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15 Week Seminar For Novice Graduate Students Final

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)

126 views151 pages

15 Week Seminar For Novice Graduate Students Final

Uploaded by

helloocean

We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.

Available Formats

Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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Entering Research: Research Mentee Training

to Support Undergraduate and Graduate

Trainees

The activities you have chosen for your customized curriculum are drawn from Entering
Research (2nd edition; Branchaw, Butz, & Smith, 2019; Macmillan). The Entering Research
materials were developed, reviewed, and tested by many partners across the country. Activity
developers are acknowledged in the footer of each page. A full listing of partners and funders can
be found at CIMERProject.org and in the Entering Research book.
CIMER mentor/mentee training curricula ("CIMER Curricula") are based upon the curriculum in the publication Entering Mentoring
(Pfund, Branchaw, and Handelsman, 2014) and Entering Research (Branchaw, Butz, & Smith, 2019) and are used/adapted with permission
from W.H. Freeman/Macmillan Learning. Copyrights for the CIMER Curricula are managed by CIMER and the Wisconsin Center for
Education Research on behalf of each work's respective author[s]. The user of the CIMER Curricula shall have and is hereby granted a
limited license to copy and distribute the CIMER Curricula for personal and educational in-service uses only. Any use of the CIMER
Curricula shall maintain the provided attribution[s]. Any use of the CIMER Curricula beyond this limited license requires express written
permission from CIMER
‘Do not distribute’
Entering Research (2nd Edition)
Complete Curriculum #4
15 Week Seminar for Novice Graduate Students

Career Stage: Graduate Student

Trainees’ Prior Level of Research Experience: Novice

Implementation Description: This seminar course was designed for entering graduate students. This
course is designed to be taken during the first semester while students are engaging in rotations. However,
the activities are also beneficial for direct admit students.

Meta Learning Objectives and Areas of Trainee Development: The learning objectives addressed in
this curriculum are indicated below with a check mark. The percentage (%) following each learning
objective indicates the proportion of sessions that address that learning objective.

Research Comprehension & Communication Skills

✓ Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills (27%)
✓ Develop Disciplinary Knowledge (27%)
✓ Develop Science Communication Skills (20%)
✓ Develop Logical/Critical Thinking Skills (13%)
✓ Develop an Understanding of the Research Environment (20%)
Research Ethics
✓ Develop Responsible & Ethical Research Practices (13%)
Practical Research Skills
✓ Develop Ability to Design a Research Project (6%)
✓ Develop Ability to Conduct a Research Project (6%)
Researcher Identity
✓ Develop Identity as a Researcher (40%)
Researcher Confidence & Independence
✓ Develop Independence as a Researcher (20%)
✓ Develop Confidence as a Researcher (13%)
Equity and Inclusion Awareness and Skills
✓ Develop Skills to Deal with Personal Differences in the Research Environment(13%)
✓ Advance Equity and Inclusion in the Research Environment (20%)

Professional & Career Development Skills

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
✓ Explore & Pursue a Research Career (40%)
✓ Develop Confidence in Pursuing a Research Career (6%)

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Week 1

Course Introduction & Research Expectations

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop an Understanding of the Research Environment
Researcher Identity
• Develop Identity as a Researcher

Activities:
● Introductions
● Course Overview
● Research Experience Reflections 1: Entering Research?

Assignments Due: None

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Research Experience Reflections 1: Entering Research?
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate

novice or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Researcher Identity
○ Develop Identity as a Researcher
● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop an Understanding of the Research Environment

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Explore realistic expectations for working in a research group.
● Self-evaluate their readiness for research.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● In Session Time: 45 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity is designed for trainees who are looking for a research experience, both as a novice
undergraduate trainee new to research or an advanced undergraduate trainee who is considering
a graduate research experience. This activity can help trainees to develop the self-awareness
needed to select an appropriate mentor. Research Experience Reflections 2: Reflections Exercise
can be used with trainees who are beginning a research experience.

Inclusion Considerations:
Encouraging trainees to share openly about their expectations in this activity may reveal
unique perspectives that trainees from diverse backgrounds bring. For example, those from
different cultural and/or socioeconomic backgrounds may be influenced by family members who
see doing research as unfamiliar and not in alignment with familial notions of success (i.e.,
working during the summer, getting a job right after college, etc.). This may have bearing upon
a trainee’s understanding and expectations of a research experience. Invite trainees to share their
perspective and discuss strategies they might use to help others better understand research,
why they are motivated to do it, and what success in research looks like.

