Innovation & Excellence Showcase FAQs

General Showcase Information

Beyond this FAQ list, where can I find what is expected for my presentation?

I have a question that is not addressed in this FAQ list. Who should I contact?

Do I need to be a student at the Purdue University Indianapolis location to present?

Yes. The Purdue's Student Innovation & Excellence Showcase is open to only Purdue University students who are at the Indianapolis location. Purdue students in West Lafayette and Indianapolis can present their work at the Spring Undergraduate Research Conference.

Is there guidance for the use of AI when participating in the conference?

Yes. Check the Spring Conference Guidelines page for information on acceptable and unacceptable use of AI.

Applying to the Showcase

How do I apply to present?

The application process is completed online via the OURConnect conference portal. How-to guides are available for the abstract submission and mentor approval processes.

Can I still apply if I am still in the early stages of my project?

Yes. Your project does not have to be completed to be considered. Many students present ongoing projects with preliminary results or anticipated findings. Students also submit to present knowing that by the time of the Showcase, more may be available to present.

Can I present if I am not a Purdue student?

No, this event is only open to Purdue students at the Indianapolis location.

Can I submit applications for more than one research project where I am the primary/first author?

No, a student can only be the primary (i.e., first author) on one submission. Multiple students may appear on multiple projects, but a student may only be the first author for one submission.

Can I present at the Spring Undergraduate Research Conference and the Showcase?

Yes, if your project is considered by your mentor to be research, you can present your work at the Spring Conference. Check the deadlines as they are earlier than the Showcase's deadlines.

How long should my abstract/project description be?

Abstracts should be no more than 250 words.

Can someone show me how to write an abstract/project description?

Yes. The Office of Undergraduate Research is available to help you write your description, and you can utilize the resources in the Purdue Writing Lab and at the top of the Apply website.

I have a mentor outside of Purdue. How can they be included in the abstract submission?

Students mentored by or working with researchers outside of Purdue can include them in the abstract submission. These individuals must create an OURConnect account, preferably using a university or organizational email, before you confirm them in the submission. You must include the email they used to create their OURConnect account.

When I enter a valid Purdue email and click "Confirm," the application site says it is invalid. What should I do?

Some individuals have "vanity" emails that work but are not connected to institutional data. OURConnect uses institutional data. The best way to locate someone's non-vanity email is to search them on the Purdue directory and include their "alias" with @purdue.edu as their email in OURConnect. The name should show up when you click "Confirm." If this does not work, please contact OURConnect@purdue.edu.

Can I update an abstract submission after I initially submit it?

Primary authors and primary mentors (listed first) can update abstracts after they have been submitted. Primary mentors should work with the students to make the updates instead of denying them unless it is not to be presented. This way, the student can make the updates directly before the mentor goes in and approves the final version.

However, this means that each update submitted by the primary author, even after being approved, requires additional approval by the primary mentor. This ensures changes are approved and nothing is accidentally presented incorrectly.

Check the deadlines page for the final date for any changes to titles, abstracts, and authors.

How do I know if my mentor approved my abstract?

The status listed on the "My Abstracts" page in OURConnect will be "Mentor approved." (Note: If it is "Pending" or does not show up, it has not been submitted.)

I missed the deadline. Am I able to present my work?

We are unable to accommodate late requests for the poster symposium and research talks. However, to provide an opportunity to present, we have a “Final Call” Showcase Session to submit your information. This will open after the deadline for you to submit your abstract up until the day of the event (or when space capacity is reached, whichever comes first). Read the components for this Final Call Session closely. Your information will be included in the materials after the conference.

What do the statuses mean in OURConnect?

Checking out the OURConnect status glossary.

Preparing for and Participating in the Showcase

I provided multiple in-person availability options on the application. Will I be there both times I selected?

No. You will be provided a single session to present based on what you provided. Flexibility is appreciated when trying to ensure many students can present when they are available.

Are there poster templates I should use for the Showcase?

