Undergraduate Research Hub

There are many ways to define research, but all definitions have in common that research is a systematic investigation that leads to new knowledge. That kind of investigation involves searching and re-searching.

There are many benefits to doing research as an undergraduate student. In addition to deepening your knowledge about a topic and benefiting your coursework, undergraduate research will help you...

• establish a new community bound by a love of discovery
• form long-term relationships with your faculty and research peer mentors that will positively impact your career
• learn new concepts and techniques
• contribute to new knowledge that will benefit society
• expand your professional network through conference presentations
• become better prepared for graduate research in master’s and doctoral programs
• develop leadership skills as mentor of other students.

Last not least: research is exciting and a lot of fun!

The fact you are reading this already suggests “Yes, research could be for you!”

Many important aspects of a successful researcher are also found in other parts of life. Creativity, curiosity, resilience, enjoying troubleshooting, patience, interest in finding out why things happen and in finding macro or micro solutions to world problems even if only on a small scale. If any of these apply to you then you might be already a researcher in the making. The best way to discover if research is for you is to do it. And by the way- research does not only happen in a laboratory but also outdoors, in the field, under the sea, in space, in zoos, in your community, in schools, in libraries, and just about anywhere.

There are many ways to begin your research journey.

• Connect with student active in research.
• Join a student club in your field of interest.
• Attend the Annual Cal State LA symposium for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities.
• Take a course that introduces research.
• Reach out to faculty doing research on campus.
• Explore research-focused programs and centers on campus.
• Apply for summer research programs off-campus.

Learn more on how to get started

There are other forms of extracurricular engagement than research that provide you with an opportunity for intellectual growth and professional development. You can interact with faculty and staff and the community in your field. Below are several such centers listed.

Cal State LA hosts several research training programs of which many prepare students for entering a PhD program. Trainees are exposed to professional development and various career paths, attend seminars in their discipline, and interact with professionals in their field. Often trainees conduct faculty-mentored research and may receive a stipend and/or tuition support.

Explore research training programs at Cal State LA

There are also many private foundations and professional societies that support undergraduate research. Typically, support is for students who work with a faculty mentor on a specific project and applications can be submitted in collaboration with the faculty mentor. Ask your faculty mentor about such opportunities. 

The library has many resources to support students in conducting research such as finding relevant literature, reading the literature, and appropriately citing the literature.

Find library resources here

The library has also a team of librarians ready to help you with all library needs.

Find your librarian

ON CAMPUS

• Student Symposium on Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities (RSCA)

• Center for the Study of Genders and Sexualities- check their website for updates on their annual student research conference 

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

• West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference (WCBSURC)

• Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR)

CALIFORNIA

• CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB)

NATIONAL

• National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) - coming to Long Beach in 2024, abstract deadline December 8, 2023
• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
• Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS)
• Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM

• Department of Communication Studies- Colloqy
  A journal of the Department of Communication Studies at Cal State LA publishing a variety of scholarship of different types and at different levels.
• Department of English- Text & Type
  An open-access journal of the Department of English that features critical, creative, and multimedia writing projects.
• Department of History- Perspectives
  A yearly print and electronic publication of the Department of History managed by students from HIST 4970 students and featuring primary research in history.
• Department of Pan African Studies- So Dayi
  A journal published by the Department of Pan-African Studies featuring  student research in the area of Pan-African Studies.
• Department of Philosophy- Philosophy in Practice (archived issues)
  An open-access journal that has previously published student research in the area of philosophy but is currently inactive.
• Department of Sociology: California Sociology Forum 
  A student-run journal committed to cultivating student research, supporting intellectual exchange, and featuring diverse perspectives on various issues of our society and world.
• Literature and Art in General- Statement Magazine 
  A student-run journal of literature and art that is currently inactive.

WEBSITES WITH UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL LISTS

• University of Nebraska Lincoln
• Scared Heart University Library
• Undergraduate Research Commons
• Wikipedia

SELECTED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH JOURNAL