By Emily M. Lund, B.A., and Katie Miller, M.A.
Research is a key part of psychology training and practice, and one of the most important factors in admissions to psychology PhD programs. Students interested in pursuing doctoral level training in psychology should seek to get involved in research as soon in their academic careers as possible, usually through collaborating with faculty members on research projects.
Successful applicants usually have maximized their research experience by going beyond simple participation in a research lab and getting in-depth and involved exposure to research. This article will detail helpful hints for getting the most out of research as both an undergraduate and graduate psychology student.
Getting Involved in Undergraduate Research
The first step in getting involved in research is finding a lab or mentor. Most university and college websites list the names, email addresses, and research interests of department faculty, and this is a great place to start your search. Most students find volunteer research experience through “cold emailing” department faculty, although some obtain positions through prior contacts with faculty (e.g., taking a class with a professor, referrals from other faculty members).
Typically, an initial email to a faculty member should be brief but informed, asking the faculty if they have any room in their research lab for a new undergraduate research assistant (RA) and preferably expressing some genuine interest in the faculty member’s research topic. Keep these emails polite and professional and check for grammar and spelling errors.
Don’t be discouraged if faculty members tell you that they aren’t taking new RAs or simply never respond to your email. Keep contacting other department faculty—if you are professional, polite, and persistent, chances are that you will find a position eventually! It can be easier to get involved in other research labs after you have some research experience under your belt, so a less than positive response once isn’t necessarily an absolute “no.” Also, once you are involved in a lab, you may discover a passion for that area of research, even if it wasn’t initially your first choice.
New RAs typically start with “grunt work” tasks, such as data entry, transcription, or literature searches. While these tasks may not be the most intellectually stimulating, take your work seriously! Show interest in the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the research. A good work ethic and genuine curiosity may lead to you getting selected to do more meaningful and involved tasks in the future, such becoming a study manager or co-author. Also, don’t be afraid to let your interest in getting involved in publications and presentations be known — these are vital parts of a successful graduate school application.
Posters and Presentations
As an undergraduate research assistant, you may be asked to present your lab’s research. This is done at a conference, which is usually an annual meeting of some psychology-related organization such as the American Psychological Association (APA) or the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT). Different conferences have different levels of prestige. For instance, a national conference is considered more prestigious than a regional one. It is best to ask your mentor for guidance regarding to which conference you should submit your research.
One of the most common methods of disseminating research at a conference is through a poster presentation. After you submit an abstract of your study to the organization (usually through their website), you create a poster and stand next to it during your scheduled session. It is recommended that you create handouts of your poster that you can give to interested individuals who may request them.
There are three major advantages to presenting a poster. First, posters can be listed on your CV and are more likely to be accepted than publications. Second, presenting a poster is a great way to network. Finally, you have the opportunity to talk to individuals about your research personally and to establish a name for yourself in the field.
Of course, there are also disadvantages to a poster presentation. You are usually one of many individuals presenting a poster so your poster may not get as much attention as you would hope. Additionally, posters may not be considered as impressive as publications or presented papers. Still, they can be a valuable learning experience and a good stepping stone to other types of presentations or publications.
Presenting your paper at a conference is not as easy to do as presenting a poster. The acceptance rates are lower, and you may have to put together or help form a symposium with other researchers. A symposium consists of several research presentations on some related topic. Often individuals putting together symposia will send out emails to professional listservs asking for interested parties, so that is one way to become involved. You may also be asked by your mentor, who is likely well-connected within the field.
When presenting a paper at a conference, you will likely give an oral presentation supplemented by Powerpoint slides summarizing your research. At the end of the symposium, the presenters field questions from the audience. So, if you do choose to participate in this type of activity, be ready to answer questions and perhaps even address criticisms that audience members may have.
Publications
Articles in peer-reviewed journals are generally considered the “gold standard” in psychology research, although chapters in edited books will also look good on your CV. Articles may be empirical (e.g., presenting the results of research study), theoretical (e.g., presenting a review theory or model), brief reports, or review articles, such as systemic reviews or meta-analyses which compile and synthesize the existing research on a topic. As an applicant, any type of peer-reviewed journal article will be impressive.
