Practicing in front of a mirror or recording yourself with your phone or computer camera can help you catch problems before you present publicly.

Good presenters:

• Stand up straight and remember not to fold their arms across their chests.
• Speak slowly, clearly, and loudly.
• Make eye contact with the audience or even interact with those present.
• Use simple words and short sentences to make their presentations easy to follow.
• Use stories or examples when possible.
• Avoid jargon or unnecessary vocabulary that only those in the field understand.
• Make and use notes, but don’t read directly from them word for word. Good speakers do not just read their slides out loud!
• Don’t apologize for images, text, or content of the presentation. The audience knows all research is ongoing so there is no need to apologize for there being further steps or more research to do. Apologizing for bad or incorrect content on the slides, on the other hand, suggests that the speaker has not prepared.

Most presenters accompany their presentation with a handout or powerpoint. These allow you to include more details and to provide visuals or data that support your research. However, often presenters try to include too much. A good powerpoint or handout should not substitute for the presentation, so it should not repeat information that you say aloud and you should not read directly from it.

To make a good PowerPoint:

• Use large fonts so people sitting at the back of a room can read it. 20-point font, in a simple style like Arial or another sans-serif type, is a good choice. If you can’t read it from 10 feet away when it’s on your laptop, there’s a good chance someone sitting at the back of a conference room can’t either.
• Limit the text to 8 lines per slide; try to use images or diagrams wherever possible in place of text.
• Keep graphs, charts and tables simple and legible – highlight the most relevant data using colors or cut the rest out. Avoid equations! They are usually not necessary to understand the results and you won’t have time to explain them.
• Use contrasting colors: either light-colored text on a dark background or the reverse. Even if the colors contrast a lot, using two similarly saturated colors will strain people’s eyes.
• Avoid including content on the edges of the slide. Many screens cut off the top, bottom, or one edge of a slide because the projector is not angled perfectly.
• Keep it simple. You know your material, but it is all new to your listeners. Avoid decorations and cute effects that distract from your key points.
• If you need to discuss the same slide at two different points, put a copy of the slide in at both points in the talk. Do not try to skip around in your slides. This is confusing to you and to your audience.
• Preview your slides carefully on the biggest screen you have access to. Some things will jump out at you on a large screen that you never noticed sitting in front of your laptop. It’s a good idea to have a friend look at it too.

Research presentation: A comprehensive guide

Learn how to choose a topic, conduct research, create visuals, and deliver your presentation with confidence.

Raja Bothra

Building presentations

Hey there, fellow knowledge seekers!

Today, we're diving deep into the world of research presentations.

Whether you're a student gearing up for your undergraduate research showcase or a professional preparing for a crucial job interview, mastering the art of delivering an effective research presentation is a valuable skill.

What is a research presentation?

A research presentation is a means to communicate your findings, insights, and discoveries to an audience, be it in a classroom, at a conference, or in a boardroom. It's your opportunity to showcase your expertise and share the results of your hard work.

Purpose of a research presentation

Before we dive into the intricacies of creating a stellar research presentation, let's explore the underlying reasons that make these presentations indispensable. The purpose of a research presentation is not merely to present data but to serve as a powerful tool for communication and engagement.

Sharing knowledge

At its core, a research presentation is a conduit for sharing knowledge, disseminating your research findings, and illuminating the uncharted realms of your work. It's about taking the complex and making it comprehensible, even captivating.

Academic evaluation

In the realm of academia, research presentations play a pivotal role in the evaluation process. They are your platform to defend a dissertation or thesis with vigor and confidence. Moreover, they are your plea for research funding, where your passion and precision could tip the scales in your favor.

Professional communication

Beyond the academic sphere, research presentations find a home in the corporate world, such as job interview s. In these scenarios, your presentation serves as a bridge, connecting your ideas with potential employers. It's an opportunity to demonstrate not just your research skills but also your ability to communicate them effectively.

The bigger picture

Your research presentation is more than just slides and data; it's an embodiment of your dedication and expertise. It's a tool for persuading, inspiring, and inciting action. It's a gateway to engage, educate, and advocate, whether in academic circles, professional settings, or public platforms.

A universal canvas

Regardless of the context, the core objectives of a research presentation remain constant:

• Dissemination of information : Sharing insights and discoveries for the collective advancement of knowledge.
• Engagement : Creating a presentation that captivates and effectively conveys complex ideas.
• Feedback and discussion : Welcoming questions, feedback, and discussions that refine and expand your research.
• Peer review : Serving as part of the peer-review process in academia, where experts evaluate the quality and validity of your work.
• Educational : Actively contributing to education by disseminating valuable information about a particular topic or research area.
• Persuasion : In cases like grant applications, presentations aim to persuade the audience to support or fund the research project.
• Networking : An opportunity to connect with peers, professionals, and stakeholders interested in your field.
• Professional development : A chance to enhance your communication skills and professional development.
• Public awareness : Raising public awareness about significant issues or findings that have a direct impact on society.

Your research presentation is not merely a sequence of slides but a powerful tool for communication and connection. Whether you're in the academic realm, the corporate world, or the public sphere, your ability to convey your research clearly and engagingly is pivotal to your success. Remember, you're not just presenting data; you're sharing knowledge, engaging your audience, and advocating for a cause.

Different types of research presentation

Research presentations are as diverse as the research itself, and the choice of presentation format is crucial. It depends on factors like the audience, the research's nature, and the specific goals of the presentation. Let's explore the myriad forms research presentations can take:

1. Oral presentations

• Conference presentations : These formal presentations are typically held at academic conferences, where researchers present their findings to a specialized audience. It's a platform for in-depth discussions and peer feedback.
• Seminar presentations : Often conducted at universities or research institutions, these presentations delve deep into research topics, encouraging detailed discussions and expert insights.
• Lecture series : A series of lectures focused on a particular research topic, usually organized by universities. These sessions offer a comprehensive exploration of a subject.

2. Poster presentations

• Conference posters : Visual presentations of research findings displayed on large posters, commonly used at academic conferences. They provide a snapshot of research, making complex data more accessible.
• Academic fairs : Frequently used to showcase research projects at the undergraduate or high school level. These exhibitions make research engaging for students.

3. Online/webinar presentations

• Webinars : Online presentations where researchers share their work with a remote audience. These presentations often include interactive elements, like Q&A sessions.
• Online workshops : Hands-on, interactive presentations that teach research methodologies or specific skills. Ideal for engaging the audience in a virtual setting.

4. Thesis or dissertation defense: Researchers defend their doctoral or master's theses or dissertations before a committee. It involves explaining their research in-depth and responding to questions.

5. Ignite or pecha kucha presentations : These are fast-paced presentations where presenters use a fixed number of slides and limited time per slide to convey their research succinctly. It's a dynamic format that encourages clarity and conciseness.

6. Panel discussions: Researchers participate in a discussion alongside other experts, sharing their perspectives on a specific topic

or research area. These discussions provide a well-rounded view of the subject.

7. TED talks or public lectures: Researchers present their work to a general audience in an engaging and accessible manner. The focus is on making complex ideas understandable and captivating.

8. Corporate research presentations: Researchers may present their findings to colleagues, executives, or stakeholders in a business or industry setting. These presentations often have practical applications and implications for the company.

9. Pitch presentations: Researchers may need to pitch their research project to potential funders , collaborators, or sponsors. This format requires the ability to convey the research's value and potential impact effectively.

10. Media interviews: Researchers can present their work through interviews with journalists, on television, radio, podcasts, or in written articles. The challenge here is to convey complex ideas to a broad audience.

11. Educational workshops: These presentations occur in an educational context, where researchers teach others about a particular subject or research method. It's a way to transfer knowledge and skills effectively.

12. Research reports: These formal written reports communicate research findings and are presented in a document format. They are often used for thorough documentation and publication.

13. Interactive exhibits: Researchers create interactive exhibits at science centers or museums to engage the public with their research. It's about making research accessible and engaging to a wide audience.

14. Government or policy briefings: Researchers may present their work to policymakers, helping to inform decision-making. These presentations have a direct impact on policy and require clarity and relevance.

15. Peer review: In the academic realm, researchers present their work to a group of peers for constructive feedback before formal publication. It's an essential step in ensuring the quality and validity of research.

In the world of research presentations, adaptability is key. Researchers often need to tailor their content and style to suit the context and meet the expectations of their audience. Remember, the choice of presentation type should align with your goals and the nature of your research. Each format has its unique strengths and is a valuable tool for sharing knowledge, engaging your audience, and achieving your research objectives.

What should a research presentation include?

A research presentation is not just a random assortment of slides; it's a meticulously crafted narrative that informs, engages, and inspires. Regardless of the type of presentation you opt for, there are some indispensable components to consider:

Introduction: Your presentation journey begins with the introduction—a compelling opening act. This is where you introduce your topic, explain its significance, and clearly state your research question or hypothesis. Think of it as setting the stage for the story you're about to tell.

Background: The background section is your opportunity to equip your audience with the necessary context to grasp the intricacies of your research. This may encompass discussions on relevant theories, prior research, and fundamental concepts that lay the foundation for your work. It's about ensuring your audience starts on the same page.

Methodology: This section provides an insight into the "how" of your research. Share the methods you employed in conducting your research, such as data collection techniques, sampling procedures, and your chosen methods of analysis. It's a backstage pass to the mechanics of your study.

Results: With the methodology unveiled, it's time to present the star of the show—your findings. This section is where you shine a spotlight on your results, delivering them in a clear and concise manner. Visual aids, such as tables, graphs, and other visuals, can be invaluable allies in communicating your results effectively.

Discussion: As you transition from presenting results, you enter the realm of interpretation and discussion. Here, you dissect your findings, analyzing their implications and discussing their real-world significance. Don't forget to address the limitations of your study and suggest future research directions.

Conclusion: In the grand finale of your presentation, it's time to bring the pieces together. Summarize your main points, reiterate the importance of your research, and leave your audience with a lasting impression. A compelling conclusion can be the key to a memorable presentation.

Q&A session: Your presentation isn't just a monologue; it's a dialogue with your audience. Provide an opportunity for engagement and clarification through a Q&A session. Allow your audience to ask questions, offer feedback, and explore the nuances of your research.

Contact information: Consider including a slide with your contact information. This way, curious audience members can reach out to you with questions, feedback, or collaboration opportunities. It's a subtle but essential way to maintain the conversation beyond the presentation.

It's important to note that the specific content and length of your research presentation may vary based on your audience and time constraints. For instance, if your audience is general and diverse, dedicating more time to background and discussion can enhance comprehension. On the other hand, when presenting to experts in your field, you can streamline these sections and focus on the intricate details of your methodology and results.

How to structure an effective research presentation

Crafting an effective research presentation is akin to weaving a compelling narrative. It's about captivating your audience while imparting knowledge. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to structure a presentation that leaves a lasting impression:

Title slide : Your presentation begins with the title slide, your first impression. Include the title of your presentation, your name, affiliation, and the date. This slide sets the stage for your audience, providing essential information about what they are about to learn.

Introduction : The introduction is your opportunity to grab your audience's attention and set the stage for your presentation. Start with a hook, like a thought-provoking question, a surprising fact, or even a touch of humor if it fits naturally. Additionally, in the introduction, provide background and context for your research, clearly state your research question or objectives, and explain why your research is important or relevant.

Literature review : In this section, briefly summarize key research in your field related to your topic. Highlight gaps or areas where your research contributes. If relevant, mention theories or models that underpin your work, demonstrating your understanding of the existing body of knowledge.

Methodology : Explain the nuts and bolts of your research methods. Share the methods you used, whether they were surveys, experiments, case studies, or any other approach. Include details of data collection procedures, sample size, and data analysis techniques. If ethical considerations played a role, mention them here.

Data presentation : This is where you unveil your research findings using visuals like charts, graphs, and tables. Make sure to explain the significance of each visual and its relation to your research question, using clear and concise labels for data points. Highlight key results or trends that are critical to your narrative, making it easier for your audience to grasp the key takeaways.

Discussion : Interpret the data and discuss its implications. This section should explain how your findings relate to your research question or objectives. Address any limitations or potential sources of bias and offer insights into the broader implications and practical applications of your research. It's a critical part where you demonstrate your analytical skills and the value of your work.

Conclusion : In the grand finale of your presentation, summarize the main points and reiterate the significance of your research and its contribution to the field. Suggest potential areas for future research, inviting your audience to continue the journey and emphasizing the continuity of the research.

Q&A session : Now, it's time to engage your audience. Invite questions and be prepared to provide detailed answers and clarify any doubts. This interaction adds depth to your presentation and ensures your audience's comprehension.

References : Include a list of all the sources you cited during your presentation. This shows your commitment to sound research practices and allows your audience to delve deeper into the literature if they wish.

Acknowledgments (if necessary) : If your research received support from funding sources, collaborators, or institutions, acknowledge them at this point. Gratitude goes a long way in the academic community, and it's essential to recognize those who contributed to your work.

Additional Tips:

• Keep your presentation concise and focused to avoid overwhelming your audience with an excess of information.
• Use visual aids effectively, but remember, less is often more. Avoid overcrowding slides with excessive text or data.
• Practice your presentation multiple times to ensure a smooth delivery and stay within the allotted time.
• Engage with your audience throughout. Ask questions, encourage discussion, and make eye contact to maintain their interest.
• Speak clearly and confidently, avoiding jargon or overly technical language whenever possible.
• Adapt your style and level of detail to your audience's background and interests. The key to an effective research presentation lies in clear, organized, and engaging communication, ensuring your message not only informs but also captivates your audience.

Do’s and Don'ts of a Research Presentation

Delivering a successful research presentation is crucial for conveying your findings and insights effectively. Here are some do's and don'ts to keep in mind:

• Know your audience: Tailor your presentation to your audience's background and interests. Consider whether they are experts in the field or have limited prior knowledge.
• Structure your presentation: Organize your presentation with a clear structure. Start with an introduction, outline your methodology, present your results, and conclude with key takeaways and implications.
• Practice: Rehearse your presentation multiple times to ensure a smooth and confident delivery. Practice also helps you manage your time effectively.
• Use visuals: Incorporate visuals like graphs, charts, and images to make complex data more accessible. Visual aids should be clear, concise, and relevant.
• Engage your audience: Use stories, anecdotes, or questions to capture your audience's attention and keep them engaged. Encourage questions and discussions.
• Speak clearly and slowly: Enunciate your words clearly and avoid speaking too fast. This makes it easier for your audience to follow your presentation.
• Keep slides simple: Limit the amount of information on each slide. Use bullet points, not paragraphs. Avoid excessive animations and transitions.
• Cite sources: Acknowledge and cite the work of others when presenting their ideas or research. This shows academic integrity.
• Anticipate questions: Be prepared to answer questions about your research. It demonstrates your expertise and thorough understanding of the topic.
• Time management: Stick to your allotted time. Respect your audience's time by not going over the time limit.

Don'ts:

• Don't overload slides: Avoid cluttered or text-heavy slides. They can overwhelm your audience and distract from your key points.
• Don't read directly from slides: Your slides should support your presentation, not replace it. Avoid reading verbatim from your slides.
• Don't rush: Speaking too quickly can make it hard for the audience to follow your presentation. Speak at a measured pace.
• Don't assume prior knowledge: Don't assume that your audience is familiar with your topic. Provide sufficient background information to ensure understanding.
• Don't wing it: Winging a research presentation can lead to disorganization and confusion. Preparation is key to a successful presentation.
• Don't get defensive: If someone challenges your research, remain composed and open to constructive criticism. Avoid becoming defensive or confrontational.
• Don't neglect visual design: Poorly designed visuals can detract from your presentation. Pay attention to design principles for your slides.
• Don't oversimplify or overcomplicate: Strike a balance between simplifying complex ideas and providing enough detail for your audience to grasp the topic.
• Don't use jargon unnecessarily: Avoid overusing technical jargon or acronyms. If you must use them, explain them for the benefit of non-experts.
• Don't monopolize the Q&A: Give all audience members an opportunity to ask questions. Don't allow one or two people to dominate the Q&A session.

Summarizing key takeaways

• Purpose of research presentation : Research presentations are essential for sharing knowledge, academic evaluation, professional communication, and more.
• Types of research presentations : They come in various formats, like oral, poster, webinars, and more, and should match your goals.
• Content of a research presentation : Typically includes an introduction, background, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, Q&A, references, and acknowledgments (if needed).
• Structuring an effective presentation : Organize your presentation logically, use visuals, practice, engage your audience, and speak clearly.
• Do's : Do tailor to your audience, structure well, and use visuals.
• Don'ts : Don't overload slides, rush, assume prior knowledge, or neglect design.

1. How can I create a research presentation that stands out?

When creating your research presentation, consider using prezent, powerpoint presentation or other presentation software to help you prepare a visually appealing presentation. Utilizing presentation templates can provide you with a professional and organized look. Try to include appropriate graphics that enhance your content and help you avoid using too much text. Remember that the purpose of your presentation is to present your research in a way that your audience can follow, so use different fonts, but make sure to keep font size and style consistent for headings and content.

2. How many slides should I have in my research presentation?

A rule of thumb for creating a research presentation is to aim for approximately one to five minutes per slide. For a 15-minute presentation, you might have around 15 to 75 slides. However, the number of slides can vary depending on your content. Avoid using too much detail, and keep it simple to maintain your audience's engagement.

3. Should I use a handout as part of my research presentation?

You don't need to provide a handout as part of your research presentation, but it can be a helpful addition. Including a handout can help your audience take notes and refer back to important things you've discussed. Be sure to include your name and contact details on the handout so that your audience knows how to reach you.

