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UNDERGRADUATE
RESEACH
A
PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR GETTING INVOLVED IN RESEARCH
STEP 1: EXPLORE
YOUR INTERESTS
Psychological
research varies greatly in both content and methodology.
Spend
time thinking about the kind of research that interests you. What topics
have
most
interested you in your psychology courses? Which methods excited you? What
skills
do you wish to gain? What sort of research experiences do you want to have?
What
style of work do you enjoy?
You
need not have a specific topic of research in mind when you begin to explore
research
opportunities. However, before approaching a potential mentor you should
have
thought about where your interests are concentrated and what excites you
about
research.
STEP 2:LOCATE
A SET OF POTENTIAL RESEARCH MENTORS
Browse
the research descriptions
of faculty research on the CMU Psychology web
site
to get an idea of the variety of psychological research conducted at CMU.
Be
aware that you may find that the style of research that interests you most
is not
represented
in the research interests of the CMU Psychology faculty. Psychological
research
spans many departmental boundaries. You may find suitable research mentors
in
other departments (e.g., Biological Sciences
or at the University of Pittsburgh
A
great variety of psychological research is conducted in the Pittsburgh
area.
Many
of our students have found research mentors from other departments and
other
universities.
Almost every department has a list of faculty research interests available
on
the web. Use the web to browse faculty interests to locate possible research
mentors
whose
interests match your own.
In
doing so, however, be prepared to be flexible. As a new researcher, you
will need to
be
open to opportunities. The most important things you gain from early research
experience
are a feel for the flow of research, some general research skills, and
the
development
of a relationship with a research mentor. Any research topic will provide
you
with these experiences. As you develop as a researcher, you will move into
research
areas that more and more closely match your personal intellectual interests.
STEP 3:APPROACHING
A FACULTY ADVISOR
Once
you have found potential faculty mentors you will need to find out whether
there
are research positions available.
Schedule
an appointment with the faculty member to express your interest in
the
research
project. You should let the faculty member know you would like to find
out more
about
the research and the possibility of working on the project. Faculty members
are
very
busy people, so be respectful of your prospective mentorâs time.
Email is a good
way
to communicate your interest initially.
Make
sure to do your homework! Use the web to find research articles relevant
to
the
research project(s) ongoing in the laboratory or request them directly
from your
prospective
faculty mentor. Read all that you can and try to understand the basic
principles
of the research, the methods and the general conclusions before your meeting
with
your prospective mentor.
Arrive
at your meeting prepared. Be prepared to discuss your qualifications
with
your
prospective mentor. Have a copy of your transcript and be ready to explain
why
you are interested in their research program.
You
should also have a clear sense of your expectations:
-
What interests you about this
area of research?
-
What do you wish to get out
of the research experience?
-
What are your long-term educational
or career goals?
-
How much time can you commit
to the research project
(hours/week and number of
semesters)?
-
What skills do you already possess
that might be useful to the research?
Ask
questions! If youâve done your homework, you no doubt have questions
about the
research.
Now is the time to ask. What sort of research work will you be conducting?
What
are your mentorâs expectations? What sort of responsibilities will
you have?
How
much of a time commitment is required? What skills will you be expected
to learn?
Donât
be discouraged if your chosen mentor is not available to work with
you. Be aware
that
your prospective mentor may not have the time or resources to work with
a student
at
the current time. Usually, this is no reflection upon you but rather a
result your
prospective
mentorâs busy schedule or full laboratory. There are other opportunities
out
there!
STEP 4:ONCE
YOUâVE FOUND A RESEARCH POSITION·
As
a new researcher, you will need to master the basics. Most often, you will
begin
doing
routine work to get involved in the research project and allow for your
mentor to
observe
your ability to work responsibly. You will probably begin working on a
small part
of
a much larger project. As you gain skills, you will advance in your responsibilities.
Take
an active interest in the research. Be responsible and detail-oriented.
Your behavior
in
the lab will hasten the trajectory toward independent research. Find out
what others in
the
lab are doing and get a feel for the "big picture" of the research being
conducted.
Ask
questions and continue doing your homework by reading material related
to the
project.
Donât be frustrated if you do not understand everything at first.
Once you become
familiar
with the bigger questions, the smaller issues will fall into place. Often,
mentors
are
reluctant to demand additional levels of responsibility from new researchers.
You
should take an active role in communicating your desire for greater responsibility
with
your mentor. Go the "extra mile" and do more than is strictly required
of you. If you
wish
to do more than routine laboratory tasks, this is the best way to demonstrate
to
your
mentor that you are ready for the responsibility. The more you put into
the
experience,
the more you are likely to get out of it.
STEP 5:HAVE
FUN!
We
all love research so much that weâve decided to spend our lives doing
it.
This
is your opportunity to find out if you find it as intellectually engaging,
challenging
and fun as we do.Enjoy!
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PAGE LAST UPDATED: 1-17-07 KK/tc |