Implementation Guide

Workshop Session (45 minutes)

● Introduction (15 minutes)
○ The goal of this activity is to familiarize trainees with realistic
expectations for their research experience.
○ Distribute the trainee materials and give trainees 10 minutes to
answer the questions individually. Once they have drafted their
answers, give trainees 5 minutes to pair and share with a peer.

Adapted by E. Frazier from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A Facilitator's
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd
ed.). New York: Macmillan.
● Discussion (20 - 30 minutes)
○ Ask trainees to share their answers with the whole group. If the group is
large (more than 10), trainees may be divided into two smaller groups.
Encourage participation from everyone. Begin by asking for volunteers
to share, but be prepared to call on someone if necessary.
○ Guiding questions to facilitate overall discussion:
■ What goals do you have for your research experience?
■ What are your expectations for working with a research team?
■ What skills are needed to be an effective researcher? Do you
have those skills? If not, what can you do to develop those
skills?

○ It is important to make note of the areas of concern that trainees share

during this discussion so that you can make sure that they are addressed
during this and future discussions. Often, there will be variability in the
level of sophistication of the trainees’ knowledge about research. If so,
encourage the group to discuss the differences and to learn from one
another. As the facilitator, provide information or clarification only
when necessary.

○ Discussion of Expectations:
■ Address any unrealistic expectations that trainees bring up in
the large group discussion. If possible, invite an experienced
trainee or a panel of trainees to facilitate this discussion.
■ Trainees may have varying levels of knowledge about the
research process depending on their career stage and previous
research experience. In particular, undergraduate trainees at
institutions that do not have a strong tradition of undergraduate
research may lack an understanding of what will be expected of
them and what they can expect from the research team. For
example, they may expect:
➢ to be given an independent project on their first day;
➢ that faculty members and graduate student mentors
work for them and should offer their full attention when
the trainee is around;
➢ that they will be able to do research in short
discontinuous periods of time like other jobs (e.g. during
the 30 minutes they have between classes);
➢ that they will find the cure for cancer in two months;
➢ that they will get a publication after working for just one semester;
➢ that the lab is a place to socialize with friends, not
necessarily a place of work.

○ Discussion of Abilities / Skills:

■ Frequently, novice trainees identify intelligence, the ability to talk
or write about research, and excellent time management skills
as traits they must possess in order to participate in a research
experience. They may be under the impression that if they do

Adapted by E. Frazier from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A Facilitator's
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd
ed.). New York: Macmillan.
not already possess these traits that they are not good enough to
do research. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that a
research experience provides the opportunity to develop abilities
and skills though hands on training.

Alternative implementation – novice and experienced research trainees:

This activity can also be implemented in a group with new researchers and those who
have one or more semesters of experience with research. This implementation will
allow novice researchers to learn from experienced researchers and will encourage
experienced researchers to build upon what they have learned in previous semesters.
This implementation strategy may be useful in programs with peer mentoring.

Adapted by E. Frazier from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A Facilitator's
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd
ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Research Experience Reflections 1: Entering Research?
Novice Undergraduate Trainee Materials

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Explore realistic expectations for working in a research group.
● Self-evaluate their readiness for research.

Outline your expectations for your research experience by writing brief answers to the
following questions. Once you’ve answered all of the questions, pair with someone in
the group to share.

1. Why do you want to do research?

2. What specific goals do you hope to achieve in your research experience?

3. What are your expectations of working with a research team? Please list them below.

4. What do you think will be expected of you as an undergraduate student

conducting research on a “real” research team? Please list them below.

5. What contributions will you bring to your research team?

6. What is your greatest concern, and what are you excited the most about?

7. Explain your understanding of the scientific process as you see it today.

How does a scientist approach a research question?

8. What do you think are important abilities/skills for an individual to have to

be able to conduct research?

9. Which of those abilities/skills do you have?

10. Which of those abilities/skills do you lack? What can you do to develop the
abilities that you think you may lack?

Adapted by E. Frazier from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A Facilitator's
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd
ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Research Experience Reflections 1: Entering Research?
Advanced Undergraduate Trainee Materials

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Explore realistic expectations for working in a research group.
● Self-evaluate their readiness for graduate research.

