Online Undergraduate Research Guide

High-level research institutions, often called “R1 institutions,” like OSU pursue future-forward research questions that can have global impact. At R1 schools, undergraduate and graduate students usually participate in pre-existing research. This means you might not be able to research exactly what you’re interested in, but you can learn skills and competencies by working on an ongoing research project that you can apply to other opportunities in the future.

For a taste of the research at Oregon State, check out the Research Office website and their Annual Research Report. Research topics vary by discipline, but often the work includes conducting literature reviews, analyzing data, interpreting results and writing about your findings.

Research opportunities are not commonly tailored to distance students, but with a little ingenuity and persistence, you can generate your own research opportunities while learning online with Ecampus.

You can learn essential skills by participating on an existing project that apply to other work in the future. You can learn how to do tasks like:

• Conducting research involving human participants or animals
• Reviewing and synthesize existing research
• Analyzing a variety of data types
• Presenting your research in various forms for diverse audiences
• Managing research projects
• Carrying out scientific thinking, critical inquiry, and communication
• Succeeding in general professional settings

In addition, you will gain invaluable mentorship from graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty members.

As you consider your options, remember that your advisor and personal or professional mentors are a great resource for feedback and guidance. Try the following:

• Reflect on your goals. You might want to learn new skills, network, or create a product. Try to find an opportunity that supports those goals. Thinking through what you want to accomplish may help you narrow potential opportunities exclusively to research or expand them beyond research.
• Think about your timeline. How long until you complete your program? If you’re not long from completing your program or degree, consider a micro-internship rather than a research project. If you have a lighter course load, that term might be a good time to find a research project. Finally, consider how you could fit research alongside your existing weekly commitments.
• Consider your next move. If your plans include graduate school, many advanced degree programs look favorably on undergraduate research experience. Involvement in research might also produce helpful skills or connections to other researchers who may be more closely aligned with your research interests.
• Find out more about research in your discipline. Connect with the instructors in your program to learn about labs, field work, community engagement and more. Ask around for connections to recent graduates and conduct an informational interview with them to learn more about research in your field. Your knowledge of your field of study will help you understand the key elements of relevant research, so use it to envision the work you might do.

As an Oregon State student, you have access to a variety of tools that enable remote work. And as an online learner, you’re already well-versed in succeeding in a remote environment. Online research could look like regular virtual meetings with your research supervisor, submitting deliverables on a timeline, communicating with lab members and more.

It’s rare you’ll find a job posting for a remote research position, but you should explore qualifications for general researcher positions and whether you meet them. Be prepared to answer questions about your GPA, relevant coursework you’ve taken, when you’ll graduate and your related work experiences.

You can identify a researcher to work with by combing department websites to discover projects you find interesting. Ask your advisor about instructors who are hiring research assistants. Check out newsletters or publications from your program. Think back to classes you’ve taken that you found compelling and with instructors who mentioned their research activity.

Some projects might be location-specific, but a lot of research activity can be conducted online. For example, a researcher might need assistance in conducting interviews over the phone or Zoom, they may have already collected data that they need help analyzing, or maybe a lab needs help reviewing recent literature on a topic area.

All of those activities could be done remotely. You could also: develop presentations, create graphics, proofread writing, construct an annotated bibliography, develop or administer online surveys, draft a research protocol and more.

Ensure that you thoroughly review their research beforehand so that you can clearly articulate how you could contribute. Be prepared for some negotiation. Maybe the researcher doesn’t have funds to pay a research assistant — could you do an independent study and get credit?

Or perhaps the researcher has finished their paper already — could you help with copy editing or drafting a summary for a news article? Help them visualize how an online student might contribute.