Important for Discover USC 2026
- All presentations will be poster presentations.
- Presenters may only present one poster (as first or second author).
- Each poster presentation may have a maximum of two presenters.
General Guidelines
No matter what type of presentation you give, it’s important to
- Dress and behave professionally. Wear comfortable shoes.
- Plan to stay for your entire presentation session, taking only short breaks if needed.
- Come prepared to talk about your project with a wide variety of people, including both general and expert audiences.
- Know where to go. As the event date approaches, you will receive your presentation assignment email, which will include location and session information (save this email!). You will also be able to look up your presentation time and location on this site in the Find a Presenter section (2026 data will be added to the Find a Presenter page in April).
Poster Presentations
Research Poster design and printing
We understand that some presenters might need to re-use their posters at other conferences with different dimension requirements, or have cost limitations. To accommodate this, presenters may size their posters to fit within our minimum and maximum requirements.
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- To fully utilize your allotted space, the recommended size is four feet wide by 3.5 feet tall (this is the size typically used for research posters). These dimensions will allow two posters to fit side by side on the poster boards.
- The maximum allowable size is four feet by four feet (the outer vertical edge will curl around the display board if the poster is four-feet wide).
- The minimum size is two feet by three feet (oriented vertically or horizontally)for undergraduate Discover USC posters, both for research and for Graduation with Leadership Distinction.
- Templates for USC research posters may be a helpful place to start designing your poster.
- Discover USC organizers recommend having posters printed on vinyl, rather than paper.
- Students are encouraged to talk with their mentor, supervisor, and/or instructor to
find out if there are preferred locations or options for printing and if there are
specific methods/processes for payment. Be sure to compare pricing BEFORE committing
to printing.
The Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning provides specific guidelines for undergraduate students who are presenting at Discover USC as part of the Graduation with Leadership Distinction program. You can also create your own design instead of using a template.
On presentation day, the poster rooms will open 30 minutes prior to the beginning of your session, and displays must be up by the start time. All materials must be removed immediately after the session. If you have to leave early, you must make arrangements for removal of your poster. Any items left at the end of the day will be discarded.
How-to Tips
The Office of Undergraduate Research has prepared a variety of support documents designed to help undergraduate presenters make the most of their presentations.