Doing publishable undergraduate research -- and getting it published!
by Rachel Coburn
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Although it is not common for undergraduates to conduct and publish their own research, it is by no means impossible!听 It takes proper planning, timing, and hard work to get to this sort of level.听 As an undergraduate in Dr. Smith鈥檚 lab, I personally found that a few key factors led me to being able to publish a paper.
Here鈥檚 what I did that worked well for me:
- Joined a lab early- To try out research, I volunteered in Dr. Smith鈥檚 lab the second semester of my freshman year.听 I worked alongside a lab technician three hours a week where I was able to learn basic research techniques.听 This experience helped me realize how I wanted to be more involved in the lab by pursuing an independent project.听
- Applied for research scholarships- I applied for many funding sources offered by my institution, state, and nation.听 The ones I received not only supported my research, but also allowed me to participate in other research-related opportunities (such as spending one summer at another research institution).听
- Worked hard!- I put a lot of time into my research. 听The key was that I started my own project as a sophomore and kept at it during the school year and summer for several years.听 I always did quality work and kept detailed notes.
- Pushed myself out of my comfort zone- I participated in many local conferences where I presented my work.听 Improving my poster and oral presentation skills allowed me to gain confidence and understand my project better.听 In addition, I took challenging science courses and attended lab meetings to expand my knowledge base.
- Published my work- Even though I envisioned writing a manuscript to be a quick process, it took me well over a year to go from an outline to a published paper.听 Some time-consuming aspects other than writing included entering data into databases (such as GenBank), making quality figures in Illustrator, and addressing reviewers鈥� suggestions.听听听 听听
Personally, it was really worthwhile to invest so much of my time into research.听 My long-term project allowed me, as an undergraduate, to gain an appreciation of the scientific process.听 The most rewarding part, though, was how the fruits of my labor are now shared with scientists all over the world through my manuscript I published as a member of Dr. Smith鈥檚 lab.
Undergraduate research is a wonderful experience, and with a little (well, more like a lot!) of effort, it is possible to complete and publish a project.