Foodonomics Research Poster Presentation (20%)
Choosing a topic
The choice of topic is up to you. Your choice should be fairly specific. You will submit a brief outline of your topic prior to the research poster due date.
Organizing the Research Poster
Poster Sections
Description: In the description section, please provide basic information and definitions about your topic. If someone was encountering your topic for the first time ever, what would you want them to know?
History or Changing Trends: There are a few options for this section. You can talk about the historical overview of your topic, or discuss how it has changed over time. The goal here is to examine the past or changes or both.
Research question: Here, you will examine academic research to examine an issue of your choice. This is a good place to engage with current debates on your topic, or the question so what? Why does this issue/research question matter in today’s society.
An example using the topic Factory Farming
Description: What is a factory farming? You could also present statistics on how much food is produced using this means of production.
History/Trends: You could talk about how farming practices have changed over time (by examining decades or periods in history). You could also examine regions.
Research Question: You might ask, “Are there negative consequences associated with factory farming?” You could present research that addresses this question, either that supports or fails to demonstrate negative consequences. It is important to engage with the debate.
Poster Visual Appeal and Professionalism
- Text should be large enough to read comfortably. It should be proofread carefully. Text should be in complete sentences and/or paragraphs depending on the section. Aim for 750 words.
- Posters should use a variety of relevant graphics to increase interest. This can include pictures, graphs, or charts. Borrowed images should be cited.
- You may use either” “Bristol board or Digital poster and submit pictures/images of your board to the submission folder or submit the digital poster. Canva is a digital poster software that has a free trial.
NOTE ON IMAGES: When using your images, keep in mind that they should be used to educate and enhance your poster. If you are uncertain if specific images are okay, you must ask before using it. Any inappropriate images could result in a zero on this project. So, when in doubt ask.
Research and Referencing
Each poster requires a minimum of three sources.
- 1 source must be academic or peer reviewed and published within the last 7 years. Google scholar; or Jstor and Proquesthealth databases are good options for accessing the academic article.
- The other sources can also be academic or peer reviewed. They are acceptable if they pass the CRAAP test. Examples could include news or magazine articles, reports, blog posts produced by experts or journalists, etc.
- Wikipedia and your textbook cannot be used as sources, but can provide background information or to help you find other research.
Citation and references page: Your project requires both in-text citations and a references page. This means that whenever you borrow ideas or quotations from sources, you must properly cite them. It also requires you to include complete details about each source that you use on the references page. Information on using the American Psychological Association (APA) format will be provided.
Important: Projects without in-text citations and a references page will not be graded. Such projects violate academic integrity policies and the research requirements outlined by this document. It is your responsibility to seek help from the professor and posted resources on APA style well in advance of the due date if you are not sure how to cite properly.
Grading breakdown
Poster | |
Description Provides an effective orientation to someone unfamiliar with topic.Definitions provided for terms.Provides additional context – for example, current situation, statistics today, etc. | /5 |
History or Trends Discusses origins, changes over time, of chosen topic. | /5 |
Research Question Articulates a clear and specific research question.Clearly describes causes or contributions to the social problem considered.Presents argument and academic research to answer research question. | /10 |
Research Uses a minimum of three reliable sources, as defined by the CRAAP test.Uses at least one academic source that’s no more than 7 years old.Includes proper citations and “works cited” section on poster. Failure to properly cite in your poster may constitute plagiarism. | /10 |
Overall visual Appeal of poster Uses clear and organized text.Poster is clean, neat, and professional.Few spelling or grammar errors.Organized writing that uses full sentences and paragraphs.Graphics (such as pictures) that enhance the presentation. | /10 |
Presentation Skills 5 Min presentation of your poster; Video RecordingSummarize the research focusHighlight the key pointsExpand on your visual selections (images, charts, graphs etc) | /10 |
Late Policy
Given it is the end of the term, there is less flexibility with late projects. Final grades are due to Fanshawe administration shortly after, so grading happens promptly following submission. Late projects may only be submitted with appropriate documentation.