4. What should I do when giving an in-person research presentation?

When giving an in-person presentation, it's essential to use a projector and present your research paper slowly and clearly. Make sure the audience can see the content from a few feet away, and use sans-serif fonts, such as Arial, for better contrast and readability. Remember not to read word for word from your presentation slides; instead, use them as a guide. Also, be prepared to answer questions as you go and engage with your audience.

5. How can I make my research presentation suitable for a symposium in the social sciences, for example?

To make your research presentation suitable for a symposium in the social sciences or any specific field, first, decide whether your audience needs a more technical or general overview of your work. Adapt the content and the appropriate graphics accordingly. Use a table of contents to help guide your presentation, and present your research in a manner that aligns with the expectations of the audience in your field. Make sure your presentation design and content are tailored to your audience and the nature of the symposium.

Create your research presentation with prezent

Creating a compelling research presentation is an essential skill for academics and professionals alike. Prezent, a powerful communication success platform, offers an innovative solution for crafting engaging and brand-compliant research presentations. With Prezent, you can save valuable time and streamline your presentation creation process. The platform's AI presentation tool combines audience preferences, personalized fingerprints, and a presentation builder to help you deliver impactful research findings.

One of the standout features of Prezent is its emphasis on brand-approved design. The platform allows you to maintain consistency with your corporate brand and marketing team's guidelines. You can access over 35,000 slides in your company's approved design, ensuring that your research presentation is always on-brand.

To further enhance your research presentation experience, Prezent offers professional services such as overnight services and dedicated presentation specialists. These services can help you refine your content, convert meeting notes into polished presentations, and brainstorm design ideas. With a strong commitment to enterprise-grade security, Prezent ensures the safety of your data through independent third-party assurance.

Ready to supercharge your research presentations? Try our free trial or book a demo today with Prezent!

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Home Blog Presentation Ideas How to Create and Deliver a Research Presentation

How to Create and Deliver a Research Presentation

Every research endeavor ends up with the communication of its findings. Graduate-level research culminates in a thesis defense , while many academic and scientific disciplines are published in peer-reviewed journals. In a business context, PowerPoint research presentation is the default format for reporting the findings to stakeholders.

Condensing months of work into a few slides can prove to be challenging. It requires particular skills to create and deliver a research presentation that promotes informed decisions and drives long-term projects forward.

Table of Contents

What is a Research Presentation

Key slides for creating a research presentation, tips when delivering a research presentation, how to present sources in a research presentation, recommended templates to create a research presentation.

A research presentation is the communication of research findings, typically delivered to an audience of peers, colleagues, students, or professionals. In the academe, it is meant to showcase the importance of the research paper , state the findings and the analysis of those findings, and seek feedback that could further the research.

The presentation of research becomes even more critical in the business world as the insights derived from it are the basis of strategic decisions of organizations. Information from this type of report can aid companies in maximizing the sales and profit of their business. Major projects such as research and development (R&D) in a new field, the launch of a new product or service, or even corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives will require the presentation of research findings to prove their feasibility.

Market research and technical research are examples of business-type research presentations you will commonly encounter.

In this article, we’ve compiled all the essential tips, including some examples and templates, to get you started with creating and delivering a stellar research presentation tailored specifically for the business context.

Various research suggests that the average attention span of adults during presentations is around 20 minutes, with a notable drop in an engagement at the 10-minute mark . Beyond that, you might see your audience doing other things.

How can you avoid such a mistake? The answer lies in the adage “keep it simple, stupid” or KISS. We don’t mean dumbing down your content but rather presenting it in a way that is easily digestible and accessible to your audience. One way you can do this is by organizing your research presentation using a clear structure.

Here are the slides you should prioritize when creating your research presentation PowerPoint.

1.  Title Page

The title page is the first thing your audience will see during your presentation, so put extra effort into it to make an impression. Of course, writing presentation titles and title pages will vary depending on the type of presentation you are to deliver. In the case of a research presentation, you want a formal and academic-sounding one. It should include:

• The full title of the report
• The date of the report
• The name of the researchers or department in charge of the report
• The name of the organization for which the presentation is intended

When writing the title of your research presentation, it should reflect the topic and objective of the report. Focus only on the subject and avoid adding redundant phrases like “A research on” or “A study on.” However, you may use phrases like “Market Analysis” or “Feasibility Study” because they help identify the purpose of the presentation. Doing so also serves a long-term purpose for the filing and later retrieving of the document.

Here’s a sample title page for a hypothetical market research presentation from Gillette .

2. Executive Summary Slide

The executive summary marks the beginning of the body of the presentation, briefly summarizing the key discussion points of the research. Specifically, the summary may state the following:

• The purpose of the investigation and its significance within the organization’s goals
• The methods used for the investigation
• The major findings of the investigation
• The conclusions and recommendations after the investigation

Although the executive summary encompasses the entry of the research presentation, it should not dive into all the details of the work on which the findings, conclusions, and recommendations were based. Creating the executive summary requires a focus on clarity and brevity, especially when translating it to a PowerPoint document where space is limited.

Each point should be presented in a clear and visually engaging manner to capture the audience’s attention and set the stage for the rest of the presentation. Use visuals, bullet points, and minimal text to convey information efficiently.

3. Introduction/ Project Description Slides

In this section, your goal is to provide your audience with the information that will help them understand the details of the presentation. Provide a detailed description of the project, including its goals, objectives, scope, and methods for gathering and analyzing data.

You want to answer these fundamental questions:

• What specific questions are you trying to answer, problems you aim to solve, or opportunities you seek to explore?
• Why is this project important, and what prompted it?
• What are the boundaries of your research or initiative? 
• How were the data gathered?

Important: The introduction should exclude specific findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

4. Data Presentation and Analyses Slides

This is the longest section of a research presentation, as you’ll present the data you’ve gathered and provide a thorough analysis of that data to draw meaningful conclusions. The format and components of this section can vary widely, tailored to the specific nature of your research.

For example, if you are doing market research, you may include the market potential estimate, competitor analysis, and pricing analysis. These elements will help your organization determine the actual viability of a market opportunity.

Visual aids like charts, graphs, tables, and diagrams are potent tools to convey your key findings effectively. These materials may be numbered and sequenced (Figure 1, Figure 2, and so forth), accompanied by text to make sense of the insights.

5. Conclusions

The conclusion of a research presentation is where you pull together the ideas derived from your data presentation and analyses in light of the purpose of the research. For example, if the objective is to assess the market of a new product, the conclusion should determine the requirements of the market in question and tell whether there is a product-market fit.

Designing your conclusion slide should be straightforward and focused on conveying the key takeaways from your research. Keep the text concise and to the point. Present it in bullet points or numbered lists to make the content easily scannable.

6. Recommendations

The findings of your research might reveal elements that may not align with your initial vision or expectations. These deviations are addressed in the recommendations section of your presentation, which outlines the best course of action based on the result of the research.

What emerging markets should we target next? Do we need to rethink our pricing strategies? Which professionals should we hire for this special project? — these are some of the questions that may arise when coming up with this part of the research.

Recommendations may be combined with the conclusion, but presenting them separately to reinforce their urgency. In the end, the decision-makers in the organization or your clients will make the final call on whether to accept or decline the recommendations.

7. Questions Slide

Members of your audience are not involved in carrying out your research activity, which means there’s a lot they don’t know about its details. By offering an opportunity for questions, you can invite them to bridge that gap, seek clarification, and engage in a dialogue that enhances their understanding.

If your research is more business-oriented, facilitating a question and answer after your presentation becomes imperative as it’s your final appeal to encourage buy-in for your recommendations.

A simple “Ask us anything” slide can indicate that you are ready to accept questions.

1. Focus on the Most Important Findings

The truth about presenting research findings is that your audience doesn’t need to know everything. Instead, they should receive a distilled, clear, and meaningful overview that focuses on the most critical aspects.

You will likely have to squeeze in the oral presentation of your research into a 10 to 20-minute presentation, so you have to make the most out of the time given to you. In the presentation, don’t soak in the less important elements like historical backgrounds. Decision-makers might even ask you to skip these portions and focus on sharing the findings.

2. Do Not Read Word-per-word

Reading word-for-word from your presentation slides intensifies the danger of losing your audience’s interest. Its effect can be detrimental, especially if the purpose of your research presentation is to gain approval from the audience. So, how can you avoid this mistake?

• Make a conscious design decision to keep the text on your slides minimal. Your slides should serve as visual cues to guide your presentation.
• Structure your presentation as a narrative or story. Stories are more engaging and memorable than dry, factual information.
• Prepare speaker notes with the key points of your research. Glance at it when needed.
• Engage with the audience by maintaining eye contact and asking rhetorical questions.

3. Don’t Go Without Handouts

Handouts are paper copies of your presentation slides that you distribute to your audience. They typically contain the summary of your key points, but they may also provide supplementary information supporting data presented through tables and graphs.

The purpose of distributing presentation handouts is to easily retain the key points you presented as they become good references in the future. Distributing handouts in advance allows your audience to review the material and come prepared with questions or points for discussion during the presentation.

4. Actively Listen

An equally important skill that a presenter must possess aside from speaking is the ability to listen. We are not just talking about listening to what the audience is saying but also considering their reactions and nonverbal cues. If you sense disinterest or confusion, you can adapt your approach on the fly to re-engage them.

For example, if some members of your audience are exchanging glances, they may be skeptical of the research findings you are presenting. This is the best time to reassure them of the validity of your data and provide a concise overview of how it came to be. You may also encourage them to seek clarification.

5. Be Confident

Anxiety can strike before a presentation – it’s a common reaction whenever someone has to speak in front of others. If you can’t eliminate your stress, try to manage it.

People hate public speaking not because they simply hate it. Most of the time, it arises from one’s belief in themselves. You don’t have to take our word for it. Take Maslow’s theory that says a threat to one’s self-esteem is a source of distress among an individual.

Now, how can you master this feeling? You’ve spent a lot of time on your research, so there is no question about your topic knowledge. Perhaps you just need to rehearse your research presentation. If you know what you will say and how to say it, you will gain confidence in presenting your work.

All sources you use in creating your research presentation should be given proper credit. The APA Style is the most widely used citation style in formal research.

In-text citation

Add references within the text of your presentation slide by giving the author’s last name, year of publication, and page number (if applicable) in parentheses after direct quotations or paraphrased materials. As in:

The alarming rate at which global temperatures rise directly impacts biodiversity (Smith, 2020, p. 27).

If the author’s name and year of publication are mentioned in the text, add only the page number in parentheses after the quotations or paraphrased materials. As in:

According to Smith (2020), the alarming rate at which global temperatures rise directly impacts biodiversity (p. 27).

Image citation

All images from the web, including photos, graphs, and tables, used in your slides should be credited using the format below.

Creator’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Image.” Website Name, Day Mo. Year, URL. Accessed Day Mo. Year.

Work cited page

A work cited page or reference list should follow after the last slide of your presentation. The list should be alphabetized by the author’s last name and initials followed by the year of publication, the title of the book or article, the place of publication, and the publisher. As in:

Smith, J. A. (2020). Climate Change and Biodiversity: A Comprehensive Study. New York, NY: ABC Publications.

When citing a document from a website, add the source URL after the title of the book or article instead of the place of publication and the publisher. As in:

Smith, J. A. (2020). Climate Change and Biodiversity: A Comprehensive Study. Retrieved from https://www.smith.com/climate-change-and-biodiversity.

1. Research Project Presentation PowerPoint Template

A slide deck containing 18 different slides intended to take off the weight of how to make a research presentation. With tons of visual aids, presenters can reference existing research on similar projects to this one – or link another research presentation example – provide an accurate data analysis, disclose the methodology used, and much more.

Use This Template

2. Research Presentation Scientific Method Diagram PowerPoint Template

Whenever you intend to raise questions, expose the methodology you used for your research, or even suggest a scientific method approach for future analysis, this circular wheel diagram is a perfect fit for any presentation study.

Customize all of its elements to suit the demands of your presentation in just minutes.

3. Thesis Research Presentation PowerPoint Template

If your research presentation project belongs to academia, then this is the slide deck to pair that presentation. With a formal aesthetic and minimalistic style, this research presentation template focuses only on exposing your information as clearly as possible.

Use its included bar charts and graphs to introduce data, change the background of each slide to suit the topic of your presentation, and customize each of its elements to meet the requirements of your project with ease.

4. Animated Research Cards PowerPoint Template

Visualize ideas and their connection points with the help of this research card template for PowerPoint. This slide deck, for example, can help speakers talk about alternative concepts to what they are currently managing and its possible outcomes, among different other usages this versatile PPT template has. Zoom Animation effects make a smooth transition between cards (or ideas).

5. Research Presentation Slide Deck for PowerPoint

With a distinctive professional style, this research presentation PPT template helps business professionals and academics alike to introduce the findings of their work to team members or investors.

By accessing this template, you get the following slides:

• Introduction
• Problem Statement
• Research Questions
• Conceptual Research Framework (Concepts, Theories, Actors, & Constructs)
• Study design and methods
• Population & Sampling
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis

Check it out today and craft a powerful research presentation out of it!

A successful research presentation in business is not just about presenting data; it’s about persuasion to take meaningful action. It’s the bridge that connects your research efforts to the strategic initiatives of your organization. To embark on this journey successfully, planning your presentation thoroughly is paramount, from designing your PowerPoint to the delivery.

Take a look and get inspiration from the sample research presentation slides above, put our tips to heart, and transform your research findings into a compelling call to action.

Like this article? Please share

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Research Voyage

Research Tips and Infromation

12 Proven Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation as an Invited Speaker

Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation

Research presentation tip #1: start confidently, research presentation tip #2: eye to eye contact with the audience, research presentation tip #3: welcome your audience, research presentation tip #4: adjust your voice.

•  Research Presentation Tip #5: Memorize your Opening Line
• Research Presentation Tip #6:  Use the words  “ 'Think for while', 'Imagine', 'Think of', 'Close Your Eyes' ”

Research Presentation Tip #7: Story Telling

Research presentation tip #8: facts and statistics.

• Research Presentation Tip #9: Power of "Pause"

Research Presentation Tip #10: Quote a Great Researcher

Research presentation tip #11: begin with a video, research presentation tip #12: avoid using filler words, side benefits of giving great research presentations, how should i dress for my invited talk at a research conference, can i share my conference presentation slides after my talk with the audience, shall i entertain questions in between my presentation as an invited speaker to a research conference, can you give some tips for a successful q&a session:.

• How to handle questions where I don't know the answers in my presentation?

Introduction

As an invited speaker, delivering an effective research presentation is essential to engage and inform your audience. A well-crafted presentation can help you communicate your research findings, ideas, and insights in a clear, concise, and engaging manner.

However, many presenters face challenges when it comes to delivering a successful presentation. Some of these challenges include nervousness, lack of confidence, and difficulty connecting with the audience.

In this article, we will discuss tips to help you make an effective research presentation as an invited speaker. We will cover strategies to prepare for your presentation, ways to deliver your presentation with confidence and impact, and common mistakes to avoid. By following these tips, you can improve your presentation skills and create a compelling and engaging talk that resonates with your audience.

• Tip 1: Start confidently
• Tip 2: Eye To Eye Contact With the Audience
• Tip 3: Welcome Your Audience
• Tip 4: Adjust your Voice
• Tip 5: Memorize your Opening Line
• Tip 6:  Use the words  “ ‘Think for while’, ‘Imagine’, ‘Think of’, ‘Close Your Eyes’ ”
• Tip 7: Story Telling
• Tip 8: Facts and Statistics
• Tip 9: Power of “Pause”
• Tip 10: Quote a Great Researcher
• Tip 11: Begin with a Video
• Tip 12: Avoid using Filler Words

Starting your presentation confidently is essential as it sets the tone for the rest of your presentation. It will help you grab your audience’s attention and make them more receptive to your message. Here are a few ways you can start confidently.

• Begin with a self-introduction: Introduce yourself to the audience and establish your credibility. Briefly mention your educational background, your professional experience, and any relevant achievements that make you an authority on the topic. For example, “Good morning everyone, my name is John and I’m a researcher at XYZ University. I have a Ph.D. in molecular biology, and my research has been published in several reputable journals.”
• Introduce the topic: Clearly state the purpose of your presentation and provide a brief overview of what you’ll be discussing. This helps the audience understand the context of your research and what they can expect from your presentation. For example, “Today, I’ll be presenting my research on the role of DNA repair mechanisms in cancer development. I’ll be discussing the current state of knowledge in this field, the methods we used to conduct our research and the novel insights we’ve gained from our findings.”
• Start with a strong opening statement: Once you’ve introduced yourself and the topic, start your presentation confidently with a statement that captures the audience’s attention and makes them curious to hear more. As mentioned earlier, you could use a strong opening statement, a powerful visual aid, or show enthusiasm for your research. For example:
• “Have you ever wondered how artificial intelligence can be used to predict user behaviour? Today, I’ll be sharing my research on the latest AI algorithms and their potential applications in the field of e-commerce.”
• “Imagine a world where cybersecurity threats no longer exist. My research is focused on developing advanced security measures that can protect your data from even the most sophisticated attacks.”
• “Think for a moment about the amount of data we generate every day. My research focuses on how we can use machine learning algorithms to extract meaningful insights from this vast amount of data, and ultimately drive innovation in industries ranging from healthcare to finance.”

By following these steps, you’ll be able to start your research presentation confidently, establish your credibility and expertise, and create interest in your topic.

Speaking confidently as an invited speaker can be a daunting task, but there are ways to prepare and feel more confident. One such way is through practising yoga. Yoga is a great tool for reducing stress and anxiety, which can be major barriers to confident public speaking.

