research strategies ppt

Home Blog Presentation Ideas How to Create and Deliver a Research Presentation

How to Create and Deliver a Research Presentation

Every research endeavor ends up with the communication of its findings. Graduate-level research culminates in a thesis defense , while many academic and scientific disciplines are published in peer-reviewed journals. In a business context, PowerPoint research presentation is the default format for reporting the findings to stakeholders.

Condensing months of work into a few slides can prove to be challenging. It requires particular skills to create and deliver a research presentation that promotes informed decisions and drives long-term projects forward.

Table of Contents

What is a Research Presentation

Key slides for creating a research presentation, tips when delivering a research presentation, how to present sources in a research presentation, recommended templates to create a research presentation.

A research presentation is the communication of research findings, typically delivered to an audience of peers, colleagues, students, or professionals. In the academe, it is meant to showcase the importance of the research paper , state the findings and the analysis of those findings, and seek feedback that could further the research.

The presentation of research becomes even more critical in the business world as the insights derived from it are the basis of strategic decisions of organizations. Information from this type of report can aid companies in maximizing the sales and profit of their business. Major projects such as research and development (R&D) in a new field, the launch of a new product or service, or even corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives will require the presentation of research findings to prove their feasibility.

Market research and technical research are examples of business-type research presentations you will commonly encounter.

In this article, we’ve compiled all the essential tips, including some examples and templates, to get you started with creating and delivering a stellar research presentation tailored specifically for the business context.

Various research suggests that the average attention span of adults during presentations is around 20 minutes, with a notable drop in an engagement at the 10-minute mark . Beyond that, you might see your audience doing other things.

How can you avoid such a mistake? The answer lies in the adage “keep it simple, stupid” or KISS. We don’t mean dumbing down your content but rather presenting it in a way that is easily digestible and accessible to your audience. One way you can do this is by organizing your research presentation using a clear structure.

Here are the slides you should prioritize when creating your research presentation PowerPoint.

1. Title Page

The title page is the first thing your audience will see during your presentation, so put extra effort into it to make an impression. Of course, writing presentation titles and title pages will vary depending on the type of presentation you are to deliver. In the case of a research presentation, you want a formal and academic-sounding one. It should include:

The full title of the report
The date of the report
The name of the researchers or department in charge of the report
The name of the organization for which the presentation is intended

When writing the title of your research presentation, it should reflect the topic and objective of the report. Focus only on the subject and avoid adding redundant phrases like “A research on” or “A study on.” However, you may use phrases like “Market Analysis” or “Feasibility Study” because they help identify the purpose of the presentation. Doing so also serves a long-term purpose for the filing and later retrieving of the document.

Here’s a sample title page for a hypothetical market research presentation from Gillette .

2. Executive Summary Slide

The executive summary marks the beginning of the body of the presentation, briefly summarizing the key discussion points of the research. Specifically, the summary may state the following:

The purpose of the investigation and its significance within the organization’s goals
The methods used for the investigation
The major findings of the investigation
The conclusions and recommendations after the investigation

Although the executive summary encompasses the entry of the research presentation, it should not dive into all the details of the work on which the findings, conclusions, and recommendations were based. Creating the executive summary requires a focus on clarity and brevity, especially when translating it to a PowerPoint document where space is limited.

Each point should be presented in a clear and visually engaging manner to capture the audience’s attention and set the stage for the rest of the presentation. Use visuals, bullet points, and minimal text to convey information efficiently.

Executive Summary slide in a Research Presentation

3. Introduction/ Project Description Slides

In this section, your goal is to provide your audience with the information that will help them understand the details of the presentation. Provide a detailed description of the project, including its goals, objectives, scope, and methods for gathering and analyzing data.

You want to answer these fundamental questions:

What specific questions are you trying to answer, problems you aim to solve, or opportunities you seek to explore?
Why is this project important, and what prompted it?
What are the boundaries of your research or initiative?
How were the data gathered?

Important: The introduction should exclude specific findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

Action Evaluation Matrix in a Research Presentation

4. Data Presentation and Analyses Slides

This is the longest section of a research presentation, as you’ll present the data you’ve gathered and provide a thorough analysis of that data to draw meaningful conclusions. The format and components of this section can vary widely, tailored to the specific nature of your research.

For example, if you are doing market research, you may include the market potential estimate, competitor analysis, and pricing analysis. These elements will help your organization determine the actual viability of a market opportunity.

Visual aids like charts, graphs, tables, and diagrams are potent tools to convey your key findings effectively. These materials may be numbered and sequenced (Figure 1, Figure 2, and so forth), accompanied by text to make sense of the insights.

Data and Analysis slide in a Research Presentation

5. Conclusions

The conclusion of a research presentation is where you pull together the ideas derived from your data presentation and analyses in light of the purpose of the research. For example, if the objective is to assess the market of a new product, the conclusion should determine the requirements of the market in question and tell whether there is a product-market fit.

Designing your conclusion slide should be straightforward and focused on conveying the key takeaways from your research. Keep the text concise and to the point. Present it in bullet points or numbered lists to make the content easily scannable.

Conclusion Slide in a Research Presentation

6. Recommendations

The findings of your research might reveal elements that may not align with your initial vision or expectations. These deviations are addressed in the recommendations section of your presentation, which outlines the best course of action based on the result of the research.

What emerging markets should we target next? Do we need to rethink our pricing strategies? Which professionals should we hire for this special project? — these are some of the questions that may arise when coming up with this part of the research.

Recommendations may be combined with the conclusion, but presenting them separately to reinforce their urgency. In the end, the decision-makers in the organization or your clients will make the final call on whether to accept or decline the recommendations.

Recommendations slide in Research Presentation

7. Questions Slide

Members of your audience are not involved in carrying out your research activity, which means there’s a lot they don’t know about its details. By offering an opportunity for questions, you can invite them to bridge that gap, seek clarification, and engage in a dialogue that enhances their understanding.

If your research is more business-oriented, facilitating a question and answer after your presentation becomes imperative as it’s your final appeal to encourage buy-in for your recommendations.

A simple “Ask us anything” slide can indicate that you are ready to accept questions.

1. Focus on the Most Important Findings

The truth about presenting research findings is that your audience doesn’t need to know everything. Instead, they should receive a distilled, clear, and meaningful overview that focuses on the most critical aspects.

You will likely have to squeeze in the oral presentation of your research into a 10 to 20-minute presentation, so you have to make the most out of the time given to you. In the presentation, don’t soak in the less important elements like historical backgrounds. Decision-makers might even ask you to skip these portions and focus on sharing the findings.

2. Do Not Read Word-per-word

Reading word-for-word from your presentation slides intensifies the danger of losing your audience’s interest. Its effect can be detrimental, especially if the purpose of your research presentation is to gain approval from the audience. So, how can you avoid this mistake?

Make a conscious design decision to keep the text on your slides minimal. Your slides should serve as visual cues to guide your presentation.
Structure your presentation as a narrative or story. Stories are more engaging and memorable than dry, factual information.
Prepare speaker notes with the key points of your research. Glance at it when needed.
Engage with the audience by maintaining eye contact and asking rhetorical questions.

3. Don’t Go Without Handouts

Handouts are paper copies of your presentation slides that you distribute to your audience. They typically contain the summary of your key points, but they may also provide supplementary information supporting data presented through tables and graphs.

The purpose of distributing presentation handouts is to easily retain the key points you presented as they become good references in the future. Distributing handouts in advance allows your audience to review the material and come prepared with questions or points for discussion during the presentation.

4. Actively Listen

An equally important skill that a presenter must possess aside from speaking is the ability to listen. We are not just talking about listening to what the audience is saying but also considering their reactions and nonverbal cues. If you sense disinterest or confusion, you can adapt your approach on the fly to re-engage them.

For example, if some members of your audience are exchanging glances, they may be skeptical of the research findings you are presenting. This is the best time to reassure them of the validity of your data and provide a concise overview of how it came to be. You may also encourage them to seek clarification.

5. Be Confident

Anxiety can strike before a presentation – it’s a common reaction whenever someone has to speak in front of others. If you can’t eliminate your stress, try to manage it.

People hate public speaking not because they simply hate it. Most of the time, it arises from one’s belief in themselves. You don’t have to take our word for it. Take Maslow’s theory that says a threat to one’s self-esteem is a source of distress among an individual.

Now, how can you master this feeling? You’ve spent a lot of time on your research, so there is no question about your topic knowledge. Perhaps you just need to rehearse your research presentation. If you know what you will say and how to say it, you will gain confidence in presenting your work.

All sources you use in creating your research presentation should be given proper credit. The APA Style is the most widely used citation style in formal research.

In-text citation

Add references within the text of your presentation slide by giving the author’s last name, year of publication, and page number (if applicable) in parentheses after direct quotations or paraphrased materials. As in:

The alarming rate at which global temperatures rise directly impacts biodiversity (Smith, 2020, p. 27).

If the author’s name and year of publication are mentioned in the text, add only the page number in parentheses after the quotations or paraphrased materials. As in:

According to Smith (2020), the alarming rate at which global temperatures rise directly impacts biodiversity (p. 27).

Image citation

All images from the web, including photos, graphs, and tables, used in your slides should be credited using the format below.

Creator’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Image.” Website Name, Day Mo. Year, URL. Accessed Day Mo. Year.

Work cited page

A work cited page or reference list should follow after the last slide of your presentation. The list should be alphabetized by the author’s last name and initials followed by the year of publication, the title of the book or article, the place of publication, and the publisher. As in:

Smith, J. A. (2020). Climate Change and Biodiversity: A Comprehensive Study. New York, NY: ABC Publications.

When citing a document from a website, add the source URL after the title of the book or article instead of the place of publication and the publisher. As in:

Smith, J. A. (2020). Climate Change and Biodiversity: A Comprehensive Study. Retrieved from https://www.smith.com/climate-change-and-biodiversity.

1. Research Project Presentation PowerPoint Template

A slide deck containing 18 different slides intended to take off the weight of how to make a research presentation. With tons of visual aids, presenters can reference existing research on similar projects to this one – or link another research presentation example – provide an accurate data analysis, disclose the methodology used, and much more.

Use This Template

2. Research Presentation Scientific Method Diagram PowerPoint Template

Whenever you intend to raise questions, expose the methodology you used for your research, or even suggest a scientific method approach for future analysis, this circular wheel diagram is a perfect fit for any presentation study.

Customize all of its elements to suit the demands of your presentation in just minutes.

3. Thesis Research Presentation PowerPoint Template

If your research presentation project belongs to academia, then this is the slide deck to pair that presentation. With a formal aesthetic and minimalistic style, this research presentation template focuses only on exposing your information as clearly as possible.

Use its included bar charts and graphs to introduce data, change the background of each slide to suit the topic of your presentation, and customize each of its elements to meet the requirements of your project with ease.

4. Animated Research Cards PowerPoint Template

Visualize ideas and their connection points with the help of this research card template for PowerPoint. This slide deck, for example, can help speakers talk about alternative concepts to what they are currently managing and its possible outcomes, among different other usages this versatile PPT template has. Zoom Animation effects make a smooth transition between cards (or ideas).

5. Research Presentation Slide Deck for PowerPoint

With a distinctive professional style, this research presentation PPT template helps business professionals and academics alike to introduce the findings of their work to team members or investors.

By accessing this template, you get the following slides:

Introduction
Problem Statement
Research Questions
Conceptual Research Framework (Concepts, Theories, Actors, & Constructs)
Study design and methods
Population & Sampling
Data Collection
Data Analysis

Check it out today and craft a powerful research presentation out of it!

A successful research presentation in business is not just about presenting data; it’s about persuasion to take meaningful action. It’s the bridge that connects your research efforts to the strategic initiatives of your organization. To embark on this journey successfully, planning your presentation thoroughly is paramount, from designing your PowerPoint to the delivery.

Take a look and get inspiration from the sample research presentation slides above, put our tips to heart, and transform your research findings into a compelling call to action.

Like this article? Please share

Academics, Presentation Approaches, Research & Development Filed under Presentation Ideas

Filed under Design • May 22nd, 2024

Exploring the 12 Different Types of Slides in PowerPoint

Become a better presenter by harnessing the power of the 12 different types of slides in presentation design.

Filed under Design • March 27th, 2024

How to Make a Presentation Graph

Detailed step-by-step instructions to master the art of how to make a presentation graph in PowerPoint and Google Slides. Check it out!

Filed under Presentation Ideas • February 29th, 2024

How to Make a Fundraising Presentation (with Thermometer Templates & Slides)

Meet a new framework to design fundraising presentations by harnessing the power of fundraising thermometer templates. Detailed guide with examples.

Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

How to Make a Successful Research Presentation

Turning a research paper into a visual presentation is difficult; there are pitfalls, and navigating the path to a brief, informative presentation takes time and practice. As a TA for GEO/WRI 201: Methods in Data Analysis & Scientific Writing this past fall, I saw how this process works from an instructor’s standpoint. I’ve presented my own research before, but helping others present theirs taught me a bit more about the process. Here are some tips I learned that may help you with your next research presentation:

More is more

In general, your presentation will always benefit from more practice, more feedback, and more revision. By practicing in front of friends, you can get comfortable with presenting your work while receiving feedback. It is hard to know how to revise your presentation if you never practice. If you are presenting to a general audience, getting feedback from someone outside of your discipline is crucial. Terms and ideas that seem intuitive to you may be completely foreign to someone else, and your well-crafted presentation could fall flat.

Less is more

Limit the scope of your presentation, the number of slides, and the text on each slide. In my experience, text works well for organizing slides, orienting the audience to key terms, and annotating important figures–not for explaining complex ideas. Having fewer slides is usually better as well. In general, about one slide per minute of presentation is an appropriate budget. Too many slides is usually a sign that your topic is too broad.

Limit the scope of your presentation

Don’t present your paper. Presentations are usually around 10 min long. You will not have time to explain all of the research you did in a semester (or a year!) in such a short span of time. Instead, focus on the highlight(s). Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

You will not have time to explain all of the research you did. Instead, focus on the highlights. Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

Craft a compelling research narrative

After identifying the focused research question, walk your audience through your research as if it were a story. Presentations with strong narrative arcs are clear, captivating, and compelling.

Introduction (exposition — rising action)

Orient the audience and draw them in by demonstrating the relevance and importance of your research story with strong global motive. Provide them with the necessary vocabulary and background knowledge to understand the plot of your story. Introduce the key studies (characters) relevant in your story and build tension and conflict with scholarly and data motive. By the end of your introduction, your audience should clearly understand your research question and be dying to know how you resolve the tension built through motive.

Methods (rising action)

The methods section should transition smoothly and logically from the introduction. Beware of presenting your methods in a boring, arc-killing, ‘this is what I did.’ Focus on the details that set your story apart from the stories other people have already told. Keep the audience interested by clearly motivating your decisions based on your original research question or the tension built in your introduction.

Results (climax)

Less is usually more here. Only present results which are clearly related to the focused research question you are presenting. Make sure you explain the results clearly so that your audience understands what your research found. This is the peak of tension in your narrative arc, so don’t undercut it by quickly clicking through to your discussion.

Discussion (falling action)

By now your audience should be dying for a satisfying resolution. Here is where you contextualize your results and begin resolving the tension between past research. Be thorough. If you have too many conflicts left unresolved, or you don’t have enough time to present all of the resolutions, you probably need to further narrow the scope of your presentation.

Conclusion (denouement)

Return back to your initial research question and motive, resolving any final conflicts and tying up loose ends. Leave the audience with a clear resolution of your focus research question, and use unresolved tension to set up potential sequels (i.e. further research).

Use your medium to enhance the narrative

Visual presentations should be dominated by clear, intentional graphics. Subtle animation in key moments (usually during the results or discussion) can add drama to the narrative arc and make conflict resolutions more satisfying. You are narrating a story written in images, videos, cartoons, and graphs. While your paper is mostly text, with graphics to highlight crucial points, your slides should be the opposite. Adapting to the new medium may require you to create or acquire far more graphics than you included in your paper, but it is necessary to create an engaging presentation.

The most important thing you can do for your presentation is to practice and revise. Bother your friends, your roommates, TAs–anybody who will sit down and listen to your work. Beyond that, think about presentations you have found compelling and try to incorporate some of those elements into your own. Remember you want your work to be comprehensible; you aren’t creating experts in 10 minutes. Above all, try to stay passionate about what you did and why. You put the time in, so show your audience that it’s worth it.

For more insight into research presentations, check out these past PCUR posts written by Emma and Ellie .

— Alec Getraer, Natural Sciences Correspondent

Chapter 20. Presentations

Introduction.

If a tree falls in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? If a qualitative study is conducted, but it is not presented (in words or text), did it really happen? Perhaps not. Findings from qualitative research are inextricably tied up with the way those findings are presented. These presentations do not always need to be in writing, but they need to happen. Think of ethnographies, for example, and their thick descriptions of a particular culture. Witnessing a culture, taking fieldnotes, talking to people—none of those things in and of themselves convey the culture. Or think about an interview-based phenomenological study. Boxes of interview transcripts might be interesting to read through, but they are not a completed study without the intervention of hours of analysis and careful selection of exemplary quotes to illustrate key themes and final arguments and theories. And unlike much quantitative research in the social sciences, where the final write-up neatly reports the results of analyses, the way the “write-up” happens is an integral part of the analysis in qualitative research. Once again, we come back to the messiness and stubborn unlinearity of qualitative research. From the very beginning, when designing the study, imagining the form of its ultimate presentation is helpful.

Because qualitative researchers are motivated by understanding and conveying meaning, effective communication is not only an essential skill but a fundamental facet of the entire research project. Ethnographers must be able to convey a certain sense of verisimilitude, the appearance of true reality. Those employing interviews must faithfully depict the key meanings of the people they interviewed in a way that rings true to those people, even if the end result surprises them. And all researchers must strive for clarity in their publications so that various audiences can understand what was found and why it is important. This chapter will address how to organize various kinds of presentations for different audiences so that your results can be appreciated and understood.

In the world of academic science, social or otherwise, the primary audience for a study’s results is usually the academic community, and the primary venue for communicating to this audience is the academic journal. Journal articles are typically fifteen to thirty pages in length (8,000 to 12,000 words). Although qualitative researchers often write and publish journal articles—indeed, there are several journals dedicated entirely to qualitative research [1] —the best writing by qualitative researchers often shows up in books. This is because books, running from 80,000 to 150,000 words in length, allow the researcher to develop the material fully. You have probably read some of these in various courses you have taken, not realizing what they are. I have used examples of such books throughout this text, beginning with the three profiles in the introductory chapter. In some instances, the chapters in these books began as articles in academic journals (another indication that the journal article format somewhat limits what can be said about the study overall).

While the article and the book are “final” products of qualitative research, there are actually a few other presentation formats that are used along the way. At the very beginning of a research study, it is often important to have a written research proposal not just to clarify to yourself what you will be doing and when but also to justify your research to an outside agency, such as an institutional review board (IRB; see chapter 12), or to a potential funder, which might be your home institution, a government funder (such as the National Science Foundation, or NSF), or a private foundation (such as the Gates Foundation). As you get your research underway, opportunities will arise to present preliminary findings to audiences, usually through presentations at academic conferences. These presentations can provide important feedback as you complete your analyses. Finally, if you are completing a degree and looking to find an academic job, you will be asked to provide a “job talk,” usually about your research. These job talks are similar to conference presentations but can run significantly longer.

All the presentations mentioned so far are (mostly) for academic audiences. But qualitative research is also unique in that many of its practitioners don’t want to confine their presentation only to other academics. Qualitative researchers who study particular contexts or cultures might want to report back to the people and places they observed. Those working in the critical tradition might want to raise awareness of a particular issue to as large an audience as possible. Many others simply want everyday, nonacademic people to read their work, because they think it is interesting and important. To reach a wide audience, the final product can look like almost anything—it can be a poem, a blog, a podcast, even a science fiction short story. And if you are very lucky, it can even be a national or international bestseller.

In this chapter, we are going to stick with the more basic quotidian presentations—the academic paper / research proposal, the conference slideshow presentation / job talk, and the conference poster. We’ll also spend a bit of time on incorporating universal design into your presentations and how to create some especially attractive and impactful visual displays.

Researcher Note

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given about conducting qualitative research?

The best advice I’ve received came from my adviser, Alford Young Jr. He told me to find the “Jessi Streib” answer to my research question, not the “Pierre Bourdieu” answer to my research question. In other words, don’t just say how a famous theorist would answer your question; say something original, something coming from you.

—Jessi Streib, author of The Power of the Past and Privilege Lost

Writing about Your Research

The journal article and the research proposal.

Although the research proposal is written before you have actually done your research and the article is written after all data collection and analysis is complete, there are actually many similarities between the two in terms of organization and purpose. The final article will (probably—depends on how much the research question and focus have shifted during the research itself) incorporate a great deal of what was included in a preliminary research proposal. The average lengths of both a proposal and an article are quite similar, with the “front sections” of the article abbreviated to make space for the findings, discussion of findings, and conclusion.

Figure 20.1 shows one model for what to include in an article or research proposal, comparing the elements of each with a default word count for each section. Please note that you will want to follow whatever specific guidelines you have been provided by the venue you are submitting the article/proposal to: the IRB, the NSF, the Journal of Qualitative Research . In fact, I encourage you to adapt the default model as needed by swapping out expected word counts for each section and adding or varying the sections to match expectations for your particular publication venue. [2]

You will notice a few things about the default model guidelines. First, while half of the proposal is spent discussing the research design, this section is shortened (but still included) for the article. There are a few elements that only show up in the proposal (e.g., the limitations section is in the introductory section here—it will be more fully developed in the conclusory section in the article). Obviously, you don’t have findings in the proposal, so this is an entirely new section for the article. Note that the article does not include a data management plan or a timeline—two aspects that most proposals require.

It might be helpful to find and maintain examples of successfully written sections that you can use as models for your own writing. I have included a few of these throughout the textbook and have included a few more at the end of this chapter.

Make an Argument

Some qualitative researchers, particularly those engaged in deep ethnographic research, focus their attention primarily if not exclusively on describing the data. They might even eschew the notion that they should make an “argument” about the data, preferring instead to use thick descriptions to convey interpretations. Bracketing the contrast between interpretation and argument for the moment, most readers will expect you to provide an argument about your data, and this argument will be in answer to whatever research question you eventually articulate (remember, research questions are allowed to shift as you get further into data collection and analysis). It can be frustrating to read a well-developed study with clear and elegant descriptions and no argument. The argument is the point of the research, and if you do not have one, 99 percent of the time, you are not finished with your analysis. Calarco ( 2020 ) suggests you imagine a pyramid, with all of your data forming the basis and all of your findings forming the middle section; the top/point of the pyramid is your argument, “what the patterns in your data tell us about how the world works or ought to work” ( 181 ).

