Student Research

Conducting research as an undergraduate is an important step to explore an area of interest in depth, increase problem solving and critical thinking capabilities, network within your field of interest and also turn theoretical knowledge into real-world experience. Also, undergraduate research experience is highly valued in graduate school admissions.

There are several ways in which you can engage in research at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. You can be a lab assistant or work as a research assistant on faculty-led research projects. You may also initiate you own research study for course credit or through the Honors Program.

In addition to research, USF Sarasota-Manatee campus Career Services offers connections to internships with local businesses and social service providers as well as national and international virtual internships. Please see the internship website for more information.

An internship is geared towards providing work experience while research is primarily an academic endeavor; however, both experiences offer you the mentorship of a qualified industry expert and extensive networking opportunities. It is advisable to do both academic research and complete an internship for competitive employment and/or graduate school opportunities. For more information about Internships and Service Learning, contact your academic advisor.

No. USF Sarasota-Manatee campus faculty are interested in working with all students. However, some research projects may require coursework (e.g., research methods, statistics) before you are ready to participate.

The policies regarding research credit vary by programs. In many cases, students may receive 1 to 3 credits toward their degree.

Time commitments vary widely by the faculty and the type of the project. Be sure to discuss the time expectations with your faculty advisor.

Please see the Research Assistantship Database here. Alternatively, you can ask faculty members you have had for class or your faculty advisor about available research projects.

An abstract is a short, concise overview (usually 100-150 words) of your research project. An abstract requires academic writing that is persuasive in nature and should compel the reader to want to know more about your research.

Writing Abstracts

Once you have gathered the content of your project, you can decide how to organize the content on your poster. Choose the structure that best showcases the significant findings of your research. 

Research Poster Templates

All datasets and images should be cited if they were created by someone other than the poster author. Every graph and table should be self-explanatory.

Data Visualization

There are many choices to make when designing a poster from fonts, color, imagery and more. Learn about good design choices for your research poster.

Making Overall Design Choices

Before printing your posters, review the following information to ensure your poster presents your research in effectively.

Preprint Checklists

The USF Libraries has created a Canvas workshop on Creating Research Poster Presentations. This interactive workshop will guide you through the step-by-step process of creating, designing, presenting, and sharing your research poster.

Presenting a Poster Canvas Workshop

Download Presentation:

Comparing the Post-Secondary Education of the Physically Disabled in the U.S. and England (pdf)

Presented by Hawa Allarakhia