Preparing Effective Presentations in the Social Sciences

• Illustrate the research question. Pay special attention to illustrating clearly the nature of the research question and the means by which the results were achieved.
• Refer to current research. Credible social scientific presentations refer to recent findings in the field. Instructors are more likely to accept experimental evidence if it is replicable over time and is supported by current research.
• Use timely data. Instructors expect student presentations to include timely data and examples. A report on poverty rates for a sociology course must provide up-to-date data, because poverty rates change yearly.