Getting Started in Research

DETERMINE YOUR RESEARCH INTERESTS

To brainstorm topics or areas of research that you find interesting, you might consider:

• Making a list of topics you’ve found interesting in your coursework
• Thinking about issues or questions that interest you in your spare time
• Reading academic journal articles in your major or an area of interest
• Looking at faculty profiles on UCLA departmental websites to learn more about faculty research projects
• Visiting our WI+RE site for tutorials and videos on getting started in the research process

IDENTIFY POTENTIAL RESEARCH PROJECTS AND MENTORS

Research projects can either be faculty-initiated or student-initiated:

Working on a faculty-initiated project gives you the chance to help a faculty member on a research project. You can find a list of open research positions for north and south campus students at this link.

We also recommend that you ask your professors and TAs about available research opportunities and search departmental websites for current research projects you can join, as not all professors advertise their positions at the link above.

Working on a student-initiated project gives you the chance to pursue a project of your own design under the guidance of a faculty mentor. To find a faculty mentor, you might ask professors with whom you have taken courses in your area of interest. You can also look at faculty bios on UCLA departmental websites in order to identify faculty who are conducting research in your proposed area. We recommend that you identify several potential faculty mentors to whom you could propose your project.

Before contacting potential faculty mentors, try familiarizing yourself with their most recent publications. If a potential faculty mentor has written a recent book, consider checking it out of the library. If a potential mentor has recent articles, try finding them through UCLA library databases .

Who is eligible to serve as an SRP 99 mentor? All Assistant, Associate, and full Professors who hold teaching positions at UCLA (including in the professional schools) are eligible to serve as faculty mentors for SRP 99 contract courses. Adjunct Professors and Lecturers can serve as faculty mentors with special permission, which our office can help you navigate. Graduate students and post-docs can help supervise SRP 99 projects, but you will still need a faculty mentor.

CONTACTING POTENTIAL FACULTY MENTORS

Send a clear and concise email to your potential faculty mentor with the following points:

• Name and major/department affiliation
• Purpose for contacting them (i.e. research as an SRP 99 student)
• Why their research interests you and how your research interests relate to their work
• Your contact information (email, phone)

Click here for sample e-mails regarding assisting with a faculty project or working on a project you initiated.

As an attachment to your email, include your curriculum vitae (CV). A CV is similar to a resume, but is specific to your academic career. Be sure to include on your CV:

• Relevant coursework and skills (including language and computer skills)
• Work and leadership experience
• Honors, awards, and distinctions

Click here for a sample CV . You can find additional resources for writing your CV on the Career Center website.

When you contact a potential mentor, you may find that the mentor is unable to advise your project, which may be due to a variety of circumstances and unrelated to your background and experiences. In such a case, graciously thank the mentor for their consideration.

You and your potential mentor might arrange an interview or meeting to discuss the potential SRP 99 project. Make sure you are on time for the interview or meeting, bring your CV along, and prepare possible research topics and questions.

THE CONTRACT

Once a faculty member agrees to mentor your research, the next step is the SRP 99 contract, due by 4:30 p.m. on Friday of the second week of each quarter.

If you are interested in an upper-division research course instead of an SRP 99 course, please click here for more information.

ADVISING APPOINTMENTS

Graduate Research Mentors are available to discuss topics related to research and creative projects such as identifying research interests, getting started in research or creative inquiry, forming a research question, writing a research or creative proposal, applying to scholarship programs and graduate school, and finding a faculty mentor.

Meetings can be held over Zoom. Appointments are scheduled on a first-come first-serve basis. If you need to reschedule an appointment, you must first cancel your current reservation. The URC-HASS staff is not able to see available appointment times.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

Click here to schedule a 30-minute one-on-one appointment with a Graduate Research Mentor, or:

1. Visit MyUCLA and select the “Academics” tab
2. Click on “Appointments” and select “Create Appointment”
3. Select the “Undergraduate Research Center” from the drop-down menu
4. Select an appointment time, location, and submit

Once your advising appointment has been scheduled, you will receive a confirmation email with your appointment details.

Please turn your video on for the duration of your appointment. Please be patient if you join the Zoom meeting and your Graduate Research Mentor is not yet available.

FALL QUARTER AVAILABILITY

Thirty minute advising appointments will be available during the following times in Weeks 1-10. No appointments are available on November 11 (Veterans Day holiday) or November 27-28 (Thanksgiving Holiday).

• Mondays: 12pm – 5pm (starting October 6)
• Tuesdays: 12pm – 2pm
• Wednesdays: 10am – 12pm
• Thursdays: 11am – 1pm

FALL OPEN HOUSE

The Undergraduate Research Centers are hosting six 30-minute presentation and Q&A sessions with undergraduate researchers and graduate research mentors. All students are welcome, whether you are just getting started or are already involved in research or creative inquiry!

We will cover:

• one-on-one advising appointments
• research workshops and scholarship info sessions
• scholarship programs
• presentation and publication opportunities for UCLA undergraduate students at every stage of the research and creative process

• Date: Wednesday, September 24
• Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Location: Mathematics Sciences Building, Room 5200

MAILING LIST & SOCIALS

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