Power Point Guidelines

Technical Aspects of the PowerPoint

Background

  • Always use the same background throughout the presentation
  • Try not to use backgrounds that are distracting or make it difficult to read the words

Color

  • Use a text color that contrasts with the background
  • Use color for emphasis and to tie points together

Fonts

  • Use one font style throughout. Fonts should be standard and easy to read (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri)
  • Avoid small font sizes. The title of the slide should be about 44-point. The body of the slide should be about 20-point. Be consistent with font sizes
  • CAPITALIZE ONLY TO MAKE A POINT – NOT ALL THE TIME

Images

  • Please make sure all images are legible
  • Use images to help illustrate a point

Slide Layout 

  • Avoid text heavy slides 
  • Avoid full paragraphs unless quoting 
  • Create a slide for each main point because it: 
    • Keeps the presentation focused 
    • Helps the audience concentrate on each point 
    • Prevents the audience from reading ahead

PowerPoint Components

Each research presentation, regardless of your field of study, should contain some common sections: 

  • Title slide
  • Introduction 
  • Background/literature review 
  • Research question(s) 
  • Research methods 
  • Findings/data 
  • Discussion/conclusion(s) 
  • Future research 
  • References 
  • Acknowledgements 
  • Questions

Be aware that your particular research project will dictate the exact sections you will have

Instructions for the Title Slide

Each presentation MUST have a title slide. The title slide must contain:

  • The title of your project, which must be the same title you submitted to us 
  • Your name
  • Your faculty mentor’s name and department
  • The name and location of your institution 

Use the following slide as an example for your title slide:

 Title page PowerPoint example.