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Undergraduate Research Courses

ALS 1984 Introduction to Research Practices

Introduction to best understand practices for engaging in undergraduate research. It creates a community of practice where students learn the process of executing a research project.

ALS 2604 Introduction to Research Practices

Introduction to formal undergraduate research and basic research methods. Engagement in interdisciplinary collaboration via team research projects. Exploration of scholarly literature, topic development, information evaluation, citation and data management, research ethics, and scientific communication. Connections to advanced information and digital literacy topics such as research impact and digital repositories. Formal proposal development and presentation.

BCHM 1024 Biochemistry Research Skills

Introduction of foundational knowledge on the central tenets of biochemistry and research skills. Development of critical thinking skills and professional development through networks. Collection, analysis, and interpretation of data. Evaluation of literature, use of citation management programs, and development of scientific writing and presentation skills. Data management, visualization, and ethics in the context of biochemistry. Emphasis on teamwork, literature reading, and scientific communication skills.

COMM 2124 Introduction to Communication Research

Study of approaches to research in the discipline, including identification and analysis of existing research; procedures for conducting and reporting basic research in communication. Sophomore Standing required.

HD 3014 Research Methods in Human Development

Critical thinking and problem-solving involved in applying methods of scientific inquiry to the field of human development. Topics include methods of data collection, basic methods for displaying and analyzing data, and writing reports.

HIST 2004: Historical Methods

Explanation of the discipline of history: its history, philosophies, and methods, with emphasis on historical research.

HIST 3764 Oral History: Methods and Practices

Explores the theory and methodology of oral history practices. Considers the use of oral history interviews in historical research, and explores questions of ethics, interpretation, and the construction of memory. Includes training in technical operations and a variety of interview techniques, transcription, and historical use of interviews.

HIST 3774: Digital History

Develops skills and methods for researching and presenting history in a digital environment, with special emphasis on use of digital media as a tool for public historians.

ISE 2404 Deterministic Operations Research I

Deterministic operations research modeling concepts; linear programming modeling, assumptions, algorithms, modeling languages, and optimization software; duality and sensitivity analysis with economic interpretation; network models (formulations and algorithms), including transportation problems, assignment problems, shortest path problems, maximum flow problems, minimum cost network flow problems, minimal spanning tree problems. A C- or better required in MATH 1114 or MATH 2114.

PPE 2024 Research Methods

Introduction to research in political science; formulation of theory, operationalization and measurement, gathering, analysis and interpretation of data.

PSCI 2024 Research Methods

Introduction to research in political science; formulation of theory, operationalization and measurement, gathering, analysis and interpretation of data.

PSYC 1094 Principles of Psychology Research

Philosophical foundation and ethical issues in psychological research. Research design and methodology. Analytic approaches to developing, understanding, interpreting psychological data.

SOC 3204 Social Research Methods

Techniques of data collection and analysis employed in the social sciences with emphasis on survey research methods including questionnaire construction, sampling, and analysis of both self-collected and national data; logic behind application of these techniques.

SYSB 4065, 4066 Research Experiences in Systems Biology

Training and practical experience in the conduct of systems biology research. 4065: Plan a research project, develop a research hypothesis, and perform preliminary testing and analysis. 4066: Execute, refine, complete, and document the projects results.

UH 1604 Introduction to Honors Quantitative and Qualitative Research Practices

Introduction to critical practices in undergraduate quantitative and qualitative research for Honors College students, including generating focused research questions, finding scholarly literature, organizing data, conducting ethical research, collaborative research practices, and identifying venues to present research findings.

UH 2604 Intermediate Honors Quantitative and Qualitative Research Practices

Intermediate study of critical practices in quantitative and qualitative research for Honors College students, including identifying funding opportunities for research, collaborating across disciplines, designing introductory research protocols, managing research projects, and using posters to present research findings.

UH 3604 Designing Protocols for Honors Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Advanced study of critical practices in quantitative and qualitative research for Honors College students, including transdisciplinary project management, refining research protocols based on feasibility of data collection, maintaining research ethics and integrity, planning for data collection, and planning for dissemination of research findings.

UH 3614 Data Collection and Analysis for Honors Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Continuing advanced study of critical practices in quantitative and qualitative research for Honors College students, including working with multiple types of data, collecting, cleaning and managing data, reporting of primary and secondary data, evaluating the work of others, and communicating conclusions to general audiences.

Virginia Tech Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) - Field Safety Research Resources

EHS promotes a positive, integrated safety culture for the university community, advocates safe and healthy living, learning, and working environments, and helps departments comply with regulations and mandates.

Human Research Protections Program Office Hours

The Human Research Protections Program (HRPP) holds open office hours every Wednesday in 3010 Newman Library, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This is a time where personnel from the HRPP, IRB and PRDP are available to consult with student researchers on their projects.

iBiology Course: Planning Your Scientific Journey

Planning Your Scientific Journey is a free, on-demand, self-paced course aimed primarily at life science graduate and undergraduate students. By the end of the course, you will have:

  • Criteria to evaluate a research question.
  • A plan for how to approach your scientific question and other research goals.
  • An agenda for a meeting with your mentor to get feedback on your plan.