By practising yoga, you can learn to control your breathing, calm your mind, and increase your focus and concentration. All of these skills can help you feel more centred and confident when it’s time to give your presentation.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of yoga, check out our blog post on the subject YOGA: The Ultimate Productivity Hack for Ph.D. Research Scholars and Researchers .

If you’re ready to dive deeper and start your own yoga practice, be sure to download my e-book on :

Unlock Your Research Potential Through Yoga: A Research Scholar’s Companion

A large number of audiences in the presentation hall make you feel jittery and lose your confidence in no time. This happens because you are seeing many of the audience for the first time and you don’t know their background and their knowledge of the subject in which you are presenting.

The best way to overcome this fear is to go and attack the fear itself. That is come at least 10-15 minutes early to the conference room and start interacting with the people over there. This short span of connectivity with a few of the audience will release your tension.

When you occupy the stage for presenting,  the first thing you need to do is gaze around the room,  establish one-to-one eye contact, and give a confident smile to your audience whom you had just met before the start of the presentation.

Just gazing around the presentation hall will make you feel connected to everyone in the hall. Internally within your mind choose one of the audience and turn towards him/her make eye contact and deliver a few sentences, then proceed to the next audience and repeat the same set of steps.

This will make everyone in the room feel that you are talking directly to them. Make the audience feel that you are engaging with them personally for this topic, which makes them invest fully in your topic.

The third tip for making an effective research presentation is to welcome your audience. This means taking a few minutes to greet your audience, introduce yourself, and set the tone for your presentation. Here are a few ways you can welcome your audience:

• Greet your audience: Start by greeting your audience with a smile and a warm welcome. This will help you establish a connection with your audience and put them at ease.
• Introduce yourself: Introduce yourself to the audience and give a brief background on your expertise and how it relates to your presentation. This will help your audience understand your qualifications and why you’re the right person to be delivering the presentation.
• Explain the purpose of your presentation: Explain to your audience why you’re presenting your research and what they can expect to learn from your presentation. This will help your audience understand the context of your research and what they can expect from your presentation.
• Set the tone: Set the tone for your presentation by giving a brief overview of your presentation structure and what your audience can expect throughout your presentation. This will help your audience understand what to expect and keep them engaged.

Here are a few examples of how you can welcome your audience:

• If you’re presenting to a group of industry professionals, welcome them by acknowledging their expertise and experience. This will show that you value their knowledge and experience.
• If you’re presenting to a group of students or academics, welcome them by acknowledging their interest in your research area. This will help you establish a connection with your audience and show that you’re excited to share your research with them.
• If you’re presenting to a mixed audience, welcome them by acknowledging their diversity and the different perspectives they bring to the presentation. This will help you set an inclusive tone and show that you’re open to different viewpoints.

Overall, welcoming your audience is an important aspect of delivering an effective research presentation. It helps you establish a connection with your audience, set the tone for your presentation, and keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation.

In my earlier days of presentations, I just used to go on stage and start my presentations without greeting anyone. Later I learned stage etiquette with the help of my fellow research scholars and underwent  professional etiquette courses .

The fourth tip for making an effective research presentation is to adjust your voice. This means using your voice effectively to convey your message and engage your audience. Here are a few ways you can adjust your voice during your research presentation:

• Speak clearly: Speak clearly and enunciate your words so that your audience can understand what you’re saying. Avoid speaking too fast or mumbling, which can make it difficult for your audience to follow your presentation.
• Use a varied pace: Use a varied pace to keep your audience engaged. Speak slowly and clearly when you’re making important points, and speed up when you’re discussing less important points. This will help you maintain your audience’s attention throughout your presentation.
• Use a varied pitch: Use a varied pitch to convey emotion and emphasize important points. Lower your pitch when you’re discussing serious or important topics, and raise your pitch when you’re excited or enthusiastic.
• Use pauses: Use pauses to emphasize important points and give your audience time to reflect on what you’re saying. Pausing also helps to break up your presentation and make it easier for your audience to follow.

Here are a few examples of how you can adjust your voice during your research presentation:

• If you’re discussing a complex or technical topic, speak slowly and clearly so that your audience can understand what you’re saying. Use pauses to emphasize important points and give your audience time to reflect on what you’re saying.
• If you’re discussing an exciting or enthusiastic topic, raise your pitch and use a varied pace to convey your excitement to your audience. This will help you engage your audience and keep them interested in your presentation.
• If you’re discussing a serious or emotional topic, lower your pitch and use a slower pace to convey the gravity of the situation. Use pauses to emphasize important points and give your audience time to process what you’re saying.

Overall, adjusting your voice is an important aspect of delivering an effective research presentation. It helps you convey your message clearly, engage your audience, and keep their attention throughout your presentation.

Many researchers are less talkative and speak with a very low voice and this makes their concepts unheard by other researchers. To overcome this drawback, they go for  vocal coaching  to improve their voice modulation.

 Research Presentation Tip #5: Memorize your Opening Line

The fifth tip for making an effective research presentation is to memorize your opening line. This means having a powerful and memorable opening line that will grab your audience’s attention and set the tone for your presentation. Here are a few ways you can create a memorable opening line:

• Use a quote or statistic: Start your presentation with a powerful quote or statistic that relates to your research. This will grab your audience’s attention and show them why your research is important.
• Use a story or anecdote: Use a personal story or anecdote to illustrate the importance of your research. This will help you connect with your audience on an emotional level and show them why your research is relevant to their lives.
• Ask a question: Ask your audience a thought-provoking question that relates to your research. This will help you engage your audience and get them thinking about your topic.

Once you’ve created a memorable opening line, it’s important to memorize it so that you can deliver it confidently and without hesitation. Here are a few examples of powerful opening lines:

• “In the United States, someone dies of a drug overdose every seven minutes. Today, I want to talk to you about the opioid epidemic and what we can do to prevent it.”
• “When I was a child, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Today, I want to share with you the latest research on Alzheimer’s and what we can do to slow its progression.”
• “Have you ever wondered why some people are more resilient than others? Today, I want to talk to you about the science of resilience and how we can use it to overcome adversity.”

Overall, memorizing your opening line is an important aspect of delivering an effective research presentation. It helps you grab your audience’s attention, set the tone for your presentation, and establish your credibility as a speaker.

Remembering the concepts at the right time and in the right sequence is critical for every researcher. Few of my research scholars face the problem of forgetting everything once they reach the stage for presentation. To overcome this difficulty I gift them with one of my favourite books on improving memory power:    “Limitless  by Jim Quick” .  This book has changed many lives. You can also try.

Research Presentation Tip #6:  Use the words  “ ‘Think for while’, ‘Imagine’, ‘Think of’, ‘Close Your Eyes’ ”

The sixth tip for making an effective research presentation is to use specific phrases that encourage your audience to think, imagine, and engage with your presentation. Here are a few examples of phrases you can use to encourage your audience to engage with your presentation:

• “Think for a moment about…” This phrase encourages your audience to reflect on a particular point or idea that you’ve just discussed. For example, “Think for a moment about the impact that climate change is having on our planet.”
• “Imagine that…” This phrase encourages your audience to visualize a particular scenario or idea. For example, “Imagine that you’re living in a world without access to clean water. How would your daily life be affected?”
• “Think of a time when…” This phrase encourages your audience to reflect on their own experiences and relate them to your presentation. For example, “Think of a time when you felt overwhelmed at work. How did you manage that stress?”
• “Close your eyes and picture…” This phrase encourages your audience to use their imagination to visualize a particular scenario or idea. For example, “Close your eyes and picture a world without poverty. What would that look like?”

By using these phrases, you can encourage your audience to actively engage with your presentation and think more deeply about your research. Here are a few examples of how you might incorporate these phrases into your presentation:

• “Think for a moment about the impact that our use of plastics is having on our environment. Each year, millions of tons of plastic end up in our oceans, harming marine life and polluting our planet.”
• “Imagine that you’re a scientist working to develop a cure for a deadly disease. What kind of research would you conduct, and what challenges might you face?”
• “Think of a time when you had to overcome a significant challenge. How did you persevere, and what lessons did you learn from that experience?”
• “Close your eyes and picture a world where renewable energy is our primary source of power. What benefits would this have for our planet, and how can we work together to make this a reality?”

Overall, using phrases that encourage your audience to think and engage with your presentation is an effective way to make your research presentation more impactful and memorable.

The seventh tip for making an effective research presentation is to incorporate storytelling into your presentation. Storytelling is a powerful way to connect with your audience, illustrate your points, and make your research more engaging and memorable.

People love stories, but your story has to be relevant to your research. You can craft a story about an experience you had and tell how you could able to define your research problem based on the experience you had.  This makes your presentation both interesting and incorporates information about the work you are carrying out. 

Storytelling or sharing your own experience is the best way to connect with your audience.  Many researchers use this technique and it remains one of the most critical pieces to becoming an effective presenter.

Here are a few examples of how you can incorporate storytelling into your presentation:

• Personal stories: Use a personal story to illustrate the importance of your research. For example, if you’re researching a new cancer treatment, you might share a story about a friend or family member who has been affected by cancer. This personal connection can help your audience relate to your research on a more emotional level.
• Case studies: Use a case study to illustrate how your research has been applied in the real world. For example, if you’re researching the impact of a new educational program, you might share a case study about a school that has implemented the program and seen positive results.
• Historical examples: Use a historical example to illustrate the significance of your research. For example, if you’re researching the impact of climate change, you might share a story about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s to illustrate the devastating effects of drought and soil erosion.
• Analogies: Use an analogy to explain complex concepts or ideas. For example, if you’re researching the workings of the brain, you might use the analogy of a computer to help your audience understand how neurons communicate with each other.

By incorporating storytelling into your presentation, you can help your audience connect with your research on a more personal level and make your presentation more memorable. Here are a few examples of how you might incorporate storytelling into your presentation:

• “When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I felt helpless and afraid. But thanks to the groundbreaking research that is being done in this field, we now have more treatment options than ever before. Today, I want to share with you the latest research on cancer treatments and what we can do to support those who are fighting this disease.”
• “Imagine for a moment that you’re a small business owner trying to grow your online presence. You’ve heard that search engine optimization (SEO) is important for driving traffic to your website, but you’re not sure where to start. That’s where my research comes in. By analyzing millions of search queries, I’ve identified the key factors that search engines use to rank websites. Using this information, I’ve developed a new algorithm that can help businesses like yours optimize their websites for better search engine rankings. Imagine being able to reach more customers and grow your business, all thanks to this new algorithm. That’s the power of my research.”

In these examples, the speaker is using storytelling to help the audience understand the real-world impact of their research in a relatable way. By framing the research in terms of a relatable scenario, the speaker is able to engage the audience and make the research feel more relevant to their lives. Additionally, by highlighting the practical applications of the research, the speaker is able to demonstrate the value of the research in a tangible way.

Here I recommend without any second thought “ Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals  ” by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic. This is one of the powerful techniques to showcase data in the form of graphs and charts.

The eighth tip for making an effective research presentation is to incorporate facts and statistics into your presentation. Facts and statistics can help you communicate the significance of your research and make it more compelling to your audience.

Make your audience curious about your topic with a fact they didn’t know. Explaining the importance of your topic to your audience is essential. Showcasing data and statistics to prove a point remains a critical strategy not just at the beginning but also throughout.  Statistics can be mind-numbing but if there is some compelling information that can help further the conversation.

Here are a few examples of how you might use facts and statistics in your research presentation:

• Contextualize your research: Use statistics to provide context for your research. For example, if you’re presenting on the prevalence of a particular disease, you might start by sharing statistics on how many people are affected by the disease worldwide.
• Highlight key findings: Use facts and statistics to highlight the key findings of your research. For example, if you’re presenting on new drug therapy, you might share statistics on the success rate of the therapy and how it compares to existing treatments.
• Support your arguments: Use facts and statistics to support your arguments. For example, if you’re arguing that a particular policy change is needed, you might use statistics to show how the current policy is failing and why a change is necessary.
• Visualize your data: Use graphs, charts, and other visual aids to help illustrate your data. This can make it easier for your audience to understand the significance of your research. For example, if you’re presenting on the impact of climate change, you might use a graph to show the rise in global temperatures over time.

Here’s an example of how you might use facts and statistics in a research presentation:

“Did you know that over 80% of internet users own a smartphone? That’s a staggering number when you think about it. And with the rise of mobile devices, it’s more important than ever for businesses to have a mobile-friendly website. That’s where my research comes in.

By analyzing user behaviour and website performance data, I’ve identified the key factors that make a website mobile-friendly. And the results are clear: mobile-friendly websites perform better in search engine rankings, have lower bounce rates, and are more likely to convert visitors into customers. By implementing the recommendations from my research, businesses can improve their online presence and reach more customers than ever before.”

In this example, the speaker is using statistics to provide context for their research (the high prevalence of smartphone ownership) and to support their argument (that businesses need to have mobile-friendly websites).

By emphasizing the benefits of mobile-friendly websites (better search engine rankings, lower bounce rates, and higher conversion rates), the speaker is able to make the research more compelling to their audience. Finally, by using concrete examples (implementing the recommendations from the research), the speaker is able to make the research feel actionable and relevant to the audience.

In my blog posts on the benefits of using graphs and tables in research presentations, I have presented different ways that these tools can enhance the impact and effectiveness of your research presentation. By incorporating graphs and tables, you can help your audience to engage more deeply with your research and better grasp the significance of your findings. To learn more about the benefits of using graphs and tables in research presentations, check out my blog posts listed below, on the subject.

• Maximizing the Impact of Your Research Paper with Graphs and Charts
• Best Practices for Designing and Formatting Tables in Research Papers

You can also refer the book “Information Visualization: An Introduction” for getting more clarity on the representation of facts and statistics.

Research Presentation Tip #9: Power of “Pause”

The ninth tip for making an effective research presentation is to use the power of “pause.” Pausing at key moments in your presentation can help you emphasize important points, allow your audience to process information, and create a sense of anticipation.

We are all uncomfortable when there is a pause.  Yet incorporating pause into your presentation can be a valuable tool causing the audience to be attentive to what you are going to say next.

A pause is an effective way to grab attention. There are two ways you might use this technique. After you are introduced, walk on stage and say nothing. Simply pause for three to five seconds and wait for the full attention of the audience. It’s a powerful opening. Depending on the audience, you might need to pause for longer than five seconds.

At another point in your presentation, you might be discussing the results or you are about to provide important information, that’s when you pause to grab attention. You’ll probably feel uncomfortable when you first try this technique, but it’s worth mastering.

Here are a few examples of how you might use the power of the pause in your research presentation:

• Emphasize key points: Pause briefly after making an important point to allow your audience to absorb the information. For example, if you’re presenting on the benefits of a new product, you might pause after stating the most compelling benefits to give your audience time to reflect on the information.
• Create anticipation: Pause before revealing a key piece of information or making a surprising statement. This can create a sense of anticipation in your audience and keep them engaged. For example, if you’re presenting on the results of a study, you might pause before revealing the most surprising or unexpected finding.
• Allow time for reflection: Pause after asking a thought-provoking question to give your audience time to reflect on their answer. This can help create a more interactive and engaging presentation. For example, if you’re presenting on the impact of social media on mental health, you might pause after asking the audience to reflect on their own social media use.
• Control the pace: Use pauses to control the pace of your presentation. Pausing briefly before transitioning to a new topic can help you signal to your audience that you’re about to move on. This can help prevent confusion and make your presentation more organized.

Here’s an example of how you might use the power of the pause in a research presentation:

“Imagine being able to reduce the risk of heart disease by 50%. That’s the potential impact of my research. By analyzing the diets and lifestyles of over 10,000 participants, I’ve identified the key factors that contribute to heart disease. And the results are clear: by making a few simple changes to your diet and exercise routine, you can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease. So, what are these changes? Pause for effect. It turns out that the most important factors are a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, and limited alcohol consumption.”

In this example, the speaker is using the pause to create anticipation before revealing the most important findings of their research. By pausing before revealing the key factors that contribute to heart disease, the speaker is able to create a sense of anticipation and emphasize the importance of the information. By using the power of the pause in this way, the speaker is able to make their research presentation more engaging and memorable for the audience.

The tenth tip for making an effective research presentation is to quote a great researcher. By including quotes from respected researchers or experts in your field, you can add credibility to your presentation and demonstrate that your research is supported by other respected professionals.

Quoting someone who is a well-known researcher in your field is a great way to start any presentation.  Just be sure to make it relevant to the purpose of your speech and presentation.  If you are using slides, adding a picture of the person you are quoting will add more value to your presentation.

Here are a few examples of how you might use quotes in your research presentation:

• Begin with a quote: Starting your presentation with a quote from a respected researcher can help set the tone and establish your credibility. For example, if you’re presenting on the benefits of exercise for mental health, you might begin with a quote from a well-known psychologist or psychiatrist who has researched the topic.
• Use quotes to support your argument: Including quotes from experts who support your argument can help reinforce your ideas and add credibility to your presentation. For example, if you’re presenting on the importance of early childhood education, you might include a quote from a respected educational psychologist who has studied the topic.
• Challenge conventional wisdom: Including quotes from experts who challenge conventional wisdom can help you make a more compelling argument and stand out from other presenters. For example, if you’re presenting on the effects of technology on social interaction, you might include a quote from a respected sociologist who argues that technology can actually improve social connections.
• Add a personal touch: Including quotes from researchers who have inspired you personally can help you connect with your audience and add a more personal touch to your presentation. For example, if you’re presenting on the importance of diversity in the workplace, you might include a quote from a researcher who has inspired you to pursue your own research on the topic.

Here’s an example of how you might use a quote in a research presentation:

“As the great psychologist Abraham Maslow once said, ‘What a man can be, he must be.’ This quote perfectly captures the essence of my research on human potential. By analyzing the lives of highly successful individuals, I’ve identified the key factors that contribute to success. And the results are clear: by cultivating a growth mindset, setting ambitious goals, and surrounding yourself with supportive people, you can unlock your full potential and achieve greatness.”