The academic community to which you belong will be looking for an argument that relates to or develops theory. This is the theoretical generalizability promise of qualitative research. An academic audience will want to know how your findings relate to previous findings, theories, and concepts (the literature review; see chapter 9). It is thus vitally important that you go back to your literature review (or develop a new one) and draw those connections in your discussion and/or conclusion. When writing to other audiences, you will still want an argument, although it may not be written as a theoretical one. What do I mean by that? Even if you are not referring to previous literature or developing new theories or adapting older ones, a simple description of your findings is like dumping a lot of leaves in the lap of your audience. They still deserve to know about the shape of the forest. Maybe provide them a road map through it. Do this by telling a clear and cogent story about the data. What is the primary theme, and why is it important? What is the point of your research? [3]

A beautifully written piece of research based on participant observation [and/or] interviews brings people to life, and helps the reader understand the challenges people face. You are trying to use vivid, detailed and compelling words to help the reader really understand the lives of the people you studied. And you are trying to connect the lived experiences of these people to a broader conceptual point—so that the reader can understand why it matters. ( Lareau 2021:259 )

Do not hide your argument. Make it the focal point of your introductory section, and repeat it as often as needed to ensure the reader remembers it. I am always impressed when I see researchers do this well (see, e.g., Zelizer 1996 ).

Here are a few other suggestions for writing your article: Be brief. Do not overwhelm the reader with too many words; make every word count. Academics are particularly prone to “overwriting” as a way of demonstrating proficiency. Don’t. When writing your methods section, think about it as a “recipe for your work” that allows other researchers to replicate if they so wish ( Calarco 2020:186 ). Convey all the necessary information clearly, succinctly, and accurately. No more, no less. [4] Do not try to write from “beginning to end” in that order. Certain sections, like the introductory section, may be the last ones you write. I find the methods section the easiest, so I often begin there. Calarco ( 2020 ) begins with an outline of the analysis and results section and then works backward from there to outline the contribution she is making, then the full introduction that serves as a road map for the writing of all sections. She leaves the abstract for the very end. Find what order best works for you.

Presenting at Conferences and Job Talks

Students and faculty are primarily called upon to publicly present their research in two distinct contexts—the academic conference and the “job talk.” By convention, conference presentations usually run about fifteen minutes and, at least in sociology and other social sciences, rely primarily on the use of a slideshow (PowerPoint Presentation or PPT) presentation. You are usually one of three or four presenters scheduled on the same “panel,” so it is an important point of etiquette to ensure that your presentation falls within the allotted time and does not crowd into that of the other presenters. Job talks, on the other hand, conventionally require a forty- to forty-five-minute presentation with a fifteen- to twenty-minute question and answer (Q&A) session following it. You are the only person presenting, so if you run over your allotted time, it means less time for the Q&A, which can disturb some audience members who have been waiting for a chance to ask you something. It is sometimes possible to incorporate questions during your presentation, which allows you to take the entire hour, but you might end up shorting your presentation this way if the questions are numerous. It’s best for beginners to stick to the “ask me at the end” format (unless there is a simple clarifying question that can easily be addressed and makes the presentation run more smoothly, as in the case where you simply forgot to include information on the number of interviews you conducted).

For slideshows, you should allot two or even three minutes for each slide, never less than one minute. And those slides should be clear, concise, and limited. Most of what you say should not be on those slides at all. The slides are simply the main points or a clear image of what you are speaking about. Include bulleted points (words, short phrases), not full sentences. The exception is illustrative quotations from transcripts or fieldnotes. In those cases, keep to one illustrative quote per slide, and if it is long, bold or otherwise, highlight the words or passages that are most important for the audience to notice. [5]

Figure 20.2 provides a possible model for sections to include in either a conference presentation or a job talk, with approximate times and approximate numbers of slides. Note the importance (in amount of time spent) of both the research design and the findings/results sections, both of which have been helpfully starred for you. Although you don’t want to short any of the sections, these two sections are the heart of your presentation.

Fig 20.2. Suggested Slideshow Times and Number of Slides

Should you write out your script to read along with your presentation? I have seen this work well, as it prevents presenters from straying off topic and keeps them to the time allotted. On the other hand, these presentations can seem stiff and wooden. Personally, although I have a general script in advance, I like to speak a little more informally and engagingly with each slide, sometimes making connections with previous panelists if I am at a conference. This means I have to pay attention to the time, and I sometimes end up breezing through one section more quickly than I would like. Whatever approach you take, practice in advance. Many times. With an audience. Ask for feedback, and pay attention to any presentation issues that arise (e.g., Do you speak too fast? Are you hard to hear? Do you stumble over a particular word or name?).

Even though there are rules and guidelines for what to include, you will still want to make your presentation as engaging as possible in the little amount of time you have. Calarco ( 2020:274 ) recommends trying one of three story structures to frame your presentation: (1) the uncertain explanation , where you introduce a phenomenon that has not yet been fully explained and then describe how your research is tackling this; (2) the uncertain outcome , where you introduce a phenomenon where the consequences have been unclear and then you reveal those consequences with your research; and (3) the evocative example , where you start with some interesting example from your research (a quote from the interview transcripts, for example) or the real world and then explain how that example illustrates the larger patterns you found in your research. Notice that each of these is a framing story. Framing stories are essential regardless of format!

A Word on Universal Design

Please consider accessibility issues during your presentation, and incorporate elements of universal design into your slideshow. The basic idea behind universal design in presentations is that to the greatest extent possible, all people should be able to view, hear, or otherwise take in your presentation without needing special individual adaptations. If you can make your presentation accessible to people with visual impairment or hearing loss, why not do so? For example, one in twelve men is color-blind, unable to differentiate between certain colors, red/green being the most common problem. So if you design a graphic that relies on red and green bars, some of your audience members may not be able to properly identify which bar means what. Simple contrasts of black and white are much more likely to be visible to all members of your audience. There are many other elements of good universal design, but the basic foundation of all of them is that you consider how to make your presentation as accessible as possible at the outset. For example, include captions whenever possible, both as descriptions on slides and as images on slides and for any audio or video clips you are including; keep font sizes large enough to read from the back of the room; and face the audience when you are.

Poster Design

Undergraduate students who present at conferences are often encouraged to present at “poster sessions.” This usually means setting up a poster version of your research in a large hall or convention space at a set period of time—ninety minutes is common. Your poster will be one of dozens, and conference-goers will wander through the space, stopping intermittently at posters that attract them. Those who stop by might ask you questions about your research, and you are expected to be able to talk intelligently for two or three minutes. It’s a fairly easy way to practice presenting at conferences, which is why so many organizations hold these special poster sessions.

A good poster design will be immediately attractive to passersby and clearly and succinctly describe your research methods, findings, and conclusions. Some students have simply shrunk down their research papers to manageable sizes and then pasted them on a poster, all twelve to fifteen pages of them. Don’t do that! Here are some better suggestions: State the main conclusion of your research in large bold print at the top of your poster, on brightly colored (contrasting) paper, and paste in a QR code that links to your full paper online ( Calarco 2020:280 ). Use the rest of the poster board to provide a couple of highlights and details of the study. For an interview-based study, for example, you will want to put in some details about your sample (including number of interviews) and setting and then perhaps one or two key quotes, also distinguished by contrasting color background.

Incorporating Visual Design in Your Presentations

In addition to ensuring that your presentation is accessible to as large an audience as possible, you also want to think about how to display your data in general, particularly how to use charts and graphs and figures. [6] The first piece of advice is, use them! As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you can cut to the chase with a visually stunning display, do so. But there are visual displays that are stunning, and then there are the tired, hard-to-see visual displays that predominate at conferences. You can do better than most presenters by simply paying attention here and committing yourself to a good design. As with model section passages, keep a file of visual displays that work as models for your own presentations. Find a good guidebook to presenting data effectively (Evergreen 2018 , 2019 ; Schwabisch 2021) , and refer to it often.

Let me make a few suggestions here to get you started. First, test every visual display on a friend or colleague to find out how quickly they can understand the point you are trying to convey. As with reading passages aloud to ensure that your writing works, showing someone your display is the quickest way to find out if it works. Second, put the point in the title of the display! When writing for an academic journal, there will be specific conventions of what to include in the title (full description including methods of analysis, sample, dates), but in a public presentation, there are no limiting rules. So you are free to write as your title “Working-Class College Students Are Three Times as Likely as Their Peers to Drop Out of College,” if that is the point of the graphic display. It certainly helps the communicative aspect. Third, use the themes available to you in Excel for creating graphic displays, but alter them to better fit your needs . Consider adding dark borders to bars and columns, for example, so that they appear crisper for your audience. Include data callouts and labels, and enlarge them so they are clearly visible. When duplicative or otherwise unnecessary, drop distracting gridlines and labels on the y-axis (the vertical one). Don’t go crazy adding different fonts, however—keep things simple and clear. Sans serif fonts (those without the little hooks on the ends of letters) read better from a distance. Try to use the same color scheme throughout, even if this means manually changing the colors of bars and columns. For example, when reporting on working-class college students, I use blue bars, while I reserve green bars for wealthy students and yellow bars for students in the middle. I repeat these colors throughout my presentations and incorporate different colors when talking about other items or factors. You can also try using simple grayscale throughout, with pops of color to indicate a bar or column or line that is of the most interest. These are just some suggestions. The point is to take presentation seriously and to pay attention to visual displays you are using to ensure they effectively communicate what you want them to communicate. I’ve included a data visualization checklist from Evergreen ( 2018 ) here.

Ethics of Presentation and Reliability

Until now, all the data you have collected have been yours alone. Once you present the data, however, you are sharing sometimes very intimate information about people with a broader public. You will find yourself balancing between protecting the privacy of those you’ve interviewed and observed and needing to demonstrate the reliability of the study. The more information you provide to your audience, the more they can understand and appreciate what you have found, but this also may pose risks to your participants. There is no one correct way to go about finding the right balance. As always, you have a duty to consider what you are doing and must make some hard decisions.

The most obvious place we see this paradox emerge is when you mask your data to protect the privacy of your participants. It is standard practice to provide pseudonyms, for example. It is such standard practice that you should always assume you are being given a pseudonym when reading a book or article based on qualitative research. When I was a graduate student, I tried to find information on how best to construct pseudonyms but found little guidance. There are some ethical issues here, I think. [7] Do you create a name that has the same kind of resonance as the original name? If the person goes by a nickname, should you use a nickname as a pseudonym? What about names that are ethnically marked (as in, almost all of them)? Is there something unethical about reracializing a person? (Yes!) In her study of adolescent subcultures, Wilkins ( 2008 ) noted, “Because many of the goths used creative, alternative names rather than their given names, I did my best to reproduce the spirit of their chosen names” ( 24 ).

Your reader or audience will want to know all the details about your participants so that they can gauge both your credibility and the reliability of your findings. But how many details are too many? What if you change the name but otherwise retain all the personal pieces of information about where they grew up, and how old they were when they got married, and how many children they have, and whether they made a splash in the news cycle that time they were stalked by their ex-boyfriend? At some point, those details are going to tip over into the zone of potential unmasking. When you are doing research at one particular field site that may be easily ascertained (as when you interview college students, probably at the institution at which you are a student yourself), it is even more important to be wary of providing too many details. You also need to think that your participants might read what you have written, know things about the site or the population from which you drew your interviews, and figure out whom you are talking about. This can all get very messy if you don’t do more than simply pseudonymize the people you interviewed or observed.

There are some ways to do this. One, you can design a study with all of these risks in mind. That might mean choosing to conduct interviews or observations at multiple sites so that no one person can be easily identified. Another is to alter some basic details about your participants to protect their identity or to refuse to provide all the information when selecting quotes . Let’s say you have an interviewee named “Anna” (a pseudonym), and she is a twenty-four-year-old Latina studying to be an engineer. You want to use a quote from Anna about racial discrimination in her graduate program. Instead of attributing the quote to Anna (whom your reader knows, because you’ve already told them, is a twenty-four-year-old Latina studying engineering), you might simply attribute the quote to “Latina student in STEM.” Taking this a step further, you might leave the quote unattributed, providing a list of quotes about racial discrimination by “various students.”

The problem with masking all the identifiers, of course, is that you lose some of the analytical heft of those attributes. If it mattered that Anna was twenty-four (not thirty-four) and that she was a Latina and that she was studying engineering, taking out any of those aspects of her identity might weaken your analysis. This is one of those “hard choices” you will be called on to make! A rather radical and controversial solution to this dilemma is to create composite characters , characters based on the reality of the interviews but fully masked because they are not identifiable with any one person. My students are often very queasy about this when I explain it to them. The more positivistic your approach and the more you see individuals rather than social relationships/structure as the “object” of your study, the more employing composites will seem like a really bad idea. But composites “allow researchers to present complex, situated accounts from individuals” without disclosing personal identities ( Willis 2019 ), and they can be effective ways of presenting theory narratively ( Hurst 2019 ). Ironically, composites permit you more latitude when including “dirty laundry” or stories that could harm individuals if their identities became known. Rather than squeezing out details that could identify a participant, the identities are permanently removed from the details. Great difficulty remains, however, in clearly explaining the theoretical use of composites to your audience and providing sufficient information on the reliability of the underlying data.

There are a host of other ethical issues that emerge as you write and present your data. This is where being reflective throughout the process will help. How and what you share of what you have learned will depend on the social relationships you have built, the audiences you are writing or speaking to, and the underlying animating goals of your study. Be conscious about all of your decisions, and then be able to explain them fully, both to yourself and to those who ask.

Our research is often close to us. As a Black woman who is a first-generation college student and a professional with a poverty/working-class origin, each of these pieces of my identity creates nuances in how I engage in my research, including how I share it out. Because of this, it’s important for us to have people in our lives who we trust who can help us, particularly, when we are trying to share our findings. As researchers, we have been steeped in our work, so we know all the details and nuances. Sometimes we take this for granted, and we might not have shared those nuances in conversation or writing or taken some of this information for granted. As I share my research with trusted friends and colleagues, I pay attention to the questions they ask me or the feedback they give when we talk or when they read drafts.

—Kim McAloney, PhD, College Student Services Administration Ecampus coordinator and instructor

Final Comments: Preparing for Being Challenged

Once you put your work out there, you must be ready to be challenged. Science is a collective enterprise and depends on a healthy give and take among researchers. This can be both novel and difficult as you get started, but the more you understand the importance of these challenges, the easier it will be to develop the kind of thick skin necessary for success in academia. Scientists’ authority rests on both the inherent strength of their findings and their ability to convince other scientists of the reliability and validity and value of those findings. So be prepared to be challenged, and recognize this as simply another important aspect of conducting research!

Considering what challenges might be made as you design and conduct your study will help you when you get to the writing and presentation stage. Address probable challenges in your final article, and have a planned response to probable questions in a conference presentation or job talk. The following is a list of common challenges of qualitative research and how you might best address them:

Questions about generalizability . Although qualitative research is not statistically generalizable (and be prepared to explain why), qualitative research is theoretically generalizable. Discuss why your findings here might tell us something about related phenomena or contexts.
Questions about reliability . You probably took steps to ensure the reliability of your findings. Discuss them! This includes explaining the use and value of multiple data sources and defending your sampling and case selections. It also means being transparent about your own position as researcher and explaining steps you took to ensure that what you were seeing was really there.
Questions about replicability. Although qualitative research cannot strictly be replicated because the circumstances and contexts will necessarily be different (if only because the point in time is different), you should be able to provide as much detail as possible about how the study was conducted so that another researcher could attempt to confirm or disconfirm your findings. Also, be very clear about the limitations of your study, as this allows other researchers insight into what future research might be warranted.

None of this is easy, of course. Writing beautifully and presenting clearly and cogently require skill and practice. If you take anything from this chapter, it is to remember that presentation is an important and essential part of the research process and to allocate time for this as you plan your research.

Data Visualization Checklist for Slideshow (PPT) Presentations

Adapted from Evergreen ( 2018 )

Text checklist

Short catchy, descriptive titles (e.g., “Working-class students are three times as likely to drop out of college”) summarize the point of the visual display
Subtitled and annotations provide additional information (e.g., “note: male students also more likely to drop out”)
Text size is hierarchical and readable (titles are largest; axes labels smallest, which should be at least 20points)
Text is horizontal. Audience members cannot read vertical text!
All data labeled directly and clearly: get rid of those “legends” and embed the data in your graphic display
Labels are used sparingly; avoid redundancy (e.g., do not include both a number axis and a number label)

Arrangement checklist

Proportions are accurate; bar charts should always start at zero; don’t mislead the audience!
Data are intentionally ordered (e.g., by frequency counts). Do not leave ragged alphabetized bar graphs!
Axis intervals are equidistant: spaces between axis intervals should be the same unit
Graph is two-dimensional. Three-dimensional and “bevelled” displays are confusing
There is no unwanted decoration (especially the kind that comes automatically through the PPT “theme”). This wastes your space and confuses.

Color checklist

There is an intentional color scheme (do not use default theme)
Color is used to identify key patterns (e.g., highlight one bar in red against six others in greyscale if this is the bar you want the audience to notice)
Color is still legible when printed in black and white
Color is legible for people with color blindness (do not use red/green or yellow/blue combinations)
There is sufficient contrast between text and background (black text on white background works best; be careful of white on dark!)

Lines checklist

Be wary of using gridlines; if you do, mute them (grey, not black)
Allow graph to bleed into surroundings (don’t use border lines)
Remove axis lines unless absolutely necessary (better to label directly)

Overall design checklist

The display highlights a significant finding or conclusion that your audience can ‘”see” relatively quickly
The type of graph (e.g., bar chart, pie chart, line graph) is appropriate for the data. Avoid pie charts with more than three slices!
Graph has appropriate level of precision; if you don’t need decimal places
All the chart elements work together to reinforce the main message

Universal Design Checklist for Slideshow (PPT) Presentations

Include both verbal and written descriptions (e.g., captions on slides); consider providing a hand-out to accompany the presentation
Microphone available (ask audience in back if they can clearly hear)
Face audience; allow people to read your lips
Turn on captions when presenting audio or video clips
Adjust light settings for visibility
Speak slowly and clearly; practice articulation; don’t mutter or speak under your breath (even if you have something humorous to say – say it loud!)
Use Black/White contrasts for easy visibility; or use color contrasts that are real contrasts (do not rely on people being able to differentiate red from green, for example)
Use easy to read font styles and avoid too small font sizes: think about what an audience member in the back row will be able to see and read.
Keep your slides simple: do not overclutter them; if you are including quotes from your interviews, take short evocative snippets only, and bold key words and passages. You should also read aloud each passage, preferably with feeling!

Supplement: Models of Written Sections for Future Reference

Data collection section example.

Interviews were semi structured, lasted between one and three hours, and took place at a location chosen by the interviewee. Discussions centered on four general topics: (1) knowledge of their parent’s immigration experiences; (2) relationship with their parents; (3) understanding of family labor, including language-brokering experiences; and (4) experiences with school and peers, including any future life plans. While conducting interviews, I paid close attention to respondents’ nonverbal cues, as well as their use of metaphors and jokes. I conducted interviews until I reached a point of saturation, as indicated by encountering repeated themes in new interviews (Glaser and Strauss 1967). Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed with each interviewee’s permission, and conducted in accordance with IRB protocols. Minors received permission from their parents before participation in the interview. ( Kwon 2022:1832 )

Justification of Case Selection / Sample Description Section Example

Looking at one profession within one organization and in one geographic area does impose limitations on the generalizability of our findings. However, it also has advantages. We eliminate the problem of interorganizational heterogeneity. If multiple organizations are studied simultaneously, it can make it difficult to discern the mechanisms that contribute to racial inequalities. Even with a single occupation there is considerable heterogeneity, which may make understanding how organizational structure impacts worker outcomes difficult. By using the case of one group of professionals in one religious denomination in one geographic region of the United States, we clarify how individuals’ perceptions and experiences of occupational inequality unfold in relation to a variety of observed and unobserved occupational and contextual factors that might be obscured in a larger-scale study. Focusing on a specific group of professionals allows us to explore and identify ways that formal organizational rules combine with informal processes to contribute to the persistence of racial inequality. ( Eagle and Mueller 2022:1510–1511 )

Ethics Section Example

I asked everyone who was willing to sit for a formal interview to speak only for themselves and offered each of them a prepaid Visa Card worth $25–40. I also offered everyone the opportunity to keep the card and erase the tape completely at any time they were dissatisfied with the interview in any way. No one asked for the tape to be erased; rather, people remarked on the interview being a really good experience because they felt heard. Each interview was professionally transcribed and for the most part the excerpts are literal transcriptions. In a few places, the excerpts have been edited to reduce colloquial features of speech (e.g., you know, like, um) and some recursive elements common to spoken language. A few excerpts were placed into standard English for clarity. I made this choice for the benefit of readers who might otherwise find the insights and ideas harder to parse in the original. However, I have to acknowledge this as an act of class-based violence. I tried to keep the original phrasing whenever possible. ( Pascale 2021:235 )

12 Proven Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation as an Invited Speaker

Guidance from an Experienced Mentor

The evolution of my presentation skills, what is there in this post for you, research presentation tip #1: start confidently, research presentation tip #2: eye to eye contact with the audience, research presentation tip #3: welcome your audience, research presentation tip #4: adjust your voice.

Research Presentation Tip #5: Memorize your Opening Line
Research Presentation Tip #6: Use the words “ 'Think for while', 'Imagine', 'Think of', 'Close Your Eyes' ”

Research Presentation Tip #7: Story Telling

Research presentation tip #8: facts and statistics.

Research Presentation Tip #9: Power of "Pause"

Research Presentation Tip #10: Quote a Great Researcher

Research presentation tip #11: begin with a video, research presentation tip #12: avoid using filler words, side benefits of giving great research presentations, how should i dress for my invited talk at a research conference, can i share my conference presentation slides after my talk with the audience, shall i entertain questions in between my presentation as an invited speaker to a research conference, can you give some tips for a successful q&a session:.

How to handle questions where I don't know the answers in my presentation?

Introduction

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing with you some invaluable tips for delivering an effective research presentation, drawn from my own journey through academia. These tips are not just theoretical; they’re the result of my own experiences and the guidance I received along the way.

When I first embarked on my PhD journey, the prospect of presenting my research to an audience filled me with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Like many researchers, I was eager to share my findings and insights, but I lacked the confidence and experience to do so effectively.

It wasn’t until I had been immersed in my research for nearly a year, clarifying my domain, objectives, and problem statements, that I was presented with an opportunity to speak about my work. However, despite my preparation, I found myself struggling to convey my ideas with clarity and confidence.

Fortunately, I was not alone in this journey. At the event where I was scheduled to present my research, there was another presenter—an experienced professor—who took notice of my nerves and offered his guidance. He generously shared with me a set of tips that would not only improve my presentation that day but also become the foundation for my future presentations.