Most undergraduate authors are non-primary co-authors on articles related to studies in which they were significantly involved. A few undergraduate may be primary or solo authors on manuscripts, although this is rare and usually occurs when a student publishes his or her undergraduate thesis or has independently written a review article.
In theory, authorship order should reflect the relative contribution of each author to the study and manuscript in question, and this is generally true in most cases. However, authorship decisions can be influenced by outside factors, such co-author career needs, and authorship decisions may more accurately reflect the level of contribution to the manuscript rather than contributions to the study as whole. In general, authorship decisions are made by the first author or principal investigator of a study, and protesting them, while possible, is generally risky and ill-advised, especially for undergraduates. If you are offered any level of authorship as an undergraduate, be happy!
If you are first author on a manuscript, you are usually responsible for choosing a target journal. Think about the journals that frequently publish similar work (check your reference list for ideas), read journal aims, and compare journal statistics, such as impact factor (how often articles in a particular journal are cited) and rejection rate to get a sense of relative prestige and competitiveness. Many libraries subscribe to Cabbell’s Publishing database, which can be great source for journal listings and rejection rate information.
The review process is long, typically lasting sixth months to a year, if not longer. Manuscripts are usually sent out for peer review after a brief review by the editor, who will make a final decision after receiving reviews. Few manuscripts are accepted outright, and most receive either decisions of “reject“ or “revise and resubmit” (sometimes called “rejection with encouragement”). While revise and submit decisions rarely guarantee acceptance, they do communicate a strong level of interest in the manuscript and frequently lead to later acceptance if reviewer comments and revisions are adequately addressed.
After You Get In: Research Involvement in Graduate School
If you attend a PhD program in psychology, you will be expected to participate in research throughout graduate school. The amount of research required varies from program to program. For instance, some clinical psychology programs focus more on clinical training and only require a thesis and dissertation. The more research-focused programs will expect you to be actively involved in your graduate advisor’s research lab on top of other demands, such as coursework, clinical training, and teaching. That is why it is important to be able to budget your time and know your limits. Many graduate students can become overwhelmed because they have signed on too many projects and spread themselves too thin.
Most PhD programs admit students by lab, meaning that you will mainly work with your advisor on his or her research. Many times you will help with research conducted by your professor or other graduate students in the lab, but you will also be expected to conduct your own research, as graduate school is supposed to prepare you to be an independent researcher. You may also have the chance to work with other students and faculty on research outside of your advisor’s lab. However, some professors prefer that you only work with them, so it is important to know your advisor’s thoughts on the issue before agreeing to any outside collaboration.
The most important research projects in graduate school are your thesis and dissertation. If you do not complete these, you will fall behind in progress. The goal of a graduate program is to finish and obtain your degree, and this is impossible if you do not complete your thesis and dissertation. Therefore, you should prioritize them over side projects.
The best advice for wannabe-productive graduate researchers is to take initiative. For instance, you can ask faculty if you can collaborate with them or spearhead your own project under faculty guidance. Many professors are happy to oversee projects if you will do most of the work. Though this can become tiresome, it also gives you a high level of involvement with your own research, which will be impressive to others.
If you attend a program that is not as research-heavy and would like to become more active in research, you may have to be creative to find opportunities. One option is to consult other psychology department members outside of your program. You can also consult faculty outside of your department if they have related interests. If you are active in seeking out and creating opportunities, you may eventually establish a reputation within your department, resulting in professors and other students approaching you with opportunities instead of you having to seek them out yourself.
So how do you decide how much you would like to get involved in research in graduate school? One way is to examine your career goals. If you want to continue in academia, it is a good idea to begin building your CV and establish yourself as a productive researcher. Applying for grants and fellowships is also highly encouraged in order to demonstrate that you are active in applying for and/or able to secure outside funding.
It is important to remember that your research involvement in graduate school is largely up to you. Though you may have expectations from your advisor and the program, you can choose to limit or increase other outside research activities. If you would prefer to work in more applied settings, such as providing therapy or working in a school, you may want to use your extra time to focus instead on building those types of skills. Finally, it is also important to consider how passionate you are about research because that is what will get you through those long nights in the lab, demoralizing reviews of publication submissions, and hours spent staring at a computer screen.
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