Undergraduate research at Hopkins
The Council on Undergraduate Research defines undergraduate research as “A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge.” In other words, undergraduate research, like all research, aims to advance knowledge — but because it is conducted by emerging scholars, it is undertaken with the guidance of a faculty mentor. Undergraduate research takes place in labs, libraries, archives, and museums; out in the community, in nature, in a clinical setting; in person, online, and across the globe.
At Hopkins, undergraduate research happens in all kinds of contexts, including:
- Research-based coursework: credit-bearing courses that have research as a core component, such as Experiential Research Labs (ERLs), discipline-specific methodology courses, senior thesis seminars, and courses that fulfill Foundational Ability 6: Projects and Methods
- Research apprenticeships: mentored research experiences undertaken outside of academic coursework, such as paid research jobs, research internships or assistantships, co-ops, and other research-based experiential learning programs
- Student-led research experiences: independent research projects designed and carried out by an undergraduate, under the supervision of a faculty mentor, outside the academic curriculum (i.e., not as part of a course — though it can be done for credit as Customized Academic Learning)
However you choose to engage in research, URSCA is here to help!
Undergraduate Research Resources
URSCA has built a comprehensive, self-paced Canvas resource site that serves as a detailed guide to navigating the research landscape at Hopkins and developing a strong undergraduate research proposal.
On this site, you will find discipline-inclusive guidance; sample materials; proposal-writing support; budgeting resources; links to opportunities for funding, presenting, and publishing your research; and practical tools that you can use at any stage of the research process.
Self-enroll in our Canvas site, Undergraduate Research Resources, for further information and guidance.
The site is organized into modules that you can explore according to your own goals, questions, and needs. We are always developing new content and adding new materials to the site.
Guides and resources on our Canvas site
The following is a list of current modules on our self-enroll Canvas site, Undergraduate Research Resources. Each module includes subtopics with guides, resources, and sample materials.
- Getting Started with Research
- Developing and Refining a Research Topic
- Finding and Working with Mentors
- Collaborating with Others
- JHU Research Policies and Procedures
- Research Travel
- Human Subjects Research
- Research for Academic Credit
- Applying for Research Funding
- Funding Opportunities
- Common Funding Application Elements
- Writing a Research Proposal
- Proposal Elements
- Sample Application Materials
- CVs and Resumes
- CVs vs. Resumes
- Marketing Your Research Experience
- Sample CVs and Resumes
- Requesting a Letter of Recommendation
- Creating and Managing a Research Budget
- Disseminating Your Research
- Presenting Your Research at an Academic Conference
- Publishing Your Research
Self-enroll in our Canvas site, Undergraduate Research Resources, for further information and guidance.
Resources for faculty
Faculty and staff can support student research and URSCA in multiple ways:
Serve as a reviewer for undergraduate research grant applications
We rely on the expertise of JHU faculty to assess applications to our undergraduate research grants and fellowships. Faculty reviewers will be asked to evaluate up to 10 applications in their field, broadly defined – humanities, social sciences, natural sciences (though we make every effort to match reviewers with their specific area of expertise, e.g., neuroscience, public health).
URSCA provides an evaluation rubric and thorough instructions for assessing the applicants 4- to 6-page research proposals. All reviews are done fully online in our application portal.
If you are willing to serve as a reviewer, please email [email protected].
Mentor an undergraduate researcher
Our undergraduate research award grantees are provided the unique opportunity to work one-on-one with Hopkins’s greatest asset – its faculty. Faculty mentors work directly with grantees to ensure that they are aware of the current scholarship on their topic and that their work is making a unique contribution to the field.
For most awards, faculty mentorship is a one-year commitment; for the University Undergraduate Research Fellowship and the Ethan M. Posner Fellowship, faculty mentors supervise the undergraduate researcher for up to three years. URSCA provides a mentor-mentee agreement that both parties sign at the beginning of the award period; it lays out the standard responsibilities and expectations for both the student and the faculty member, and allows mentor-mentee pairs to add their own commitments to the list before signing.
The faculty mentor role includes but is not limited to:
- Budget supervision: Mentors assist researchers in budgeting their funds, and ensure that the student’s expenses are directly related to their independent research.
- Advice and counseling: Mentors must meet with their researcher on a monthly basis, and must maintain communication during Intersession, summer, sabbaticals, and research trips. Mentors should provide the first source of problem resolution for their student researcher, and give careful guidance and support in the context of their student’s relative inexperience as a researcher. Mentors should also advise their student on appropriate venues to disseminate their research, and should be prepared to support their student’s pursuit of graduate education or related professional endeavors.
- Project supervision: Mentors are responsible for ensuring the safety, ethics, and academic rigor of their student’s project. They are also responsible for evaluating the student’s final product (typically a research paper) and assessing the student’s overall research competencies at the end of their award period.
- IRB participation: If a student is conducting research with human subjects, IRB approval is required. A faculty mentor must serve as the principal investigator on the IRB application, which must be submitted to the IRB corresponding to the faculty member’s appointment (e.g., Homewood or SOM).