As I incorporated these tips into my presentations, I noticed a remarkable improvement in my ability to engage and inform my audience. Each tip—from starting confidently to utilizing storytelling and incorporating facts and statistics—contributed to a more polished and impactful presentation style.

As an invited speaker, delivering an effective research presentation is essential to engage and inform your audience. A well-crafted presentation can help you communicate your research findings, ideas, and insights in a clear, concise, and engaging manner.

However, many presenters face challenges when it comes to delivering a successful presentation. Some of these challenges include nervousness, lack of confidence, and difficulty connecting with the audience.

In this article, we will discuss tips to help you make an effective research presentation as an invited speaker. We will cover strategies to prepare for your presentation, ways to deliver your presentation with confidence and impact, and common mistakes to avoid.

By following these tips, you can improve your presentation skills and create a compelling and engaging talk that resonates with your audience.

Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation

Tip 1: Start confidently
Tip 2: Eye To Eye Contact With the Audience
Tip 3: Welcome Your Audience
Tip 4: Adjust your Voice
Tip 5: Memorize your Opening Line
Tip 6: Use the words “ ‘Think for while’, ‘Imagine’, ‘Think of’, ‘Close Your Eyes’ ”
Tip 7: Story Telling
Tip 8: Facts and Statistics
Tip 9: Power of “Pause”
Tip 10: Quote a Great Researcher
Tip 11: Begin with a Video
Tip 12: Avoid using Filler Words

Starting your presentation confidently is essential as it sets the tone for the rest of your presentation. It will help you grab your audience’s attention and make them more receptive to your message. Here are a few ways you can start confidently.

Begin with a self-introduction: Introduce yourself to the audience and establish your credibility. Briefly mention your educational background, your professional experience, and any relevant achievements that make you an authority on the topic. For example, “Good morning everyone, my name is John and I’m a researcher at XYZ University. I have a Ph.D. in molecular biology, and my research has been published in several reputable journals.”
Introduce the topic: Clearly state the purpose of your presentation and provide a brief overview of what you’ll be discussing. This helps the audience understand the context of your research and what they can expect from your presentation. For example, “Today, I’ll be presenting my research on the role of DNA repair mechanisms in cancer development. I’ll be discussing the current state of knowledge in this field, the methods we used to conduct our research and the novel insights we’ve gained from our findings.”
Start with a strong opening statement: Once you’ve introduced yourself and the topic, start your presentation confidently with a statement that captures the audience’s attention and makes them curious to hear more. As mentioned earlier, you could use a strong opening statement, a powerful visual aid, or show enthusiasm for your research. For example:
“Have you ever wondered how artificial intelligence can be used to predict user behaviour? Today, I’ll be sharing my research on the latest AI algorithms and their potential applications in the field of e-commerce.”
“Imagine a world where cybersecurity threats no longer exist. My research is focused on developing advanced security measures that can protect your data from even the most sophisticated attacks.”
“Think for a moment about the amount of data we generate every day. My research focuses on how we can use machine learning algorithms to extract meaningful insights from this vast amount of data, and ultimately drive innovation in industries ranging from healthcare to finance.”

By following these steps, you’ll be able to start your research presentation confidently, establish your credibility and expertise, and create interest in your topic.

Speaking confidently as an invited speaker can be a daunting task, but there are ways to prepare and feel more confident. One such way is through practising yoga. Yoga is a great tool for reducing stress and anxiety, which can be major barriers to confident public speaking.

By practising yoga, you can learn to control your breathing, calm your mind, and increase your focus and concentration. All of these skills can help you feel more centred and confident when it’s time to give your presentation.

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of yoga, check out our blog post on the subject YOGA: The Ultimate Productivity Hack for Ph.D. Research Scholars and Researchers .

If you’re ready to dive deeper and start your own yoga practice, be sure to download my e-book on :

Unlock Your Research Potential Through Yoga: A Research Scholar’s Companion

A large number of audiences in the presentation hall make you feel jittery and lose your confidence in no time. This happens because you are seeing many of the audience for the first time and you don’t know their background and their knowledge of the subject in which you are presenting.

The best way to overcome this fear is to go and attack the fear itself. That is come at least 10-15 minutes early to the conference room and start interacting with the people over there. This short span of connectivity with a few of the audience will release your tension.

When you occupy the stage for presenting, the first thing you need to do is gaze around the room, establish one-to-one eye contact, and give a confident smile to your audience whom you had just met before the start of the presentation.

Just gazing around the presentation hall will make you feel connected to everyone in the hall. Internally within your mind choose one of the audience and turn towards him/her make eye contact and deliver a few sentences, then proceed to the next audience and repeat the same set of steps.

This will make everyone in the room feel that you are talking directly to them. Make the audience feel that you are engaging with them personally for this topic, which makes them invest fully in your topic.

The third tip for making an effective research presentation is to welcome your audience. This means taking a few minutes to greet your audience, introduce yourself, and set the tone for your presentation. Here are a few ways you can welcome your audience:

Greet your audience: Start by greeting your audience with a smile and a warm welcome. This will help you establish a connection with your audience and put them at ease.
Introduce yourself: Introduce yourself to the audience and give a brief background on your expertise and how it relates to your presentation. This will help your audience understand your qualifications and why you’re the right person to be delivering the presentation.
Explain the purpose of your presentation: Explain to your audience why you’re presenting your research and what they can expect to learn from your presentation. This will help your audience understand the context of your research and what they can expect from your presentation.
Set the tone: Set the tone for your presentation by giving a brief overview of your presentation structure and what your audience can expect throughout your presentation. This will help your audience understand what to expect and keep them engaged.

Here are a few examples of how you can welcome your audience:

If you’re presenting to a group of industry professionals, welcome them by acknowledging their expertise and experience. This will show that you value their knowledge and experience.
If you’re presenting to a group of students or academics, welcome them by acknowledging their interest in your research area. This will help you establish a connection with your audience and show that you’re excited to share your research with them.
If you’re presenting to a mixed audience, welcome them by acknowledging their diversity and the different perspectives they bring to the presentation. This will help you set an inclusive tone and show that you’re open to different viewpoints.

Overall, welcoming your audience is an important aspect of delivering an effective research presentation. It helps you establish a connection with your audience, set the tone for your presentation, and keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation.

In my earlier days of presentations, I just used to go on stage and start my presentations without greeting anyone. Later I learned stage etiquette with the help of my fellow research scholars and underwent professional etiquette courses .

The fourth tip for making an effective research presentation is to adjust your voice. This means using your voice effectively to convey your message and engage your audience. Here are a few ways you can adjust your voice during your research presentation:

Speak clearly: Speak clearly and enunciate your words so that your audience can understand what you’re saying. Avoid speaking too fast or mumbling, which can make it difficult for your audience to follow your presentation.
Use a varied pace: Use a varied pace to keep your audience engaged. Speak slowly and clearly when you’re making important points, and speed up when you’re discussing less important points. This will help you maintain your audience’s attention throughout your presentation.
Use a varied pitch: Use a varied pitch to convey emotion and emphasize important points. Lower your pitch when you’re discussing serious or important topics, and raise your pitch when you’re excited or enthusiastic.
Use pauses: Use pauses to emphasize important points and give your audience time to reflect on what you’re saying. Pausing also helps to break up your presentation and make it easier for your audience to follow.

Here are a few examples of how you can adjust your voice during your research presentation:

If you’re discussing a complex or technical topic, speak slowly and clearly so that your audience can understand what you’re saying. Use pauses to emphasize important points and give your audience time to reflect on what you’re saying.
If you’re discussing an exciting or enthusiastic topic, raise your pitch and use a varied pace to convey your excitement to your audience. This will help you engage your audience and keep them interested in your presentation.
If you’re discussing a serious or emotional topic, lower your pitch and use a slower pace to convey the gravity of the situation. Use pauses to emphasize important points and give your audience time to process what you’re saying.

Overall, adjusting your voice is an important aspect of delivering an effective research presentation. It helps you convey your message clearly, engage your audience, and keep their attention throughout your presentation.

Many researchers are less talkative and speak with a very low voice and this makes their concepts unheard by other researchers. To overcome this drawback, they go for vocal coaching to improve their voice modulation.

Research Presentation Tip #5: Memorize your Opening Line

The fifth tip for making an effective research presentation is to memorize your opening line. This means having a powerful and memorable opening line that will grab your audience’s attention and set the tone for your presentation. Here are a few ways you can create a memorable opening line:

Use a quote or statistic: Start your presentation with a powerful quote or statistic that relates to your research. This will grab your audience’s attention and show them why your research is important.
Use a story or anecdote: Use a personal story or anecdote to illustrate the importance of your research. This will help you connect with your audience on an emotional level and show them why your research is relevant to their lives.
Ask a question: Ask your audience a thought-provoking question that relates to your research. This will help you engage your audience and get them thinking about your topic.

Once you’ve created a memorable opening line, it’s important to memorize it so that you can deliver it confidently and without hesitation. Here are a few examples of powerful opening lines:

“In the United States, someone dies of a drug overdose every seven minutes. Today, I want to talk to you about the opioid epidemic and what we can do to prevent it.”
“When I was a child, my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Today, I want to share with you the latest research on Alzheimer’s and what we can do to slow its progression.”
“Have you ever wondered why some people are more resilient than others? Today, I want to talk to you about the science of resilience and how we can use it to overcome adversity.”

Overall, memorizing your opening line is an important aspect of delivering an effective research presentation. It helps you grab your audience’s attention, set the tone for your presentation, and establish your credibility as a speaker.

Remembering the concepts at the right time and in the right sequence is critical for every researcher. Few of my research scholars face the problem of forgetting everything once they reach the stage for presentation. To overcome this difficulty I gift them with one of my favourite books on improving memory power: “Limitless by Jim Quick” . This book has changed many lives. You can also try.

Research Presentation Tip #6: Use the words “ ‘Think for while’, ‘Imagine’, ‘Think of’, ‘Close Your Eyes’ ”

The sixth tip for making an effective research presentation is to use specific phrases that encourage your audience to think, imagine, and engage with your presentation. Here are a few examples of phrases you can use to encourage your audience to engage with your presentation:

“Think for a moment about…” This phrase encourages your audience to reflect on a particular point or idea that you’ve just discussed. For example, “Think for a moment about the impact that climate change is having on our planet.”
“Imagine that…” This phrase encourages your audience to visualize a particular scenario or idea. For example, “Imagine that you’re living in a world without access to clean water. How would your daily life be affected?”
“Think of a time when…” This phrase encourages your audience to reflect on their own experiences and relate them to your presentation. For example, “Think of a time when you felt overwhelmed at work. How did you manage that stress?”
“Close your eyes and picture…” This phrase encourages your audience to use their imagination to visualize a particular scenario or idea. For example, “Close your eyes and picture a world without poverty. What would that look like?”

By using these phrases, you can encourage your audience to actively engage with your presentation and think more deeply about your research. Here are a few examples of how you might incorporate these phrases into your presentation:

“Think for a moment about the impact that our use of plastics is having on our environment. Each year, millions of tons of plastic end up in our oceans, harming marine life and polluting our planet.”
“Imagine that you’re a scientist working to develop a cure for a deadly disease. What kind of research would you conduct, and what challenges might you face?”
“Think of a time when you had to overcome a significant challenge. How did you persevere, and what lessons did you learn from that experience?”
“Close your eyes and picture a world where renewable energy is our primary source of power. What benefits would this have for our planet, and how can we work together to make this a reality?”

Overall, using phrases that encourage your audience to think and engage with your presentation is an effective way to make your research presentation more impactful and memorable.

The seventh tip for making an effective research presentation is to incorporate storytelling into your presentation. Storytelling is a powerful way to connect with your audience, illustrate your points, and make your research more engaging and memorable.

People love stories, but your story has to be relevant to your research. You can craft a story about an experience you had and tell how you could able to define your research problem based on the experience you had. This makes your presentation both interesting and incorporates information about the work you are carrying out.

Storytelling or sharing your own experience is the best way to connect with your audience. Many researchers use this technique and it remains one of the most critical pieces to becoming an effective presenter.

Here are a few examples of how you can incorporate storytelling into your presentation:

Personal stories: Use a personal story to illustrate the importance of your research. For example, if you’re researching a new cancer treatment, you might share a story about a friend or family member who has been affected by cancer. This personal connection can help your audience relate to your research on a more emotional level.
Case studies: Use a case study to illustrate how your research has been applied in the real world. For example, if you’re researching the impact of a new educational program, you might share a case study about a school that has implemented the program and seen positive results.
Historical examples: Use a historical example to illustrate the significance of your research. For example, if you’re researching the impact of climate change, you might share a story about the Dust Bowl of the 1930s to illustrate the devastating effects of drought and soil erosion.
Analogies: Use an analogy to explain complex concepts or ideas. For example, if you’re researching the workings of the brain, you might use the analogy of a computer to help your audience understand how neurons communicate with each other.

By incorporating storytelling into your presentation, you can help your audience connect with your research on a more personal level and make your presentation more memorable. Here are a few examples of how you might incorporate storytelling into your presentation:

“When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, I felt helpless and afraid. But thanks to the groundbreaking research that is being done in this field, we now have more treatment options than ever before. Today, I want to share with you the latest research on cancer treatments and what we can do to support those who are fighting this disease.”
“Imagine for a moment that you’re a small business owner trying to grow your online presence. You’ve heard that search engine optimization (SEO) is important for driving traffic to your website, but you’re not sure where to start. That’s where my research comes in. By analyzing millions of search queries, I’ve identified the key factors that search engines use to rank websites. Using this information, I’ve developed a new algorithm that can help businesses like yours optimize their websites for better search engine rankings. Imagine being able to reach more customers and grow your business, all thanks to this new algorithm. That’s the power of my research.”

In these examples, the speaker is using storytelling to help the audience understand the real-world impact of their research in a relatable way. By framing the research in terms of a relatable scenario, the speaker is able to engage the audience and make the research feel more relevant to their lives. Additionally, by highlighting the practical applications of the research, the speaker is able to demonstrate the value of the research in a tangible way.

Here I recommend without any second thought “ Storytelling with Data: A Data Visualization Guide for Business Professionals ” by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic. This is one of the powerful techniques to showcase data in the form of graphs and charts.

The eighth tip for making an effective research presentation is to incorporate facts and statistics into your presentation. Facts and statistics can help you communicate the significance of your research and make it more compelling to your audience.

Make your audience curious about your topic with a fact they didn’t know. Explaining the importance of your topic to your audience is essential. Showcasing data and statistics to prove a point remains a critical strategy not just at the beginning but also throughout. Statistics can be mind-numbing but if there is some compelling information that can help further the conversation.

Here are a few examples of how you might use facts and statistics in your research presentation:

Contextualize your research: Use statistics to provide context for your research. For example, if you’re presenting on the prevalence of a particular disease, you might start by sharing statistics on how many people are affected by the disease worldwide.
Highlight key findings: Use facts and statistics to highlight the key findings of your research. For example, if you’re presenting on new drug therapy, you might share statistics on the success rate of the therapy and how it compares to existing treatments.
Support your arguments: Use facts and statistics to support your arguments. For example, if you’re arguing that a particular policy change is needed, you might use statistics to show how the current policy is failing and why a change is necessary.
Visualize your data: Use graphs, charts, and other visual aids to help illustrate your data. This can make it easier for your audience to understand the significance of your research. For example, if you’re presenting on the impact of climate change, you might use a graph to show the rise in global temperatures over time.

Here’s an example of how you might use facts and statistics in a research presentation:

“Did you know that over 80% of internet users own a smartphone? That’s a staggering number when you think about it. And with the rise of mobile devices, it’s more important than ever for businesses to have a mobile-friendly website. That’s where my research comes in.

By analyzing user behaviour and website performance data, I’ve identified the key factors that make a website mobile-friendly. And the results are clear: mobile-friendly websites perform better in search engine rankings, have lower bounce rates, and are more likely to convert visitors into customers. By implementing the recommendations from my research, businesses can improve their online presence and reach more customers than ever before.”

In this example, the speaker is using statistics to provide context for their research (the high prevalence of smartphone ownership) and to support their argument (that businesses need to have mobile-friendly websites).

By emphasizing the benefits of mobile-friendly websites (better search engine rankings, lower bounce rates, and higher conversion rates), the speaker is able to make the research more compelling to their audience. Finally, by using concrete examples (implementing the recommendations from the research), the speaker is able to make the research feel actionable and relevant to the audience.

In my blog posts on the benefits of using graphs and tables in research presentations, I have presented different ways that these tools can enhance the impact and effectiveness of your research presentation. By incorporating graphs and tables, you can help your audience to engage more deeply with your research and better grasp the significance of your findings. To learn more about the benefits of using graphs and tables in research presentations, check out my blog posts listed below, on the subject.

Maximizing the Impact of Your Research Paper with Graphs and Charts
Best Practices for Designing and Formatting Tables in Research Papers

You can also refer the book “Information Visualization: An Introduction” for getting more clarity on the representation of facts and statistics.

Research Presentation Tip #9: Power of “Pause”

The ninth tip for making an effective research presentation is to use the power of “pause.” Pausing at key moments in your presentation can help you emphasize important points, allow your audience to process information, and create a sense of anticipation.

We are all uncomfortable when there is a pause. Yet incorporating pause into your presentation can be a valuable tool causing the audience to be attentive to what you are going to say next.

A pause is an effective way to grab attention. There are two ways you might use this technique. After you are introduced, walk on stage and say nothing. Simply pause for three to five seconds and wait for the full attention of the audience. It’s a powerful opening. Depending on the audience, you might need to pause for longer than five seconds.

At another point in your presentation, you might be discussing the results or you are about to provide important information, that’s when you pause to grab attention. You’ll probably feel uncomfortable when you first try this technique, but it’s worth mastering.

Here are a few examples of how you might use the power of the pause in your research presentation:

Emphasize key points: Pause briefly after making an important point to allow your audience to absorb the information. For example, if you’re presenting on the benefits of a new product, you might pause after stating the most compelling benefits to give your audience time to reflect on the information.
Create anticipation: Pause before revealing a key piece of information or making a surprising statement. This can create a sense of anticipation in your audience and keep them engaged. For example, if you’re presenting on the results of a study, you might pause before revealing the most surprising or unexpected finding.
Allow time for reflection: Pause after asking a thought-provoking question to give your audience time to reflect on their answer. This can help create a more interactive and engaging presentation. For example, if you’re presenting on the impact of social media on mental health, you might pause after asking the audience to reflect on their own social media use.
Control the pace: Use pauses to control the pace of your presentation. Pausing briefly before transitioning to a new topic can help you signal to your audience that you’re about to move on. This can help prevent confusion and make your presentation more organized.

Here’s an example of how you might use the power of the pause in a research presentation:

“Imagine being able to reduce the risk of heart disease by 50%. That’s the potential impact of my research. By analyzing the diets and lifestyles of over 10,000 participants, I’ve identified the key factors that contribute to heart disease. And the results are clear: by making a few simple changes to your diet and exercise routine, you can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease. So, what are these changes? Pause for effect. It turns out that the most important factors are a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, and limited alcohol consumption.”

In this example, the speaker is using the pause to create anticipation before revealing the most important findings of their research. By pausing before revealing the key factors that contribute to heart disease, the speaker is able to create a sense of anticipation and emphasize the importance of the information. By using the power of the pause in this way, the speaker is able to make their research presentation more engaging and memorable for the audience.

The tenth tip for making an effective research presentation is to quote a great researcher. By including quotes from respected researchers or experts in your field, you can add credibility to your presentation and demonstrate that your research is supported by other respected professionals.

Quoting someone who is a well-known researcher in your field is a great way to start any presentation. Just be sure to make it relevant to the purpose of your speech and presentation. If you are using slides, adding a picture of the person you are quoting will add more value to your presentation.

Here are a few examples of how you might use quotes in your research presentation:

Begin with a quote: Starting your presentation with a quote from a respected researcher can help set the tone and establish your credibility. For example, if you’re presenting on the benefits of exercise for mental health, you might begin with a quote from a well-known psychologist or psychiatrist who has researched the topic.
Use quotes to support your argument: Including quotes from experts who support your argument can help reinforce your ideas and add credibility to your presentation. For example, if you’re presenting on the importance of early childhood education, you might include a quote from a respected educational psychologist who has studied the topic.
Challenge conventional wisdom: Including quotes from experts who challenge conventional wisdom can help you make a more compelling argument and stand out from other presenters. For example, if you’re presenting on the effects of technology on social interaction, you might include a quote from a respected sociologist who argues that technology can actually improve social connections.
Add a personal touch: Including quotes from researchers who have inspired you personally can help you connect with your audience and add a more personal touch to your presentation. For example, if you’re presenting on the importance of diversity in the workplace, you might include a quote from a researcher who has inspired you to pursue your own research on the topic.

Here’s an example of how you might use a quote in a research presentation:

“As the great psychologist Abraham Maslow once said, ‘What a man can be, he must be.’ This quote perfectly captures the essence of my research on human potential. By analyzing the lives of highly successful individuals, I’ve identified the key factors that contribute to success. And the results are clear: by cultivating a growth mindset, setting ambitious goals, and surrounding yourself with supportive people, you can unlock your full potential and achieve greatness.”

In this example, the speaker is using a quote from a respected psychologist to support their argument about human potential. By including the quote, the speaker is able to add credibility to their presentation and demonstrate that their research is supported by other respected professionals in the field. By using quotes in this way, the speaker is able to make their research presentation more engaging and persuasive for the audience.

The eleventh tip for making an effective research presentation is to begin with a video. Using a video at the beginning of your presentation can capture the audience’s attention and help establish the theme of your talk

Video remains a powerful mechanism to begin a presentation. Limit your videos to 2–3 minutes. People like video, and it can capture their attention, but they can also tire of it easily. It gives the presenter and the attendees a break from each other. Sometimes, you just look for visible reactions from the audience that might provide a transition from video back to speaking. Conversely, for the attendees, the video provides a break from the speaker.

Here are a few examples of how you might use a video in your research presentation:

Introduce a new technology: Use a video to introduce a new technology or innovation that is related to your research. For example, if you’re presenting on the potential of artificial intelligence in healthcare, you might use a video that shows how AI is being used to detect cancer early.
Demonstrate a problem: Use a video to demonstrate a problem or challenge that your research is trying to solve. For example, if you’re presenting on the importance of cybersecurity in the finance industry, you might use a video that shows how easily hackers can gain access to sensitive financial information.
Showcase your research: Use a video to showcase your own research and the methods you used to conduct it. For example, if you’re presenting on a new algorithm for image recognition, you might use a video that shows how the algorithm works in action.
Add a personal touch: Use a video to share a personal story or experience that relates to your research. For example, if you’re presenting on the impact of technology on society, you might use a video that shows how technology has changed your own life.