In this example, the speaker is using a quote from a respected psychologist to support their argument about human potential. By including the quote, the speaker is able to add credibility to their presentation and demonstrate that their research is supported by other respected professionals in the field. By using quotes in this way, the speaker is able to make their research presentation more engaging and persuasive for the audience.

The eleventh tip for making an effective research presentation is to begin with a video. Using a video at the beginning of your presentation can capture the audience’s attention and help establish the theme of your talk

Video remains a powerful mechanism to begin a presentation.  Limit your videos to 2–3 minutes. People like video, and it can capture their attention, but they can also tire of it easily.  It gives the presenter and the attendees a break from each other. Sometimes, you just look for visible reactions from the audience that might provide a transition from video back to speaking. Conversely, for the attendees, the video provides a break from the speaker.

Here are a few examples of how you might use a video in your research presentation:

• Introduce a new technology: Use a video to introduce a new technology or innovation that is related to your research. For example, if you’re presenting on the potential of artificial intelligence in healthcare, you might use a video that shows how AI is being used to detect cancer early.
• Demonstrate a problem: Use a video to demonstrate a problem or challenge that your research is trying to solve. For example, if you’re presenting on the importance of cybersecurity in the finance industry, you might use a video that shows how easily hackers can gain access to sensitive financial information.
• Showcase your research: Use a video to showcase your own research and the methods you used to conduct it. For example, if you’re presenting on a new algorithm for image recognition, you might use a video that shows how the algorithm works in action.
• Add a personal touch: Use a video to share a personal story or experience that relates to your research. For example, if you’re presenting on the impact of technology on society, you might use a video that shows how technology has changed your own life.

Here’s an example of how you might use a video at the beginning of a research presentation in computer science:

“Before I dive into my research on the potential of blockchain technology in supply chain management, I want to show you a video that demonstrates the challenges that the industry currently faces. As you’ll see, there are numerous pain points that blockchain could help to address, from tracking the provenance of goods to reducing fraud and counterfeiting. By leveraging the power of blockchain, we can create a more transparent, efficient, and secure supply chain for everyone involved.”

In this example, the speaker is using a video to demonstrate a problem or challenge that their research is trying to solve. By showing the audience the current pain points in supply chain management, the speaker is able to establish the need for blockchain technology and capture the audience’s attention. By using a video in this way, the speaker is able to make their research presentation more engaging and impactful for the audience.

One sincere piece of advice while preparing the video is not to install the full video and start searching for the clip to be displayed to the audience. If you show this side or that side of the video content not relevant to the context, the audience may lose patience and drift away from the presentation. This shows your unpreparedness for the presentation.  I suggest you go ahead with professional video editing software to edit your video before showing it to your audience.

When giving a research presentation, it’s important to sound confident and knowledgeable. However, using too many filler words such as “ok”, “so”, and “umms” can make you sound unsure of yourself and can distract from the content of your presentation.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid using too many filler words:

• Practice your presentation: One of the best ways to reduce the use of filler words is to practice your presentation. By rehearsing what you want to say, you’ll become more comfortable with the content and won’t need to rely on filler words as much.
• Use a script: If you’re prone to using filler words, consider writing out a script for your presentation. This will help you stay on track and avoid unnecessary pauses or verbal crutches.
• Record yourself: Another helpful strategy is to record yourself giving your presentation. By listening back to the recording, you can identify any filler words or other verbal tics and work on eliminating them in future presentations.
• Take pauses: Instead of relying on filler words to fill pauses in your presentation, try taking intentional pauses. This will help you gather your thoughts and emphasize important points.

Here’s an example of how to avoid using too many filler words in a research presentation:

“Today, I want to talk to you about the impact of machine learning on cybersecurity. Ok, so, umm, as you all know, cybersecurity is a critical issue for businesses and organizations. But did you know that machine learning can help to identify and mitigate cyber threats before they become a major problem? By using algorithms to analyze data, we can create more effective security protocols and protect sensitive information from being compromised. So, in conclusion, machine learning has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach cybersecurity.”

In this example, the speaker is using several filler words throughout the presentation, which can detract from the content and make them sound less confident. By practising their presentation and focusing on eliminating filler words, the speaker can deliver a more polished and engaging presentation that highlights the important points.

Many presenters, though have good content fail to impress the audience by using too many  “ok” “so” and “umms” which shows a lack of good communication skills.  This can be due to stage fear/poor preparation/happen unconsciously.

Such filler words can ruin your credibility despite how innocent they look. One tip for avoiding this annoying habit is to practice your speech or presentation multiple times beforehand in front of your supervisor/research scholars / yourself in front of the mirror.  If you are hesitant then the best option is to  record your speech on your mobile  and check for the mistakes unconsciously you make.

Giving a good research presentation as a keynote speaker is an excellent opportunity to showcase your expertise and knowledge in your research domain. As a keynote speaker, you can communicate your research findings, methodologies, and the impact of your research to a wider audience.

A well-delivered presentation can also demonstrate your ability to engage with diverse stakeholders and effectively communicate complex ideas. This can be an advantage when looking for research consultancy work, as potential clients or employers can assess your ability to deliver quality work, understand their needs, and provide innovative solutions to their problems.

If you are interested in exploring research consultancy jobs, check out the link Research Consultancy: An Alternate Career for Researchers to discover some exciting opportunities in your research domain.

Delivering a successful research presentation requires careful planning, practice, and attention to detail. By starting confidently, making eye contact with your audience, and using effective communication techniques like storytelling and statistics, you can engage your audience and communicate your research findings in a compelling way.

Remember to adjust your voice, avoid filler words, and take intentional pauses to keep your audience engaged and focused. By following these tips and incorporating your own unique style and perspective, you can deliver a powerful and memorable research presentation that showcases your expertise and leaves a lasting impression.

Frequently Asked Questions

As a speaker at a research conference, it’s important to dress professionally and appropriately to make a positive impression on the audience and fellow researchers. Here are some general guidelines for what to wear: Business Formal Attire : Most research conferences have a business formal dress code. This typically means wearing a suit or dress pants/skirt with a collared shirt/blouse. For men, a suit with a tie is appropriate, and for women, a pantsuit or a skirt/dress with a blazer is a good choice. Neutral and Classic Colors : Stick to neutral and classic colours like black, navy, grey, or beige for a polished and sophisticated look. Avoid loud or overly bright colors and patterns that may distract from your presentation. Comfortable and Well-Fitted Clothing : Ensure that your clothing fits well and is comfortable to wear for an extended period. This will help you feel more at ease during your presentation. Appropriate Footwear : Wear closed-toe shoes that are comfortable and complement your outfit. For men, dress shoes are ideal, and for women, low-heeled pumps or flats are a good choice. Minimal Accessories : Keep your accessories simple and minimal. A wristwatch, small earrings, and a modest necklace can add a touch of elegance without being distracting. Grooming and Hygiene : Pay attention to personal grooming and hygiene. Make sure your hair is well-groomed, and avoid heavy cologne or perfume, as some attendees may be sensitive to strong scents. Bring Layers : Conference venues can sometimes be chilly due to air conditioning, so consider bringing a light sweater or jacket that complements your outfit. Check the Conference Theme : Occasionally, research conferences may have specific themes or cultural considerations. In such cases, you can subtly incorporate elements related to the theme or culture into your outfit if appropriate. You can visit my blog post on ” How to dress for academic / research conferences ” for further details.

Absolutely! Sharing your conference presentation slides with the audience after your talk can be a great way to provide additional value to those who attended your presentation and those who couldn’t make it to the event.

As an invited speaker at a research conference, it is generally expected and encouraged to entertain questions from the audience during or after your presentation. Q&A sessions are a valuable part of academic conferences as they allow attendees to engage with the speaker, seek clarifications, and gain further insights into the research being presented. However, a few speakers as well as the audience may get distracted by the questions asked during the presentation. Check your preparedness and the mood of the audience and then decide.

Tips for a Successful Q&A Session: Be Prepared : Anticipate potential questions that may arise from your presentation and be prepared to answer them. This will boost your confidence during the Q&A. Encourage Questions : After your presentation, let the audience know that you welcome their questions. Creating a supportive and inclusive environment will encourage more participation. Active Listening : Listen carefully to each question and ensure you understand it before responding. If a question is unclear, ask for clarification to provide the best possible answer. Be Respectful and Professional : Even if you receive challenging or critical questions, respond in a respectful and professional manner. Avoid becoming defensive and maintain a positive tone. Manage Time : If there’s a specific time allocated for the Q&A session, manage it effectively so that you can address as many questions as possible without exceeding the allocated time.

How to handle questions where I don’t know the answers in my presentation?

Handling a question during your presentation when you don’t know the answer is a common scenario, and it’s essential to respond gracefully and professionally. Here’s how to handle such situations: Stay Calm and Composed : Take a deep breath and remain calm. It’s okay not to know the answer to every question, and the audience understands that. Acknowledge the Question : Show appreciation for the question and the person who asked it. You can say something like, “Thank you for the question; that’s an interesting point to consider.” Be Honest : It’s best to be honest if you don’t know the answer. Avoid making up information or guessing as it can harm your credibility. Admit You Don’t Know : You can respond with a polite acknowledgement that you don’t have the information at hand. For example, say, “I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that question right now.” Offer to Follow Up : Express your willingness to find the answer later. You can say, “I’ll make sure to look into this further and get back to you with an answer.” Redirect the Question : If appropriate, you can redirect the question to the audience or to someone who might have more expertise on the topic. Stay Positive : Maintain a positive tone throughout your response. Avoid apologizing excessively or sounding defensive. Bridge to Related Topics : If you can’t answer the specific question, try to bridge it to related topics you are familiar with. This way, you can still contribute to the discussion. Use It as a Learning Opportunity : If the question raises a valid point you haven’t considered before, acknowledge it as a learning opportunity. You can say, “That’s an excellent question, and it gives me something to think about.” Learn for the Future : After the presentation, take note of the questions you couldn’t answer and use them as a basis for further research or study. This will help you better prepare for similar situations in the future.

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On this page you will find many of the tips and common advice that we cover within our Practical Presentation Skills Workshop.

If you are hoping to attend a workshop in the future, please check the schedule of upcoming classes, and reserve your spot. Space does fill up each week, so please register early!

Creating slides to accompany your presentation can be a great way to provide complimentary visual representation of your topic. Slides are used to fill in the gaps while you tell the story.

Start your presentation with a brief introduction- who you are and what you are going to talk about. 

Think about your presentation as a story with an organized beginning (why this topic), middle (how you did the research) and end (your summary findings and how it may be applicable or inform future research). You can provide a brief outline in the introduction so the audience may follow along. 

Keep it simple with a few key concepts, examples and ideas.

Make sure your audience knows the key takeaway points you wish to get across.

A good way to practice this is to try and condense your presentation into an elevator pitch- what do you want the audience to walk away know? 

Show your enthusiasm!

If you don’t think it is interesting- why should your audience?

Some Good Alternatives to PowerPoint:

• Google Slides
• Keynote (Mac)  
• Prezi  
• Zoho Show  
• PowToon  
• CustomShow  
• Slidebean  
• Haiku Deck  
• Visme  
• Emaze  
• and more…  

Your body language speaks volumes to how confident you are on the topic, how you are feeling up on stage and how receptive you are to your audience. Confident body language, such as smiling, maintaining eye contact, and persuasive gesturing all serve to engage your audience.

• Make eye contact with those in the audience that are paying attention and ignore the rest!
• Speak slower than what you would normally, take a moment to smile at your audience, and project your voice. Don’t rush, what you have to say is important!
• Don’t’ forget to breathe. Deep breaths and positive visualization can helps slow that pounding heart.
• Work on making pauses where you can catch your breath, take a sip of water, stand up straight, and continue at your practiced pace.
• Sweaty palms and pre-presentation jitters are no fun. Harness that nervous energy and turn it into enthusiasm! Exercising earlier in the day can help release endorphins and help relieve anxiety.
• Feeling shaky? Practicing confident body language is one way to boost your pre-presentation jitters. When your body is physically demonstrating confidence, your mind will follow suit. Standing or walking a bit will help you calm those butterflies before you go on stage.
• Don’t be afraid to move around and use the physical space you have available but keep your voice projected towards your audience.
• Practice, practice, practice! Get to the next Practical Presentation Skills workshop in Countway Library http://bit.ly/countwaypresent and practice your talk in front of a supportive and friendly group!

• Excessive bullet points
• Reading your slides instead of telling your story
• Avoid excessive transitions and gimmick
• Numerous charts (especially all on the same slide)
• Lack of enthusiasm and engagement from you
• Too much information and data dump
• Clutter and busy design
• Lack of design consistency 

Now you are on stage!

When delivering the talk, watch out for these bad habits:

•  Avoiding eye-contact
• Slouching or bad posture
• Crossed arms
• Non-purposeful movement
• Not projecting your voice
• Speaking away from the microphone
• Speaking with your back to the audience (often happens when reading slides)
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11 Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation

Home » Presenting Your Research » 11 Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation

The purpose of a presentation is to tell your audience a story. To achieve this goal, the person giving the presentation must place themselves in the shoes of their listeners and determine what they need to know to understand the story. Telling a great story is more important than any embellishments or technology you use to do it. Below are 11 tips for giving an effective research presentation.

1. Decide what your most important messages are, tailored to your specific audience.

Research can be messy, and so can the results of research. Your audience does not usually need to know every tiny detail about your work or results. Try to narrow down your findings to two or three of the most important takeaways that would resonate with the people in attendance. These takeaways are the messages of your presentation.

2. Start at the beginning and keep it simple.

Now that you have your messages, think about how you got to that point. What question did you ask that led you to do this research, and why did you ask it? Tell your audience this information, just enough of it for them to understand why the story is important and why you’re telling it. Use language that is tailored to the level of understanding of your audience.

3. Tell them how you addressed your question.

This part of any presentation usually involves the greatest risk of being dull. Tell your audience how you address your question, but don’t overwhelm them with detail they don’t need. Tell them what they need to know to get a basic idea of how you got your results.

4. Tell them your most important findings.

Again, do not overwhelm your listeners with noisy data or too much information. Give them a streamlined version of your results, using as your guide what you might include in an abstract of the work.

5.  Give them the payoff—your main messages.

Link your results to the main or most important conclusions from your work. Make sure that the results you talk about directly connect with these final messages.

6. Hint at where you’re going next.

If appropriate, you can also tell your audience the new questions that your findings open up, leaving them a little intrigued about where things will go next.

7. Do not go over your time.

No one wants to listen to anyone talk longer than they are supposed to talk. If you’ve been given a 10-minute limit for your presentation, do not take more than 10 minutes. Your best bet is to practice it beforehand, timing yourself, to make sure that you have the right pace to stay within limits. Don’t make it too short, either, although that is almost never a problem.

8. Think about questions people might ask.

If a question-and-answer session is to follow your presentation, go through your talk and put yourself again in your audience’s shoes. What questions would you have if you were listening to this research presentation? Try to anticipate what people might ask and how you’ll answer. If you have friends or family you can use for practice, encourage them to ask questions so you can gain experience answering them.

9. Do not overwhelm with too much text, busy images, tables, or charts.

Having too much text on a slide or busy, illegible images is a major fault of many academic research presentations. Consider the people in your audience and what they’ll be able to see from where they sit. Keep text limited and plain and figures simple and clear. Explain each image that you show, including axis labels and their meaning, and don’t just assume your audience will understand with a quick glance. Also, you do not need to use the tricks that some digital software allows for slides to fade in or out or advance automatically. In fact, you should avoid the latter entirely.

10. Do not read text word for word.

If you are using some form of presentation that involves slides or words on a screen, do not read these words verbatim. Your best approach is to use short phrases in the slides and then add your own expansion as you talk. That way, your audience sees an important, brief phrase and hears you add context around it. Listening to someone read a slide packed with text while reading along with them is mind numbing.

11. Engage with your audience.

If you are comfortable, you can always present your research in a way that invites audience engagement, asking questions as you go that anticipate a slide you are about to show, a result you are about to introduce, or a conclusion you will present.

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How to Present Your Research (Guidelines and Tips)

Published on 01 Feb 2023

Presenting at a conference can be stressful, but can lead to many opportunities, which is why coming prepared is super beneficial.

The internet is full to the brim with tips for making a good presentation. From what you wear to how you stand to good slide design, there’s no shortage of advice to make any old presentation come to life. 

But, not all presentations are created equal. Research presentations, in particular, are unique. 

Communicating complex concepts to an audience with a varied range of awareness about your research topic can be tricky. A lack of guidance and preparation can ruin your chance to share important information with a conference community. This could mean lost opportunities in collaboration or funding or lost confidence in yourself and your work.

So, we’ve put together a list of tips with research presentations in mind. Here’s our top to-do’s when preparing to present your research.

Take every research presentation opportunity

The worst thing you could do for your research is to not present it at all. As intimidating as it can be to get up in front of an audience, you shouldn’t let that stop you from seizing a good opportunity to share your work with a wider community.

These contestants from the Vitae Three Minute Thesis Competition have some great advice to share on taking every possible chance to talk about your research. 

Double-check your research presentation guidelines

Before you get started on your presentation, double-check if you’ve been given guidelines for it. 

