Poster Exhibition
Overview
Academic Poster Exhibition
IFPSP 2027 · Palermo, Italy · 14–17 March 2027
The academic poster exhibition returns for 2027. The poster presentation is an opportunity to showcase your research, critical thinking, and ability to communicate evidence effectively.
Whatever your level, your poster should be visually engaging, academically rigorous, and accessible to a broad audience, presenting your work clearly with concise text, appropriate graphics and high-quality evidence. Expectations vary by level of study, so read the section relevant to your programme.
Guidance, marking criteria and worked examples have been prepared by Professor Gerri Matthews-Smith and Emma Gall, Centre for Military Research, Education, Practice and Engagement, Edinburgh Napier University.
How many posters can each delegation submit?
We expect every delegation to enter the poster competition.
| Delegation size | Posters you may submit |
|---|---|
| 25 members or fewer | One |
| 26 members or more | Two |
Posters are submitted by the delegation as a group, not by individual students. Where your students have prepared more than your allocation, the delegation selects which poster or posters to put forward for evaluation.
Guidance by level of study
Undergraduate
Your poster should demonstrate a good understanding of the published literature relating to your chosen topic. It should:
- demonstrate a clear understanding of the existing evidence
- be based on evidence from peer-reviewed academic literature
- use a PRISMA framework to show how you identified, screened and selected the literature in your review
- summarise the key findings from the literature, rather than describing individual studies
- draw clear conclusions based on the available evidence
What is PRISMA? Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses is an internationally recognised framework for reporting how literature has been systematically searched and selected. It provides a transparent method for showing where you searched, how many articles were identified, which papers were excluded and why, and which studies were finally included. A PRISMA flow diagram demonstrates that your search was systematic, transparent and evidence-based.
Recommended structure: Title · Authors · Background · Aim(s) · Search Strategy / PRISMA · Key Findings · Discussion · Conclusions · References
Master’s
Greater critical analysis and independent evaluation of the evidence is expected. Your poster may be based on research you have already completed, a dissertation project, an audit or service evaluation, or a critical systematic literature review. It should demonstrate:
- critical evaluation rather than simple description
- synthesis of current evidence
- discussion of the strengths and limitations of the available research
- independent interpretation of findings
- clear implications for practice, policy or future research
Original data should be included where appropriate, but collecting primary data is not essential. A well-designed, critically appraised literature review supported by an appropriate PRISMA framework is often stronger than a poorly presented primary research project.
Suggested structure: Title · Background · Aim(s) · Methodology · Results · Critical Discussion · Conclusions · Recommendations · References
PhD and Professional Doctorate
Your poster should reflect the stage of your research journey while demonstrating the academic rigour expected at doctoral level, and should communicate your research clearly to an interdisciplinary audience. It should include:
- the philosophical underpinning of your study
- the rationale for the research
- research aims and objectives
- key themes from the literature
- the methodology and methods employed
- current progress within your doctoral journey
| Stage | Present |
|---|---|
| Early | Research background · rationale · literature review · research gap · research questions · proposed methodology · planned methods |
| Mid | Literature review · methodology · data collection · preliminary analysis · emerging findings |
| Final | Main findings · interpretation · contributions to knowledge · implications for practice or policy · future research |
Please indicate your year of study clearly on your poster.
Preparation webinars
Professor Matthews-Smith and her team are running a series of webinars offering guidance on effective poster creation and answering questions from participating students and professors. The webinars are open to all. Attendance is voluntary, but strongly encouraged.
| Webinar | Covers | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poster Presentation Overview | Overview of the assessment · expectations · common mistakes · marking criteria |
| 2 | Understanding PRISMA | Literature searching · building a PRISMA diagram · selecting evidence |
| 3 | Designing an Effective Poster | Layout and visual design · team working · effective communication |
| 4 | Presenting the Evidence | Presenting key findings clearly · answering questions · communicating research confidently |
| 5 | Doctoral Research Posters | Presenting complex research visually · communicating methodology · demonstrating originality · answering questions from diverse audiences |
Timing. To maximise international attendance, all live webinars are scheduled during the UK’s “Golden Hour” for global audiences: 16:00–17:00 UK time, approximately 11:00–12:00 Eastern and 08:00–09:00 Pacific.
Dates will be posted shortly and are planned to occur during the autumn semester.
How posters are assessed
Posters are marked against six criteria in four areas:
- Presentation: visual design and accessibility · clear and logical layout, good flow
- Content: content, depth of coverage, data presentation
- Delivery and understanding: audibility, pace, fluency, focus and use of time · knowledge and critical understanding
- Questions: appropriateness, relevance and accuracy of responses
Each criterion has descriptors at six levels, from Extremely Poor to Excellent. Posters are awarded a score out of 10 by two assessors, with written feedback provided to the student group. The full grid is in the downloads below.
Peer review: Gold, Silver and Bronze Stars
Following the poster presentations, all students take part in a peer-review exercise. This forms an important part of the conference experience and encourages you to critically evaluate the work of others.
After viewing all submitted posters, you will be invited to select your three favourites and award a Gold Star to your highest-rated poster, a Silver Star to your second, and a Bronze Star to your third. Each reviewer may award one of each, and may not award more than one star to the same poster.
When reviewing, consider: clarity of the research question · quality and relevance of the evidence · critical analysis · organisation and structure · visual design · effective communication · overall impact.
A QR code will be provided, allowing reviewers to submit constructive comments and feedback for the students.
Poster formatting
All posters should include:
University or conference logo(s) · student name(s) · institution · programme of study · level of study (Undergraduate, Master’s, PhD / Professional Doctorate) · year of study (doctoral students) · references
Worked examples
The guidance pack contains examples of posters that fully meet the assessment criteria, posters that meet some but not all criteria, and posters that do not meet the required standard. Reviewing these examples carefully will help you understand the expected standard.
Download the documents
Questions
Posters: Professor Gerri Matthews-Smith, Edinburgh Napier University: G.Matthews-Smith@napier.ac.uk
The Forum: John Mac E. Hannan, CD, Director International Partnerships: johnMacEHannan@outlook.com · +1 514 945 5810