Here’s an example of how you might use a video at the beginning of a research presentation in computer science:

“Before I dive into my research on the potential of blockchain technology in supply chain management, I want to show you a video that demonstrates the challenges that the industry currently faces. As you’ll see, there are numerous pain points that blockchain could help to address, from tracking the provenance of goods to reducing fraud and counterfeiting. By leveraging the power of blockchain, we can create a more transparent, efficient, and secure supply chain for everyone involved.”

In this example, the speaker is using a video to demonstrate a problem or challenge that their research is trying to solve. By showing the audience the current pain points in supply chain management, the speaker is able to establish the need for blockchain technology and capture the audience’s attention. By using a video in this way, the speaker is able to make their research presentation more engaging and impactful for the audience.

One sincere piece of advice while preparing the video is not to install the full video and start searching for the clip to be displayed to the audience. If you show this side or that side of the video content not relevant to the context, the audience may lose patience and drift away from the presentation. This shows your unpreparedness for the presentation. I suggest you go ahead with professional video editing software to edit your video before showing it to your audience.

When giving a research presentation, it’s important to sound confident and knowledgeable. However, using too many filler words such as “ok”, “so”, and “umms” can make you sound unsure of yourself and can distract from the content of your presentation.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid using too many filler words:

Practice your presentation: One of the best ways to reduce the use of filler words is to practice your presentation. By rehearsing what you want to say, you’ll become more comfortable with the content and won’t need to rely on filler words as much.
Use a script: If you’re prone to using filler words, consider writing out a script for your presentation. This will help you stay on track and avoid unnecessary pauses or verbal crutches.
Record yourself: Another helpful strategy is to record yourself giving your presentation. By listening back to the recording, you can identify any filler words or other verbal tics and work on eliminating them in future presentations.
Take pauses: Instead of relying on filler words to fill pauses in your presentation, try taking intentional pauses. This will help you gather your thoughts and emphasize important points.

Here’s an example of how to avoid using too many filler words in a research presentation:

“Today, I want to talk to you about the impact of machine learning on cybersecurity. Ok, so, umm, as you all know, cybersecurity is a critical issue for businesses and organizations. But did you know that machine learning can help to identify and mitigate cyber threats before they become a major problem? By using algorithms to analyze data, we can create more effective security protocols and protect sensitive information from being compromised. So, in conclusion, machine learning has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach cybersecurity.”

In this example, the speaker is using several filler words throughout the presentation, which can detract from the content and make them sound less confident. By practising their presentation and focusing on eliminating filler words, the speaker can deliver a more polished and engaging presentation that highlights the important points.

Many presenters, though have good content fail to impress the audience by using too many “ok” “so” and “umms” which shows a lack of good communication skills. This can be due to stage fear/poor preparation/happen unconsciously.

Such filler words can ruin your credibility despite how innocent they look. One tip for avoiding this annoying habit is to practice your speech or presentation multiple times beforehand in front of your supervisor/research scholars / yourself in front of the mirror. If you are hesitant then the best option is to record your speech on your mobile and check for the mistakes unconsciously you make.

Giving a good research presentation as a keynote speaker is an excellent opportunity to showcase your expertise and knowledge in your research domain. As a keynote speaker, you can communicate your research findings, methodologies, and the impact of your research to a wider audience.

A well-delivered presentation can also demonstrate your ability to engage with diverse stakeholders and effectively communicate complex ideas. This can be an advantage when looking for research consultancy work, as potential clients or employers can assess your ability to deliver quality work, understand their needs, and provide innovative solutions to their problems.

If you are interested in exploring research consultancy jobs, check out the link Research Consultancy: An Alternate Career for Researchers to discover some exciting opportunities in your research domain.

Delivering a successful research presentation requires careful planning, practice, and attention to detail. By starting confidently, making eye contact with your audience, and using effective communication techniques like storytelling and statistics, you can engage your audience and communicate your research findings in a compelling way.

Remember to adjust your voice, avoid filler words, and take intentional pauses to keep your audience engaged and focused. By following these tips and incorporating your own unique style and perspective, you can deliver a powerful and memorable research presentation that showcases your expertise and leaves a lasting impression.

Frequently Asked Questions

As a speaker at a research conference, it’s important to dress professionally and appropriately to make a positive impression on the audience and fellow researchers. Here are some general guidelines for what to wear: Business Formal Attire : Most research conferences have a business formal dress code. This typically means wearing a suit or dress pants/skirt with a collared shirt/blouse. For men, a suit with a tie is appropriate, and for women, a pantsuit or a skirt/dress with a blazer is a good choice. Neutral and Classic Colors : Stick to neutral and classic colours like black, navy, grey, or beige for a polished and sophisticated look. Avoid loud or overly bright colors and patterns that may distract from your presentation. Comfortable and Well-Fitted Clothing : Ensure that your clothing fits well and is comfortable to wear for an extended period. This will help you feel more at ease during your presentation. Appropriate Footwear : Wear closed-toe shoes that are comfortable and complement your outfit. For men, dress shoes are ideal, and for women, low-heeled pumps or flats are a good choice. Minimal Accessories : Keep your accessories simple and minimal. A wristwatch, small earrings, and a modest necklace can add a touch of elegance without being distracting. Grooming and Hygiene : Pay attention to personal grooming and hygiene. Make sure your hair is well-groomed, and avoid heavy cologne or perfume, as some attendees may be sensitive to strong scents. Bring Layers : Conference venues can sometimes be chilly due to air conditioning, so consider bringing a light sweater or jacket that complements your outfit. Check the Conference Theme : Occasionally, research conferences may have specific themes or cultural considerations. In such cases, you can subtly incorporate elements related to the theme or culture into your outfit if appropriate. You can visit my blog post on ” How to dress for academic / research conferences ” for further details.

Absolutely! Sharing your conference presentation slides with the audience after your talk can be a great way to provide additional value to those who attended your presentation and those who couldn’t make it to the event.

As an invited speaker at a research conference, it is generally expected and encouraged to entertain questions from the audience during or after your presentation. Q&A sessions are a valuable part of academic conferences as they allow attendees to engage with the speaker, seek clarifications, and gain further insights into the research being presented. However, a few speakers as well as the audience may get distracted by the questions asked during the presentation. Check your preparedness and the mood of the audience and then decide.

Tips for a Successful Q&A Session: Be Prepared : Anticipate potential questions that may arise from your presentation and be prepared to answer them. This will boost your confidence during the Q&A. Encourage Questions : After your presentation, let the audience know that you welcome their questions. Creating a supportive and inclusive environment will encourage more participation. Active Listening : Listen carefully to each question and ensure you understand it before responding. If a question is unclear, ask for clarification to provide the best possible answer. Be Respectful and Professional : Even if you receive challenging or critical questions, respond in a respectful and professional manner. Avoid becoming defensive and maintain a positive tone. Manage Time : If there’s a specific time allocated for the Q&A session, manage it effectively so that you can address as many questions as possible without exceeding the allocated time.

How to handle questions where I don’t know the answers in my presentation?

Handling a question during your presentation when you don’t know the answer is a common scenario, and it’s essential to respond gracefully and professionally. Here’s how to handle such situations: Stay Calm and Composed : Take a deep breath and remain calm. It’s okay not to know the answer to every question, and the audience understands that. Acknowledge the Question : Show appreciation for the question and the person who asked it. You can say something like, “Thank you for the question; that’s an interesting point to consider.” Be Honest : It’s best to be honest if you don’t know the answer. Avoid making up information or guessing as it can harm your credibility. Admit You Don’t Know : You can respond with a polite acknowledgement that you don’t have the information at hand. For example, say, “I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to that question right now.” Offer to Follow Up : Express your willingness to find the answer later. You can say, “I’ll make sure to look into this further and get back to you with an answer.” Redirect the Question : If appropriate, you can redirect the question to the audience or to someone who might have more expertise on the topic. Stay Positive : Maintain a positive tone throughout your response. Avoid apologizing excessively or sounding defensive. Bridge to Related Topics : If you can’t answer the specific question, try to bridge it to related topics you are familiar with. This way, you can still contribute to the discussion. Use It as a Learning Opportunity : If the question raises a valid point you haven’t considered before, acknowledge it as a learning opportunity. You can say, “That’s an excellent question, and it gives me something to think about.” Learn for the Future : After the presentation, take note of the questions you couldn’t answer and use them as a basis for further research or study. This will help you better prepare for similar situations in the future.

Upcoming Events

Visit the Upcoming International Conferences at Exotic Travel Destinations with Travel Plan
Visit for Research Internships Worldwide

Research strategies - Lesson presentation

Presentation with instructional support to understand research strategies.

This lesson presentation facilitates a discussion between students and educators about strategies that can be used during the research process. Pair this lesson presentation with the Research planning worksheet to guide students in effective research practices. Download this file to use the presentation as is or to customize the information to suit your needs. NOTE: Open in Google slides for proper formatting and access to hyperlinked resources.

Research Strategies

Aug 04, 2014

590 likes | 1.12k Views

Research Strategies. Module Two. Starts with Critical Thinking. Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions Examines Assumptions Discerns hidden values Evaluates evidence Assesses conclusions. And a scientific attitude. Three main components Curious eagerness

Share Presentation

family psychology
independent variable
advantages ex post facto
groups random sampling easy
scientific community

Presentation Transcript

Research Strategies Module Two

Starts with Critical Thinking Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions • Examines Assumptions • Discernshidden values • Evaluates evidence • Assessesconclusions

And a scientific attitude • Three main components • Curious eagerness • Skeptically scrutinize competing ideas • Open-minded humility before nature

Scientific Method • Developing a hypothesis • Performing a controlled test • Gathering objective data • Analyzing the result/Survival of Hypothesis (refine hypothesis and retest) • Publishing, criticizing and replicating the results

Scientific MethodResearch Process • Developing a research question • Surveying the literature • Hypothesis • Identify: Independent variable/Dependent variable/Extraneous variables • Controls • Sampling/Subjects • Procedure • Results/Statistics • Discussion • New Hypothesis

Step One: Developing a hypothesis • Theory • An idea, which hasn’t been disproven • An explanation using an integrated set of principles that organizes and predicts observations • Hypothesis • Atestable prediction • Often implied by a theory • MUSTbe defined operationally • CAN BE CONFIRMED OR REFUTED!!

What makes a good theory? • Effectively organizes a range of self-reports and observations • Implies clear predictions that anyone can use to check the theory

Types of Studies • Descriptive • Observation • Naturalistic • Laboratory • Case Study • Individual • Depth • Problems? • Surveys • Random sampling of a population • Strengths? • Weakness? • Correlational • Longitudinal • One group over time • Cross Sectional • Multiple groups at one time • Cohort-Sequential • Experimental

Descriptive Studies

Case Studies Disadvantages In-depth, detailed information about the case Opportunity to study unusual cases Suggests further study Results cannot be generalized Prone to inaccurate reporting from source Cannot be used to establish cause-and-effect relationships Biased researcher? Advantages Ex Post Facto: “After the fact” selection

Surveys Disadvantages Large Groups Random Sampling Easy! Bias in questioning Reporting Challenges False Consensus Effect (tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors Advantages

A Little More on Bias Expectation Bias When you allow expectations to affect the outcome of a study Personal Bias When you allow personal beliefs to affect the outcome of a study

Naturalistic Observation Describes, does not explain, behavior • Used to research • Child-rearing practices • People’s shopping habits • Public courting behaviors

Correlational Studies

Correlational Studies Disadvantages Examine, test, reveal, compare or describe relationship between two variables Efficient, collect lots of data Make predictions Dispel illusory correlations Utilize preexisting or archival data Cannot establish cause-and-effect Prone to inaccurate reporting Hard to access the impact of additional variables Do not allow for the active manipulation of variables. Advantages

Experimental Studies Experimentation The investigator manipulates one or more factorsto observe their effect on some behavior or mental process while controlling other relevant factors by random assignment of subjects

Step Two: Setting up the test • Independent Variable • The experimental factor that is manipulated • Causes something to happen • The variable whose effect is being studied • X-Axis • Dependent Variable • The experimental factor that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable • In psychology it is usually a behavior or mental process, or test. • Effect of the independent variable • Y-Axis • Extraneous Variable • All the other things which may affect the dependent variable • Confounding Variable • Systematically affect the relationship between IV and DV and act like IVs

Experiments and Controls • Experimental Group: gets the independent variable • Control Group: no change • Purpose • Comparison • Ensure that all groups in the experiment are treated equally except for the manipulation of the independent variable. • Set Up • Random Assignment • Double Blind Studies

Experiment Design

Experimental Disadvantages Can establish cause-and-effect Operationalization of variables Stresses the control of variables Can implement double-blind or blind procedures High internal validity May be replicated Reduce external validity Difficult to establish adequate control conditions Statistical probability of bias Advantages

Step Three: Interpret the Data More on this to come!

Step Four: Replication • Can the work withstand the scrutiny of the scientific community? • Roughly 2% of the papers submitted to psychological journals get into print without major revisions. • Often publish their results in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION or the JOURNAL OF FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY et.al. • Critics will look for flaws in the research. • Then it is repeated • Repeating the essence of a research study to see whether the basic finding generalizes to other subjects and circumstances • Usually with different subjects in different situations

More by User

RESEARCH STRATEGIES

RESEARCH STRATEGIES. Bambang Subali Biological Edu . Dept. Research purposes (Kirk, R,E (1995). Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences. Pacific Grove: Brooks Cole Publishing Company). To explore To describe or classify To establish relationship, and

229 views • 14 slides

Research Strategies. Geoffrey Fox November 2 2007. Research Strategy. Always aim to do world-class work and structure research strategy and proposals to reflect this It is very unlikely that your nifty idea is new unless you are really familiar with field

347 views • 9 slides

Research Strategies. Vista Murrieta High School Library Mrs. Jacobs Library Media Teacher. Key Word Searching. Brainstorm words that will describe your topic Check spelling and typing Balance Information overload Information deficit. Print Use Broader terms: Environment

408 views • 21 slides

Research Strategies. Kelly A. Shaw University of Richmond. Goals for Research. Stay current Stay connected Stay published / relevant Stay energized. Specific Strategy 1: Read and Reflect. Read a paper/chapter every week Find a buddy to keep you on track

443 views • 22 slides

International Research Strategies

International Research Strategies . Removing Barriers to Implementation in Norway, New Zealand and the UK. Learning Outcomes . At the end of this session you will: have acquired a basic knowledge of the HE context of Norway, the UK and New Zealand

385 views • 24 slides

Research Strategies. Search Engines. Google Google Scholar ( www.scholar.google.com ) Yippy ( www.yippy.com ) Alta Vista ( www.altavista.com ) Yahoo! ( www.yahoo.com ) MSN ( www.msn.com ). Other Places to Search. Internet Public Library ( www.ipl.org )

173 views • 8 slides

Research Strategies. Pearl DeSure and Sarah Gilman University of Hawaii-West Oahu Library March 20 th , 2014. Narrowing Strategy 1: Aspect. Focus on a particular ASPECT of the topic: Not: GMOs But: What are the physical effects of GMOs?. Narrowing Strategy 2: Time.

357 views • 15 slides

Research Strategies. Learning Commons Seneca@York. Game Plan for today. I’ll talk for 20-30 minutes A hands-on exercise, 10-15 minutes I’ll talk about information evaluation and plagiarism issues for 5-10 minutes. Know the Rules of the “Game”. Know where to look.

430 views • 28 slides

Internet Research Strategies

Internet Research Strategies. What is the Internet ? International Network of Computers Universities Government Business Organizations Individuals Information ranges from highly informative to absolute junk. What is a Search Engine?

492 views • 35 slides

Research Strategies. Pearl DeSure and Sarah Gilman University of Hawaii-West Oahu Library April 3 rd , 2014. Narrowing a Topic. Narrowing Strategy 1: Aspect. Focus on a particular ASPECT of the topic: Not: GMOs But: What are the physical effects of GMOs?. Narrowing Strategy 2: Time.

293 views • 19 slides

Research Strategies. Mrs. Jacobs Teacher Librarian VMHS. Mission Statement/Goals. The Mission of the Vista Murrieta High School Library is to create a supportive learning environment that fosters an appreciation of literature, information literacy, and lifelong learning. Hours and Procedures.

258 views • 16 slides

Reviewing Research Strategies

Reviewing Research Strategies. How to Zero in on Sources for Your Research Paper. Cite only scholarly sources. Wikipedia is a great place to start… …but you can’t cite it!. Be certain your sources are scholarly, not popular. Academic (peer-reviewed) journals

214 views • 13 slides

Research Strategies. Chapter 6. Research steps. Introduction & Literature Review Identify a new idea for research, Form a hypothesis and a prediction, Methodology Define and measure your variables, Sampling How to treat them ethically, Select a research strategy.

282 views • 26 slides

Library Research Strategies

Library Research Strategies. PO 297: Honors Seminar Inequality & Politics Prof. Kay Schlozman. Michelle Baildon [email protected] http://www2.bc.edu/~baildon/. Tell Me, Please:. How do I get the library information I need . . . . . . at O’Neill? . . . at BC? . . . in Boston?

235 views • 23 slides

105 views • 9 slides

I. Research Strategies

I. Research Strategies. Module 02. A. Research Methodology. Method of asking questions then drawing logical supported conclusions Researchers need to be able to determine if conclusions are reasonable or not (critical thinking). 1. Scientific Method.

565 views • 53 slides

Library Research Strategies. HS300-70: History of Racism Prof. Benjamin Braude. Michelle Baildon [email protected] http://www.bc.edu/libraries/services/ref-instruc/s-xbaildon/. So What’s the Point?. Yes, to learn about Quest, databases, etc.

163 views • 16 slides

Research Strategies. Chapter 6. Research steps. Literature Review identify a new idea for research, form a hypothesis and a prediction, Methodology define and measure your variables, sampling how to treat them ethically, the next step is to select a research strategy.

354 views • 30 slides

Research Strategies. Dr. Ramchandran Sethuraman Long Beach City College The ideas for the Powerpoint presentation are drawn and used with permission from the CSU system. Defining your research topic. Use critical thinking skills State your topic as a question Identify concepts

226 views • 20 slides

Researched by Consultants from Top-Tier Management Companies

Powerpoint Templates

Icon Bundle

Kpi Dashboard

Professional

Business Plans

Swot Analysis

Gantt Chart

Business Proposal

Marketing Plan

Project Management

Business Case

Business Model

Cyber Security

Business PPT

Digital Marketing

Digital Transformation

Human Resources

Product Management

Artificial Intelligence

Company Profile

Acknowledgement PPT

PPT Presentation

Reports Brochures

One Page Pitch

Interview PPT

All Categories

Top 20 Research and Innovation PPT Templates To Get A Competitive Edge

What pumps big brands like Apple and Google to feature in the top-most global ranking charts? How do they generate stellar revenues even after spending millions of dollars? Without an ounce of doubt, the answer lies in “Research and Innovation”. Yes! Research and innovation acts as a fuel for brands that often makes them world-class performers . It is the methodology that leverages business productivity and helps entrepreneurs ace the market.

Organizations face changes now and then. So it is quintessential to research the latest market trends and apply innovative thinking to execute the expected business results. Certain factors guide why research and innovation are significant to run an organization. Let’s take a look at them:

For Customer’s Changing Preferences

To beat new competitors, for stabilized market positioning, employee engagement, don’t lose momentum.

The key takeaways mentioned above will give you groundbreaking outcomes. Whether you are running an organization for a long-time or just a newbie who has opened a start-up, the idea to adapt research and innovation will never misfire. Be the Sherlock Holmes (we won't ignore his obsession with solving cases) of your business and tackle every challenge that comes your way before it pins you down. Take your time and re-analyze why you should move forward with these research and innovation bullet-points……! These ellipses and the exclamation mark were your thought-process countdown. Now that you have processed your mindmap , it's time for you to make another decision by grabbing our top 20 research and innovation PPT templates. Designed by industry experts, these templates will help you devise your research and innovation strategies effectively. The best advantage is that they are fully-customizable, which means you can alter their features and content conveniently. Have a doubt? Just click on the template, download it, and personalize it right away! And here we go!

Top 20 Research and Innovation PPT Templates

Research on business topics and share your innovative thoughts with fellow employees conveniently by utilizing our content-ready template. The deck comprises a total of 23 slides that have enough information pertaining to your business needs. Our designers have used an amazing background in this template that will enhance your subject.

Organizational Innovation PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Take advantage of this template to present the best business ideas before your audience. In this, you can showcase your out-of-the-box thoughts that help your business grow. The deck includes attractive graphics and icons that make your presentation awe-inspiring.

Download Business Plan Innovation PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Research on the new project topic and bring to the table your creative ideas by using our readymade slide. The template comes with enough room for you to add and tweak the content as per your business requirements.

Take advantage of this template and convey your views to the audience. The deck showcases the image of a bulb that depicts the meaning of generating innovative thoughts. There are various high-grade icons present in the template that enhance the look and feel of your presentation.

Innovation Slide Business Teamwork Strategy

Apply this visually-attractive template to your presentation and impress the viewers instantly. The dark background with appealing color, image, and text will hold the audience’s attention in a single go. Jot down the informative content in this slide to make your presentation much meaningful.

Download Brainstorming Generating New Ideas Innovation Imagination

Research on various business topics and implement unique ideas to meet the target. With the aid of this deck, you can mention extraordinary and innovative ideas that help your business stand out from the competition.

Download Business Model Innovation Framework PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Update your social media handle by suggesting innovative ideas to the directors. This deck provides you content that helps your digital media channels grow effectively. Also, you can jot down the plan that enhances the traffic of your website. You can modify the color, font, and text present in this template according to your business requirements.

Download Digital Innovation In Business PowerPoint Presentation Slides

Employ this creatively-designed template to showcase your business ideation and planning. Grab this template to communicate your fresh strategies with the stakeholders. The icons and colors used in this slide will make your presentation more professional.

Download Research And Innovation Showing Ideation And Planning

Make your research and ideas recognizable by utilizing our topic-specific template. The deck helps you present your views towards a business subject carefully. By utilizing this template, you can share your thoughts with the readers and gain acknowledgment from them.

Research And Innovation Showing Idea Plan

Template 10

Research on sales enhancement and highlight your core ideas about the same in our professionally-designed template. The deck comprises a total of 10 slides that include relevant information about the innovation framework. So download the template right away and share your creative thoughts with business associates.

Download Innovation Management Analyse Create Opportunities Results Think

Template 11

Talk about your latest innovations with the help of this aesthetically-pleasing template. The vibrant colors used in this deck will make your content appealing and leave a great impression on the viewers. Personalize this template and make your presentation look unique.

