Submit and Present

Purpose: Submitting to present data gathered from working in a research lab

Both Honors and non-Honors students can present on work they have done as part of a research lab. For Honors students, this includes work done for their Honors Thesis. Non-Honors students are also welcome to present on data they have helped gather and analyze. If multiple students from a single lab are submitting for presentations, each student should have a unique research question (i.e., data presented should not be duplicative).

Please discuss with your faculty mentor about submitting to ensure your submission materials meet these criteria.

Submissions will be accepted from January 26, 2026 to February 28, 2026 at 5:00pm.

To submit, you will need the following information:

• Your name
• Your UARK email
• Your degree program (e.g., Masters in Exercise Science)
• Project title
• Project authors
• Project abstract (see Abstract Criteria)

Students can indicate if they would like to be considered for an oral presentation.

Abstracts must be at least 200 words but no more than 500 words. The following headings must be included in the abstract:

• Background (one to two sentences on the background/importance of your topic)
• Purpose (the purpose or intent of your research project)
• Methods (brief description of how you collected and analyzed data)
• Results (brief description of the main findings)
• Conclusion (one to two sentences on the “take home message”)

Students are welcome to submit preliminary data for a project if data is still being collected at the time of submission but will be complete prior to the event date. Explicitly state that the results are from preliminary data.

Decision letters will be sent by March 13, 2026 to notify students about whether they will have an oral or poster presentation.

During submissions, students will be given the option to be considered for an oral presentation. Students who do not wish to be considered for an oral presentation will be considered for a poster presentation.

Abstracts will be reviewed for the following criteria:

• Abstract is well-written, free of grammatical errors, and is within the word limits.
• The abstract demonstrates the significance of the research project.
• The methods, analyses, and results are justified and align with the purpose.
• The conclusions highlight the impact of findings to the target audience.

HHPR faculty, postdocs, and doctoral students will review abstracts. Doctoral students will only review undergraduate abstracts. Reviewers will not be assigned abstracts of students working in the same lab.

To accommodate standard poster requirements across various fields of study, there are no specific requirements for posters presented at the event. We ask that posters are no larger than 36″ x 48″ vertically or 48″ x 36″ horizontally so that they fit poster easels.

Posters should include the typical headings for research projects, including introduction, methods, results, and conclusions. Using imagery, figures, or tables to display data is highly encouraged. Refrain from having too much text on the poster for better readability.

Poster printing is available on and off campus. UARK Printing Services are available to all campus members. Honors College Poster Printing is also available for Honors undergraduate students. Please speak with your faculty mentor for assistance with printing your poster. 

More specific details will be provided in decision letters.

Students selected for an oral presentation will prepare slides on their project with the typical sections for introduction, methods, results, and conclusions. Following the presentation, there will be a brief (2- to 3-minute) period for audience members to ask the presenter questions.

Students may be selected for a rapid-fire presentation lasting no longer than 5 minutes, while others may be selected for a longer presentation, no longer than 10 minutes. Using imagery or figures to convey talking points or display data is highly encouraged.

A PowerPoint file with the final version of slides for oral presentations should be submitted no later than April 8, 2026 at 5:00pm. More details will be provided in decision letters.

Both poster and oral presentations will be judged during the event. Awards will be given to presenters with the highest scores for presentation type in their degree and program. For example, awards may include “Best Undergraduate Public Health Poster Presentation” or “Best Masters Exercise Science Oral Presentation.”

HHPR doctoral students will judge undergraduate research poster and oral presentations. HHPR faculty will judge graduate poster and oral presentations.

January 26, 2026 – Submission portal opens for research-related presentations

February 28, 2026 (5:00pm CT) – Submission portal closes for research-related presentations

March 13, 2026 – Decision letters sent to students for poster and oral presentations

March 30, 2026 – Day-of event timeline sent for student presentations

April 8, 2026 (5:00pm CT) – Last day to send oral presentation slides

April 10, 2026 – HHPR Innovation Showcase

Purpose: Submitting to present on a project as part of a course

Certain faculty may require students enrolled in one or more of their courses to present. In the Spring 2026 semester, faculty will notify students about the presentation topic, mode (poster or oral), and requirements.

Current courses participating in the event include:

• PBHL 40403: Internship in Public Health
• ATTR 51801: Evidence-Based Practice in Athletic Training III

Course-related presentations will be managed by the course faculty, so students should ask their faculty member for directions related to submitting or turning in material for their presentation.

Faculty of participating courses will decide the judging criteria for course-related presentations.

Awards for course-related presentations will be given based on the fan-favorite vote. Attendees at the event will have the opportunity to vote for the best course-related presentation for undergraduate, masters, and doctoral students.

We ask that students submit for one research-related presentation. All submitters who meet the abstract criteria for research presentations will be given either a poster or oral presentation based on student preference and abstract reviews.

If in the event the student is also part of a course participating in the event, that student may have two presentations, one research- and one course-related presentation. The Student Committee will ensure that presenters in this scenario have separate presentation times.

We welcome all students working in HHPR research labs, regardless if their program is in HHPR, to submit for presentations at the event. For example, if you are working on a degree in Cell and Molecular Biology but are in a lab run by HHPR faculty, you are invited to submit on your work in the HHPR lab.

Yes, we welcome you to invite parents, friends, or others to attend the showcase and see you present. Have them stop by our registration table upon arrival to check in and get an overview of the various events happening during the showcase.