If you don’t have specific guidelines for the context of your presentation, we’ve put together a general outline to help you get started. It’s made with the assumption of a 10-15 minute presentation time. So, if you have longer to present, you can always extend important sections or talk longer on certain slides:

• Title Slide (1 slide) - This is a placeholder to give some visual interest and display the topic until your presentation begins.
• Short Introduction (2-3 slides) - This is where you pique the interest of your audience and establish the key questions your presentation covers. Give context to your study with a brief review of the literature (focus on key points, not a full review). If your study relates to any particularly relevant issues, mention it here to increase the audience's interest in the topic.
• Hypothesis (1 slide) - Clearly state your hypothesis.
• Description of Methods (2-3 slides) - Clearly, but briefly, summarize your study design including a clear description of the study population, the sample size and any instruments or manipulations to gather the data.
• Results and Data Interpretation (2-4 slides) - Illustrate your results through simple tables, graphs, and images. Remind the audience of your hypothesis and discuss your interpretation of the data/results.
• Conclusion (2-3 slides) - Further interpret your results. If you had any sources of error or difficulties with your methods, discuss them here and address how they could be (or were) improved. Discuss your findings as part of the bigger picture and connect them to potential further outcomes or areas of study.
• Closing (1 slide) - If anyone supported your research with guidance, awards, or funding, be sure to recognize their contribution. If your presentation includes a Q&A session, open the floor to questions.

Plan for about one minute for each slide of information that you have. Be sure that you don’t cram your slides with text (stick to bullet points and images to emphasize key points).

And, if you’re looking for more inspiration to help you in scripting an oral research presentation. University of Virginia has a helpful oral presentation outline script .

A PhD Student working on an upcoming oral presentation.

Put yourself in your listeners shoes

As mentioned in the intro, research presentations are unique because they deal with specialized topics and complicated concepts. There’s a good chance that a large section of your audience won’t have the same understanding of your topic area as you do. So, do your best to understand where your listeners are at and adapt your language/definitions to that.

There’s an increasing awareness around the importance of scientific communication. Comms experts have even started giving TED Talks on how to bridge the gap between science and the public (check out Talk Nerdy to Me ). A general communication tip is to find out what sort of audience will listen to your talk. Then, beware of using jargon and acronyms unless you're 100% certain that your audience knows what they mean. 

On the other end of the spectrum, you don’t want to underestimate your audience. Giving too much background or spending ages summarizing old work to a group of experts in the field would be a waste of valuable presentation time (and would put you at risk of losing your audience's interest). 

Finally, if you can, practice your presentation on someone with a similar level of topic knowledge to the audience you’ll be presenting to.

Use scientific storytelling in your presentation

In scenarios where it’s appropriate, crafting a story allows you to break free from the often rigid tone of scientific communications. It helps your brain hit the refresh button and observe your findings from a new perspective. Plus, it can be a lot of fun to do!

If you have a chance to use scientific storytelling in your presentation, take full advantage of it. The best way to weave a story for your audience into a presentation is by setting the scene during your introduction. As you set the context of your research, set the context of your story/example at the same time. Continue drawing those parallels as you present. Then, deliver the main message of the story (or the “Aha!”) moment during your presentation’s conclusion.

If delivered well, a good story will keep your audience on the edge of their seats and glued to your entire presentation.

Emphasize the “Why” (not the “How”) of your research

Along the same lines as using storytelling, it’s important to think of WHY your audience should care about your work. Find ways to connect your research to valuable outcomes in society. Take your individual points on each slide and bring things back to the bigger picture. Constantly remind your listeners how it’s all connected and why that’s important.

One helpful way to get in this mindset is to look back to the moment before you became an expert on your topic. What got you interested? What was the reason for asking your research question? And, what motivated you to power through all the hard work to come? Then, looking forward, think about what key takeaways were most interesting or surprised you the most. How can these be applied to impact positive change in your research field or the wider community?

Be picky about what you include

It’s tempting to discuss all the small details of your methods or findings. Instead, focus on the most important information and takeaways that you think your audience will connect with. Decide on these takeaways before you script your presentation so that you can set the scene properly and provide only the information that has an added value.

When it comes to choosing data to display in your presentation slides, keep it simple. Wherever possible, use visuals to communicate your findings as opposed to large tables filled with numbers. This article by Richard Chambers has some great tips on using visuals in your slides and graphs.

Hide your complex tables and data in additional slides

With the above tip in mind: Just because you don’t include data and tables in your main presentation slides, doesn’t mean you can’t keep them handy for reference. If there’s a Q&A session after your presentation (or if you’ll be sharing your slides to view on-demand after) one great trick is to include additional slides/materials after your closing slide. You can keep these in your metaphorical “back pocket” to refer to if a specific question is asked about a data set or method. They’re also handy for people viewing your presentation slides later that might want to do a deeper dive into your methods/results.

However, just because you have these extra slides doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make the effort to make that information more accessible. A research conference platform like Fourwaves allows presenters to attach supplementary materials (figures, posters, slides, videos and more) that conference participants can access anytime.

Leave your audience with (a few) questions

Curiosity is a good thing. Whether you have a Q&A session or not, you should want to leave your audience with a few key questions. The most important one:

“Where can I find out more?”

Obviously, it’s important to answer basic questions about your research context, hypothesis, methods, results, and interpretation. If you answer these while focusing on the “Why?” and weaving a good story, you’ll be setting the stage for an engaging Q&A session and/or some great discussions in the halls after your presentation. Just be sure that you have further links or materials ready to provide to those who are curious. 

Conclusion: The true expert in your research presentation

Throughout the entire process of scripting, creating your slides, and presenting, it’s important to remember that no one knows your research better than you do. If you’re nervous, remind yourself that the people who come to listen to your presentation are most likely there due to a genuine interest in your work. The pressure isn’t to connect with an uninterested audience - it’s to make your research more accessible and relevant for an already curious audience.

Finally, to practice what we preached in our last tip: If you’re looking to learn more about preparing for a research presentation, check out our articles on how to dress for a scientific conference and general conference presentation tips .

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How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation of Your Research Paper

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A research paper presentation is often used at conferences and in other settings where you have an opportunity to share your research, and get feedback from your colleagues. Although it may seem as simple as summarizing your research and sharing your knowledge, successful research paper PowerPoint presentation examples show us that there’s a little bit more than that involved.

In this article, we’ll highlight how to make a PowerPoint presentation from a research paper, and what to include (as well as what NOT to include). We’ll also touch on how to present a research paper at a conference.

Purpose of a Research Paper Presentation

The purpose of presenting your paper at a conference or forum is different from the purpose of conducting your research and writing up your paper. In this setting, you want to highlight your work instead of including every detail of your research. Likewise, a presentation is an excellent opportunity to get direct feedback from your colleagues in the field. But, perhaps the main reason for presenting your research is to spark interest in your work, and entice the audience to read your research paper.

So, yes, your presentation should summarize your work, but it needs to do so in a way that encourages your audience to seek out your work, and share their interest in your work with others. It’s not enough just to present your research dryly, to get information out there. More important is to encourage engagement with you, your research, and your work.

Tips for Creating Your Research Paper Presentation

In addition to basic PowerPoint presentation recommendations, which we’ll cover later in this article, think about the following when you’re putting together your research paper presentation:

• Know your audience : First and foremost, who are you presenting to? Students? Experts in your field? Potential funders? Non-experts? The truth is that your audience will probably have a bit of a mix of all of the above. So, make sure you keep that in mind as you prepare your presentation.

Know more about: Discover the Target Audience .

• Your audience is human : In other words, they may be tired, they might be wondering why they’re there, and they will, at some point, be tuning out. So, take steps to help them stay interested in your presentation. You can do that by utilizing effective visuals, summarize your conclusions early, and keep your research easy to understand.
• Running outline : It’s not IF your audience will drift off, or get lost…it’s WHEN. Keep a running outline, either within the presentation or via a handout. Use visual and verbal clues to highlight where you are in the presentation.
• Where does your research fit in? You should know of work related to your research, but you don’t have to cite every example. In addition, keep references in your presentation to the end, or in the handout. Your audience is there to hear about your work.
• Plan B : Anticipate possible questions for your presentation, and prepare slides that answer those specific questions in more detail, but have them at the END of your presentation. You can then jump to them, IF needed.

What Makes a PowerPoint Presentation Effective?

You’ve probably attended a presentation where the presenter reads off of their PowerPoint outline, word for word. Or where the presentation is busy, disorganized, or includes too much information. Here are some simple tips for creating an effective PowerPoint Presentation.

• Less is more: You want to give enough information to make your audience want to read your paper. So include details, but not too many, and avoid too many formulas and technical jargon.
• Clean and professional : Avoid excessive colors, distracting backgrounds, font changes, animations, and too many words. Instead of whole paragraphs, bullet points with just a few words to summarize and highlight are best.
• Know your real-estate : Each slide has a limited amount of space. Use it wisely. Typically one, no more than two points per slide. Balance each slide visually. Utilize illustrations when needed; not extraneously.
• Keep things visual : Remember, a PowerPoint presentation is a powerful tool to present things visually. Use visual graphs over tables and scientific illustrations over long text. Keep your visuals clean and professional, just like any text you include in your presentation.

Know more about our Scientific Illustrations Services .

Another key to an effective presentation is to practice, practice, and then practice some more. When you’re done with your PowerPoint, go through it with friends and colleagues to see if you need to add (or delete excessive) information. Double and triple check for typos and errors. Know the presentation inside and out, so when you’re in front of your audience, you’ll feel confident and comfortable.

How to Present a Research Paper

If your PowerPoint presentation is solid, and you’ve practiced your presentation, that’s half the battle. Follow the basic advice to keep your audience engaged and interested by making eye contact, encouraging questions, and presenting your information with enthusiasm.

We encourage you to read our articles on how to present a scientific journal article and tips on giving good scientific presentations .

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The Power of Presentation: Strategies for Presenting Your Research Like a Pro

The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Research Presentations: Proven Strategies for a Winning Delivery

Table of contents

7 types of research presentations, 8 strategies to improve spoken technical english, 11 best practices for a good presentation.

Presenting your research work is an essential part of the academic and scientific process. It allows you to communicate your findings to a wider audience, receive feedback on your work, and potentially open doors for future collaborations or opportunities.

However, presenting your research can also be a challenging task, especially if you’re not used to public speaking or presenting your work to others. Here at iLovePhD , you can find out everything you need to know to prepare and present your research work.

The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Thesis Research Presentations: Proven Strategies for a Winning Delivery

There are several types of research presentations that are commonly used in academic and professional settings. Some of the most common types of research presentations are:

• Conference presentation : This type of presentation is delivered at a conference or symposium where researchers and academics share their work and ideas with a wider audience.
• Poster presentation: This type of presentation is a visual display of research findings that are typically presented at conferences or other academic events. Posters can be used to present research in a concise and visually appealing way.
• Oral presentation: This type of presentation is delivered in person, usually using visual aids such as slides or handouts. Oral presentations are often used to share research findings or to persuade an audience of a particular point of view.
• Webinar presentation: This type of presentation is delivered online, typically using video conferencing software. Webinars are a convenient way to reach a large audience and to facilitate discussion and collaboration among participants.
• Video presentation: This type of presentation is a pre-recorded video that can be shared online or shown at an event. Video presentations are a useful way to present research findings or to explain complex concepts in a visually engaging way.
• Ignite presentation: This type of presentation consists of a series of 20 slides, each displayed for 15 seconds, for a total presentation time of five minutes. Ignite presentations are designed to be fast-paced and engaging and can be used to share research findings or to pitch a new idea or project.
• Lightning talk: This type of presentation is a brief, focused presentation that typically lasts between 5 and 10 minutes. Lightning talks are often used to introduce a new concept or to provide an overview of research findings.

Improving your spoken technical English can be made easy with dedication and practice. Here are some strategies that you can use to improve your spoken technical English:

• Expand Your Vocabulary: One of the best ways to improve your spoken technical English is to increase your vocabulary. You can do this by reading technical articles and books, listening to technical podcasts, and watching technical videos.
• Practice with Native Speakers: One of the best ways to improve your spoken technical English is to practice with native speakers. This will help you to become more comfortable with the language, and you will also get feedback on your pronunciation and grammar.
• Listen to Technical English: To improve your spoken technical English, it’s important to listen to others speak the language. This will help you to become familiar with the tone, rhythm, and intonation of technical English. You can listen to technical podcasts, watch technical videos, and attend technical seminars.
• Speak Slowly and Clearly: When speaking technical English, it’s important to speak slowly and clearly. This will help ensure that your message is understood and that your pronunciation is correct.
• Use Technical Vocabulary : Using technical vocabulary is important when speaking technical English. This will help you to communicate more effectively and show your understanding of technical concepts.
• Record Yourself: Recording yourself can help you to identify areas where you need to improve. You can listen to your recordings and identify areas where you need to work on your pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
• Join Technical English Groups: Joining technical English groups can be a great way to practice your spoken technical English. You can join online groups, attend meetups or conferences, and participate in technical forums.
• Seek Professional Help: Finally, if you’re struggling to improve your spoken technical English, seek professional help. A language tutor or speech coach can provide you with personalized feedback and help you to improve your spoken technical English.

iLovePhD presented you with some useful tips and guidelines on how to present your research work effectively so that you can confidently share your findings with your peers and colleagues. Presenting your research work can be done in various ways depending on the context and audience. Here are some best practices for creating and delivering effective presentations:

• Determine your audience: Consider who will be attending your presentation and what their background knowledge is. This will help you tailor your presentation to their needs and interests.
• Choose your presentation format: There are several formats to choose from such as oral presentation, poster presentation, or written report. Choose the format that best suits your research and your audience.
• Create an outline: Develop an outline of your presentation. It will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that your presentation flows logically.
• Define your objective: Define the purpose and objective of your presentation. What message do you want to convey? Once you have a clear objective in mind, you can structure your presentation accordingly.
• Structure your presentation: Start with an introduction that includes a brief overview of your research question, followed by the methods you used, the results you obtained, and finally, your conclusions.
• Use visual aids: Use visuals such as images, videos, and graphs to help convey your message. Visuals can help keep your audience engaged and make complex information easier to understand.
• Keep it simple: Avoid using jargon or technical terms that your audience may not understand. Keep your language simple and straightforward, and use examples and anecdotes to illustrate your points.
• Practice your delivery: Practice your presentation several times before you present it. This will help you feel more comfortable and confident, and it will help you identify any areas where you need to improve. Engage your audience: Engage your audience by asking questions, soliciting feedback, or using interactive elements such as polls or quizzes.
• Be mindful of your body language: Be aware of your body language when presenting. Make eye contact with your audience, use appropriate hand gestures, and try to avoid nervous movements such as pacing or fidgeting.
• Stay within your time limit: Be mindful of your time limit and try to stay within it. Keep your presentation focused and avoid going off on tangents.
• Close with a call to action: End your presentation with a clear call to action. What do you want your audience to do next? Encourage them to take action and follow up with you if they have any questions. This will help reinforce the main takeaways of your research for your audience.

By following these best practices, you can create and deliver effective presentations that engage your audience and help you achieve your objectives. Presenting your research work is an opportunity to share your findings and knowledge with others, so be enthusiastic and confident in your delivery.

In conclusion, presenting research work effectively is a crucial skill for researchers, students, and professionals alike.

To deliver a successful presentation, one should start with a clear and concise introduction that captures the audience’s attention, and then provide a thorough and organized overview of the research problem, methodology, and findings.

Visual aids such as graphs, charts, and images can enhance the presentation and help convey complex information effectively.

It is also important to practice the presentation beforehand, keeping in mind the audience’s background and interests, and to anticipate potential questions or challenges.

Engaging with the audience, answering questions confidently, and being open to feedback can help create a positive impression and facilitate knowledge exchange.

Overall, a well-structured, engaging, and informative presentation can help disseminate research findings, establish credibility, and facilitate collaborations and partnerships in the scientific community.

Also Read: Tips to Prepare PhD viva-voce Presentation Slides

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How to present a research paper in PPT: best practices

A research paper presentation is frequently used at conferences and other events where you have a chance to share the results of your research and receive feedback from colleagues. Although it may appear as simple as summarizing the findings, successful examples of research paper presentations show that there is a little bit more to it.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the basic outline and steps to create a good research paper presentation. We’ll also explain what to include and what not to include in your presentation of research paper and share some of the most effective tips you can use to take your slides to the next level.

Research paper PowerPoint presentation outline

Creating a PowerPoint presentation for a research paper involves organizing and summarizing your key findings, methodology, and conclusions in a way that encourages your audience to interact with your work and share their interest in it with others. Here’s a basic research paper outline PowerPoint you can follow:

1. Title (1 slide)

Typically, your title slide should contain the following information:

• Title of the research paper
• Affiliation or institution
• Date of presentation

2. Introduction (1-3 slides)

On this slide of your presentation, briefly introduce the research topic and its significance and state the research question or objective.

3. Research questions or hypothesis (1 slide)

This slide should emphasize the objectives of your research or present the hypothesis.

4. Literature review (1 slide)

Your literature review has to provide context for your research by summarizing relevant literature. Additionally, it should highlight gaps or areas where your research contributes.

5. Methodology and data collection (1-2 slides)

This slide of your research paper PowerPoint has to explain the research design, methods, and procedures. It must also Include details about participants, materials, and data collection and emphasize special equipment you have used in your work.

6. Results (3-5 slides)

On this slide, you must present the results of your data analysis and discuss any trends, patterns, or significant findings. Moreover, you should use charts, graphs, and tables to illustrate data and highlight something novel in your results (if applicable).

7. Conclusion (1 slide)

Your conclusion slide has to summarize the main findings and their implications, as well as discuss the broader impact of your research. Usually, a single statement is enough.

8. Recommendations (1 slide)

If applicable, provide recommendations for future research or actions on this slide.

9. References (1-2 slides)

The references slide is where you list all the sources cited in your research paper.

