Get Started!
• What is research?
• Why do research?
• How do I get involved?
• FAQ's
• Peer research contacts
Participate!
• Discover research opportunities
• Present at forums
• Present in journals
• Explore resources
• Find funding
Undergraduate
Research Office
• About the office
• Research kudos
• Summer Institute
• Contact us
There are many ways to get involved. Remember, you will be able to find research opportunities in ANY field or discipline.
While many students find research opportunities immediately, finding a research project can be a long process and you may need to contact many people. Be patient and perservere!
Questions? Message one of our Peer Research Contacts. We also hold regular informational sessions for those just starting out. Check our homepage for the times and dates. Also, visit our FAQ's page and feel free to contact us at uro@osu.edu to set up an appointment with our program manager.
The first thing to do is to decide what interests you:
- Make a list of your interests, even though they may not all fall within your major. Research web sites and visit some of the links provided in resources, forums, research news, and student stories to spark some ideas.
- Start looking for research opportunities. Many college and departments offer research opportunities that may suit your interests. Be sure to visit their sites to find out what is available.
- Attend department, college, and university research forums to get a sense of the scope of research that is happening at Ohio State. Talk to students whose research interests you about how they became involved in the project.
The second task is to identify a potential faculty adviser for your work:
- Take advantage of office hours and talk with professors who teach on topics that interest you. Visit their web pages and read some of the work they have published.
- When communicating with professors, it is imperative to be respectful and to be prepared. Keep your messages as concise as possible, and it may take more than one attempt to contact a busy faculty member. Also, you may be asked to provide a resume.
- If the faculty member you are approaching is not able to partner with you, ask for recommendations of labs or other faculty that might provide you with the opportunity to become involved.
- Professors who have already supervised Ohio State undergraduates can be found in abstracts from the annual Denman Undergraduate Research Forum.
Depending on your field of study, there are also many short-term research internships that are available at Ohio State, across the United States, and in foreign countries. Many are offered during the summer, and some also occur throughout the year. We have catalogued a list of these programs on our Discover Research Opportunities page.
Note on Research with Human and Animal Subjects:
There are special requirements for research projects that will involve human or animal subjects. Students working with human subjects should contact their research advisor to see if approval for their project must be sought from the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which may involve completing a specific training session online prior to conducting research. Likewise, students working with animal subjects should check with their research advisor about approval for their project from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). More information about both sets of requirements can be found at the OSU Office of Responsible Research Practices.
Copyright, 2006. The Ohio State University.
This page is maintained by: The Undergraduate Research Office.
If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format, contact The Undergraduate Research Office at 614-292-8307.