Congratulations! You have an abstract accepted at a conference. That's an exciting accomplishment that a lot of people strive for. It's an important step in adding a line to your resume or CV and an opportunity for you to go to a conference, present your work, and network with people to strategically advance your career.

But first things first—let's figure out what type of presentation you'll be giving so you can prepare accordingly.

There are four main types of abstract presentations: poster presentations, moderated poster presentations, oral presentations, and plenary presentations, listed from most common to least common. Each has different expectations, audiences, and preparation requirements. For a detailed breakdown of how to prepare and deliver each type of presentation, see Part 2: How to Prepare and Deliver Your Presentation.

Poster Presentations

Poster presentations are the most common type of abstract acceptance. You'll have a designated time slot (usually 1-2 hours) during one of the conference days where you'll set up your poster and stand beside it. Other attendees will walk around during the poster session and ask you questions about your research.

The judging process varies by conference. Sometimes judges will walk around during the session to evaluate posters in real-time. Other times, they've already scored your work when they reviewed your abstract for acceptance.

Want to learn how to design and present your poster effectively? We cover that step-by-step in Part 2 of this series.

Two Main Poster Formats

Traditional Three-Column Layout This follows the structure of a typical research paper. The left column contains your introduction and methods, the middle column presents your results, and the right column continues with results and discussion. Your title and author names go across the top in large font, with institutional affiliations in the bottom corners.

The key is making everything readable from several feet away so people can scan your poster and decide if they want to come closer for details.

Modern Results-Focused Layout This approach puts your main conclusion or key finding in big, bold text in the center column to grab attention immediately. The introduction, methods, and discussion are condensed into the side columns. The goal is to draw people to your poster so you can have more detailed conversations about your work.

Moderated Poster Presentations

Despite the name, moderated poster presentations are usually done with slides, not actual posters. You'll have 5-7 minutes to present your findings to a smaller audience of 15-25 people. A moderator will introduce you and help facilitate questions afterward.

Your slide presentation should follow the standard introduction, methods, results, discussion format. Since you have limited time, focus most heavily on your methods and results. The audience will be more engaged and likely to ask more detailed questions than in a traditional poster session.

Oral Presentations

Oral presentations are what you should be aiming for—they're typically given to less than 15% of submitted abstracts. These happen in larger venues and give you the opportunity to present your findings to a much bigger audience, including many leaders in your field.

You'll have 5-7 minutes to present (sometimes up to 10-12 minutes), following the same structure as moderated posters but with slightly more time for discussion. The audience is often judging presenters, so preparation is crucial.

Pro tip: Always prepare supplementary slides at the end of your presentation to anticipate potential questions. This shows you're well-prepared and can handle detailed inquiries about your methodology or findings.

Plenary Sessions

Plenary sessions are reserved for major randomized trials and milestone research projects that typically end up in top-tier journals. These are presented by senior, grant-funded investigators. As a trainee, you're very unlikely to give a plenary presentation at a large national conference, so we won't focus on this format.

Even if you’re not giving a plenary, conferences are a great chance to connect with others in your field. Learn how in Part 3: How to Network at Conferences.

What This Means for Your Preparation

Understanding your presentation type is crucial because each requires different preparation strategies:

• Poster presentations need visual design skills and the ability to explain your work conversationally
• Moderated posters require slide design and structured presentation skills
• Oral presentations demand polished public speaking and the ability to handle questions from experts

The audience size, formality level, and time constraints are completely different across these formats. A poster that works well for a casual poster session would be overwhelming as slides for a 7-minute oral presentation.

Coming up next: In Part 2: How to Prepare and Deliver Your Presentation, we'll dive deep into how to actually prepare and deliver each type of presentation, including slide design, poster layout, presentation structure, and handling questions. We also cover conference etiquette and networking strategies in Part 3: How to Network at Conferences to help you make the most of your conference experience.

Bottom line: Getting your abstract accepted is just the first step. Understanding what type of presentation you'll be giving helps you focus your preparation time on what actually matters for your specific format.

Ready to take the next step in your research journey? Sign up for our newsletter to receive exclusive research guides and be among the first to access new tools that can accelerate your path to publication.