Innovation Idea Funnel Process Framework

Template 12

Take the assistance of this attractive template to highlight the ideas that help your business achieve the target. There are many other business facets that you can research to generate ideas. So, make your thought process strong and share your message by using this pre-designed innovation template.

Download Innovation Strategy Framework Light Bulb Connections Formulation Success Approaches

Template 13

This engaging template is here to assist you in fulfilling your business requirements. Take a look at the striking image present in the slide that builds your viewer's interest at once. There is ample space provided for you to address your effective ideas and plans.

Template 14

Use this template to showcase the research and innovation approach you follow to achieve business objectives. The slide is completely editable and can be changed into various file formats. Grab the slide and start showcasing your work to the viewers.

Download Research And Innovation Showing Ideation And Define

Template 15

Research on marketing tactics and gather ideas that help you launch your product successfully in the market. You can state your creative thoughts in this ready-to-use template and impress your bosses.

Research And Innovation Showing Ideate Planning And Launch

Template 16

Incorporate this template to figure out the thoughtful ideas of your employees. The slide has been designed professionally by our experts for your convenience. The best part about this slide is that the images used in it do not pixelate. Hence, you can download and present it in any screen setting.

Download Innovation Management Bulb Info Graphics

Template 17

Throw light on your special set of opinions by employing our easily accessible template. The colorful icons shown in the slide will make your ideas more clear and recognizable. Make changes in this slide and apply to your presentation.

Template 18

Discover new strategies to leverage your brand position in the marketplace and share them with the employees by using this slide. The image present in the template justifies your content and makes it more noticeable in the viewers’ eyes.

Download Innovation Strategy Defines Communication Purpose Product Innovation And Commitment

Template 19

Use this template to inculcate creative thinking within your organization. In this slide, you can add pointers to highlight your different thoughts and strategies. Make your content informative and knowledgeable that helps you easily connect with the readers.

Research And Innovation Showing Empathy Define And Ideate

Template 20

Present your research and innovation techniques to the investors by utilizing our readily-available template. The slide includes different sections with which you can make your subject more interesting.

Download Research And Innovation Showing Idea Plan And Implementation

Research and innovation nullify the business hardships that, in a way, help corporate strategists deliver an unbeatable performance. So give neck-and-neck competition to your rivals and continue to thrive in the market by incorporating our top 20 research and innovation templates.

P.S. Without effective communication, you can never build a productive relationship with your colleagues or clients. So check out how a communication plan can help you achieve that!

[Updated 2023] Top 20 Hiring and Recruitment Templates in PowerPoint PPT
[Updated 2023] Top 20 Organizational Behavior Presentation Templates for PowerPoint!!
Drive Customer Satisfaction With Our Top 20 Total Quality Management(TQM) Templates for PowerPoint!!
Top 25 Most Effective Business Proposal Templates (includes One Pagers and Full proposals) To Impress Your Clients

Liked this blog? Please recommend us

Top 10 5-Year Transformation Roadmap Plans For Planning Ahead

5 Quick Business Takeaways from Avengers: Endgame

[Updated 2023] Top 35 Timeline And Milestone Templates for Clearly Visualizing A Project's Progress

Top 25 Business Action Plan Templates to Map Out Winning Company Strategies

5 Digital Marketing Lessons To Scale Your Brand in 2021 – Top 10 Templates Included

This form is protected by reCAPTCHA - the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Digital revolution powerpoint presentation slides

Sales funnel results presentation layouts

3d men joinning circular jigsaw puzzles ppt graphics icons

Business Strategic Planning Template For Organizations Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Future plan powerpoint template slide

Project Management Team Powerpoint Presentation Slides

Brand marketing powerpoint presentation slides

Launching a new service powerpoint presentation with slides go to market

Agenda powerpoint slide show

Four key metrics donut chart with percentage

Engineering and technology ppt inspiration example introduction continuous process improvement

Meet our team representing in circular format

Got any suggestions?

We want to hear from you! Send us a message and help improve Slidesgo

american history

76 templates

great barrier reef

17 templates

39 templates

Research Presentation templates

Customize our free themes and templates for google slides or powerpoint and explain what your research is about. these designs are easy to edit, so that will speed things up.

It seems that you like this template!

Formal research paper slideshow.

Have you seen these slides? They are perfect for presenting your research paper! First of all, because we have included all the necessary sections of this type of work, such as hypothesis, objectives, methodology, analysis and the conclusions of the paper. The second reason is that the formal style will...

Project Research Infographics presentation template

Premium template

Unlock this template and gain unlimited access

Project Research Infographics

Download the "Project Research Infographics" template for PowerPoint or Google Slides and discover the power of infographics. An infographic resource gives you the ability to showcase your content in a more visual way, which will make it easier for your audience to understand your topic. Slidesgo infographics like this set...

Urinary Tract Infection Detection Breakthrough

Download the Urinary Tract Infection Detection Breakthrough presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides.Treating diseases involves a lot of prior research and clinical trials. But whenever there’s a new discovery, a revolutionary finding that opens the door to new treatments, vaccines or ways to prevent illnesses, it’s great news. Should there...

Pregnancy Breakthrough

Giving birth to a baby is a beautiful occasion, a manifestation of love between two people. Obstetrics are key during pregnancy, so how about giving a presentation about the latest breakthrough in this field? Our free medical template will come in handy.

Genocides in History Thesis Defense

Download the Genocides in History Thesis Defense presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Congratulations, you have finally finished your research and made it to the end of your thesis! But now comes the big moment: the thesis defense. You want to make sure you showcase your research in the best...

The Arab Spring Movement Thesis Defense

Download the The Arab Spring Movement Thesis Defense presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Congratulations, you have finally finished your research and made it to the end of your thesis! But now comes the big moment: the thesis defense. You want to make sure you showcase your research in the...

Surrealism Influence Thesis Defense

Download the Surrealism Influence Thesis Defense presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Congratulations, you have finally finished your research and made it to the end of your thesis! But now comes the big moment: the thesis defense. You want to make sure you showcase your research in the best way...

Oncology Breakthrough

Download the Oncology Breakthrough presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides.Treating diseases involves a lot of prior research and clinical trials. But whenever there’s a new discovery, a revolutionary finding that opens the door to new treatments, vaccines or ways to prevent illnesses, it’s great news. Should there be a medical...

Research Project Proposal

Before embarking yourself on a new project, especially if it’s about research, you need to set out a proposal to explain its viability. Here at Slidesgo we’re offering this theme that you can actually use for any kind of project, regardless of the topic.

Economics Thesis

If numbers, exchange rates, money and trading are your forte, odds are you’re already working on an economics thesis for your master’s degree. Defending your dissertation is the last step and the most difficult one, but Slidesgo can help you. Here’s our new free presentation template with a focus on...

Analysis of Karl Marx's Ideas Thesis Defense

Download the Analysis of Karl Marx's Ideas Thesis Defense presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Congratulations, you have finally finished your research and made it to the end of your thesis! But now comes the big moment: the thesis defense. You want to make sure you showcase your research in...

Elegant Black & White Thesis Defense

Present your research findings with grace and assertiveness through this template. Available for Google Slides and PowerPoint, this design set offers minimalistic charm with its simple, gray scale elegance. The template not only provides a polished platform to showcase your thesis but also ensures seamless and efficient delivery of your...

Sleep Apnea Syndrome Breakthrough

Download the Sleep Apnea Syndrome Breakthrough presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides.Treating diseases involves a lot of prior research and clinical trials. But whenever there’s a new discovery, a revolutionary finding that opens the door to new treatments, vaccines or ways to prevent illnesses, it’s great news. Should there be...

AP Research Defense for High School

AP, or Advanced Placement, is a North American educational program that offers a rigorous course designed to challenge and prepare high school students for their future careers and academic pursuits. It requires students to conduct independent research, write a lengthy academic paper, and present their findings to a panel of...

Data Analysis for Marketing Strategies

With the amount of data available through various digital platforms, it's easier than ever to determine the trends and preferences of your target audience. By collecting and analyzing data, marketers can create highly personalized campaigns that align with the exact needs and wants of their customers. If you're trying to...

Nursing Capstone

In medical contexts, a capstone is often the final course in a nursing degree, a project of vital importance. It’s very demanding, so if you need help with the presentation, use this free professional template. Leave the design to us and focus on your data!

Research Methods Lesson

If you deal with Science, it’s important to learn more about research methods. Teach your students about them with this presentation full of illustrations and drawings related to labs. Use graphs, maps, tables and overview diagrams to support your lecture in a visual way!

SWOT Analysis Infographics

Discover the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your own company performing a SWOT analysis. Use this basic strategic planning to evaluate your position with these new infographics created by Slidesgo.

Page 1 of 93

Register for free and start editing online

My presentations

Auth with social network:

Download presentation

We think you have liked this presentation. If you wish to download it, please recommend it to your friends in any social system. Share buttons are a little bit lower. Thank you!

Presentation is loading. Please wait.

Research-Based Strategies

Published by Willis Harrison Modified over 6 years ago

Presentation on theme: "Research-Based Strategies"— Presentation transcript:

Roosevelt Complex Improving Student Achievement. Complex Journey One Vision One Vision High School Graduate High School Graduate 6 GLOs.

Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works Session 1.

Teacher Effectiveness Group Members: J.P. Espinoza, Kim Hackworth, Erik Hollis, Isaiah Locke, Jacob Moeller.

Math Review.

Alignment of Virginia Kindergarten through Grade 5 SOL, Essential Skills (Cognitive Domain) and Instructional/Assessment Strategies Purpose: The intended.

Stepping up for Success on the Math SOL:

Cooperative Learning Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement Compiled from: Classroom Instruction That Works! By: Robert J. Marzano,

5-Minute Check 1) 5 x 7 2) 7 x 70 3) 9 x 20 4) 4 x 800 5) 6 x ) The each person to eat for one week is $200. Find the total cost for a family of.

What kind of task will help students synthesize their learning?

Strategies provided by: Robert J. Marzano Debra J. Pickering

Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works January 2011.

Robert Marzano.

Curriculum & Staff Development Center

Homework and Practice: An Overview Early Release Day Session #1 East Elementary September 2009.

For 6-12 Social Studies Classroom Instruction That Works 6-12 Social Studies.

Marzano’s Non-linguistic Representations

Marzano Instructional Strategies. Research-Based Instruction Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock reviewed hundreds of studies on instructional.

Prepared for the Professional Learning Communities of the Montana Educators’ Summer Institute by Dan Mulligan, June 2008 Mining for Diamonds in the Rough.

Prepared for the HCPS K – 2 Collaborative Learning Team Members of HENRY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS by Dan Mulligan, Ed. D., flexiblecreativity.com, (twitter:

50 POINTS50 POINTS50 POINTS 100 POINTS 200 POINTS Elvis Organizing Theme: Things someone would say… Bill Clinton MadonnaMickey Mouse Aretha Franklin Mohammad.

About project

Open access
Published: 27 May 2024

Developing and planning country-specific integrated knowledge translation strategies: experiences from the GELA project in Malawi, Nigeria, and South Africa

Bey-Marrié Schmidt 1 na1 ,
D. Mabetha 2 na1 ,
M. Chibuzor 3 ,
G. Kunje 4 ,
D. Arikpo 3 ,
E. Aquaisua 3 ,
S. Lakudzala 4 ,
N. Mbeye 4 ,
E. Effa 3 ,
S. Cooper 5 &
T. Kredo 1

BMC Public Health volume 24 , Article number: 1418 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

The G lobal E vidence, L ocal A daptation (GELA) project aims to maximise the impact of research on poverty-related diseases by increasing researchers’ and decision-makers’ capacity to use global research to develop locally relevant guidelines for newborn and child health in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa. To facilitate ongoing collaboration with stakeholders, we adopted an Integrated Knowledge Translation (IKT) approach within GELA. Given limited research on IKT in African settings, we documented our team’s IKT capacity and skills, and process and experiences with developing and implementing IKT in these countries.

Six IKT champions and a coordinator formed the GELA IKT Working Group. We gathered data on our baseline IKT competencies and processes within GELA, and opportunities, challenges and lessons learned, from April 2022 to March 2023 (Year 1). Data was collected from five two-hour Working Group meetings (notes, presentation slides and video recordings); [ 2 ] process documents (flowcharts and templates); and [ 3 ] an open-ended questionnaire. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

Three overarching themes were identified: [ 1 ] IKT approach applied within GELA [ 2 ], the capacity and motivations of IKT champions, and [ 3 ] the experiences with applying the GELA IKT approach in the three countries. IKT champions and country teams adopted an iterative approach to carry out a comprehensive mapping of stakeholders, determine stakeholders’ level of interest in and influence on GELA using the Power-Interest Matrix, and identify realistic indicators for monitoring the country-specific strategies. IKT champions displayed varying capacities, strong motivation, and they engaged in skills development activities. Country teams leveraged existing relationships with their National Ministries of Health to drive responses and participation by other stakeholders, and adopted variable communication modes (e.g. email, phone calls, social media) for optimal engagement. Flexibility in managing competing interests and priorities ensured optimal participation by stakeholders, although the time and resources required by IKT champions were frequently underestimated.

Conclusions

The intentional, systematic, and contextualized IKT approach carried out in the three African countries within GELA, provides important insights for enhancing the implementation, feasibility and effectiveness of other IKT initiatives in Africa and similar low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings.

Peer Review reports

Integrated Knowledge Translation (IKT) research and practice is of increasing interest for funders, to promote the value of research and justify spending on research, and for policy-makers, to show accountability in decision-making and enhance health system performance and population health [ 1 , 2 ]. IKT is an ongoing relationship between researchers and decision-makers (e.g. patients, health professionals, policy-makers) for the purpose of engaging in a mutually beneficial research project to support evidence-informed decision-making [ 3 , 4 ]. IKT therefore has the potential to facilitate the co-production of knowledge that is relevant and timely for decision-making and increase the uptake and use of research evidence in health programmes, policies and practice [ 2 ]. However, some challenges exist with IKT. These include, negative attitudes and poor knowledge about IKT, limited institutional support and buy-in, limited personnel and financial resources, lack of knowledge and skills and relationships to implement IKT, and scarce research evidence that is relevant and timeous for addressing context-specific policy and practice issues [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].

Despite these challenges, IKT has been embedded in various research projects over the past decade [ 3 , 10 ], and it is generally assumed that IKT can positively influence research, policy and practice [ 11 ]. IKT remains an emerging research field, with additional research needed on IKT theory, the optimisation of IKT processes, and methods for embedding IKT in research and evaluating its value [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. There are particularly limited studies from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) documenting the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of IKT [ 3 , 10 , 16 ]. IKT is an important part of the Global Evidence, Local Adaptation (GELA) project, which aims to produce research and build capacity among researchers and decision-makers for the development and adaptation of guideline recommendations for newborn and young child health in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa. While the global under-5 mortality rate fell to 37 deaths per 1000 live births in 2020, children in sub-Saharan Africa continued to have the highest rates of mortality in the world at 74 deaths per 1000 live births – 14 times higher than the risk for children in Europe and North America [ 17 ]. GELA consists of seven work packages (Fig. 1 ), including evidence synthesis, guideline recommendation formulation, and IKT. The fourth work package, called “SHARE”, includes the development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of IKT strategies.

GELA work packages

This paper aims to describe the process and experiences with developing and planning for the implementation of country-specific IKT strategies in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa within the GELA project.

At the start of the project, each country partner identified IKT champions to join the GELA IKT working group. The working group consisted of six IKT champions: two from Malawi (GK, SL), three from Nigeria (MC, DA, EA) and one from South Africa (DM). The champions were responsible for coordinating the development, implementation and monitoring of the country-specific IKT strategies, which outlined the methods for engaging stakeholders relevant to the objectives and outcomes of GELA. In addition, the working group included the GELA work package 4 co-lead (BMS) who served as an IKT coordinator, and was responsible for facilitating collective learning about IKT and assisting with the development, implementation, and monitoring of the country-specific IKT strategies. The IKT working group held five two-hour meetings between April 2022 and March 2023 (GELA Year 1) on Zoom. The meetings provided IKT champions with the opportunity to share updates on progress made with developing and implementing the country-specific IKT strategies, to reflect on any opportunities realised and challenges faced, and to collectively identify solutions for mitigating the identified challenges. Parallel to the meetings, the IKT champions developed the following documents:

Overall GELA IKT approach (see Fig. 2 ): a flowchart of the IKT approach taken within GELA, involving the IKT working group, the broader country teams, and the GELA management team.

Stakeholder map: a list of stakeholders relevant to GELA, identified through brainstorming and snowballing.

Stakeholder interest and influence matrix: a list of stakeholders relevant to GELA ranked by their presumed interest in and influence on GELA.

Three country-specific IKT strategies (also known as ‘tracking sheets’): a strategy of the purpose, the medium or forum, messenger, timing and resources for engagement for each of the prioritised stakeholders. Each strategy also included IKT champions’ reflections on engagement activities and processes, such as feedback from stakeholders, lessons learned, opportunities identified, and challenges encountered.

Questionnaire completed by IKT champions: a set of open-ended questions on IKT competencies, challenges, opportunities, processes and lessons from Year 1.

The IKT coordinator (BMS) gathered all the meeting notes, stakeholder maps, and IKT strategies developed by the working group during Year 1 of GELA. Additionally, BMS developed an open-ended questionnaire and disseminated it to the IKT champions via email, including informed consent. BMS and DM jointly drafted a flowchart of the IKT approach implemented within GELA. Following a thematic analysis process, BMS read through all the documents to familiarise herself with information on the process and experiences with developing the country-specific IKT strategies. Thereafter, she highlighted (coded) relevant sections of information with different colours to distinguish between different topics of interest (i.e. process, capacity, motivations, challenges, opportunities, lessons). BMS then systematically went through the topics to formulate preliminary themes. Before finalising the themes, IKT champions (DM, GK, SL, MC, DA, EA) verified the preliminary themes and contributed to the write-up of the themes.

The findings are organised into three themes below. The first theme, ‘IKT approach applied within GELA’, consists of five sub-themes, with each sub-theme describing a step in the process for developing the contextualised IKT strategies. The second theme is on ‘Capacity and motivations of IKT champions’. The third theme, ‘Experiences with applying the GELA IKT approach in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa’ consists of five sub-themes, describing the challenges and opportunities, and the lessons learned by country teams while developing and planning for the implementation of the country-specific IKT strategies.

Theme 1: IKT approach applied within GELA

The IKT coordinator asked each country team to identify at least one individual to serve as an IKT champion when the GELA project started in April 2022. Six IKT champions were identified among the three countries (Malawi = 2, Nigeria = 3, South Africa = 1). The first IKT working group meeting took place in June 2022. Following this meeting, each country team, coordinated by the IKT champion(s), worked together to develop their country-specific IKT strategy. The process for developing the strategies consisted of five steps: (1) defining the purpose of the IKT strategy, (2) stakeholder identification, (3) stakeholder analysis and mapping, (4) stakeholder engagement plan, and (5) monitoring plan.

Step 1: defining the purpose of the IKT strategy

The process followed for IKT was similar in all three countries, drawing from training done by Jessani et al. [ 18 ] and previous work done by the Collaboration for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Public Health in Africa (CEBHA +) project [ 19 ]. The IKT working group used materials from Jessani et al. and the CEBHA + project to clarify what the purpose of IKT is, how to conduct stakeholder mapping and analysis, and why evaluating IKT is important. Each country team initiated the process by discussing the relevance and importance of the GELA IKT approach in their local context. The purpose of the IKT approach was to raise awareness of GELA, engage local stakeholders in GELA activities, and continuously disseminate and communicate GELA activities and outcomes throughout the project period.

Step 2: stakeholder identification

Each country team started with brainstorming a list of country-specific stakeholders working in the field of child health who are relevant to the GELA project activities and outcomes. Potential stakeholders were identified by leveraging existing relationships, contacting known experts in the child health field, undertaking a desk review of national policy documents on child health, internet searches, and applying the snowballing technique. Country teams then compiled a list of all potential stakeholders. Examples of stakeholders were government departments, national public health agencies, professional health associations, academic and research institutions, non-government organisations, civil society organisations and multilateral agencies (e.g. World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund. After several discussions about the potential role of stakeholders and their interest in, and influence on, the success of GELA, country teams prioritised specific stakeholders for ongoing engagement. Prioritising stakeholders was an important step for ensuring that the IKT approach applied within GELA is feasible based on available time and resources.

Step 3: stakeholder analysis and mapping

A systematic process was employed to rank each of the prioritised stakeholders according to their level of interest in and influence on GELA. Each member within a country team ranked each stakeholder from 1 (lowest level of interest/influence) to 10 (highest level of interest/influence), and an average score was calculated. The average score for each stakeholder was plotted onto an interest-influence matrix consisting of four quadrants (avoiders, silent boosters, blockers, and champions), using a Microsoft Excel template. Level of influence was plotted on the vertical axis (y-axis) and level of interest on the horizontal axis (x-axis). The matrix helped country teams determine how to engage with their prioritised stakeholders (monitor, keep informed, engage and consult, and keep satisfied) and what resources (time, financial and personnel) are required.

Step 4: stakeholder engagement plan

The previous steps [ 1 , 2 , 3 ] were taken to develop country-specific IKT strategies (stakeholder engagement plans). Each stakeholder engagement plan summarised who the relevant stakeholders are to a research project; the purpose for engagement; the messages to be communicated; the modes and formats for engagement; the appropriate messengers; and the time and resources required for engagement. Different stakeholders were included in the stakeholder engagement plan, so step 4 involved country teams deciding which approach is best suited to each individual stakeholder (e.g. inform, consult, involve, collaborate and empower). Since different stakeholders were engaged for different purposes throughout the project, the IKT strategies were continuously updated.

Although all country teams applied the IKT approach to developing their specific strategies, each team reached a consensus on the final IKT strategy in a different way. In South Africa, the IKT strategy was developed by a subgroup of the country team (consisting of the country lead, IKT champion, communications officer and two researchers), and then shared with the broader country team for input and finalisation. In Malawi, the development of the IKT strategy relied on the country lead, the IKT champion, the postdoctoral fellow and the communications officer. In Nigeria, the three IKT champions developed a list of relevant stakeholders, and then shared the list with ten experts in child health affiliated to their institution for validation and ranking, after which they finalised the strategy.

Step 5: monitoring plan

The final step was about monitoring the implementation of the country-specific IKT strategies. Once the country-specific strategies were developed, the IKT working group collectively decided on the monitoring information to be captured per stakeholder for each goal of engagement in the IKT strategies. The monitoring information included : type of indicator per goal (e.g. reach, usefulness, relationship), feedback from the stakeholder, status of the engagement (goal achieved or not), challenges faced, opportunities identified, and lessons learned during the engagement.