10. Acknowledgments (1 slide)

On this presentation slide, acknowledge any individuals, organizations, or funding sources that contributed to your research.

11. Appendix (1 slide)

If applicable, include any supplementary materials, such as additional data or detailed charts, in your appendix slide.

The above outline is just a general guideline, so make sure to adjust it based on your specific research paper and the time allotted for the presentation.

Steps to creating a memorable research paper presentation

Creating a PowerPoint presentation for a research paper involves several critical steps needed to convey your findings and engage your audience effectively, and these steps are as follows:

Step 1. Understand your audience:

• Identify the audience for your presentation.
• Tailor your content and level of detail to match the audience’s background and knowledge.

Step 2. Define your key messages:

• Clearly articulate the main messages or findings of your research.
• Identify the key points you want your audience to remember.

Step 3. Design your research paper PPT presentation:

• Use a clean and professional design that complements your research topic.
• Choose readable fonts, consistent formatting, and a limited color palette.
• Opt for PowerPoint presentation services if slide design is not your strong side.

Step 4. Put content on slides:

• Follow the outline above to structure your presentation effectively; include key sections and topics.
• Organize your content logically, following the flow of your research paper.

Step 5. Final check:

• Proofread your slides for typos, errors, and inconsistencies.
• Ensure all visuals are clear, high-quality, and properly labeled.

Step 6. Save and share:

• Save your presentation and ensure compatibility with the equipment you’ll be using.
• If necessary, share a copy of your presentation with the audience.

By following these steps, you can create a well-organized and visually appealing research paper presentation PowerPoint that effectively conveys your research findings to the audience.

What to include and what not to include in your presentation

In addition to the must-know PowerPoint presentation recommendations, which we’ll cover later in this article, consider the following do’s and don’ts when you’re putting together your research paper presentation:

• Focus on the topic.
• Be brief and to the point.
• Attract the audience’s attention and highlight interesting details.
• Use only relevant visuals (maps, charts, pictures, graphs, etc.).
• Use numbers and bullet points to structure the content.
• Make clear statements regarding the essence and results of your research.

Don’ts:

• Don’t write down the whole outline of your paper and nothing else.
• Don’t put long, full sentences on your slides; split them into smaller ones.
• Don’t use distracting patterns, colors, pictures, and other visuals on your slides; the simpler, the better.
• Don’t use too complicated graphs or charts; only the ones that are easy to understand.
• Now that we’ve discussed the basics, let’s move on to the top tips for making a powerful presentation of your research paper.

8 tips on how to make research paper presentation that achieves its goals

You’ve probably been to a presentation where the presenter reads word for word from their PowerPoint outline. Or where the presentation is cluttered, chaotic, or contains too much data. The simple tips below will help you summarize a 10 to 15-page paper for a 15 to 20-minute talk and succeed, so read on!

Tip #1: Less is more

You want to provide enough information to make your audience want to know more. Including details but not too many and avoiding technical jargon, formulas, and long sentences are always good ways to achieve this.

Tip #2: Be professional

Avoid using too many colors, font changes, distracting backgrounds, animations, etc. Bullet points with a few words to highlight the important information are preferable to lengthy paragraphs. Additionally, include slide numbers on all PowerPoint slides except for the title slide, and make sure it is followed by a table of contents, offering a brief overview of the entire research paper.

Tip #3: Strive for balance

PowerPoint slides have limited space, so use it carefully. Typically, one to two points per slide or 5 lines for 5 words in a sentence are enough to present your ideas.

Tip #4: Use proper fonts and text size

The font you use should be easy to read and consistent throughout the slides. You can go with Arial, Times New Roman, Calibri, or a combination of these three. An ideal text size is 32 points, while a heading size is 44.

Tip #5: Concentrate on the visual side

A PowerPoint presentation is one of the best tools for presenting information visually. Use graphs instead of tables and topic-relevant illustrations instead of walls of text. Keep your visuals as clean and professional as the content of your presentation.

Tip #6: Practice your delivery

Always go through your presentation when you’re done to ensure a smooth and confident delivery and time yourself to stay within the allotted limit.

Tip #7: Get ready for questions

Anticipate potential questions from your audience and prepare thoughtful responses. Also, be ready to engage in discussions about your research.

Tip #8: Don’t be afraid to utilize professional help

If the mere thought of designing a presentation overwhelms you or you’re pressed for time, consider leveraging professional PowerPoint redesign services . A dedicated design team can transform your content or old presentation into effective slides, ensuring your message is communicated clearly and captivates your audience. This way, you can focus on refining your delivery and preparing for the presentation.

Lastly, remember that even experienced presenters get nervous before delivering research paper PowerPoint presentations in front of the audience. You cannot know everything; some things can be beyond your control, which is completely fine. You are at the event not only to share what you know but also to learn from others. So, no matter what, dress appropriately, look straight into the audience’s eyes, try to speak and move naturally, present your information enthusiastically, and have fun!

If you need help with slide design, get in touch with our dedicated design team and let qualified professionals turn your research findings into a visually appealing, polished presentation that leaves a lasting impression on your audience. Our experienced designers specialize in creating engaging layouts, incorporating compelling graphics, and ensuring a cohesive visual narrative that complements content on any subject.

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Updated: March 29, 2018 

Introduction

Aside from publishing, the other effective way to disseminate the results of the project/research is by presenting it to an audience.  Sometimes that audience will be by presenting a poster but other times the presentation may be podium presentation at a conference.  In order to give an effective presentation, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.  

The best thing you can above all else is practice, practice, practice.  The more you talk in front of groups, the more comfortable you will be in giving a presentation.  

Understand the Requirement & Make Up of the Conference

Time Allocated:   How much time is allocated to speak?  Whether it is a poster or podium presentation, the length of time varies.  The time allotted is important to understand because it will influence what is included in a presentation.

Podium:   Range from 15 to 60 minutes

Types of Podium Presentations

  Roundtable discussion : small group discussion involving several participants

Breakout/concurrent session:  a  shorter period of time (30 min – 45 min), with a small group of people 

Panel:  a  forum where several presentations are shared.

Keynote address: speech that presents important topics, issues, policies, etc.  (VUMC, 2016)

Poster: Typically the time allocated is 60 minutes.  Short presentation given to those who visit the poster.

Who is Attending the Conference? (Audience):   The make-up of the conference will also influence how the presentation is structured as the knowledge level and interests of individuals will vary.   

Audience:   Nurse Researchers, Clinical Nurses, Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary, Non-Healthcare Individuals, etc.

Language:   Keep in mind that every discipline has a vocabulary that is unique to their discipline.  This means that depending on the audience the way a concept or idea is explained may need to be adjusted in order to assist the audience in gaining a better understanding. 

Points Stressed:   Every group have different interests and so different aspects of your topic/project may be of more interest to different audiences than others.  Depending on the audience different points should be stressed in order to keep the interests of the audience and meet their needs.  (Sawatzky, 2011)

Organize  Your Presentation

Determine The Purpose or Focus of the Presentation:  When it comes to an effective presentation, the key is to have a clear message and to try not make too many points.  Keep the number of points down to just 3 points or less, any more than that and the audience is less likely to remember them and could take away from your presentation.  

Consider the type of presentation when Determining How to Present

Be aware that however you decide to the material that it is one that you are comfortable and fits the way you are comfortable.  All people have preferences when it comes to the style with which one presents. 

PowerPoint Slides – would be appropriate for a keynote address or breakout session.

Handouts – might be helpful for a roundtable or panel discussion.

               (Happell, 2009; VUMC, 2016)

Prepare to Speak for Less Time than Allotted: Many times speakers prepare to speak for the entire time they are given, but seldom get the chance to finish or effectively make their point.  The advantage to keeping your presentation more brief are:

Main Messages/Points are Not Lost:   Because the talk will not cover as much, the main message(s) can be stressed and full explained. 

Leave More Time for Questions:   This can valuable because it allows the speaker to answer the questions that the audience has and allows for the points of most interest to the audience can be clarified. (Bourne, 2007)

Create an Outline / Script  - Need to Have a Logical Flow

Think of the presentation as a story.  There should be a clear beginning, middle, and end. In order for a presentation to be effective, it should be something that is easy to follow with the points made clearly.

The Rule of Thirds:   A good way to break down your presentation is to organize it into three parts.  Think of each part having a

Three Parts:

Introduction:   Set the Stage & Create Interest. 

Body:   Tells the story of the project/research and should include the main points of the presentation.

Conclusion:   Deliver the take home message that you want the audience to come away with. 

                                             (Bourne, 2007; Sawatzky, 2011)

Presenting Your Work

Bring a Backup:   While you may send a copy of the presentation to conference organizers beforehand, it is always a good policy to bring an electronic & print copy. 

Arrive Early:  In order to stave off being nervous, it is best to arrive early as it will allow you to address any issues and give one the chance to review their notes, etc.

Treat Presentation as a Conversation  & Don’t Read to Your Audience

Do not memorize your presentation, but using the talking points you have created to present in a more conversational style, which will be more engaging and interesting.

Make eye contact with the audience and look around the room

Maintain a professional stance, with your hands out of pockets and arms relaxed.

If possible, it does not hurt to move from behind the podium.

End on Time

By ending on time, you are showing respect for your audience and others who may be speaking during your session.

(Rossiter & Stone, 2015; Sawatzky, 2011; VUMC, 2016)

• Resources for Further Reading

Bourne, P. E. (2007). Ten simple rules for making good oral presentations. PLoS Comput Biol, 3 (4), e77.

Happell, B. (2009). Presenting with precision: Preparing and delivering a polished conference presentation. Nurse Researcher, 16 (3), 45-56 12p. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,cookie,uid&db=ccm&AN=105522099&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Rossiter, R. C., & Stone, T. E. (2015). Getting the message across: Delivering a quality conference presentation. Nursing & Health Sciences, 17 (2), 145-147 3p. doi:10.1111/nhs.12204

Sawatzky, J. V. (2011). My abstract was accepted--now what? A guide to effective conference presentations. Canadian Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 21 (2), 37-41 5p. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,url,cookie,uid&db=ccm&AN=104653702&site=ehost-live&scope=site

 Vanderbilt Medical Center: Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research Center.(2016) Part 1: How to construct a podium    presentation using power point. http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/documents/evidencebasedpractice/files/Part%201-        How%20to%20construct%20podium%20presentation.pdf

Vanderbilt Medical Center: Evidence-Based Practice and Nursing Research Center.(2016) Part 2: Podium presentation skills. http://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/documents/evidencebasedpractice/files/Part%202-Podium%20Presentation%20Skills.pdf

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How-To Geek

How to practice your presentations with powerpoint's presenter coach.

Rehearsing presentations gets easier with PowerPoint.

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How the presenter coach helps you with your presentations, what you'll need, how to launch the presenter coach in powerpoint, reading your rehearsal report.

Microsoft PowerPoint now has a Presenter Coach to let you rehearse your presentations before going to the audience. This coach gives you a detailed report telling you how well you did and suggesting areas for improvement. Here's how to use it.

Consider the Presenter Coach in PowerPoint as a trusted friend who listens to you practice performing  your presentations . This coach reviews your entire presentation and creates a report detailing your performance.

For example, it will grade you on how fast you speak and how much you use filler words like "um" and "ah." It will also inform you of words you might want to avoid and encourage you not to simply read the words on your slides aloud.

Basically, if you need a second opinion on your presenting style, this is a great way to get it.

Related: 8 Tips to Make the Best PowerPoint Presentations

To use the Presenter Coach in PowerPoint, you must have:

• a Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 work or school account
• a working internet connection
• a microphone (so that PowerPoint can listen to what you're saying)

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In the PowerPoint window, click the "Slide Show" tab on the ribbon at the top of the window.

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Your presentation will open in fullscreen mode. To activate the Presenter Coach, click "Start Rehearsing" in the bottom-right corner of your window. Optionally, enable "Show real-time feedback" if you want the coach to give you tips while you're still presenting.

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Press "Esc" when you're done presenting to exit fullscreen mode. PowerPoint will now open your rehearsal report.

It's important to read and analyze the Presenter Coach's report properly. This will help you find areas for improvement and see whether you're doing well.

The report will vanish as soon as you close the report window. To save the report, take a screenshot of it.

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• Summary : Summary tells you the amount of time you spent practicing your presentation. It also shows the number of slides you rehearsed.
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• Originality : Microsoft suggests that you avoid reading out the text written in your presentation slides, as this makes your presentation boring. Instead, you should use original content in your speech. The Originality section informs you if you only read the text from your slides.

Now that you know where you need to improve, click the "Rehearse Again" button at the top of the report to re-present your presentation. When you're done, PowerPoint will make another report detailing your new presentation performance.

Related: How to Add Music to Your PowerPoint Presentation

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Mar. 25, 2024

Leading education scholar points to research-practice partnerships as a remedy to inequality, recap :  mar. 25, 2024 education.

Photo by Gustavo Raskosky/Rice University

With a broad mission of supporting research to improve the lives of young people, William T. Grant Foundation President Adam Gamoran understands his organization has a distinctive niche.

Gamoran, the featured speaker at the Kinder Institute Forum on Wednesday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, said the foundation’s primary areas of focus are reducing inequality in youth outcomes and improving the way evidence is used in policy and practice.

“Inequality in the U.S. is excessive,” Gamoran said during his conversation with Kinder Institute for Urban Research Director Ruth N. López Turley . “Inequality is harmful. It is socially divisive, and it’s a drag on our economic productivity. There are steps we can take to reduce inequality. We need research to identify those programs, practices and policies that will in fact reduce it.”

Gamoran has been president of the William T. Grant Foundation , which was established in 1936 and is headquartered in New York City, since 2013. He previously served as the John D. MacArthur Chair in Sociology and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research has focused on educational inequality and school reform.

Education is a key aspect of the foundation’s work, but it also focuses on any part of society that affects young people, such as criminal justice, juvenile justice, housing, child welfare, neighborhoods and after-school programs.

To achieve the mission, Gamoran said it is crucial to produce research that can be applied in a practical manner.

“If we support research, and it gets written up in academic journals and sits on the shelves of libraries, it’s not doing very much to improve the lives of young people,” he said. “How do we make that connection? The answer is the research has to get used. It has to be consequential for decision-makers, it has to change our understanding of our social lives so we can think more deeply about ways to address our problems.”

While it is imperative to conduct cutting-edge research, Gamoran said relationships between producers and consumers of research is most important to ensure its strategic use. One of the leading approaches to building such relationships is through research-practice partnerships.

“In a partnership, there’s an opportunity for researchers to deeply understand the challenges that the practitioner is facing, and therefore to ask questions whose answers matter to decision-makers,” Gamoran said. “Partnerships are the antidote to polarization. If we can build a partnership so we’re not just dropping evidence down from on high, but building relationships with potential actors, there’s a greater chance that the evidence will be used in an authentic way.” 

Gamoran acknowledged that universities are being heavily criticized across the spectrum amid the nation’s current political climate. However, they still have a pivotal role to play in supporting and facilitating impactful research. In turn, if universities can do more to serve the public good, they can demonstrate their value more effectively.

“Universities today are beset with challenges from many directions,” Gamoran said. “They’re accused of having political bias, they’re accused of wasting money, they’re accused of not having value for education, they’re accused of not protecting their students. The idea of making universities places where public-impact research is featured more centrally is of interest to every institution. 

“Whether it’s an urban private university like Rice, which benefits from demonstrating its value to its community to which it's engaged, or if it’s a public university like the University of Wisconsin, which benefits from showing its value from the state, this kind of public-impact support is very important for universities. We are part of an effort to get universities to seize that moment. They have to recognize the value of partnership-oriented, engaged scholarship.”

Gamoran said universities with high research capacities must place more focus on social sciences and social-impact research as inequality persists.

“Research has a role to play in solving our problems,” Gamoran said. “If we knew what to do, then we wouldn’t need research. We have to be in this for the long term. The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice, as Dr. Martin Luther King once told us. But it’s not going to bend towards justice on its own. We have to reach up and grab it with both arms and pull as hard as we can if we want that moral arc to bend towards justice.”

Seeking unique perspectives and insights can equip the U.S. Census Bureau to reach historically undercounted populations, Director Robert L. Santos said at the Kinder Institute Forum on Wednesday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

With publicly-funded state universities eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion as part of the hiring process, and proposed legislation targeted at other DEI policies in higher education, private institutions have an opportunity—and an obligation—to respond, Ruth J. Simmons said at the Kinder Institute Forum on Wednesday at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

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Chemistry Education Research and Practice

Exploring factors within an introductory course that influence students’ perception of chemistry.

A large number of students across the globe each year enroll in general chemistry courses as an academic requirement to obtain their degree. Although many take chemistry courses, it is not a subject sought out by many as a potential career. In some instances, chemistry hinders students from achieving their career goals. A plethora of chemical education research has focused on improving student attitude, self-efficacy, and motivation to enhance academic performance and retention in chemistry. However, only a few reports focus on the factors that affect student perception and self-efficacy towards chemistry. These factors are important as they can help us implement targeted interventions to improve perceptions and self-efficacy as we seek to increase diversity in STEM fields. In this research study, the most influential factors that affect a student’s perception of chemistry are uncovered, and whether these factors are related to gender identity, letter grade, or pursuit of chemistry as a career. For our study population, the course instructor and course structure are the two most influential factors in a student’s perception of chemistry. In addition, academically low-achieving students (i.e., students who earned Cs or lower in a course) are more likely to list the course structure as an influential factor, and high-achieving students (i.e., students who earned Bs or higher in a course) are more likely to select the course instructor as an influential factor. The majority (66%) of students who selected the course instructor as an influential factor believed that they would perform well in future chemistry courses, while 47% of those who selected the course structure had the same belief in their future chemistry performance. Overall, less than 11% of the study population (51 of 447 students) were interested in pursuing chemistry as a career after completing CHEM 1. However, the answer to increasing the number of chemistry majors could be held within course design and teaching pedagogy. This research study seeks to highlight the relationship between gender and letter grade with factors that influence perception of chemistry, and we hope the results can guide instructors as they consider course structure and teaching pedagogy.

