​​Hosted by SISP student committee, McGill University

Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology

*All presenters must register for the conference.

​​​​Abstract submissions for SISP 2021 (VIRTUAL) is OPEN!

DEADLINE: March 12 2021

The SISP 2021 (Virtual) Conference welcomes all students and researchers to present their research in, or related to, the field of school psychology, especially within a Quebec/Canadian context. Poster presentations are an interactive way to discuss research with the broader research community. The audience at a conference moves through the poster displays to inquire and learn about the information presented on the poster. Therefore, when designing your poster, include the most important information from your research. This year poster sessions will be held virtually – this means that posters will be uploaded online for conference attendees to view.  Accepted individuals will be required to be present for an assigned Q & A period for individuals to ask questions about their presentation. 


​Submitting an Abstract for the 2021 SISP Virtual Conference

We welcome submissions from students and researchers.

 

Abstracts for the poster presentation must be submitted online via this Google form. Please review the following guideline before preparing your application. Your application may only be submitted ONCE and cannot be edited after submission (Tip: create your submission using Word, and then copy & paste into the relevant sections of the form).  


​Presenting Author information: For presenting authors, please provide the following information. The presenting author will act as the corresponding author regarding the submission.*

  1. Information required for submission:
    • Information of presenting author (*please note that the presenting author will also act as the corresponding author regarding the submission)
      • ​Full name
      • Email address
      • Affiliation
      • Program/year (if applicable)
      • Area of research
    • Title of presentation (250 characters max)
    • List of author(s) and affiliation(s) (if applicable)
    • Submission type
    • Keywords (include 3 keywords that best describe your research)
  2. Abstract must include the following information (300 words max):
    • ​Introduction/background information
    • Objective(s)
    • Methodology
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Take-home message (a brief statement regarding the relevance or implication of the research to school, educational, child/adolescent psychology)


All poster abstracts will undergo a blind review process by faculty members and students in the School/Applied Child Psychology program at McGill University. Accepted presenters will be contacted via email approximately one month after the abstract submission deadline.  

 If you have any questions, please reach out to our SISP conference coordinator at: infosisp.ecp@mcgill.ca 








Designing a Poster


How to Design a Poster in PowerPoint

1) Open a new PowerPoint document

2) Go to DESIGN- PAGE SETUP

3) You can set the dimensions you’d like for your poster, but remember that the size limitation for SISP is 3' by 4'.

4) To add colors and background, go to DESIGN, then BACKGROUND STYLES, and then FORMAT BACKGROUND

5) When selecting a color for your background, remember that light is best because a dark font shows up clearly on it. Avoid using a very bright or dark background.

6) You can choose a solid color, or a gradient. For either selection, you can slide the TRANSPARENCY bar at the bottom to make the color lighter and more transparent.

7) To use a picture as a background, go to FORMAT BACKGROUND, click “Picture or Texture fill.” Click “file” and then navigate to your picture. You can also use Clip art. When using a picture as a background, adjust your transparency so that your text will show up clearly. Only use a picture if it is relevant to your topic!

8) You will notice that you start with two boxes on your slide. The long rectangular box can be moved to the top to accommodate your title.

9) To add more boxes, go to INSERT-TEXT BOX. You can drag your box around until you have it where you want it and then re-size it. You might want to start with 5 boxes: one for your title, one for your intro, one for methods, one for results, and one for your discussion.

10) You can add a chart or graph to your presentation by clicking in a box and going to INSERT-CHART. You will find that there are a variety of graphs to add. Select whichever works best for your data. From here you can also insert relevant pictures or clip art. Be careful with Clip Art, though: it’s generic and you don’t want your poster to look just like everyone else’s.

11) When you need to cite information on your poster, it is easiest to write your citations in a regular word document and then copy the text into a text box. The font for this can be significantly smaller. If you cite a photo, it’s easiest to drag the text box to just under the photo.

12) Be sure to save your poster and include a text box for the References in your paper.


How to Design a Poster in Microsoft Publisher

1) To open, go to Microsoft Office, and click Microsoft Office Publisher. After opening Publisher, go to BLANK PAGE SIZES

2) To customize your poster size, go to PAGE SETUP and type in the size in inches. Posters cannot be larger than 3' by 4'.

3) To set margins, click “Margins” and determine the size of margins that you need to ensure a professional looking poster.

4) To insert a Text Box, click the “Insert” tab. Then click the Text Box icon. You can resize the textbox by clicking the circles and pulling the box to your desired size. Use the bottom boxes to pull the box to format the width and the boxed arrows icon to place the box in the correct placement on the poster. Then type in your content into the box or copy and paste text from another document.

5) Once you have a text box, you can add pictures and graphs by clicking in a box and going to INSERT-CHART. Select the visuals that work best for your data.

6) To set up your background, go to the Page Design tab and then click BACKGROUND. You will find a variety of textures and colors to use.

7) By clicking MORE BACKGROUNDS, you can insert a picture to use as your background.

8) To add a graph or chart, click in your text box, then go to INSERT OBJECT. Click “Create New” and chose the format you’d like you to use. You can then design your own chart.

9) To add a graph, chart, or text document already saved on your computer, click on your textbox, click INSERT OBJECT, then go to “Create from File”. Browse your files for the desired document.

10) Be sure to save your document and include a section for references if you are citing information.

Example Template:


Making a Poster for the SISP Conference

Poster presentations are a fun way to discuss research with interested parties. The audience at a conference moves through the poster displays to inquire and learn about the information presented on the poster. Therefore, when designing your poster, include the most important information from your research. 

Below are more tips for constructing your poster.

  • Posters can be 3’ by 4’


Choose a title that captures the interest of an audience and orients the audience to the poster’s content.

  • Use large text for the title.
  • Do not use all capital letters in the title


Include the author(s) and a description of the research that highlights the major elements
Minimize detail in descriptions
Use pictures, tables, and figures to illustrate concepts and add interest to the poster
Use colors on the poster with care
Avoid excessive amounts of information and seek to enhance conversation by giving just enough information and visuals to interest the audience


Design a poster that clearly portrays the subject, purpose, and results.

  • Use the most important textual descriptions and supporting images.
  • Use appropriate size font that is large enough and contrasts easily with the poster’s background. Non-serif fonts such as Helvetica for title and headings and a serif font like Palatino for the body text are easier to read. Never use dark backgrounds.


Make each section easy to identify and create a logical reading flow on the poster
Design the poster so it can be quickly read in a few minutes
Do bullet or punctuate section headers, but use larger font sizes in a bolded format
Use text boxes that are approximately 40 characters wide or about 11 words per line
Avoid more than 10 sentences in one block; use lists of sentences when appropriate
Use italics and not underlining
Use single spacing throughout the poster
Define difficult terminology or use jargon-free language for a general audience at the conference