Guidelines for Research Practicum

You are urged to take advantage of the many opportunities to participate in research projects carried out here at Homewood or at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. Supervised research is initiated by an agreement between you and the faculty member with whom you wish to work. That agreement specifies what you are going to do in terms of research, how much time you will spend doing it, when you are expected to be present, what you are going to give to the research supervisor (e.g., a certain amount of time, a paper, the results of an experiment) and what you will receive (e.g., supervision, readings, guidance in pursuing the project).

(1) A Supervised Research Practicum must be sponsored by a full-time faculty member or advisor of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences. If you would like to work with someone outside the department, you must find a full-time Psychological & Brain Sciences faculty member or advisor who believes the work is psychologically relevant and who agrees to serve as your sponsor (the person with whom you perform the work is your supervisor). Any full-time faculty member or advisor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences can sponsor research projects.

Note that research that will be performed with human subjects must be approved by The Review Board on the Use of Human Subjects, even if the research will take place off campus. Such approval may take several weeks, but you may not begin without IRB approval.

To find a faculty sponsor, begin by reading the Faculty Research Interest statements beginning on page 19 of the Undergraduate Handbook. It is advisable to read one or more of the listed references to learn more about the faculty member's research. Additional information can be viewed on the web at http://www.psy.jhu.edu. Then contact the faculty member with whom you would like to work and discuss possible research opportunities. You are urged to make these arrangements well before the end of the semester, preceding the semester which you wish to begin work.

The number of credits earned for supervised research ranges from 1 to 3, and is determined at the end of the semester. Each 40 hours of work is worth one credit. Because the semester is about 13 weeks long, each credit requires about 3 hours per week on average. If you work regularly during the semester, then 3 hours a week will yield 1 credit, 6 hours will yield 2 credits, and 9 hours will yield 3 credits. You may, of course, work more some days and weeks than others. In all cases, keep a record of the number of hours you put in during the semester. Have your time sheet signed by your supervisor at the end of the semester. Because the number of credits is determined at the end of the semester, do not fill in any particular number of credits when you sign up for the course.

An independent study/directed readings is a self-directed course of study, conducted under the aegis of a mentor. This academic experience may culminate in a formal paper on a topic agreed upon by the student and his or her mentor.

(2) For a research practicum , enroll in 200.501-502 (freshman), 200.503-504 (sophomore), 200.511-512 (junior), or 200.513-514 (senior). For independent study/directed readings, enroll in 200.505-506 (freshman), 200.507-508 (sophomore), 200.515-516 (junior), or 200.517-518 (senior).

(3) When you register for a research practicum, independent study/directed readings, you must submit an Undergraduate Research/Independent Study/Internship Supplemental Registration Form that has been signed by your faculty sponsor (forms may be obtained from the Registrar). The green copy (make sure it is legible) should be returned to your sponsor. This form must accompany your registration or drop/add form.

(4)All Psychology majors who are doing research for credit will be required to enroll in and complete:

Research Compliance Training Courses:

Human Subjects Research
Animal Care and Use

Specific labs may require additional research training. Research compliance registration and training can be found at:

https://secure.lwservers.net/default.cfm

Courses must be completed early in the term and prior to beginning any contact with human or animal subjects. Once you have completed the courses, you will be able to print out a certificate indicating which courses were completed and the date(s) of completion. This certificate must be given to the faculty sponsor. (Additional copies may also be required by the specific lab.) Questions can be directed to Dr. Stephen Drigotas (6-6703; Drigotas@jhu.edu).

(5) All students who enroll for Research Practicum must (at a minimum) write a 3-5 page report that describes the substance of the research that was carried out during the semester. The students registered for Independent Study/Directed Readings may be require to write a paper or submit a report. The required document must be submitted along with a Summary Report of Independent Work form (available from the registrar) and your time sheet to your faculty sponsor at the end of the semester. You should fill out all the information on the form, except for the Faculty Supervisor's Comments and the last line with grade, credit, and signature; these items will be filled in by your sponsor and attached to the grade report that your sponsor will send to the Registrar's Office. Without a Summary Report form, a research paper or report, and time sheet, you will not earn any credit for the work.

At the end of the semester, the following three items must be handed in to the sponsor by 5:00 PM on the last day of the reading period to enable the sponsor to submit a grade to the registrar in a timely manner. Unless an alternative arrangement has been made with the sponsor beforehand, late reports will not be accepted and may result in a grade of "F".

(a) A type-written report, about 3-5 double-spaced pages in length, on work accomplished during the semester. The paper required for an Independent Study/Directed Readings may be longer. The following format should be used:

Introduction: Provide background information including references to the literature and describe how the work fits into the overall research program of the laboratory (about 1 page).

Methods: Briefly describe experimental methods used in the work. Cite references when appropriate. Step-by-step detailed protocols are not necessary (about 1 page).

Results: Describe your results. Be sure to include graphs, tables, etc. If this is the first semester of work and there are insufficient results to report, there should be more emphasis on describing techniques learned during this period in the Methods section.

Discussion: Discuss significance of the results and relate them to future plans, if appropriate.

The above report will be kept in the Homewood sponsor's file.

(b) Supervisor's Evaluation of Work: If the student is working under the supervision of a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, that supervisor should certify that the work described in the report was complete and provide evaluation on the quality of the work. This information can be written directly on the student's report or in the form of a confidential letter to the sponsor.

(c) Summary Report of an Independent Study: The student should complete the white form entitled "Summary Report of Independent Work" up to the end of the Bibliography section. If the work was supervised by someone at the Hopkins Medical Institutions, list this person as "Other Supervisor" and the Homewood sponsor as "A&S Faculty Supervisor." Based on information from the student's oral and written reports, evaluation provided by the East Baltimore faculty member, and the student’s time sheet, the Homewood sponsor will fill out the "Faculty Supervisor's Comments", assign a letter grade, sign the form, and send the form along with the Grade Roster to the registrar. (Note that the Summary Report is kept in the student's academic file in the Office of Academic Advising).

The School of Arts and Sciences stipulates that students may earn no more than 3 credits for a research practicum or independent study per semester, and no more than 6 credits per academic year (Fall/Spring/ Summer).