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C. D. Glenn and O. O. Odeleye, Chem. Educ. Res. Pract. , 2024, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D4RP00008K

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• Open access
• Published: 21 March 2024

A rapid review to inform the policy and practice for the implementation of chronic disease prevention and management programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in primary care

• Uday Narayan Yadav   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6626-1604 1 , 2   na1 ,
• Jasmine Meredith Davis 3 ,
• Keziah Bennett-Brook 4 ,
• Julieann Coombes 4 ,
• Rosemary Wyber 1 , 5   na1 &
• Odette Pearson 6 , 7  

Health Research Policy and Systems volume  22 , Article number:  34 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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More than 35% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults live with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. There is a pressing need for chronic disease prevention and management among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesise a decade of contemporary evidence to understand the barriers and enablers of chronic disease prevention and management for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People with a view to developing policy and practice recommendations.

We systematically searched for peer-reviewed published articles between January 2014 to March 2023 where the search was performed using subject headings and keywords related to “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” “Chronic Disease,” and “Primary Health Care”. Quality assessment for all included studies was conducted using the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool. The data were extracted and summarised using a conventional content analysis approach and applying strength-based approaches.

Database searches identified 1653 articles where 26 met inclusion criteria. Studies varied in quality, primarily reporting on 14 criteria of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool. We identified six key domains of enablers and barriers of chronic disease prevention and management programs and implied a range of policy and practice options for improvement. These include culturally acceptable and safe services, patient-provider partnerships, chronic disease workforce, primary health care service attributes, clinical care pathways, and accessibility to primary health care services. This review also identified the need to address social and cultural determinants of health, develop the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous chronic disease workforce, support multidisciplinary teams through strengthening clinical care pathways, and engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in chronic disease prevention and management program design and delivery.

Enabling place-based partnerships to develop contextual evidence-guided strategies that align with community priorities and aspirations, with the provision of funding mechanisms and models of care through policy and practice reforms will strengthen the chronic disease prevention and management program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have continuously demonstrated strength, tenacity, and resilience in the face of a high burden of chronic disease associated with profound health, social, economic and cultural and wellbeing impacts. The disproportionate burden of chronic disease—particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD), type II diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD)—is driven by the effects of colonisation. These effects include intergenerational trauma, racism and commercial determinants such as the introduction of ultra-processed foods, tobacco, sugar-sweetened beverages, and alcohol [ 1 , 2 ].

More than 35% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults report having CVD, diabetes or CKD, 38% have two of these conditions and 11% have all three [ 3 ]. Nearly 70% of Australia’s burden of disease from CVD is attributable to modifiable risk factors including high blood pressure, dietary risks, high body weight, high cholesterol and smoking [ 4 ]. These risk factors, and subsequent disease, can be prevented. This prevention can be primordial (by addressing the structural drivers at a population level, such as food supply and recreation facilities) or primary (through identifying people at risk and taking individual steps to reduce that risk).

Primary prevention and management of chronic disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia predominantly occurs in primary care settings. Universal primary care in Australia is largely funded through a fee-for-service model via the Medicare Benefits Scheme (MBS), with some augmentation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through the Indigenous Australian’ Health Programme [ 5 ]. Primary care is delivered by a range of providers, including Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) which are governed by a local board, Aboriginal Medical Services run by State and Territory governments, and private primary care services (sometimes referred to as ‘mainstream’ providers). Chronic disease services in primary care include risk assessment, support for healthy behaviours, referrals to allied health and pharmacology for risk reduction. High quality, culturally safe primary care can prevent the development of disease, and manage complications, for individuals and communities [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Strengthening primary care is a key strategic priority of the Australian government, [ 9 , 10 ] peak bodies and other stakeholders working to improve the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities [ 11 , 12 ].

Understanding how primary care services, prevention and management programs can best meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who are living with or at risk of chronic disease, is critical to addressing disparity in outcomes. A review conducted by Gibson et al. in 2015 explored chronic disease care for Indigenous communities globally, but there has been no comprehensive contextual evidence available focusing on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people [ 13 ]. Therefore, there is a need for local evidence disease on chronic prevention and management for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s Health Assessment (MBS item number 715) is an annual health check funded for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and a cornerstone of early detection for chronic disease [ 14 ]. The number of Health Assessments fell for the first time in 2020 and 2021 after years of sustained growth [ 15 ]. The reduction in Health Assessments is likely to reflect disruption to routine primary care services during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 16 ].

Our team were contracted by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care to understand best practice delivery of chronic disease care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2020. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need for this research and necessitated a pivot to rapid review strategy. The Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine highlights [ 17 ] that rapid review methodology can be used to meet the needs of commissioning bodies in policy-relevant timeframes. Therefore, this rapid review aims to synthesise contemporary and contextually relevant barriers and enablers for chronic disease care in primary care settings for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a view to developing near term policy and practice recommendations.

This review applied the SelecTing Approaches for Rapid Reviews (STARR) decision tool that includes interaction with commissioners, scoping the literature, selecting approaches to literature search, methods for data extraction and evidence synthesis [ 18 ]. It was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guideline [ 19 ]. We searched two databases (Medline and Web of Science) to identify relevant studies from January 2014 to March 2023. These two databases were chosen because of following reasons: (i) Medline database provides access to articles from 5,200 journals in about 40 languages covering the biomedical and life sciences including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as a MeSH Headings and (ii) Web of Science is the world’s oldest interdisciplinary and widely used database of research publications that covers over 34,000 journals today.

This timeframe follows on from a systematic review conducted by Gibson et al. [ 13 ] which included data up to December 2013. This rapid review mirrors the Gibson methodology with two main changes: i) narrowing focus from Indigenous communities globally to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts in Australia, ii) narrowing focus from all chronic diseases to focus on the three major contributors to chronic disease burden (cardiovascular disease, diabetes and chronic kidney disease). The review was performed between January to August 2023.

In this review, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group members rather than Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal Reference Group members were actively engaged and consulted in all steps, from the inception of the research questions to the completion of this review. Throughout the process, the research team met monthly with the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care during the period of this review to inform the scope of evidence synthesis.

Positionality: The senior author of this review Pearson (nee Gibson, first author of the 2015 review), is Kuku Yalnji/Torres Strait Islander health systems researcher. KB-B ( Torres Strait Islander ) and JC ( Gumbaynggir ) are experienced researchers with particular expertise in quality assessment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research studies. UNY ( Madhesi, Nepal ) is an implementation scientist, JD is a non-Indigenous medical student and RW is a non-Indigenous practising general practitioner and researcher.

Operational definition of key terminology used in this review:

Holistic care or support: The care process that involved strategies to support mental, physical, cultural and spiritual health which is beyond the individual level that values family and community capacity and governance [ 20 ].

Systems thinking: Systems thinking is c onceptual  orientation concerned with inter-relationships between different levels, institutions, systems, and people nested within social, cultural, economic, political contexts to deliver a holistic care [ 21 ].

Place-based partnerships: Place-based partnerships involve collaborative arrangements the unique needs and circumstances of both the community and service provider. In this context, place-based partnerships involve a formal partnership among government, service providers and First Nations representatives. These partnerships are specific to geographical locations and population groups and are aimed at designing or delivering services that directly respond to community needs, aspirations and local priorities, while valuing local cultural values [ 22 , 23 ].

Scoping the literature:

The search was performed using a combination of subject headings and keywords related to “Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples,” “Chronic Disease,” and “Primary Health Care” using “OR” and “AND” iterated from the search strategy described in a study by Gibson et al. [ 13 ] The search strategy has been provided in Box 1. The search results obtained from two databases were imported to Endnote and uploaded on the Covidence platform for title and abstract and full-text screening [ 24 ]. Three reviewers (UNY, JMD and RW) independently screened the titles and abstracts of potential studies for eligibility based on inclusion and exclusion criteria (Table  1 ). Full-text articles were assessed by two reviewers and any disagreement that appeared during the screening process was resolved through discussion with the third reviewer (RW). The details of the screening process are documented as a PRISMA flow diagram (Fig.  1 ).

PRISMA 2020 flow diagram that included searches of databases and included studies

Box 1: Search strategy

Data extraction.

An iterative process was used to define data extraction domains. A total of fourteen potential domains were identified from the systematic review conducted by Gibson et al., alongside the He Pikinga Waiora Implementation Framework [ 25 ] and an access framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people [ 26 ]. Further, three discussions were held within the team and with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers that identified eight domains of interest for both barriers and enablers (design attributes, chronic disease workforce, patient/provider partnership, clinical care pathways, access-accessibility, access-acceptability, system thinking and knowledge translation). A data extraction tool was prepared to extract information about the study characteristics (title, author, publication year, study setting, study objective, study design, types of services) and eight domains decided from the discussions mentioned above. A data extraction tool was shared with the  Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group members rather than Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal Reference Group members  at the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research at the Australian National University for their input. Based on inputs from Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group members rather than Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal Reference Group members  and team discussion, some domains were consolidated and made an agreement of extracting data focusing six domains (culturally acceptable and safe services, patient provider partnerships, chronic disease workforce, primary health care service attributes, clinical care pathways and accessibility to primary health care services) the final data extraction tool included study characteristics and six domains (Fig.  2 )focusing both barriers and enablers. The data extraction tool was piloted on five included studies that facilitated shared understanding of approach to data extraction between team members. The data were extracted by UNY and JMD between May to June 2023.

Barriers and enablers to chronic disease prevention and management for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Evidence synthesis and quality appraisal

Quality assessment for all included studies was conducted using the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool that privileges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s (knowing) epistemology, (being) ontology, (doing) axiology and ethical research governance [ 27 ]. The extracted data were analysed and summarised using a conventional content analysis approach [ 28 ] that allows the categories and the name of the categories to flow from the data and applying strength-based approaches [ 29 ].

Study selection and its characteristics

For the period 2013- 2023, a total of 1653 articles were retrieved from Medline ( n  = 927) and Web of Science ( n  = 726) databases. Of the total, 313 were duplicates which left 1340 articles for screening. Following the screening, 115 studies were selected for the full-text review. Upon full-text review, 89 articles were excluded, leaving 26 articles to be included for extraction and evidence synthesis. Service delivery models of the included studies were ACCHOs, government-run Aboriginal Medical Services and private general practice. The majority of the studies applied qualitative or mixed-method evaluation approaches (see Additional file 1 ).

Quality appraisal results

All studies met two criteria from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool: priority determined by community (criterion 1) and use of an Indigenous research paradigm (criterion 9). Over 92% studies met criteria for community protocols (criterion 5), 80% of studies met criteria addressing community consultation and engagement (criterion 2), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership (criterion 3) and 76% studies had demonstrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander governance in research (criterion 4). While 30% or less of the studies addressed existing intellectual and cultural property (criterion 6 and 7), 70% studies met the following criteria: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people control over collection and management of research materials (criteria 8), use of strength based approach and acknowledging practices that have harmed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (criterion 10) translation of findings into sustainable changes (criterion 11), benefit the participants and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities (criterion 12), demonstrate capacity strengthening for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (criterion 13), and researchers have opportunities to learn from each other (criterion 14). Details are provided in Table  2 .

Enablers and barriers to the implementation of chronic disease initiatives

Enablers and barriers (see Additional file 2 ) are presented under six thematic domains and relevant sub-themes presented below:

Primary health care service attributes

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement and Aboriginal leadership in system design: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander project leadership and community engagement were overwhelmingly identified as key determinants for system design [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. Engagement through outreach cultural community events and stakeholder partnerships appear to amplify these effects [ 48 ]. Six studies investigated how information was exchanged between knowledge-users and researchers throughout the studies [ 30 , 38 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ]. Knowledge users included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, primary health care providers (ACCHOs and mainstream providers), Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander health workers and practitioners, other service providers, and policymakers. Alongside this, one study acknowledged the utilisation of cultural and scientific evidence to provide best-practice healthcare [ 37 ]. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander project leadership consistently facilitated trust and satisfaction. Use of evidence-based clinical care guideline in project implementation within community and services were other key benefits of knowledge translation.

Primary health car responsive to local community needs: Prospective analysis of potential barriers for program development were essential to program success, in order to actively address these in the program design and implementation. Many studies clearly demonstrated how barriers were overcome through tailored solutions including: outreach services to save patient time and cost [ 30 , 31 , 45 , 49 ]; free of charge services [ 31 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]; 24-h culturally safe service [ 32 , 37 , 50 ]; and telehealth specialist services [ 51 , 52 ]. Outreach services (delivered outside of the clinic facility) included home medication delivery, general visits by health workers to build trust and screening for conditions at community-based events. Services which were free at point of care included medications, nicotine patches, hospital specialist clinics, supplementary services (e.g. cooking class, aged care services), and preventive initiatives (e.g. blood pressure measurement, glucose monitor and health promotion activities). Innovative primary care models for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients included flexible appointment systems [ 32 , 37 , 50 ], multidisciplinary teams for providing holistic care [ 37 , 38 , 51 ], and clinical audits for quality improvement were also effective [ 31 , 34 , 39 , 45 , 46 ]. Incorporating chronic disease prevention into primary care occurred through health promotion initiatives [ 30 , 35 , 37 , 50 , 51 ], and patient-led prevention initiatives and management plans [ 30 , 46 , 50 ] were also found to be invaluable in addressing community needs. Six studies explicitly emphasised the importance of adequate resources and flexible funding for primary care services to meet local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community priorities and needs [ 30 , 32 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ].

A holistic approach to care: Aligned with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ perception of health , holistic support [ 30 , 38 , 44 ] and care coordination was critical, necessitating flexible funding, and systems thinking and innovative, locally-adapted reforms [ 30 , 31 , 46 ]. Social referral approaches that connected people to non-clinical services were an important component in Aboriginal community controlled primary care settings, for example: connecting patients to exercise groups, providing access to housing, opportunities for hobbies, or home care services such as ‘Meals on Wheels’ [ 38 , 40 , 41 , 53 ].

Primary care access: Several barriers were identified, including: a lack of support specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership [ 34 , 39 , 51 , 53 , 54 ]; competing priorities of healthcare service delivery [ 30 , 34 , 39 ]; and a lack of funding specifically address social determinants of health [ 31 , 55 ]. These were more pronounced in Aboriginal PHC. There were also insufficient resources to engage stakeholders in the co-development of primary care programs. This contributed to poor connections and relationships between multidisciplinary teams in health centres and other actors, including clinical information management systems [ 34 , 48 , 51 , 54 ], and high turnover of trained staff [ 34 , 50 , 54 ]. Some studies highlighted challenges in creating culturally appropriate services, due to the heterogeneity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations [ 32 , 39 , 55 ]. Moreover, accessing primary care services was particularly challenging for people with the greatest health needs [ 31 ], including those with limited health literacy which made it difficult for people to engage with chronic disease care [ 48 , 49 ].

Chronic disease workforce

Creating supportive environment and building capacity of primary healthcare workforce: Enabling safe and good work environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners [ 30 , 35 , 54 ], and a shared sense of purpose amongst staff to address the complex needs of patients [ 30 , 47 ] were consistently identified as enablers. Eight studies highlighted the importance of dedicated staff for chronic disease management, with clear delegation of responsibilities and a positive team culture created through an engaging and collaborative work environment [ 30 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 43 , 46 , 51 , 54 ]. Establishing the health care workforce with chronic disease ‘portfolios’ were considered more able to provide recurrent, culturally safe, preventative, and responsive healthcare for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people because they had a greater chance of forming trusting relationships [ 32 , 41 , 48 , 50 ]. Included studies highlighted the need for training and development of the primary healthcare workforce [ 30 , 31 , 33 , 55 ]. Four studies had a particular focus on local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners including the importance of recruitment and retention strategies [ 31 , 34 , 39 , 46 ], alongside a need to clarify their roles, provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander role models [ 40 , 41 , 50 , 52 ], and ensure they are involved in clinical decision making [ 30 , 33 , 35 , 37 , 39 , 43 , 44 , 52 , 54 ]. The importance of intensive cultural safety training for staff to deliver safe care was emphasised in five studies [ 37 , 47 , 49 , 54 , 55 ].

Barriers to sustainable chronic disease workforce at primary health care services: Nine studies noted staff shortages and high staff turnover as adversely impacting continuity of care [ 32 , 33 , 34 , 39 , 43 , 46 , 50 , 51 , 53 ], and three studies noted inadequate clinical training for non-Indigenous staff [ 32 , 46 , 53 ]. Workforce limitations contributed to lack of time and resources to reach the patients that needed healthcare the most [ 31 , 45 , 46 ]. Nine studies specifically emphasised the substantial shortages, high turnover, and high rates of burnout of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff [ 33 , 34 , 39 , 43 , 46 , 51 , 53 , 54 , 55 ]. Work overload, inadequate support and a sense of being undervalued contributed to these issues [ 32 , 33 , 43 ]. Four studies noted shortages of specialists as a key barrier to integrated chronic disease management pathway [ 34 , 43 , 46 , 47 ].

Patient-provider partnerships

Optimal care achieved by effective trustful patient-provider partnerships: Eight studies found that enablers of trusting patient-provider relationships included strengthening patient knowledge through interactive learning, culturally appropriate conversation, and strengths-focused clinical engagement [ 30 , 32 , 33 , 35 , 38 , 50 , 53 , 55 ]. Numerous studies highlighted that holistic care required mechanisms for communities, families/carers and community leaders to be engaged with service providers [ 30 , 45 , 52 , 53 , 54 ]. ACCHOs were generally identified as meeting these needs by offering culturally safe care, longer consultation times to facilitate patient/provider partnerships [ 32 , 37 ], and communicating with the community when there were changes in services, or the implementation of new programs [ 31 ].

