Research: Overview & Approaches

So what is involved in research? What would you be doing, exactly? Who would you be working with and in what capacity?

It all depends on your particular field of study.

• Those in the liberal arts, social sciences, business and economics might begin with researching journal articles on a particular subject.
• Sometimes you may be collecting data through interviews, observations or surveys, then analyzing that data to find patterns.
• Those in engineering or sciences may spend the bulk of their time conducting laboratory research, experiments, equipment and lab maintenance, and preparing samples.

Ultimately, the research approach you take depends on the questions you are trying to answer.

Undergraduate research is an exciting opportunity to get first-hand experience conducting research and developing valuable research skills that you can bring to your future courses or other professional endeavors. You will likely have the added benefit of receiving guidance and support of an experienced research mentor as you participate in undergraduate research at Purdue.

The Office Undergraduate Research is the best place to begin your exploration of undergraduate research options at Purdue. Explore the various pages to ...

Want to publish your undergraduate research in an academic journal? Explore opportunities to publish in The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research (JPUR), a student operated journal that partners behind the scenes with the Purdue University Press, the Libraries, the English department, the Purdue Writing Lab, and Purdue Marketing and Media to publish exemplary research across academic departments at Purdue. 

Explore your options and archives of published articles by visiting the JPUR website!