Contacting Researchers

How do I get involved? How do I contact researchers?

1. Search: Using the search form at the top of this page (or to the left under "search for research experiences"), find researchers working in areas you find interesting. Using the search bar at the top of the page, you can search for researchers who are interested in having research assistants. You can enter keywords into the search box, such as cognitive development, animal behavior, social work, alcoholism, etc., or you can search by researcher name or by department. Additionally, you may select a specific college you would like results limited to.
2. Contact: The search results provide information about individual researchers and their contact information.
3. Wait for responses: Don't get discouraged if a researcher does not write back immediately. Just send your email message again or, better yet, phone or go see the researcher during his or her office hours. If the researcher is interested, he or she will most likely ask for an interview with you. Be prepared to explain why you want to be a research assistant and why you are interested in that person's project.
4. Understand Expectations: If the researcher accepts you as a research assistant, make sure that you clearly understand his or her expectations to avoid any misunderstandings.

How do I get credit?

Each academic department on campus has a course for independent or directed undergraduate research.

1. Use the "Getting course credit" link for a list of all department courses for undergraduate research.
2. Check for course prerequisites before registering by looking at:
   • The on-line undergraduate catalog