Contextual barriers to patient-provider partnership: Barriers to partnership included competing priorities for patients [ 53 ], patient experiences of racism and discrimination [ 32 ], patient discomfort with non-Indigenous services [ 32 ], and patients sensing that their holistic needs were unmet [ 42 ]. Two studies reported that limited health literacy with little shared provider-consumer understanding of chronic conditions were barriers to forming positive relationships [ 31 , 46 ]. Three studies noted a general lack of connection between the clinician and patient but did not interrogate the contributors to this [ 32 , 49 , 55 ].

Clinical care pathways

Enablers to effective clinical information systems: Nine studies found in-house information technology support within primary healthcare services was crucial for effective patient referral, coordination, and follow-up care [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 34 , 38 , 39 , 43 , 46 , 55 ]. Of these, two highlighted the importance of partnership-enabled integration across health service organisations using a shared electronic health record system, disease registration multidisciplinary care plans, and a patient recall system [ 30 , 36 ]. While translation of evidence-based care guidelines were not mentioned, five studies explained the importance of capacity building of staff and investment in systems development for the effective use of clinical information systems [ 30 , 34 , 39 , 43 , 51 ].

Barriers to efficient clinical information systems: Information technology barriers were profound, including poor integration information technology systems, mixed paper and electronic records [ 43 , 46 , 51 , 53 ], and poor infrastructure – most notably internet access [ 34 , 52 , 54 ]. Four studies noted shortages of trained and regular staff to implement new pathways, as a key barrier to integrated chronic disease management pathways [ 34 , 43 , 46 , 47 ]. Inconsistent models of care [ 44 ], and poor communication between different hospital and primary care systems [ 50 ] were also barriers.

Access to primary health care services

Many of the recognised domains of healthcare access (accessibility, accommodation, availability, accessibility and affordability) were identified [ 56 ].

People and family-centred reforms improve access to adequate primary care: Enablers of access to primary health care services were identified in ten studies [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 43 , 45 , 49 , 53 ]. Transportation support was a determining and/or motivating factor for clients to access health services [ 31 , 38 , 39 ] Other studies [ 45 , 49 ] [ 43 ] identified accommodation factors, particularly flexible appointment systems, reduced waiting times and co-location with allied health services as key enablers. In this review, a number of motivational factors were identified for people to attend services, including support or referral from family members, higher motivation to look after oneself following the death of a family member, and motivation texts or invitational messages for health check from service providers [ 32 , 41 , 53 ]. In addition, one study identified providing financial incentives as an enabler for health checks [ 32 ].

Unaddressed social determinants prevent access to primary care services: Barriers to accessing primary health care services related to socio-economic factors, health system factors and lack of health promotion factors. Socio-economic factors included accessibility and affordability considerations; lack of transport [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 44 , 46 , 49 , 50 , 53 , 54 , 55 ], inability to afford health and social services, and medication costs [ 31 , 32 , 44 , 47 , 49 ]. Some studies alluded to socioeconomic factors being prioritised over primary care attendance, including household crowding and food insecurity. Ensuring that services account for competing priorities, including family and cultural responsibilities, was an important enabler [ 45 , 55 ].

System related access barriers: Health system factors included high staff turnover, lack of availability of appointments, long waiting periods, physically inaccessible clinics [ 43 , 44 , 46 ], poor leadership of primary care services [ 32 , 45 , 47 , 48 , 49 ], and limited internet and computer access [ 47 ]. Inadequate awareness of available services was also problematic [ 31 , 33 , 49 ]; initiatives run by primary care services had limited uptake when the community was not made aware of these programs [ 46 ]. Health systems need to be able to deliver services and information multimodally. For example, not all patients have phones or phone credit all the time, so several forms of communication may be required.

Culturally acceptable and safe services

Enablers to deliver culturally safe and acceptable services: Cultural safety is essential to the development of a mutually respectful relationship between providers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. A systems level approach is needed to address racism experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in primary care settings [ 30 , 44 ]. Strategies for addressing or achieving cultural safety varied by context, but the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare workers including cultural brokerage was emphasised in two studies [ 31 , 52 ]. The need for gender-specific services and gender sensitivity was emphasised by five papers as an important part of providing culturally safe care. This included delivery of programs such as gender-based exercise groups, private consultation areas for males and females, gender specific health assessment days, and employing male and female Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare workers [ 31 , 41 , 45 , 46 , 52 ]. The provision of culturally safe services also included a need for culturally appropriate education materials, artwork, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s voices and images as signifiers of belonging [ 30 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 53 ]. Three studies recognised the importance of enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and staff access to flexibly attend to family, community, cultural and spiritual responsibilities, and obligations to provide a culturally safe service [ 37 , 42 , 44 ]. One study identified the need for robust anonymous feedback systems for staff and patients to improve culturally safe care delivery [ 47 ].

Barriers to deliver culturally safe and acceptable services: Barriers to delivering culturally safe and acceptable services related to systems, structures and lived experiences. Systems issues to providing culturally safe services included language barriers [ 32 ], poor health literacy among patients [ 54 ], long wait times due to staff shortages [ 32 , 50 , 54 ], a sense that services were superficial/rushed [ 31 , 42 ], and lack of physical space to provide holistic care or gender-based services [ 43 , 44 , 46 ]. Lived experiences of treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within Western systems, including health and social services, elicits feelings of harm rather than help: a fear of discrimination and racism was a key barrier to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients accessing healthcare services in five studies [ 31 , 32 , 44 , 49 , 53 ] alongside fear of diagnosis due to historical trauma [ 53 ]. These barriers were amplified where there was limited access to Indigenous-specific services [ 32 , 44 , 46 ]. One study mentioned a tokenistic approach where very limited community input to governance, planning, and program design was sought to develop culturally safe initiatives [ 46 ].

This is the first review since 2014 [ 13 ] to present the barriers and enablers of implementing chronic disease prevention and management programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The enablers and barriers found in this study have several policy and practice implications that should be considered in design, implementation, and funding targets for future chronic disease prevention and management programs.

The most striking addition to our findings, relative to the 2014 [ 13 ] review, is the acknowledgment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture (including staff, protocols, leadership, practices and ways of doing business) as a key enabler to engagement and care delivery. Partly, this is attributable to this review’s narrower focus on the Australian context. It also likely reflects increasingly detailed academic descriptions of the ways in which leadership and governance tangibly affect care delivery as part of contemporary Closing the Gap reform. All studies included in this review made some acknowledgement of culture, albeit with variations in how deeply culture was considered as an enabler of care. Our review team grappled with how best to reflect this focus on culture, given that it is both a distinct concept and intimately embedded in all thematic domains. Ultimately, we have chosen to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture as a separate domain to ensure that culture is given independent consideration, in addition to attention within other thematic domains. It is evident that access to culturally appropriate, affordable and comprehensive services are vital for preventing and managing chronic conditions [ 37 ]. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for models of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and programs must be tailored to local context. Recent studies have identified numerous opportunities for improving access to primary care services: creating welcoming spaces, improving the cultural safety of healthcare services, building strong trustworthy relationships between patients and providers, and building primary healthcare workforce capacity [ 37 , 57 , 58 ]. The span of this theme is necessarily broad, encompassing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, physically welcoming spaces, training for non-Indigenous staff, time to build trusting relationships. Ensuring that culture is prospectively and proactively considered in funding and delivery of primary care of chronic disease should be a priority for practitioners and policy makers.

There is clear evidence that addressing holistic needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people enables greater engagement, rather than a narrow clinical focus on physical aspects of health. This requires primary care services to acknowledge and address the broader social and cultural determinants of health for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Many of these have a direct impact on both chronic disease risk factors and capacity to access care (chronic disease management), including poor access to healthy and nutritious food, inadequate housing, rurality, lack of transportation, and financial barriers [ 59 , 60 ].Some of these disparities more pronounced in remote and rural Australia, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are further marginalised by distance and poverty [ 61 , 62 ]. Enablers of chronic disease care, such as outreach services, transportation, and referrals networks to other allied health and community groups are more likely to be effective where holistic approaches are adopted. This is consistent with data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare highlighting the experiences of social inequity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the positive impact on health outcomes when inequities are reduced [ 63 ]. Previous studies [ 13 , 64 ] have identified various obstacles to accessing primary health care services which include inadequate infrastructure, inflexible and inadequate funding to care for people holistically. Evidence also suggests that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, travel to access health care means being separated from their country, family and social network that directly impacts their health and wellbeing as described by Milroy’s Dance of Life [ 65 ]. While government subsidies are in place, travel and accommodation costs incurred by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to access healthcare, may require upfront payment or indirect costs, perpetuating financial barriers for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in rural and remote areas [ 66 ]. Therefore, it is crucial that primary health care initiatives take a holistic and system thinking approach to program design, considering the impact of social and cultural determinants on the health of individual, family members and their communities, with every attempt to reduce systemic barriers to access to healthcare where possible.This is only possible when funding mechanisms and models of care are flexible enough to account for local and individual contexts.

The profound impact of workforce was clear throughout this review. Recruiting, and retaining staff and effective training, were found to be key barriers to implementing and maintaining holistic patient-centred chronic disease prevention and management programs [ 13 , 67 ]. Evidence has shown that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people prefer support delivered by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander staff and clinicians who have a better understanding of Indigenous wellbeing [ 64 , 68 ]. Despite the growth of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health workforce over time, this expansion has not matched the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population growth [ 69 ] and increasing incidence of chronic disease. Unsurprisingly, being members of the community, they serve, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Workers play an essential and unique role in delivering culturally safe and holistic care. However, a demanding work environment, low salary, inadequate support, [ 70 ] and demanding cultural brokerage with non-Indigenous colleagues [ 70 , 71 ] contribute to burnout that contributes to poor retention rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary care staff. This requires urgent attention, by individual primary care providers and through the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan 2021 – 2031 [ 72 ]. Given the ongoing need for the non-Indigenous workforce in fulfilling workforce gaps required to deliver services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, building cultural competence, continuing appropriate training and education pathways and strategies, providing job security and adequate remuneration are also crucial to address primary care workforce issues including the overburdening of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce [ 58 , 71 , 73 ]. Our findings highlight the need to develop the overall chronic disease workforce, with a specific focus for recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners and providing cultural safety training for all non-Indigenous staff. Alongside this, mechanisms for recognising the value and load of cultural mentorship/education should be developed. This reflects a recent research findings that showed 39% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers ( n  = 1033) across Australia experienced high cultural load in terms of extra work demands and their engagement in educating others [ 74 ].

Chronic disease management requires multidisciplinary team input for effective care delivery [ 75 ]. When optimally resourced, primary care can serve a coordinating role in patient care, and effectively ensure patients have access to all allied health and specialist care they need [ 76 ]. Therefore, in order to engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic disease care and maintain continuity of care, there needs to be established, streamlined, and practitioner and patient friendly systems in place [ 76 , 77 ]. Existing evidence also documented inadequate number of general practitioners and lack of specialists in rural and remote settings of Australia compared to urban or city areas which hinders individuals, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to receive timely treatment for their co-occurring conditions in an integrated care approach [ 78 , 79 ]. A lack of integrated IT systems, poor infrastructure, and poor communication between primary care team members were found in this review to impede provision of such care. It is evident that strategies like GP care plans and tertiary care follow up are important sources of information for primary care providers, hospitals and patients which are supported by IT infrastructure [ 80 ]. Previous research highlighted the feasibility of system integration through utilising continuous quality improvement processes and community co-design [ 81 ]. Infrastructure investment such as internet access, in-house IT support and automated systems for follow-up care, is urgently required to ensure that patients who do present or engage with primary care in regional or remote settings, are retained in the system to enable coordinated access to the multidisciplinary care required for chronic disease management. Moreover, rapidly evolving technology such as tele-health, videoconferencing and Point-of-Care Testing may can facilitate access to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote and rural areas. However, implementing these tools should be part of broader strategy rather than a substitute for solving problems faced by PHC such as workforce retention, undersupply or maldistribution issues [ 82 ]. Therefore, when implementing an integrated team care program [ 83 ] or any other integrated model of care, both barriers and facilitators identified herein should be applied to improve the continuity of care with considering the context.

Effective engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their leadership in program design, delivery and evaluation of chronic disease programs is integral to improving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and increasing access to primary care services [ 84 , 85 ]. Previous studies have identified the following factors that enable engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: employment of local Aboriginal health workforce; trust and relationships; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership; availability of flexible services to address holistic needs of local communities; benefits of engagement in service design and delivery; cost of participation and recognition of local Aboriginal knowledge and cultural traditions on study design implementation and dissemination [ 84 , 86 , 87 , 88 ]. These enablers align with those reported in health service research that engaged with Indigenous and marginalised communities in an international context [ 89 ]. Similarly, this review identified a range of impeding factors to engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with primary health care. Key factors included: a fear or lack of trust on mainstream health facilities, lack of respect from health care providers, experiences of interpersonal and structural racism, lack of understanding of cultural differences to initiate an open discussion and a narrow concept of health that fails to consider the Aboriginal definition of health which is more comprehensive than the Western biomedical perspective of health that focuses on treating health conditions [ 90 , 91 , 92 ]. Evidence also shows that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in rural and remote communities do not have equitable access to PHC services, including lack of local available services to meet their holistic needs, inadequate infrastructure, high costs, long travel distance and insufficient workforce [ 59 , 93 ]. Therefore, trustful, and culturally safe engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through all aspects of the program design, implementation and evaluation is essential to program success, and where possible, the Aboriginal Health Workforce and ACCHOs should be utilised.

Policy and practice recommendations: This study identified several policy and practice recommendations (Table  3 ) that need to be considered for the implementation of chronic disease prevention and management programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in primary care. Our recommendations align with Australia’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan 2022–2032 ($632.8 million new investment) that has identified three streams of work: future focused health care; person-centred primary health care supported by funding reform; and integrated care, locally delivered [ 94 ].

Strengths and limitations

Strengths of the present study include (i) the generation of an evidence summary required to guide policy and practice is a short time frame, (ii) the application of iterative process from the design to completion of review with engagement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers and Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group members rather than Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal Reference Group members , (iii) a quality appraisal of the included studies using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool that privileges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s ways of knowing, being, doing and (iv) interpretation of findings validated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge champions.

One limitation of this review was that search was restricted to only two databases as the decision makers seek the evidence is a short period of time and were based on peer reviewed articles published in English language. We also acknowledge that the findings might not be comprehensive as the review was conducted in short timeframe, limitations in key words used and subjected to publication bias, as we omitted published program reports, grey literature, and policy guidelines from our inclusion criteria. Moreover, our search was limited to specific databases and terms, which could result in overlooking articles present in other databases or identified through alternate search terms. Despite these limitations, this review is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers led that allowed Indigenous perspectives and knowledge to be integrated in the evidence synthesis; ensuring findings are meaningful for the broader sector.

This rapid review synthesises the barriers and enablers to designing and implementing chronic disease prevention and management programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the heterogeneous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, several policy and practice recommendations are broadly applicable to service providers. These include addressing social and cultural determinants of health, developing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous chronic disease workforce, supporting multidisciplinary teams through strengthening clinical care pathways, and engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in design and delivery of chronic disease prevention and management programs. This requires funding mechanisms and models of care that are flexible enough to account for local and individual context through policy and practice reforms. Moreover, enabling place-based partnerships to develop local and population-based strategies that align with community priories and aspiration is crucial for tackling increasing burden of chronic disease.

Availability of data and materials

All available materials are available as Additional material.

Abbreviations

Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations

Medicare Benefits Schedule

Cardiovascular Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols

SelecTing Approaches for Rapid Reviews

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the support of Chelsea Liu assisted with the use of the Quality Appraisal Tool and the support of Dr. Deborah Wong (Research Coordinator- Chronic Disease | Cervical Cancer) in designing Fig. 2 . We would also like to acknowledge Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group members rather than Thiitu Tharrmay Aboriginal Reference Group members  at the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research at the Australian National University for their continuous feedback without which this research piece wouldn’t have been completed.

The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication and they do not necessarily represent the decisions or policies of their affiliated institutions.

This work was supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health-—First Nations Health Division. The funding body had no role in the writing of this article.

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Uday Narayan Yadav and Rosemary Wyber have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

Uday Narayan Yadav & Rosemary Wyber

Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

Uday Narayan Yadav

Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Jasmine Meredith Davis

The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, Australia

Keziah Bennett-Brook & Julieann Coombes

Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, WA, Australia

Rosemary Wyber

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, SA, Australia

Odette Pearson

Faculty of Health and Medical Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia

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Conceptualization & original draft: Uday Narayan Yadav and Rosemary Wyber. Data curation: Uday Narayan Yadav, Jasmine Meredith Davis and Rosemary Wyber. Review, edits and revision: Uday Narayan Yadav, Jasmine Meredith Davis, Keziah Bennett-Brook, Julieann Coombes, Rosemary Wyber and Odette Pearson.

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Additional file 1..

Study characteristics.

Additional file 2.

Meta aggregated study findings.

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Yadav, U.N., Davis, J.M., Bennett-Brook, K. et al. A rapid review to inform the policy and practice for the implementation of chronic disease prevention and management programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in primary care. Health Res Policy Sys 22 , 34 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-024-01121-x

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Received : 26 October 2023

Accepted : 10 February 2024

Published : 21 March 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-024-01121-x

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