To create meaningful academic and real-world experiences for our students through undergraduate research.
Valid research experiences in academia are not always equated to original research; also critical to the field of research is the ability for scholars to validate original research. This too provides opportunities for all students to gain valuable research experience. Undergraduate Research seeks foster an environment where community partners, the administration, staff, faculty and most importantly students create a rich, high-impact academic experience that aids with the following:
1. Scholarly Mindset
Curiosity is one of the most critical traits tor a scholar to have. We are naturally not curious about ever subject matter. How can you become curious about a subject matter in which you have no interest?
2. Identify and Develop Topic
In some cases, your instructor may give you "free reign" within the framework of a course to do your own research. This can be an overwhelming feeling; after all, what's critical is that you possess curiosity to learn more about the ideas in the course, how the ideas you are learning apply to your major, and finally, what the larger scholarly community has to say about your topic and question.
3. Find Background Information
Do not just define the topic and concept; look for how it relates to other key figures, concepts, time (when), and space (where). You are looking to build relationships and increase your foundation of knowledge.
4. Ask Questions and Develop Hypothesis
You've done the leg work, flushed out a topic, and have done tertiary research on the background of the key players and ideas on a field of study. You have enough foundation to ask a research question. A gook research question is like a compass, helping you to navigate the mountains of literature that all fields possess.
5. Use Databases
With a research question in hand, it's now time to find an answer. When conducting research, you are not looking for basic answers. You want scholarly answers, which are going to give you evidence and in-depth analysis. Authorship is key when conducting research in college. You are looking for expert, educated opinions held in the scholarly fields.
6. Evaluate Information
Scholarly sources are creditable; not all creditable sources are scholarly. You may use popular magazines, like Time Magazine, to find a topic. Time is a creditable source and has lots of great and informative articles. It doesn't not go through the same rigor or peer research review process as a journal, like Speculum. Newspapers can be great primary sources, but they are not considered scholarly sources.
7. Cite Source Material
Citation is an important part of research. When you cite, you are doing what's called due diligence, which means you are taking responsibility, legally, for giving the proper credit for a quote or an idea you are using in your research. Citation also helps your reader to follow your thought process and follow the evidence.
8. Share Research
Sharing your research is important, because not only are you getting the opportunity to show off what you've learned, but you are also taking courageous step to be a part of a scholarly community by participating in the scholarly disclosure. It can be nerve-wracking sharing your research, but it's an important experience.
"This section of [HIS 1099] is an Undergraduate Research (UR) class, where part of the course will be spent on UR activities. This activity will support course objectives, while promoting at least two of the following skills: inquiry, topic development, constructing a research question or a working hypothesis, collecting data via primary or secondary source material or experimentation, use deductive or inductive reasoning to analyze data, and reflection. All UR classes must use either writing assignments, oral presentations, or publication in an academic or school journal, in an effort to report findings to a larger scholarly community. "