Submission Instructions

The submission portal will open November 2, 2026!

Submission Portal Coming Soon!

 

Please review the submission instructions below. We look forward to reviewing your submission! 

    • Submission period opens: November 2, 2026 
    • Submission period ends: February 12, 2027
    • First authors and their faculty mentors will be notified of acceptance by February 26th, 2027
    • GSPS 2027 conference: April 3, 2027

  • Please proofread all of the following prior to submission, as this information will be included in the program as it is submitted. All co-authors and faculty mentors must have reviewed and agree to submit the proposal prior to submitting.   

    • Title and abstract for the presentation 
    • Name and email address of all authors of the presentation, including your own 
    • Name and email address of the faculty mentor for this research project 
    • Preferred presentation type
    • Subfield of Psychology that best describes your presentation 
    • Current stage of research  

    All submission types should follow the title and abstract criteria below. 

  • The title of your GSPS conference proposal should be no more than 100 characters, including spaces. The title will be printed in the program exactly as you enter it in the submission form. Conference presentation titles should be clear, concise, and informative, accurately reflecting the main focus and findings from your research. Use specific keywords and avoid jargon to ensure the title is easily understood by a broad audience. 
     
    Your GSPS conference abstract should be no more than 200 words. A conference abstract is a concise summary of your research project submitted to a conference review committee for consideration. The abstract should provide an overview of your study, including background information about the research topic and question, a summary of methods used, key results, and conclusions. It helps organizers decide which projects to include in the program and gives attendees an initial impression of your work. To write a strong abstract, focus on clarity and conciseness, highlight the most important aspects of your research, and ensure it is understandable to a broad audience. Revising and editing are crucial steps, as the abstracts may be printed in the conference program. A well-crafted abstract increases your chances of being accepted and attracting conference attendees to your session. Do not include in-text citations in your abstract submission. However, you should include citations and references in your posters and presentations.  
     
    We recommend reviewing Chapter 2 of the APA Style Publication Manual (or this ) for tips regarding titles and abstracts.

  • Please note that your submission confirmation and an email to your mentor to approve your submission will come from 鈥淪martsheet Automation.鈥� Smartsheet is the submission system we are using. Please be on the lookout for these emails.

Presentation Types

Students planning to submit conference proposals to GSPS will be asked their preferred presentation format. Presentation formats include a Poster Presentation, a Research Snapshot Presentation (5-min talk), or an Oral Presentation. Your presentation format should be agreed upon with your research mentor and (if applicable) co-authors.  


We encourage students to remain open to multiple presentation formats. Presentation assignments will be made after all submissions have been reviewed. To create engaging and balanced conference sessions, assignments will be based on factors such as project topic, stage of the research process, and the quality and content of the submission. While we will consider presentation preferences whenever possible, flexibility allows us to match projects with the format that best showcases the work and helps us create the strongest conference experience for all participants. Details about the three presentation types are provided below.

Poster Presentations

Student with poster presentation at GURP

Share your research through individual and small-group conversations.

A poster presentation is a great opportunity to showcase your research visually and engage in one-on-one conversations with conference attendees. In this format, you will create and print a large poster that summarizes your project, typically including the introduction, methods, results, and conclusions. During the poster session, you will remain with your poster while attendees circulate through the room. This format allows you to discuss your research in small groups, answer questions, and receive individualized feedback from faculty, students, and other conference participants. Poster presentations are especially well suited for students who enjoy interactive discussions and networking opportunities.

 

  • Poster presentations are ideal for research that is in progress or where a visual representation of data is particularly effective. This format can also be beneficial if you prefer a more relaxed, conversational approach to presenting your findings. Poster sessions are also helpful when you want to get feedback on your research or have more opportunity to network. If your goal is to gather insights, suggestions, and connect with other researchers and professionals, a poster presentation can be beneficial.
  • A poster session is a designated time during the conference when only poster presentations are displayed. Poster sessions take place in a large room where each presenter is assigned a specific space to display their poster. During poster sessions, attendees can move around to view different posters and engage in discussions with presenters while presenters stay near their own posters. GSPS poster sessions will be 1 hour long.
  • First, you will need to create your poster; this is often done in PowerPoint. Posters should be designed as a single 36鈥滺 x 42鈥漌. If this is your first time designing a poster, be sure to check out resources like this  and ask your research mentor for help. You will also need to have your poster printed in time for the conference. Be sure to send your poster to be printed a week (or more) in advance. Talk to your research mentor about the best options for printing your poster.

    Second, you will need to prepare your presentation. Although your poster itself should be relatively self-explanatory, the benefit of a poster session is the opportunity to engage with others. Be prepared to welcome each person who comes to your poster and explain your research in no more than 2 to 3 minutes. Remember that attendees may not be familiar with your research topic, so practice your presentation with people outside of your research lab or co-authors. This also means that they might have questions, so you will need to be prepared to answer questions and share more details about certain aspects of your poster, like the measures you used, the analyses you completed, your findings, and what your findings mean. 
     