Theme 2: capacity and motivations of IKT champions

The capacity and motivations of IKT champions were captured in the open-ended questionnaires. All the IKT champions held a Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g. public health, information science). They all attended additional training in evidence-informed decision-making and two of the six had attended an introductory knowledge translation course. Two of the six IKT champions were newly recruited to work on GELA project, while the other four were already working for their institutions on other projects. They were all employed in other roles on the GELA project, for example in project management and research, so most of them only worked on IKT for approximately one day a week. IKT champions had varied experience in engaging stakeholders as part of a research project; three of the IKT champions had less than one year of experience, two had about five years of experience, and one had more than ten years of experience. IKT champions generally felt confident and motivated to coordinate IKT for their country teams, but they also saw their role as an opportunity to receive further training and share what they had learned previously. Some IKT champions saw their roles as evolving because they were learning new skills on the job (e.g. on monitoring and evaluating IKT), while others saw the implementation of IKT as an opportunity to strengthen relationships with stakeholders they engaged with on previous projects.

Theme 3: Experiences with applying the GELA IKT approach in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa.

Country teams, comprising IKT champions and other project staff, followed a rigorous process for developing their IKT strategies. Their experiences (challenges and opportunities) with developing and implementing the country-specific IKT strategies and the lessons they learned in the first year of GELA are described below.

Leveraging existing relationships

Country teams were able to identify relevant stakeholders through brainstorming and existing networks. One challenge they faced was to identify individuals representing prioritised stakeholders and to obtain their functional email addresses and telephone numbers. However, this challenge was overcome by leveraging existing relationships with stakeholders, contacting institutional receptions, and searching the internet. The teams had existing relationships with their national Ministries of Health (MoH), so they used those relationships to identify and connect with other stakeholders. The Nigeria team, specifically, were able to quickly connect with child health experts based at their institution to obtain priority topics and suggestions of additional stakeholders for the steering group.

Communicating with stakeholders

Another challenge country teams faced was related to identifying the right communication channels for prioritised stakeholders. Project leads first reached out to stakeholders to introduce GELA and project staff via email. Stakeholders were asked to acknowledge the introductory emails, but despite a few follow-ups, most stakeholders did not respond. IKT champions then contacted stakeholders who did not respond to emails via telephone calls, to introduce themselves, gauge interest in GELA and ask about appropriate communication channels. Even in instances where IKT champions got positive responses from stakeholders via telephone calls, stakeholders did not necessarily become more responsive in future communication. Country teams learnt that using various communication channels improved the response rate. Even when stakeholders said that they preferred email communication, teams followed up and shared reminders via telephone calls. Often this provided stakeholders with an opportunity to clarify the email content and to provide context to answers before they responded to emails. The Malawi team, specifically, learned that they could not implement some of their stakeholders’ communication preferences. For example, most of their stakeholders preferred in-person meetings, but they held most meetings with stakeholders via video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams, because of logistical issues and financial constraints.

Additionally, country teams were challenged with delayed or lack of responses from stakeholders, as it slowed down engagement processes, which in turn affected the start of some project activities. For example, the processes for mapping country-specific stakeholders during the development of the IKT strategies also helped teams identify stakeholders who could be invited to the steering groups, but delayed responses from invited stakeholders led to the late start of the steering groups. To reduce the response time, the Malawi team engaged stakeholders via text messages, e.g. using WhatsApp, to familiarise them with GELA and what participation in the steering group would entail.

Using appropriate messengers

In addition to using various communication channels to reach stakeholders, country teams also sought help from appropriate ‘messengers’. One challenge that the Nigeria team faced was identifying relevant stakeholders to invite to their steering group. They engaged the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) about this problem, and a FMOH staff member contacted representatives of multilateral agencies and civil society organisations that they already had relationships with, to connect them with the Nigeria team. Further, the Nigeria team invited other stakeholders to the steering group via appointment letters signed and disseminated by a FMOH staff member. These processes required extensive follow-up with the FMOH staff member, given their competing work responsibilities.

Similarly, the Malawi team also sought the help of government ministries in reaching relevant stakeholders across different sectors. Engaging the MoH as the key ‘messenger’ proved more effective than the country team sending out emails themselves. For example, when the country team sent out invitations for stakeholders to join the steering group and to attend an orientation meeting, only three stakeholders responded to the email and attended the meeting. However, when the country team wanted to recruit stakeholders to the guideline development panel, they asked the MoH to send out the invitations. All those who were invited via the MoH to the orientation meeting responded to the invitation and attended the meeting. Country teams learned that working with key messengers, like the MoH, is important for implementing IKT. Developing strong relationships with such messengers helped them get connected to new stakeholders and identify those stakeholders already working on child health guidelines (which was a key outcome of GELA).

For the South Africa team, including cc’ing the principal investigator in emails and mentioning her institutional position in emails to stakeholders led to more favourable responses. The country team learned that successful stakeholder engagement sometimes relies on the messenger’s function, e.g. role in the project, institutional position, and prior contact with a stakeholder. Subsequent follow-ups to emails by the IKT champion also led to most stakeholders responding.

Managing competing priorities and interests

It was also challenging for country teams to deal with the competing priorities and interests of stakeholders. For example, in Malawi, a few stakeholders hesitated to share information about other relevant stakeholders with the country team, out of concern that their own priorities and interests would be neglected if too many stakeholders were involved in GELA. As such, the Malawi team initially spent a lot of time managing expectations amongst known stakeholders and trying to identify new stakeholders. They also learned to get input from a variety of relevant stakeholders who had different levels of interest in, and influence on, GELA, so that they could know about and manage different expectations. It was also challenging for country teams when some stakeholders who were invited to participate in the steering group were unable to attend meetings consistently because of competing work priorities.

Managing internal administrative processes

At the start of the project, country leads were faced with the challenge of getting funds to their institutions timeously, initiating recruitment, and finalising staff contracts. The delay in these administrative processes resulted in a slow start to the IKT work, as recruitment of some team members was still underway and funds were not available for engagement activities (e.g. airtime to call stakeholders and transport to meet with them). New project staff also needed to be orientated to GELA, get an introduction to IKT, and organise themselves administratively so that they can engage stakeholders. The South Africa team, specifically, experienced challenges with identifying a convenient meeting time for all team members (across the two South African institutions involved in GELA). As such, not all team members were able to attend meetings to discuss and reach consensus regarding identified stakeholders. This delayed the process of reaching out to stakeholders as team members needed time to go through meeting minutes before providing their inputs. However, once all administrative and financial constraints were addressed, the country teams were able to plan for IKT properly. The working group meetings also helped IKT champions learn more about IKT and brainstorm solutions for stakeholder engagement. They also learned about the time and resources required to implement IKT and how to account for this in future grant proposals, especially considering different stakeholders’ needs and preferences around engagement.

Summary of the findings

This paper has described the process and experiences with developing and planning for the implementation of country-specific IKT strategies in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa. Drawing on IKT approaches from the CEBHA + project [ 3 , 10 , 13 ], country teams, with the guidance of IKT champions, developed and planned the implementation of country-specific IKT strategies (see Fig. 2 ). IKT champions had varying capacity, motivations and experience with IKT, but they generally felt confident and saw their roles as an opportunity to learn new skills and establish or strengthen relationships with stakeholders. The IKT work carried out in the first year of GELA highlighted some challenges, opportunities and lessons. Examples include leveraging existing relationships and using appropriate messengers to identify stakeholders, get their contact details, and reach out to them. Additionally, country teams were also concerned with managing stakeholders’ competing priorities and interests, and setting up internal administrative processes needed for the IKT work. The intentional and systematic IKT approach carried out within GELA, specifically contextualised for the three African countries, adds to the limited numbers of studies that describe the practical application of IKT in LMIC settings [ 10 ].

Limited literature describing and evaluating IKT

There has been an increase in the number of studies on IKT since the last few years [ 3 , 16 , 17 , 18 ]. However, few studies describe the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of IKT strategies embedded in public health projects in LMICs, specifically. A recent study by Sell et al. (2023) described the development, implementation and monitoring of site-specific IKT strategies across Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. Similar to this study, Sell et al. found that tailoring the overall IKT approach according to context- and stakeholder-specific needs and preferences was highly beneficial. In their study, it led to the inclusion of some atypical IKT stakeholders, greater responsiveness during engagement, balancing of existing and new strategic partnerships, and an enhanced understanding of different research contexts [ 10 ]. A study by Jessani et al. (2021) described the ‘messy’ phases of developing, implementing and montoring an IKT approach in South Africa. Similar to this study, Jessani et al. described the challenges of IKT in complex and continously changing contexts. They also advocated for an adaptive IKT approach, making IKT researchers agile, responsive, relevant, and useful in supporting key decision-makers deliberating policies and practices [ 3 ]. This study adds to the literature by describing practical challenges, opportunities, and lessons learned from devloping and planning the implementation of three IKT strategies.

Key lessons for IKT researchers

The first lesson is the necessity of working around the ‘messiness’ of IKT through a non-linear and iterative approach. The six steps of the GELA IKT approach were conceptualised as linear (see Fig. 2 ), however in practice, the approach needed to be adaptive and flexible. For example, step 2 was adapted for each country team; the Nigeria country team developed their IKT strategy in a linear manner (i.e. purpose, stakeholder identification, stakeholder analysis, strategy), while the South Africa team developed their IKT strategy intermittently. Country teams repeated steps 2 and 3 a few times before achieving steps 4, and step 4 was continuously repeated as the project activities progressed.

The second lesson is the importance of contexualising IKT . The IKT working group developed a standarised template for presenting the IKT strategies, but the contents of the three IKT strategies differed. IKT strategies were tailored; for example, according to stakeholder preferences, availability of resources, appropriate messengers and project objectives and timelines. Additionally, IKT strategies were tailored according to the extent of engagement; stakeholders who were engaged frequently and across different project activities (e.g. priority setting, steering groups, guideline panels) versus stakeholders who were engaged intermittently throughout the project duration.

And the third lesson is not underestimating the amount of time and resources required for IKT . Developing and planning the implementation of the IKT strategies included maintaining and establishing relationships, tailoring communication, involving messengers, managing competing priorities and interests, and setting up internal IKT and administrative infrastructure. The IKT working group learned that engagement activities require time, personnel and resources.

Limitations of the study

This paper only described the experiences of the IKT champions, and not those of other relevant stakeholders, for the first year of the GELA project. We do, however, aim to report on stakeholders’ experiences in future publications when we report on the full implementation and evaluation of the IKT strategies. Although we used the IKT strategies (‘tracking sheet’) and meeting minutes to capture our reflections, some reflections occurred on an adhoc basis (e.g. in non-IKT related meetings). This may have resulted in missing data and limited the analysis or potential for further elaboration.

While there is increased recognition that IKT can positively influence research, policy and practice, knowledge about the development, implementation and evaluation of IKT in LMICs is scarce. In this paper we have contributed to redressing this knowledge gap by highlighting the challenges and opportunities experienced with developing and planning the implementation of country-specific IKT strategies in Malawi, Nigeria and South Africa for the Global Evidence, Local Adaptation (GELA) project. Our experiences reflect and build on the findings of the few other studies exploring IKT strategies embedded in public health projects in LMICs. The initial lessons we have learnt – the importance of taking a non-linear and iterative approach, of contexualising IKT, and of being cognizant of the time and resources required for IKT – provide important insights for helping to enhance the feasibility and effectiveness of other IKT initiatives in Africa and potentially elsewhere. Future research could focus on exploring the effectiveness and sustainability of context-specific IKT strategies in various LMIC contexts and settings. Longitudinal studies could assess the impact of IKT on health outcomes and health systems strengthening in LMICs, while comparative studies could identify best practices and lessons learned for future IKT approaches.

Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to the small number of responses and potentially identifiable information. Subsets of the datasets may be made available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

Federal Ministry of Health

Global Evidence, Local Adaptation

Integrated Knowledge Translation

Low- and middle-income country

Low- and middle-income countries

Tetroe JM, Graham ID, Foy R, Robinson N, Eccles MP, Wensing M, Durieux P, Légaré F, Nielson CP, Adily A, Ward JE, Porter C, Shea B, Grimshaw JM. Health research funding agenc’es’ support and promotion of knowledge translation: an international study. Milbank Q. 2008;86(1):125–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2007.00515.x

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Kothari A, Wathen CN. Integrated knowledge translation: digging deeper, moving forward. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2017;71(6):619–23. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2016-208490

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Jessani NS, Rohwer A, Schmidt BM, Delobelle P. Integrated knowledge translation to advance noncommunicable disease policy and practice in South Africa: application of the Exploration, Preparation, implementation, and sustainment (EPIS) framework. Health Res Policy Syst. 2021;19(1):82. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-021-00733-x

Gagliardi AR, Berta W, Kothari A, Boyko J, Urquhart R. Integrated knowledge translation (IKT) in health care: a scoping review. Implement Sci. 2016;11:38. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-016-0399-1

Kalbarczyk A, Rodriguez DC, Mahendradhata Y, Sarker M, Seme A, Majumdar P, Akinyemi OO, Kayembe P, Alonge OO. Barriers and facilitators to knowledge translation activities within academic institutions in low- and middle-income countries. Health Policy Plan. 2021;36(5):728–39. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaa188

Jessani NS, Siddiqi SM, Babcock C, Davey-Rothwell M, Ho S, Holtgrave DR. Factors affecting engagement between academic faculty and decision-makers: learnings and priorities for a school of public health. Health Res Policy Syst. 2018;16(1):65. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-018-0342-9

Jessani NS, Babcock C, Siddiqi S, Davey-Rothwel M, Ho S, Holtgrave DR. Relationships between public health faculty and decision makers at four governmental levels: a social network analysis. Evid Policy, 14(03), 499–522. https://doi.org/10.1332/174426418X15230282334424

Malla C, Aylward P, Ward P. Knowledge translation for public health in low- and middle- income countries: a critical interpretive synthesis. Glob Health Res Policy. 2018;3:29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41256-018-0084-9

Mahendradhata Y, Kalbarczyk A. Prioritizing knowledge translation in low- and middle-income countries to support pandemic response and preparedness. Health Res Policy Syst. 2021;19(1):5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-020-00670-1

Sell K, Jessani NS, Mesfin F, Rehfuess EA, Rohwer A, Delobelle P, Balugaba BE, Schmidt BM, Kedir K, Mpando T, Niyibizi JB, Osuret J, Bayiga-Zziwa E, Kredo T, Mbeye NM, Pfadenhauer LM. Developing, implementing, and monitoring tailored strategies for integrated knowledge translation in five sub-saharan African countries. Health Res Policy Syst. 2023;21(1):91. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01038-x

Nguyen T, Graham ID, Mrklas KJ, Bowen S, Cargo M, Estabrooks CA, Kothari A, Lavis J, Macaulay AC, MacLeod M, Phipps D, Ramsden VR, Renfrew MJ, Salsberg J, Wallerstein N. How does integrated knowledge translation (IKT) compare to other collaborative research approaches to generating and translating knowledge? Learning from experts in the field. Health Res Policy Syst. 2020;18(1):35. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-020-0539-6

Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Boland L, Kothari A, McCutcheon C, Graham ID, Integrated Knowledge Translation Research Network. Building an integrated knowledge translation (IKT) evidence base: colloquium proceedings and research direction. Health Res Policy Syst. 2020;18(1):8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-019-0521-3

Lawrence LM, Bishop A, Curran J. Integrated Knowledge Translation with Public Health Policy Makers: a scoping review. Healthc Policy. 2019;14(3):55–77. https://doi.org/10.12927/hcpol.2019.25792

Cassidy CE, Shin HD, Ramage E, Conway A, Mrklas K, Laur C, Beck A, Varin MD, Steinwender S, Nguyen T, Langley J, Dorey R, Donnelly L, Ormel I. Trainee-led research using an integrated knowledge translation or other research partnership approaches: a scoping reviews. Health Res Policy Syst. 2021;19(1):135. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-021-00784-0

Schmidt BM, Cooper S, Young T, Jessani NS. Characteristics of knowledge translation platforms and methods for evaluating them: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open. 2022;12(6):e061185. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061185

Pfadenhauer LM, Grath T, Delobelle P, Jessani N, Meerpohl JJ, Rohwer A, Schmidt BM, Toews I, Akiteng AR, Chapotera G, Kredo T, Levitt N, Ntawuyirushintege S, Sell K, Rehfuess EA. Mixed method evaluation of the CEBHA + integrated knowledge translation approach: a protocol. Health Res Policy Syst. 2021;19(1):7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-020-00675-w

World Health Organization. Fact sheet: Child mortality (under 5 years) 2022. Accessed on 8. May 2024: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/levels-and-trends-in-child-under-5-mortality-in-2020

Jessani NS, Hendricks L. Evidence-informed Decision-Making: the art, Science and Complexity of (Integrated) knowledge translation. Short course presented at. South Africa: Stellenbosch University; 2022.

Google Scholar

Collaboration for Evidence-based Healthcare and Public Health in Africa. (2019). https://www.cebha-plus.org/ . Accessed: 20 October 2023.

Download references

Acknowledgements

Not applicable.

This paper was produced by GELA which is part of the EDCTP2 programme supported by the European Union (grant number RIA2020S-3303-GELA). The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of EDCTP.

Author information

Bey-Marrié Schmidt and D. Mabetha are joint co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa

Bey-Marrié Schmidt & T. Kredo

MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt), School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

Cochrane Nigeria, Institute of Tropical Diseases Research and Prevention, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria

M. Chibuzor, D. Arikpo, E. Aquaisua & E. Effa

Evidence Informed Decision Making Center, Department of Community and Environmental Health, School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Lilongwe, Malawi

G. Kunje, S. Lakudzala & N. Mbeye

Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

BMS, DM, MC, GK, DA, EA, SL and SC wrote the main manuscript text. BMS and DM prepared Figs. 1 and 2 . All authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bey-Marrié Schmidt .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate.

Ethics approval was granted by the South African Medical Research Council Human Research Ethics Committee (EC015-7/2022); The College of Medicine Research and Ethics Committee, Malawi (P.07/22/3687); and the National Health Research Ethics Committee of Nigeria (01/01/2007). Written and/or informed consent was sought from each participant and participants were included as authors.

Consent for publication

Competing interests.

All authors declared no conflicting interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Schmidt, BM., Mabetha, D., Chibuzor, M. et al. Developing and planning country-specific integrated knowledge translation strategies: experiences from the GELA project in Malawi, Nigeria, and South Africa. BMC Public Health 24 , 1418 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18934-8

Download citation

Received : 22 November 2023

Accepted : 23 May 2024

Published : 27 May 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18934-8

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Integrated knowledge translation
Stakeholder engagement
New born and child health
South Africa

BMC Public Health

ISSN: 1471-2458

General enquiries: [email protected]

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

View all journals
My Account Login
Explore content
About the journal
Publish with us
Sign up for alerts
Open access
Published: 21 May 2024

Exploring textual–visual strategies in internet-based light food advertising: a study of Taobao advertisements in China

Qian Yong ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0003-1905-9096 1 &
Xiaoqin Rao 2

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume 11 , Article number: 645 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

Language and linguistics

Amidst global health concerns such as COVID-19 and rising obesity rates, the connection between food choices, societal well-being, and cultural shifts has gained attention. In China, the rise of “light food” consumption on platforms like Taobao reflects a growing trend towards health-conscious dietary preferences. With a dataset comprising 633 images and 45,817 words, condensed into 50 images for analysis, this research aims to understand how these advertisements influence perceptions of healthiness and desirability, and whether there is a discrepancy between advertised health benefits and actual nutritional content. This study delves into the advertising strategies employed for light food products on the Taobao platform in China, utilizing a Textual–Visual Thematic Analysis (TVTA) framework. Noteworthy findings include: (1) Internet-based light food advertising adopts a dual textual and visual approach. (2) Identification of prevalent multimodal devices, such as medium shots, varied camera angles, vibrant colors, and large size. (3) Uncovering inconsistencies in presentation that may pose potential consumer misperceptions. These discoveries underscore the nuanced landscape of light food advertising, offering valuable insights for both academia and industry.

COBRAs and virality: viral campaign values on consumer behaviour

Comparing the influence of visual information and the perceived intelligence of voice assistants when shopping for sustainable clothing online

Can foodporn prime healthy eating? Thinking beyond digital gazing and satiety

Introduction.

The twenty-first century, the age of information, has witnessed stupendous growth in mass media, multimedia and multimodal communications sweeping across the world. And focusing on a single language mode seems incongruous in our technical age, girdled with semiotic modes to meet diverse communicative needs. “Advertising is perhaps the most remarkable mass medium of our age” (Baudrillard, 1998 , p. 125). The prosperity of it has also reverberated and even changed people’s understanding of health and beauty. Some scholars have recognized that food advertisements can influence people’s perception of healthiness and preference for foods and habits of diet (Seale, 2002 ; Gunter, 2016 ; Eriksson and Machin, 2020 ), such as genetically modified foods (Roe and Teisl, 2007 ), organic foods (Kareklas et al., 2014 ), food targeting on adults (Vukmirovic, 2015 ; Fang, 2022 ) and children (Story and French, 2004 ; Hawkes, 2005 ; Livingstone, 2006 ; Moore and Rideout, 2007 ; Gunter, 2016 ).

The well-being of individuals is a clear indicator of a country’s success and there is now a significant focus on maintaining good health due to the increasing spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 and illnesses related to obesity worldwide. For a while now, there has been a debate about how food can impact society, with its effects being reflected in areas such as politics, economy, cultural diversity, and human health (Pilcher, 2017 ). That’s why the issue of a healthy diet has gained a high political profile in many countries (Slavin, 2015 ), such as “Healthy China 2030 Initiatives” in China. In recent times, there has been a strong emphasis on the consumption of nutritious food, as it is believed to improve health and aid in weight loss (Chen and Eriksson, 2019 ; Eriksson and Machin, 2020 ; Ho, 2020 ; Montefrio and Wilk, 2020 ; Machin and Chen, 2023 ). At the same time, the rise of the obsession with a “thin culture” also entices more people to join the groups for weight loss and fitness. Reducing calorie intake effortlessly through diet has also become one of the sought-after methods to get in shape. Against the backdrop that food, health and beauty are closely entwined, people aspire after the way to a healthy diet and, in turn, get the perfect shape at a seemingly low cost. This trend is particularly apparent in China, where there is a growing interest in “light food” that promotes the idea of becoming a better person through healthy eating (Fang, 2022 ). And online shopping platforms are honeycombed with advertising hype about what is sold as “healthy” and “good.” This kind of food has emerged with new characteristics in China, which can reflect value and beliefs preferred in contemporary society.

This study focuses on advertising for light food products on the Amazon-like Taobao platform in China in response to the growing popularity of these products, the increasing emphasis on achieving an ideal body shape through diet, and the influential status of Taobao platform. It attempts to investigate light food advertising in a framework of Textual–Visual Thematic Analysis (TVTA) to collaboratively analyze the textual and visual data in the study.

