A poster distills your research into a visual and conversational format. You'll use a combination of concise text and visuals to communicate the scope of your topic and highlight your key findings. Unlike a paper, a poster is designed to spark discussion: you’ll stand beside it, talk with viewers, and answer questions. Think of it as telling the story of your project in a way that invites curiosity and conversation.
A literature review is a written overview of what researchers have already discovered about a topic.
It does not present the authors' original experiments or data; instead, it pulls together existing studies, articles, and reports, showing the big picture: what’s known, what’s debated, and what still needs investigation.
Think of it as a map of the knowledge landscape —a guide to what is known, what is not known, and what is still being debated.
Provides content: The research you gather for your literature review becomes the background and evidence you’ll showcase on your poster.
Helps you focus: By reviewing lots of sources, you figure out the big picture and narrow down what’s most important to highlight in your poster.
Trains you to explain: Summarizing and synthesizing sources in writing prepares you to present ideas clearly in short poster text and in conversation.
Builds your confidence: Because you’ve already done the deep research, you’ll feel ready to answer questions from your audience.
The literature review is the foundation. The poster is how you share what you’ve built—visually and succinctly.
Beyond the poster and the literature review, the most lasting deliverable of this project is the knowledge you build and carry forward. Through reading, questioning, and synthesizing, you’re not simply reporting what others have discovered—you’re taking ownership of that knowledge and shaping it into understanding that belongs to you. For STEM majors, this matters deeply: every new scientific and mathematical breakthrough rests on a foundation of prior knowledge. By engaging fully in this process, you prepare yourself not only to synthesize existing knowledge but also to apply it toward creating new knowledge in the future.