Beyond staying within the 3'x2' size limitation, the content of the poster is up to you, your research team/mentor, and/or program . However, there are templates and recommendations through Purdue Marketing & Communications and Purdue Libraries & School of Information Studies. However, please ensure that the sizes are correct when you start using templates.

What size should my poster be?

Posters should be 3' (36") wide by 2' (24") tall. This is a non-standard poster size due to the size of the poster boards and the space available.

What is the dress code for presenting during the Showcase?

We recommend dressing at least in business casual for the presentations, but there is no official dress code. You will see individuals in business professional clothing, too. If you need assistance obtaining business casual or professional clothes, consider the Center for Career Opportunities' Career Closet.

Is there a certificate I can receive for presenting during the Showcase?

Yes! There are individualized certificates that are available. These will be available in May.

Are there opportunities to volunteer during the Showcase?

Yes! If you are interested, please email OURevents@purdue.edu.

Student Judging and Award Process

More information on this is to come.

Mentor Information

I am a faculty member and received an email stating that a student indicated I was their mentor. Why did I receive this email?

Students must indicate a mentor on their application for presenting their project. You were included in the application for a student who has submitted a proposal for a conference. Please contact the student as soon as possible if you were unaware of this submission before selecting "Not approved" on the abstract submission.

I approved the abstract, but now I see it is listed as "Presenter Updated." Do I need to reapprove the abstract?

Yes. This means that the first student presenter updated the title, abstract, keywords, or participants after you approved the submission. Reapproval is needed to ensure you are aware of and approve the changes.

I cannot approve the submission as the PI/lead mentor. Why not?

Only the primary mentor (designated by the first mentor listed) can approve the submission. Either contact the student to update the order of the mentors or contact the first mentor listed to have them approve the submission on your behalf.

Authorship Standard Information

What is the "Authorship Standard" and how do I know who is included as an author on my abstract submission?

Many organizations, journals, and conferences publish guidelines for author identification. In the absence of such a guideline, include authors based on the following from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors:

Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
Final approval of the version to be published; AND
Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

At Purdue University, substantial contribution to a work that deserves credit as an author requires both material participation and intellectual contribution. Credit for a co-author is expected when an individual both materially participates in a research project and provides intellectual contribution for which a resulting publication would suffer if it were lacking.

Acknowledgments may be used to denote contributions to the work that do not meet the criteria of authorship, such as supporting the study, general mentoring, acting as study coordinator or research technician, and other related auxiliary activities. Authors should verify that all individuals noted in an acknowledgments section have granted their permission to be listed.

For Purdue OUR conferences, the following roles are possible for authorship:

Undergraduate presenting authors: Undergraduate student who deserves authorship credit for this presentation and will be presenting this work at the conference.
Undergraduate contributing authors: Undergraduate student who deserves authorship credit for this presentation but will not be presenting this work at the conference.
Undergraduate researcher acknowledgments: Undergraduate student with substantial contribution to the research project but does not deserve authorship credit for this presentation.

For Purdue OUR conferences, mentors (non-undergraduate students who participate in the work) are listed separately to indicate their role with the project.

Judges' Process

More information on this is to come.

Research Study Information

What is the research study referenced in the automatic emails I received?

Any data collected for this event – including the application, presentation feedback evaluations (if they exist), event evaluations, and additional data obtained from the Office of the Registrar – may be used for research purposes by the Office of Undergraduate Research and study investigators for an IRB-approved study titled “Undergraduate Research Conferences” (IRB-2023-1142). To learn more about this study, please review the study information sheet. Data for this study will be deidentified prior to any analyses and reporting. Data will be excluded as follows:

Abstracts are automatically excluded for presentations when the abstract is not approved to be published within the event information.
Cases are automatically excluded for any presenter who is a minor at the time of the event.
Additional cases are excluded for any presenter/mentor who opts out of their data use for research purposes.

Any exclusions or inclusions for research purposes do not impact any presenter’s selection to participate in the event.