About the framing: TVTA

Essentially, in today’s world of advanced technology and various forms of communication, relying solely on single-mode discourse analysis is inadequate. Multimodal discourses, such as images, videos, and gestures, are crucial for conveying information, participating in social activities, constructing knowledge, and understanding reality. One key author who has contributed to this area is Kress and van Leeuwen ( 1996 , 2001 , 2006 ), who develop the classic theory of Visual Grammar (VG) and highlights the different modes of communication through representational meaning, interactive meaning and compositional meaning. Despite of its groundbreaking achievements in the field of multimodality analysis (MDA), it is still devoid of adequate exploration of intentions behind the visual designation. On this basis, recent years have seen a critical turn from MDA to Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA) to further explain the intention behind semiotic resources chosen to convey meaning (Machin and Mayr, 2012 ; Machin, 2013 ; Hart, 2016 ; Pan and Zheng, 2018 ; Tian and Pan, 2018 ). Machin and Mayr ( 2012 , p. 6–10) first proposed the notion of it: “Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis (MCDA)” that offers a set of tools for the study of visual choices and their features just like the way Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) does on lexical and grammatical choices textually . The ultimate agenda of it is to identify and unveil buried ideologies and power relations (Machin, 2013 ; Abousnnouga and Machin, 2013 ; Machin, 2016 ; Tian and Pan, 2018 ) under the guise of seemingly natural, normal or neutral discourse choices like photographs, images, diagrams, graphics and other visual aids through a detailed description. Some attempts of application emerge, such as studies teasing apart basic theoretical concepts and scope of study (Machin and Mayr, 2012 ; Machin, 2013 ; Ledin and Machin, 2015 ; Machin, 2016 ; Ledin and Machin, 2018 ) and various targets explorations of media representations of crime (Mayr and Machin, 2012 ), war monuments (Abousnnouga and Machin, 2013 ) and food commercials about moral eating (Chen and Eriksson, 2019 ; Eriksson and Machin, 2020 ), cultural contexts in the Asia Pacific nations (Montefrio and Wilk, 2020 ) and cosmopolitan locavorism in Hongkong (Ho, 2020 ). At this point, the majority of them understood that examining cultural phenomena requires consideration of both visual and textual elements. However, they only applied textual analysis to their visual research or focused on them in a disproportional manner. In essence, they have yet to integrate both visual and textual analysis.

As a specific application of MDA, TVTA is more concerned with identifying and interpreting specific themes and meanings that are conveyed through different modes of textual and visual arrangements that contribute to their construction. According to Braun and Clarke ( 2006 ), textual visual thematic analysis involves the systematic coding and categorization of data into themes, which are then interpreted in relation to the research questions and existing literature. Numerous researchers have employed TVTA in diverse settings, including a psychological investigation by Trombet and Cox ( 2022 ), feedback provision in design studio by Mayson et al. ( 2009 ), and examination of German news coverage of COVID-19 by Xu et al. ( 2022 ). As for visual part, visual grammar proposed by Kress and van Leeuwen ( 1996 , 2006 ) is in the center of discussion. It is concerned about representational meaning, interactive meaning and compositional meaning.

Despite its usefulness, TVTA has some limitations that researchers should be aware of. One limitation is the subjectivity of interpretation which can lead to different interpretations of the same data. Considering the potential risk, we choose to assess the light food advertisements in a structured manner involving qualitative and quantitative analysis. Based on the coded data in Nvivo 12 Plus, the co-occurrence matrix of keywords and visual coding would be depicted in Gephi 0.10.1 to reveal the connections and intentions reflected in light food advertising.

This article addresses the gap in the scholarship by exploring the TVTA devices used in taobao platform to frame the inner association between textual keywords and coding of images with the aid of Social Network Analysis (SNA), to better present the collocation preferences and internal connections contributing to the building of light food image. More specifically, the research questions that guide the present analysis are:

RQ1: What are the most salient visual features of light food advertising on the Taobao platform?

RQ2: What are the predominant textual features observed in light food advertising on the Taobao platform?

RQ3: How do the visual and textual elements of these advertisements interact to construct the image of light foods on Taobao?

“Light food” means differently to people in countries with different cultural backgrounds and national conditions. In China, we believe that it can be perceived as a new food type online associated with healthy connotations. It refers to an industrial product featuring small amounts, low energy, low calories, low fat, sugar-free, and other similar health-friendly qualities termed “light food labels,” which claims to alleviate people’s intake burden without nutrition loss. It caters to people who want to keep fit or lose weight through diet swiftly and painlessly. Typical products of this kind are food replacing regular meals, sauces, snacks and beverages with “light food labels,” satisfying people’s needs in different stages of health maintenance and beauty attainment. This study focuses on products that replace regular meals on the Taobao platform, which are the most important members of light food and major products purchased by people in the pursuit of perfect shape. These products include five major types: chicken breast, whole wheat bread, meal replacement shakes or porridge, and soba noodles.

This study employs both qualitative and quantitative research methods to examine light food advertisements on Taobao. Qualitative analysis focuses on interpreting text features through keywords, as well as identifying visual arrangements and generating meaning through VG. Quantitative analysis serves as a complementary tool to provide descriptive statistics on the frequency and distribution of meaning across representational, interactive, and compositional aspects. SNA is also used to visualize the co-occurrence matrix of keywords and visual coding to demonstrate the internal connections among different elements. The co-occurrence matrix is used to visualize the relationships between actors, where the keywords that appear simultaneously tend to have some relevance. The more frequently the keywords appear together, the larger their area of representation and the thicker the line linking keywords will be. Data aside from the line denotes the co-occurrence times among keywords. To systematically evaluate light food advertisements, Nvivo 12 Plus and Gephi 0.10.1 were chosen as analysis tools, as depicted in Figs. 1 and 2 . This paper mainly uses Nvivo 12 Plus to code PDF images and export coding co-occurrence data, preparing for the later production of coding co-occurrence matrix. Gephi 0.10.1, an exploration and visualization software widely used in Social Network Analysis, helps identify patterns and connections in network structures. Word co-occurrence matrix is commonly used to visualize relationships between elements that appear simultaneously. In this study, the co-occurrence table of keywords and visual coding will be visualized in Gephi 0.10.1 to unveil connections and intentions reflected in light food advertising.

This figure shows the interface of Nvivo 12 Plus, which is the tool used for image coding of long images through Visual Grammar. This figure is created by Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao and is not covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao, all rights reserved.

This figure shows the interface of Gephi 0.10.1., which is the tool used for generating keywords and visual coding co-occurrence matrix to display the internal connections visually. This figure is created by Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao and is not covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao, all rights reserved.

Data collection

This study follows a specific process for selecting its data. The top 10 selling products in five light food categories on Taobao are chosen, and any repetitive products from the same brand with different prices are removed, resulting in 50 advertisements with a total of 633 images. To ensure representative samples, the chosen brands should exclusively sell light food products. Sales rankings from June 2022 to September 2022 are used to select the top 10 products from each category for three consecutive months, resulting in 150 advertisements. The final research samples of 50 advertisements are chosen from recurring products in each category. The research procedures involve collecting the top 10 products in each category, removing irrelevant images, and combining the remaining 633 images.

The data collection described in Fig. 3 involves several steps. Initially, the top 10 light food products in each category are collected and downloaded in bulk to form the original research focus, consisting of 50 advertisements and a total of 765 scattered images. Following this, irrelevant images such as shipping announcements and nutrition facts are removed, resulting in 633 remaining images that are combined into 50 longer images for ease of management and numbered 1–50. Image character recognition is then performed to obtain a small corpus for text analysis, with expressions uniformly transcribed into Chinese to maintain consistency. The resulting 45,817 words are analyzed through keywords and all advertising is converted to PDF for VG coding through Nvivo 12 Plus. The frequency and distribution of three meta-functions in visual analysis are calculated and listed in tables with detailed interpretation, and the keywords and visual coding co-occurrence are visualized by Gephi 0.10.1 to examine their connections and preferences.

This figure shows the whole procedures of how data is collected and analyzed in detail, including tools adopted in each step. This figure is created by Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao and is not covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao, all rights reserved.

Results and discussions

Textual–visual thematic analysis, representational meaning: narrative and conceptual.

The following text discusses Kress and van Leeuwen’s ( 2006 ) framework of representational meaning in visual communication, highlighting two main types: narrative representation and conceptual presentation. It explains that narrative representation focuses on dynamic events and actions, while conceptual presentation emphasizes stable and timeless essences. The key distinguishing factor is the presence of invisible oblique lines denoting direction. The narrative type involves dynamic processes like action, reaction, verbal, and mental processes, while the conceptual type encompasses classification, analytical, and symbolic processes. The analysis also delves into the roles and characteristics of these processes in advertising, emphasizing their influence on viewer perception and understanding. In the present study, this process is commonly used to display detailed information, mainly structured process, and specific features explained in the graph, largely unstructured process, of the products. Speaking of symbolic process, it explains one participant which is largely abstract or general in terms of the other which is specific. The roles involved in this process are carrier, participant whose meaning is established, and symbolic attributes who represents the meaning itself.

Our data in Table 1 reveal that conceptual representation is more prevalent than narrative representation, indicating that marketers of light food products prefer to use this approach for conveying information and promoting their products. In terms of narrative representation, action process is the most commonly used (28.91%), followed by reactional process (11.69%) and verbal process (2.21%). When it comes to conceptual representation, classification process is touched on in 224 images, accounting for 35.39%. Moreover, the most frequently used process types are analytical process and symbolic process, which make up 83.25% and 71.09%, respectively.

Light food advertising utilizes different types of narrative representations to build a positive brand image and appeal to consumers. The focus on interaction between people and raw materials, as well as the naturalness and good quality of the product, is emphasized through transactional process. The dilemmas of body shape faced by people are also addressed to build a relatable brand image. Rigorousness and attention to detail are conveyed through reactional process, while the positive outcomes after eating the product are shown through action process. Verbal process is used to convince people of the product’s popularity through objective reviews from customers.

The process of generating meaning can be broken down into three types: classification, analytical, and symbolic. Classification involves grouping participants based on their status and class, with overt and covert taxonomy being the two sub-types. In advertising, covert taxonomy is commonly used to display product options. To sell e-commerce food products effectively, a classificational process is used to group flavors and ingredients, an analytical process is used to highlight specific product attributes, such as low GI, and a symbolic process is used to emphasize the products’ professionalism and credentials. The primary objective is to provide detailed information and promote sales by objectifying abstract features through symbolic representation.

Interactive meaning: contact, social distance, perspective, and modality

In Kress and van Leeuwen’s ( 2006 ) framework, representational meaning involves the relationship among participants within the image world, while interactive meaning extends to the physical world, emphasizing interactions between represented participants and viewers. Contact assesses gaze vector presence, demanding or offering engagement. Social distance is portrayed through the size of the frame, indicating closeness or alienation. Perspectives relate to angles, conveying involvement or detachment (horizontal) and power dynamics (vertical). Modality, categorized by degree, assesses image truthfulness based on color, depth, and illumination. Specific examples include contact through eyelines, social distance through frame size, and perspectives through angle selection, all influencing viewer perceptions. Our data in Table 2 show the different preferences of strategies employed. The offer act is used the most (94.47%), while the demand act is used less (5.53%). Medium shot is the most popular shot (78.83%), followed by close-up (17.69%) and long shot (4.90%). Frontal angle is used more often than oblique angle (63.35% vs. 37.28%). High angle and eye to eye angle are commonly used to convey equality. High modality (82.46%) is the most used to demonstrate product truthfulness. Overall, e-commerce food advertising prioritizes presenting detailed information and selling points through interactive means that actively involve customers and objectively convey product features.

Generally, eye contact from human, animal or personification objects may influence people’s perspective aligned with the theme of the images. And without eye contact with human or quasi-human, descriptions of goods tend to be more objective and customers may have more freedom in decision-making. Social distance like close-up shots showcase the natural characteristics of food. Medium shots are commonly used in online food advertising, creating a comfortable distance and providing a holistic view. Long shots represent a respectful public distance, emphasizing the product’s integration with society. This weakens its individuality and promotes its role in society, making it a symbol of the product’s social attribute.

According to Kress and van Leeuwen ( 2006 ), horizontal lines are used in the display to convey a sense of stillness or create a sense of movement. The frontal perspective creates a sense of immediacy or comparison and may also be intended to highlight a product’s features or benefits. An oblique perspective creates a sense of depth or dimension, as well as mystery or intrigue, and may present a product in a unique way. A high perspective is meant to present a product in a noble or ambitious manner, or to convey a sense of superiority or importance. The personal perspective creates a sense of intimacy or empathy, or presents the product in a way that you can identify with. A low perspective creates a sense of authority or power, or dramatically displays a product. In perspective, the frequent combination of high angles and front angles is beneficial for producers who educate people about new concepts, flavors, functions, etc. The joint effort of the high angle and the oblique angle aims to highlight the uniqueness of the product. The low angle is ignored in an online food ad with text placements and an eye-catching image.

According to Kress and van Leeuwen ( 2006 ), modality, a term used in functional grammar, is used to describe the credibility of images. The construction of naturalistic modality depends on factors such as color, depth, illumination, and details. Higher modality makes an image more credible. Therefore, the primary modality used in pictures is high, but middle or low modality may be used for special announcements. The attested cases of low modality can create a sense of mystery and curiosity.

Compositional meaning: information value, salience, and framing

Compositional meaning, as outlined by Kress and van Leeuwen ( 2006 ) and linked to the textual function in language, focuses on how images are organized within the visual realm. Information value dictates the distribution of information in images, with the top conveying ideal information, the bottom presenting real information, the left providing given information, the right introducing new information, and the center highlighting important information, while the margin contains unimportant information. Salience, representing information emphasis, captures the viewer’s attention through elements like color, size, position, and brightness. Framing, revealing the connection and disconnection of visual elements, employs techniques such as lines, empty spaces, color differentiation, and image outlines. In essence, compositional meaning aims to reveal intricate and structured frameworks for constructing images.

van Leeuwen ( 2005 , 2008 ) provided insight into compositional meaning by showing how visual elements are arranged in images. As shown in Table 3 , the position of elements is important for information value, with top-bottom being the most frequently used (90.21%). Color and size are the most common methods used to emphasize specific elements, while position and brightness are less important. Color differentiation is frequently used for framing (88.31%), followed by image outlines and empty spaces.

The detailed collocations in compositional meaning are as follows. In terms of information value, top-bottom and left-right are perfect matches which cater to the reading habits in the age of portrait screen and image-reading. Special attention should be paid to the common phenomenon contrary to what had been found by Kress and van Leeuwen ( 2006 ) that the left side represents new information, and the right side the given information. As for salience, color and size are two substantial methods to make certain element stand out, causing a strong visual punch to grab people’s attention. At last, a strongly framed example representing disconnection enjoys popularity, enabling people to navigate and distinguish different information swiftly and accurately.

Textual keywords and co-occurrence matrix

In this session, the focus will be on the analysis of the text in 50 light food advertisements found on the Taobao platform. The analysis will include examining the frequency of keywords used as in Table 4 , as well as the collocation preferences of these words. In total, the analysis will consider 45,817 words. A word cloud in Fig. 4 displaying frequently used keywords is created to quickly and directly comprehend the emphasis of vocabulary in light food advertisements. The size of the words represents their frequency within the text. The most prominent words, such as “kcal,” “calorie,” “satiety,” “nutrition,” “protein,” and “content,” suggest that light food is associated with nutritious content, high protein, and reduced calorie intake for weight loss. However, this poses a dilemma for people, as reducing calorie intake may require less food ingestion or meal skipping, while consuming high-nutritional food may result in unwanted weight gain. Light food products offer a solution to this conflict, promising both nutrition and weight loss. The top 20 keywords focus on various positive descriptions of light food. The co-occurrence matrix is explored through SNA to uncover the underlying narrative logic behind keyword collocation preferences.

This figure shows the keywords cloud of light food advertising through Python. The larger the words, the more salient and important the words are, which can show the value emphasis of the light food advertising. This figure is created by Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao and is not covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao, all rights reserved.

To further analyze the internal narrative logic in the persuasion process, a keyword co-occurrence matrix is created using Gephi 0.10.1 based on the previously generated keywords. In Fig. 5 , the central part of the figure contains several words with higher prominence and larger icons, such as “calorie,” “kcal,” “China,” “data,” “nutrition,” “satiety,” “ingestion,” “content,” and “protein.” These co-occurrences can reveal the preferred word choices in marketing and the promotional tactics used to deepen customer recognition and gain their affection. The thicker the line between the keywords, the higher the relevance of the keywords. Therefore, we focus on analyzing the co-occurrence of the most prominent keywords. Based on their semantic meaning, the co-occurrence clusters are categorized into three main types: reducing calorie ingestion, nutrition and satiety, and citing the source of data as in Fig. 5 .

This figure shows the co-occurrence matrix of keywords generated before, indicating the internal connections among keywords. The thicker the lines between the keywords, the higher relevance of the keywords have. According to their semantic meaning, clusters of co-occurrence are classified into three main types: decreasing calorie ingestion, nutrition and satiety and source of data citation. This figure is created by Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao and is not covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao, all rights reserved.

To begin with, co-occurrence among “kcal,” “calorie,” and “ingestion” provides the possibility of effectively decreasing calorie intake. The primary concern for people is the concept of “calorie,” which is strongly linked to the growth of fat and causes anxiety for those pursuing beauty. The usage of “kcal,” “calorie, and “ingestion” form a triangle, with “kcal” being the unit for calculating calorie intake. This triangle demonstrates a high correlation between the three keywords, with “kcal” and “calorie” appearing together 78 times, “calorie” and “ingestion” 42 times, and “kcal” and “ingestion” 29 times. Advertisers intentionally compare “light food” with “regular meals,” typically referring to the calorie intake of an adult woman, to showcase the positive effects of their products. The explanation of calorie consumption often uses the term “minute” to make it more specific, as exercising is viewed as a time-consuming and grueling process. Additionally, the term “apple” is frequently used to indicate the low calorie of light food and promote healthy implications. It seems that it can save people from sweaty and energy-consuming exercise, and the only muscles that people need to exercise are the ones around their mouth; then, health and good shape will embrace them.

Secondly, the claim of low-calorie intake alone is insufficient to persuade individuals to purchase these products. “Nutrition” and “satiety” are two keywords to further prove the working mechanism of health maintenance and effortless weight loss, convincing people that they are making sensible food choices. “Satiety” eliminates the concern of being underfed, while “nutrition” promotes a healthy diet. The high “content” of “dietary fiber” and “protein” is emphasized, as they are crucial for human health. Protein is considered the primary material basis of the human body, while dietary fiber promotes intestinal absorption, weight control, and the elimination of metabolic waste. In addition, advertisers often compare the satiety duration of light food products with other foods without stating adequate amount, using the time unit “hours” to specify the product’s quality.

Finally, reference to authority can meet the pressing need to offer reliability and credibility to advertising rhetoric, making it free from suspicion of fabrication. Most of the “sources,” “references” or “citations” for “calculation” about data on calories, satiety length, nutritional content and explanation of calories come from Chinese Food Composition Table Standard Edition (29 times), a book focusing on analyzing food composition and summarizing food composition data, and Chinese Dietary Guidelines for Residents (16 times), a book giving advice on dietary choices based on scientific principles and dietary habits, compiled by the Chinese Nutrition Society. The use of numbers and data in advertising is widely accepted even without further supportive and authoritative evidence, as they are associated with science and rigor. However, the references to authoritative sources are often presented in small print and subtle colors, as the reference to authority is not a necessary condition for light food advertising to be credible. Additionally, the phrase “for reference only” is commonly used when the data comes from unverified sources, and the results may fluctuate or deviate.

In conclusion, keywords with high frequency leave a positive impression of light food. As for the keywords co-occurrence matrix, it displays the internal narrative logic of light food advertising, from possibility, working mechanism to reliability in health maintenance and effortless weight loss.

Visual co-occurrence matrix

The co-occurrence matrix graph between the three types of meaning (representational, interactive, and compositional) is shown in Figs. 6 – 8 . The analytical and symbolic processes are closely related to both interactive and compositional meanings, forming the most densely distributed area. Top–bottom, size, color, outline of images, and color differentiation are commonly used in compositional meaning, while offer act, medium shot, frontal angle, high angle, and high modality are frequently used in interactive meaning. These elements coexist and form the most densely distributed area in the graph. The whole co-occurrence matrix of the three, namely, representational meaning (red), interactive meaning (green) and compositional meaning (blue), can be perceived in Fig. 9 . It is easy to find that all the coding with the highest proportion of co-occurrence nearly commensurate to the elements with the highest percentage in three dimensions of VG, respectively, embodying different focus in each layer.

This figure is produced based on visual coding co-occurrence data in Nvivo12 Plus through Gephi 0.10.1. It shows the co-occurrence matrix of visual coding between representational meaning (red) and interactive meaning (green) in terms of visual grammar. The thicker the lines between the coding, the higher relevance of the coding has. This figure is created by Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao and is not covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao, all rights reserved.

This figure is produced based on visual coding co-occurrence data in Nvivo12 Plus through Gephi 0.10.1. It shows the co-occurrence matrix of visual coding between representational meaning (red) and compositional meaning (blue) in terms of visual grammar. The thicker the lines between the coding, the higher relevance of the coding has. This figure is created by Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao and is not covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao, all rights reserved.

Visual Co-occurrence Matrix II. This figure is produced based on visual coding co-occurrence data in Nvivo12 Plus through Gephi 0.10.1. It shows the co-occurrence matrix of visual coding between compositional meaning (blue) and interactive meaning (green) in terms of visual grammar. The thicker the lines between the coding, the higher relevance of the coding has. This figure is created by Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao and is not covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao, all rights reserved.

This figure is produced based on visual coding co-occurrence data in Nvivo12 Plus through Gephi 0.10.1. It shows the co-occurrence matrix of three meanings, namely, representational meaning (red), interactive meaning (green) and compositional meaning (blue) in terms of visual grammar. It concludes that the coding with the highest proportion of co-occurrence is nearly commensurate to the elements with the highest frequency in each dimension of visual grammar. This figure is created by Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao and is not covered by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright Qian Yong, Xiaoqin Rao, all rights reserved.