    Finally, during the conference, plan to arrive early to the poster session so you are ready when attendees arrive. Hang your poster in its designated spot; each spot will be labeled with a number that corresponds to your poster number in the program and in your acceptance email. Make friends with your poster neighbors by introducing yourself and helping each other hang your posters. You or your co-authors should remain by the poster for the duration of the poster session.  

  • In addition to the links below, ask your research mentor for examples of posters they or their other students have presented. They might even have a template that you can use as a starting place for your own poster! 
    • Lots of suggestions from 

Research Snapshot Presentations and Oral Presentations

 

Oral presentation at GURP

Share the highlights of your research through a multi-slide, oral presentation.

Research snapshot presentations and oral presentations are fantastic opportunities to present your research to a larger audience. Sometimes people refer to these types of presentations as 鈥減aper presentations鈥� or 鈥渢alks.鈥� The oral presentation format is ideal for original, empirical research that is more developed and ready to be presented in a structured, formal setting. Research snapshot presentations are similar but, as suggested in their name, are a bit shorter than typical oral presentations. Unlike poster presentations, research snapshot talks and oral presentations allow you to share your research with everyone in the room at once. These formats allow you to engage with a wider audience and can be a great way to enhance your public speaking skills and gain visibility for your research. During your presentation, you will have the chance to explain your work in detail, highlight the importance of your findings, and discuss the broader implications of your research.

 

  • We encourage you to submit your presentation in the type that you and your research mentor think best fit the content and stage of your research. For example, research that is in progress or is limited to a small pilot are better fit for poster presentations or research snapshot presentations, while completed research with more robust findings are better fit for oral presentation.
  • Prior to the conference, you will prepare a slide deck that describes your project, typically including information from each section of a traditional research paper: introduction, methods, results, and conclusions. Preparing for an oral presentation or research snapshot talk involves creating clear, concise slides. Presentation slides are usually best when they are engaging and have fewer words (i.e., not packed with lots of text); remember, the purpose of the slides is to be a visual complement to what you鈥檙e saying 鈥� the slides do not need to stand alone. If this is your first time preparing for an oral presentation or research snapshot presentation, check out resources like this and get feedback from your faculty mentor.

    It is important to practice your presentation to ensure a polished delivery and to limit yourself to the allotted time (15 minutes for oral presentations; 5 minutes for research snapshot talks). You will also need to be ready to answer questions from the audience, which can provide valuable feedback and spark further discussion. 
     
    During the conference, you will deliver your presentation at the place and time you are scheduled (noted in the conference program). All presenters in a session should arrive early to load their presentation slides on the computer in the presentation room before the first presentation begins. You are encouraged to save your slides in a few locations (e.g., a USB drive; Dropbox; Google Drive; email) and in both PPT and PDF formats to limit the possibility for technical difficulties.  

  • Each oral presentation session will be 60 minutes long and include 3 presentations. When possible, presentations will be grouped with other similar presentations. All presenters in a session should arrive to the presentation room early to load their presentation slides before the first presentation begins. Each oral presentation session will have a discussant. The role of the discussant is to listen to each presentation and spark conversation that relates to all of the presentations. Each presenter is allotted 12 minutes for their presentation, followed by 4 minutes for Q&A specific to their presentation while the next presenter gets ready. Once all of the presentations are over, there will be another 12 minutes for discussion lead by the discussant. At GSPS, the discussant will also 鈥渃hair鈥� the session, meaning they will help each presenter get set up, introduce the speakers to the audience, and keep time for the presenters.
  • Each research snapshot talk session will be 60 minutes long and include between 5 and 7 presentations. When possible, presentations will be grouped with other similar presentations. All presenters in a session should arrive to the presentation room early to load their presentation slides before the first presentation begins. Each research snapshot session will have a discussant. The role of the discussant is to listen to each presentation and spark conversation that relates to all of the presentations. Each presenter is allotted 5 minutes for their presentation, followed by a few questions specific to their presentation while the next presenter gets ready (~3 minutes). Once all of the presentations are over, there will be another 12 minutes for discussion lead by the discussant. At GSPS, the discussant will also 鈥渃hair鈥� the session, meaning they will help each presenter get set up, introduce the speakers to the audience, and keep time for the presenters.
  • It is important to practice your presentation to ensure a polished delivery. This includes timing yourself to ensure you stay within the allotted time. This is both a matter of respect and logistics. When a presenter goes over their allotted time, another presenter loses time and potentially leads to deviations from the conference schedule. Therefore, the discussant will keep time for each presentation and give 5-minute and 1-minute warnings. The time limit will be strictly enforced.
  • We encourage you to discuss your presentation preferences with your mentor and to select the presentation type(s) that best fit your research. For example, research that is in progress or is limited to a small pilot are better fit for poster presentations or research snapshot presentations, while completed research with more robust findings are better fit for oral presentation. All presentation types require the same submission information. We encourage students to remain open to multiple presentation formats. Presentation assignments will be made after all submissions have been reviewed. To create engaging and balanced conference sessions, assignments will be based on factors such as project topic, stage of the research process, and the quality and content of the submission. While we will consider presentation preferences whenever possible, flexibility allows us to match projects with the format that best showcases the work and helps us create the strongest conference experience for all participants.