If we take the data as a whole unit in the visual arrangement in light food advertising, there are some inevitable contradictions in image arrangements. On the one hand, it conveys that light food advertising is relatively so objective that customers are given full freedom, decision-making power and the ideal advertiser-customer relationship, to purchase, free from manipulation and control. It can be seen from the adoptions of conceptual representation , specifically through analytical process and symbolic process which are to present relatively stable essence as structure and specific abstract features of light food, and offer act displaying information only, leaving judgment to buyers. On the other hand, however, it is also seductive in influencing people’s purchase. The comfortable distance created by medium shot , persuasive involvement through frontal angle , the superior status of customers given by high angle and attractive truthfulness of food has created perfect hothouses to allure people to jump into the pool of consumption, accompanied by top-bottom adapting to contemporary reading habits and marketing tactics online, visual punch that is hard to ignore by bigger size and brighter color, information bombarded achieved by outline of images and color differentiation in framing . To put it simply, the image layout of light food advertising is contradictory and indefinite superficially, but the manipulative intentions behind the promotion are consistent and definite in the physical world, to influence or even control people’s notion and purchase of light food implicitly. In addition, claiming noninterference with consumers’ judgment in purchasing, intervention and manipulation can be seen in other aspects. Through the configuration of visual elements, advertisers convey that negative situation that plague people can be appeased by light food. For example, light food can bring you companionship at midnight under the “996” work regime, allow you to sleep for half an hour more in society afflicted by rat race, save you from unsanitary takeout food by cook a good meal quickly and help you say goodbye to body anxiety and embrace a self-disciplined life. It provides people with the illusion of that light food on their hands, and problems die out. And changing people’s awful lives is the major mission of light food products. Finally, the image of it is becoming increasingly mysterious and even sacred.

Contradictions between visual and textual information

One of the main contradictions between visual and textual information in light food advertising is the use of manipulative visuals to lure the consumers, while the textual information claims that the food is healthy and nutritious. For instance, an advertisement for a light salad may show a picture of a small plate with fresh vegetables and herbs, while the text may state that the salad is low in calories and fat-free. However, the salad dressing may contain high amounts of sugar and sodium, which are not disclosed in the visual representation. Another example is the use of exaggerated portion sizes in advertisements for light foods. For instance, a cereal brand may depict a large bowl of cereal overflowing with fresh fruit, while claiming on the packaging that the serving size is just half a cup. This can be misleading to consumers who may assume that they can eat as much as they want without consuming too many calories. Additionally, some light food advertisements may use language that implies health benefits that are not supported by scientific evidence. For example, a beverage brand may claim that their product is “detoxifying” or “cleansing,” despite there being no evidence to support these claims. The use of such language can create a false impression that the product is healthier than it actually is.

Another contradiction is the use of ambiguous terms in the textual information, which can mislead the consumers. Light food advertising often uses ambiguous terms in their textual information, such as “low-fat” or “reduced-calorie,” which may not necessarily mean that the food is healthy. These terms can be misleading, especially when accompanied by visuals that depict the food as indulgent or decadent.

Moreover, some light food advertisements may use misleading visuals to promote a healthy or ethical image, while the text may not provide any concrete information regarding the ingredients or production methods. For instance, an advertisement for a plant-based burger may show a picture of a happy cow in a green field, while the text may not specify whether the burger is made with organic or genetically modified soybeans. Another example of misleading visuals in light food advertising is the use of bright, colorful packaging and attractive images of fruits and vegetables, even if the product contains only a small amount of these ingredients. This can create the perception that the product is healthy and nutritious, when in fact it may contain high levels of sugar, salt, and artificial ingredients.

RQ1: What are the most salient visual features of light food advertising on the Taobao platform? Light food advertisers prefer to employ the conceptual process of information transmission and product promotion. Medium shot (78.83%) taking the role of the practical attribute is favored most to create an ideal distance between the image and viewers. Frontal angle (63.35%) horizontally and high angle (54.98%) vertically are more frequently adopted to get the customer involved and make them feel the controlling power over products associated with new concept, flavors and functions. Brightest color (95.42%) and bigger size (91.31%) are two substantial methods to make certain element to stand out.

The characteristics of the text in light food advertising are as follows: frequently used keywords have a positive impact, the co-occurrence of certain keywords reveals the logic behind the narrative, reference clusters provide reliability, and borrowing from other discourses can grab attention and decrease promotional tone. Companies are presented as helpful friends who guide individuals towards better health and self-discipline. However, the use of data and numbers may be used without clear evidence as people seek quick and incomplete information in the current fast-paced world. It appears that providing half-answers can satisfy people’s thirst for information.

The visual co-occurrence matrix reflects the irreconcilable contradiction between the purchasing freedom offered to customers and the actual manipulation of food choices in the physical world. On the one hand, light food advertising claims that customers are given full freedom in the decision-making process of purchase, free from manipulation and control through analytical process, symbolic process and offer act. On the other hand, however, there are perfect hothouses to subtly allure people to jump into the pool of consumption through medium shot, horizontally frontal angle, high modality, vertically high angle, top-bottom, bigger size and brighter color and color differentiation. The seemly contradiction is also reflected between image and the text. Some light food advertising may rely heavily on eye-catching and manipulative visuals, such as packaging designs that feature vibrant colors or exaggerated serving sizes. In the absence of concrete textual information, consumers may be lured into thinking that the product is healthier or more nutritious than it actually is. This can be particularly problematic for individuals who are trying to maintain a healthy diet or have specific health conditions that require them to limit certain nutrients.

In summary, light food advertising creates a world where getting in shape healthily is idealized through the use of effect-related keywords and supported evidence. However, the contradictory layout of visual images veil their intentions to influence people’s concept of health. Light food is a covert slimming product that promotes “skinny beauty” under the guise of health and nutrition advertising blitz. It equates “thin culture” with maintaining health, obtaining nutrition and gaining self-improvement. And a perverse social atmosphere of “fussy weight calculation” pervades society. And it can also convince people that becoming thin and beautiful is not only a social responsibility but also can make the world a better place. The information, whether presented through words or images, has deviated from its original strictness in order to promote the benefits of light food without providing sufficient proof. In today’s fragmented world, people are growing more impatience with discerning the truth and seeking answers. The proliferation of textual and visual information has resulted in a trend where people tend to rely on incomplete and prompt responses rather than seeking a thorough understanding of the matter at hand. With regard to customers, textual and visual analysis of light food advertising can avail customers of having a better understanding of the features of the products and help them find information they want to know promptly. Besides, this study can also guide people to have a reasonable view of light food products, establish judicious notions of health and shape, make sensible food choices online and prevent consumption traps and stupid taxes. There are also some limitations needed to be improved. First, the research scope and objectivity are not enough. Due to the limited time, space and energy, only 50 light food advertisements replacing a regular meal, total 633 images, are collected to be analyzed in detail with one co-worker in the process of coding, which means a certain degree of subjectivity will be unavoidable. Second, the research content and method are not rich enough. Therefore, the scope of research can be extended to include more light food types such as beverage, snacks or energy-filling products to make the results more comprehensive and convincing. And the target selection process should be more rigorous enough to guarantee the accuracy and representation such as concentrating on the brands with large numbers of followers. And it would be better to invite more participants in the process of coding to increase the objectivity and reliability of the results. In order to draw a more representative conclusion, further studies can be done to evaluate other semiotic modes as color, sound, video and interaction between text-image links with the help of software, methods and theories from other disciplines such as psychology and communications.

Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available in the Dataverse repository: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/FWGKTE .

Abousnnouga G, Machin D (2013) The language of war monuments. Bloomsbury, London

Google Scholar

Baudrillard J (1998) Consumer society: myths and structures. Sage Publications, London

Book Google Scholar

Braun V, Clarke V (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual Res Psychol 3(2):77–101

Article Google Scholar

Chen A, Eriksson G (2019) The making of healthy and moral snacks: a multimodal critical discourse analysis of corporate storytelling. Discourse Context Media 32:1–10

Eriksson G, Machin D (2020) Discourses of ‘good food’: the commercialisation of healthy and ethical eating. Discourse Context Media 33:1–7

Fang ZY (2022) The health myth of “sugar-free and calories-free”- a critical discourse analysis based on light food advertising. N Res 5:49–55

Gunter B (2016) Food advertising: nature, impact and regulation. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

Hart C (2016) The visual basis of linguistic meaning and its implications for critical discourse analysis: integrating cognitive linguistic and multimodal methods. Discourse Soc 27(3):335–350

Hawkes C (2005) Self-regulation of food advertising. What it can, could and cannot do to discourage unhealthy eating habits among children. Nutr Bull 30(4):374–382

Ho H (2020) Cosmopolitan locavorism: global local-food movements in postcolonial Hong Kong. Food Cult Soc 23(2):137–154

Article MathSciNet Google Scholar

Kareklas I, Carlson JR, Muehling DD (2014) “I eat organic for my benefit and yours”: egoistic and altruistic considerations for purchasing organic food and their implications for advertising strategists. J Advertising 43(1):18–32

Kress G, van Leeuwen T (1996) Reading images: the grammar of visual design. Routledge, London

Kress G, van Leeuwen T (2001) Multimodal discourse: the modes and media of contemporary communication. Bloomsbury, London

Kress G, van Leeuwen T (2006) Reading images: the grammar of visual design, 2nd edn. Routledge, London

Ledin P, Machin D (2018) Doing visual analysis: from theory to practice. Sage, London

Ledin P, Machin D (2015) How lists, bullet points and tables recontextualize social practice: a multimodal study of management language in Swedish universities. Crit Discourse Stud 12(4):463–481

Livingstone S (2006) Does TV advertising make children fat? What the evidence tells us. Public Policy Res 13(1):54–61

Machin D, Mayr A (2012) How to do critical discourse analysis: a multimodal introduction. Sage, London

Machin D (2013) What is multimodal critical discourse studies? Crit Discourse Stud 10(4):347–355

Machin D (2016) The need for a social and affordance-driven multimodal critical discourse studies. Discourse Soc 27(3):322–334

Machin D, Chen A (2023) Designing food packaging to present healthy and ethical diets to the New Chinese middle classes. Food Cult Soc 26:79–101

Mayr A, Machin D (2012) The language of crime and deviance. Bloomsbury, London

Mayson S, Harpe B, Mason T (2009) Exploring the use of digital textual, visual and audio feedback in design studio. Assessment in different dimensions conference proceedings. RMIT University, Melbourne

Montefrio MJ, Wilk R (2020) Transecting ‘healthy’ and ‘sustainable’ food in the Asia Pacific. Food Cult Soc 23(2):102–116

Moore E, Rideout V (2007) The online marketing of food to children: is it just fun and games? J Public Policy Mark 26(2):202–220

Pan YY, Zheng ZH (2018) On the criticality of multimodal discourse analysis. J Tianjin Foreign Stud Univ 25(2):78–87

Pilcher J (2017) Food in world history. Routledge, London

Roe B, Teisl MF (2007) Genetically modified food labeling: the impact of message and messenger on consumer perceptions of labels and products. Food Policy 32(1):49–66

Seale C (2002) Media and health. Sage, London

Slavin JL (2015) The challenges of nutrition policy-making. Nutr J 14:15–21

Article PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar

Story M, French S (2004) Food advertising and marketing directed at children and adolescents in the US. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 1(1):1–17

Tian HL, Pan YY (2018) From meaning to intention: new development of multimodal discourse analysis to multimodal critical discourse analysis. Shandong Foreign Lang Teach 39(01):23–33

Trombeta G, Cox S (2022) The textual-visual thematic analysis: a framework to analyze the conjunction and interaction of visual and textual data. Qual Rep 27(6):1557–1574

van Leeuwen T (2005) Introducing social semiotics. Routledge, London

van Leeuwen T (2008) New forms of writing, new visual competencies. Vis. Stud. 23(2):130–135

Vukmirovic M (2015) The effects of food advertising on food-related behaviors and perceptions in adults: a review. Food Res Int 75:13–19

Article PubMed Google Scholar

Xu Y, Yu J, Löffelholz M (2022) Portraying the pandemic: analysis of textual-visual frames in German news coverage of COVID-19 on Twitter. Journal Pract 6(2):858–878

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Funding for Educational Sciences Education Science Planning Project of the Ministry of Education, under Grant “Advanced Logic and Innovative Models in National Education for Students from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan” (Project No: DIZ230523).

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Jinan University, Guangzhou, China

Tianhe Middle School, Guangzhou, China

Xiaoqin Rao

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Qian Yong played a pivotal role in the conceptualization and drafting of the entire manuscript. Xiaoqin Rao made substantial contributions to the research by taking charge of data organization and software coding. Both authors, Qian Yong and Xiaoqin Rao, actively participated in the collaborative process of conceptualizing the article.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Qian Yong .

Ethics declarations

Competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Informed consent

Additional information.

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Yong, Q., Rao, X. Exploring textual–visual strategies in internet-based light food advertising: a study of Taobao advertisements in China. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 645 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03087-1

Download citation

Received : 09 August 2023

Accepted : 22 April 2024

Published : 21 May 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03087-1

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Quick links

Explore articles by subject
Guide to authors
Editorial policies

IMAGES

20+ Best Research PowerPoint Templates (For Research Presentations
Various Types Of Research Strategy Methods
Research strategies
Process Of Writing An Effective Research Strategy
PPT
PPT

VIDEO

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (PRESENTATION)
Clinical Research Industry Insight via PPT Presentation
Recruitment Strategy Powerpoint Presentation Slides
Ensuring Validity and Credibility in Quantitative Research: Strategies for Reliable Findings
Presentation Strategy: How to Share Your Study’s Findings
An Overview of Strategies for Medical Education Research

COMMENTS

How to Create and Deliver a Research Presentation
In the case of a research presentation, you want a formal and academic-sounding one. It should include: The full title of the report. The date of the report. The name of the researchers or department in charge of the report. The name of the organization for which the presentation is intended.
RESEARCH STRATEGIES
Mar 20, 2016 • Download as PPT, PDF •. 20 likes • 14,676 views. Abdulazim N.Elaati. Follow. RESEARCH STRATEGIES. Education. 1 of 40. Download now. RESEARCH STRATEGIES - Download as a PDF or view online for free.
How to Make a Successful Research Presentation
Turning a research paper into a visual presentation is difficult; there are pitfalls, and navigating the path to a brief, informative presentation takes time and practice. As a TA for GEO/WRI 201: Methods in Data Analysis & Scientific Writing this past fall, I saw how this process works from an instructor's standpoint.
Chapter 20. Presentations
Findings from qualitative research are inextricably tied up with the way those findings are presented. These presentations do not always need to be in writing, but they need to happen. Think of ethnographies, for example, and their thick descriptions of a particular culture. Witnessing a culture, taking fieldnotes, talking to people—none of ...
12 Proven Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation
By following these tips, you can improve your presentation skills and create a compelling and engaging talk that resonates with your audience. Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation. Tip 1: Start confidently. Tip 2: Eye To Eye Contact With the Audience. Tip 3: Welcome Your Audience.
PPT Research Strategies
Research Strategies. Chapter 6. Research steps Literature Review identify a new idea for research, form a hypothesis and a prediction, Methodology define and measure your variables, sampling how to treat them ethically, the next step is to select a research strategy Strategies, Designs, and Procedures types, srategies, designs, and procedures ...
PDF Research Strategies
The foundation of the research strategy advice you will hear in this presentation is the Researcher's Notebook. This notebook is used to keep track of your sources, develop a research strategy, record your notes, thoughts, and any further questions that may arise, and develop a working hypothesis or thesis.
Qualitative Presentation Strategies
Qualitative Presentation Strategies. Nov 14, 2023. By Dr. Linda Bloomberg, and hosted by Janet Salmons, Ph.D., Research Community Manager for Sage Methodspace. Dr. Bloomberg is the author of Completing Your Qualitative Dissertation: A Road Map From Beginning to End. Use the code COMMUNITY3 for a 20% discount when you order her book, valid ...
[Updated 2023] Top 20 PowerPoint Templates for a Systematic Research
Template 13: Graph of Primary Research Methodology PPT Template. Experience the power of data-driven insights with this professional and appealing PPT template. Designed for primary research, this template offers a comprehensive framework that includes field trials, observations, interviews, focus groups, and surveys.
How to Make an Effective Research Presentation
If you have three subtopics within a presentation, all of which are related but are still different ideas, don't mix and match the content. Don't jump from one topic to the other and back again—you're only going to lose focus and eventually, the attention of your reader. If you start preparing your presentation and realize that you're ...
What Is a Research Design
A research design is a strategy for answering your research question using empirical data. Creating a research design means making decisions about: Your overall research objectives and approach. Whether you'll rely on primary research or secondary research. Your sampling methods or criteria for selecting subjects. Your data collection methods.
Research strategies
This lesson presentation facilitates a discussion between students and educators about strategies that can be used during the research process. Pair this lesson presentation with the Research planning worksheet to guide students in effective research practices. Download this file to use the presentation as is or to customize the information to ...
Free Research PPT Templates & Google Slides Themes
These templates can also be used in Google Slides and Canva, so you can work in the platform you're most comfortable with. Designed for students, professors, and researchers, these templates are perfect for presenting your data, analyzing results, or sharing your findings. Impress the defense panel with these research templates.
PPT
Presentation Transcript. Research Strategies Module Two. Starts with Critical Thinking Thinking that does not blindly accept arguments and conclusions • Examines Assumptions • Discernshidden values • Evaluates evidence • Assessesconclusions. And a scientific attitude • Three main components • Curious eagerness • Skeptically ...
Research and Innovation PPT Templates To Get A Competitive Edge
Template 8. Employ this creatively-designed template to showcase your business ideation and planning. Grab this template to communicate your fresh strategies with the stakeholders. The icons and colors used in this slide will make your presentation more professional. Download Research And Innovation Showing Ideation And Planning.
Research Methods
Research methods are specific procedures for collecting and analyzing data. Developing your research methods is an integral part of your research design. When planning your methods, there are two key decisions you will make. First, decide how you will collect data. Your methods depend on what type of data you need to answer your research question:
Free Research Google Slides and PowerPoint templates
Download the Nervous System Infections Breakthrough presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides.Treating diseases involves a lot of prior research and clinical trials. But whenever there's a new discovery, a revolutionary finding that opens the door to new treatments, vaccines or ways to prevent illnesses, it's great news. Should there be...
18+ Best Research PowerPoint Presentation Templates (2024)
The fresh and stylish design makes this research template PPT a worthy pick for this list. 2. Blanc Market Research PPT Template. Highlighting data points has never looked as stylish as in this research presentation template for PPT. Blanc Market Research is designed to not only look great, but to also be functional.
Research strategy PowerPoint templates, Slides and Graphics
Conduct adequate research on all facets of your business and grow its in sales, profit, etc using this ready-made PPT slide. This Designing Strategies For Company Growth And Success Ppt PowerPoint Presentation Complete Deck With Slides displays parameters to help you evaluate business environment from all angles.
research and development strategies
4. Research and development approaches for strategic implementation: 1. The first strategy is to be the first firm to market new technological products. 2. The second is to be an innovative imitator of successful products, thus minimizing the risk and cost of start-up. 3.
Research Strategy
Presenting this set of slides with name quantitative research strategy ppt powerpoint presentation icon objects cpb pdf. This is an editable Powerpoint four stages graphic that deals with topics like quantitative research strategy to help convey your message better graphically. This product is a premium product available for immediate download ...
Research-Based Strategies
Presentation on theme: "Research-Based Strategies"— Presentation transcript: 1 Research-Based Strategies. Category Ave. Effect Size (ES) Percentile Gain Identify similarities & differences 1.61 45 Summarizing & note taking 1.00 34 Reinforcing effort & providing recognition .80 29 Homework & practice .77 28 Nonlinguistic representations .75 27 ...
How to Start a Presentation: 12 Ways to Keep Your Audience Hooked
Here are other presentation opening strategies: Begin with a captivating visual; ask a question; use silence; start with a prop; tell a relevant joke; use the word "imagine. Take advantage of Visme's free online presentation software to create attention-grabbing presentations that align with your branding and engage your audience.
Developing and planning country-specific integrated knowledge
Integrated Knowledge Translation (IKT) research and practice is of increasing interest for funders, to promote the value of research and justify spending on research, and for policy-makers, to show accountability in decision-making and enhance health system performance and population health [1, 2].IKT is an ongoing relationship between researchers and decision-makers (e.g. patients, health ...
Exploring textual-visual strategies in internet-based light food
Amidst global health concerns such as COVID-19 and rising obesity rates, the connection between food choices, societal well-being, and cultural shifts has gained attention. In China, the rise of ...

How to Create and Deliver a Research Presentation

What is a Research Presentation

1. Title Page

2. Executive Summary Slide

3. Introduction/ Project Description Slides

4. Data Presentation and Analyses Slides

5. Conclusions

6. Recommendations

7. Questions Slide

1. Focus on the Most Important Findings

2. Do Not Read Word-per-word

3. Don’t Go Without Handouts

4. Actively Listen

5. Be Confident

In-text citation

Image citation

Work cited page

1. Research Project Presentation PowerPoint Template

2. Research Presentation Scientific Method Diagram PowerPoint Template

3. Thesis Research Presentation PowerPoint Template

4. Animated Research Cards PowerPoint Template

5. Research Presentation Slide Deck for PowerPoint

Related Articles

Exploring the 12 Different Types of Slides in PowerPoint

How to Make a Presentation Graph

How to Make a Fundraising Presentation (with Thermometer Templates & Slides)

Leave a Reply

How to Make a Successful Research Presentation

Share this:

Chapter 20. Presentations

Writing about Your Research

Make an Argument

Presenting at Conferences and Job Talks

A Word on Universal Design

Poster Design

Incorporating Visual Design in Your Presentations

Ethics of Presentation and Reliability

Final Comments: Preparing for Being Challenged

Data Visualization Checklist for Slideshow (PPT) Presentations

Universal Design Checklist for Slideshow (PPT) Presentations

Supplement: Models of Written Sections for Future Reference

Justification of Case Selection / Sample Description Section Example

Ethics Section Example

Further Readings

12 Proven Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation as an Invited Speaker

Guidance from an Experienced Mentor

Research Presentation Tip #7: Story Telling

Research Presentation Tip #10: Quote a Great Researcher

Introduction

Tips to Make an Effective Research Presentation

Research Presentation Tip #5: Memorize your Opening Line

Research Presentation Tip #6: Use the words “ ‘Think for while’, ‘Imagine’, ‘Think of’, ‘Close Your Eyes’ ”

Research Presentation Tip #9: Power of “Pause”

Frequently Asked Questions

How to handle questions where I don’t know the answers in my presentation?

Upcoming Events

Recent Posts

Research strategies - Lesson presentation

Research Strategies

Share Presentation

Presentation Transcript

RESEARCH STRATEGIES

International Research Strategies

Internet Research Strategies

Reviewing Research Strategies

Library Research Strategies

I. Research Strategies

Top 20 Research and Innovation PPT Templates To Get A Competitive Edge

For Customer’s Changing Preferences

Top 20 Research and Innovation PPT Templates

Template 10

Template 11

Template 12

Template 13

Template 14

Template 15

Template 16

Template 17

Template 18

Template 19