Outline your expectations for your graduate training experience by writing brief
answers to the following questions. Once you’ve answered all of the questions, pair
with someone in the group to share.

1. Why do you want to do research and earn a graduate degree?

2. What specific goals do you hope to achieve with your graduate research?

3. What are your expectations of working with a research team? Please list them below.

4. What do you think will be expected of you as a graduate student conducting

research as part of a thesis advisor’s research team? Please list them below.

5. What contributions will you bring to your research team?

6. What is your greatest concern, and what are you excited the most about?

7. Explain your understanding of the scientific process as you see it today.

How does a scientist approach a research question?

8. What do you think are important abilities/skills for an individual to have to

be able to conduct research at the graduate level?

9. Which of those abilities/skills do you have?

10. Which of those abilities/skills do you lack? What can you do to develop the
abilities that you think you may lack?

Finding Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills
● Develop an Understanding of the Research Environment
Researcher Identity
• Develop Identity as a Researcher
Professional and Career Development Skills
• Explore and Pursue a Research Career

Activities:
● Finding Potential Research Rotation Groups & Mentors
● Discuss Research Rotation Evaluation

Assignments Due:
● Identifying Research Rotation Groups
● Contacting Potential Rotation Mentors

Assessment Tools:
● Post-activity mini-reflection exercise & assessment rubric

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Finding Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: graduate trainees

novice to intermediate trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Professional and Career Development Skills
○ Explore and Pursue a Research Career
● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills
○ Develop an Understanding of the Research Environment
● Researcher Identity
○ Develop Identity as a Researcher

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Identify potential research groups for rotation.
● Learn about good strategies for contacting potential research mentors.
● Learn about important considerations when choosing research groups for rotation.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● Trainee Pre-Assignment Time: 1 hour
● In Session Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 35 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity should be used with novice to intermediate graduate trainees prior to and/or during
the time when they are choosing research groups with which to rotate. This may be institution and
program specific, but will likely occur as the trainee is entering graduate school. Facilitators may
want to include “2nd year” trainees who have just completed their own rotations and chosen the
research groups they will join.

Inclusion Considerations
Trainees from diverse backgrounds may want to look for markers of attention to diversity and
inclusion in the research teams they consider joining. Encourage all trainees, especially those from
underrepresented groups, to ask questions of prospective mentors about management style and
their thoughts around equity, inclusion and diversity. They may also wish to ask about others from
underrepresented groups who have been members of the research team. Encourage trainees to
meet with members of the research team (graduate students in particular) to discuss these issues.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment (optional)

● This activity can be done entirely in session, if working time is incorporated
into the session. Alternatively, activities can be distributed for completion
before the session and

A. Sokac (2018). Finding a Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
brought to session for discussion. If doing the latter, then distribute these two
activities for completion before the session:
○ “Identifying Research Rotation Groups”.
○ “Contacting Potential Rotation Mentors”

Workshop Session (1 hour, 30 minutes - 2 hours)

● Introduction:
○ The goal of this activity is for trainees to identify their prioritized list
of rotation mentors and develop good strategies for securing a rotation
opportunity with those mentors.

1. Reflecting on the “Right Fit” (40 minutes):

○ Give the trainees time to read over the activity and individually list
characteristics they value in a research group and primary mentor (5
minutes). Ask trainees to pair up and discuss the characteristics they
value in a research group and primary mentor (10 minutes). Come
together as a group and generate a list of valued research group
characteristics and a separate list of valued mentor characteristics. (10
minutes)
■ Suggested areas for discussion
➢ Research
➢ Research group/lab environment
➢ Working relationships
➢ Mentor’s training philosophy
➢ Training potential
➢ Funding
○ Ask trainees to think of strategies for identifying these characteristics
in specific mentors and research groups. (10 minutes)
○ Suppose a trainee fits well with a research group but not the mentor or
vice versa. What considerations should a trainee make when in this
difficult decision? (5 minutes)
■ For example the size of the lab may help or hinder a
misalignment of research mentor and research group:
➢ If trainees are part of a small lab they may interact with all of the
research group members more frequently than if they
are part of a larger lab. If there are a few members of the
research group who are difficult to work with, it might
okay to choose this lab if you do not need to work with
them often.
➢ If trainees are unsure, for example, that the primary faculty mentor
will have enough time to mentor them in the way they
need, they could ask others in the lab who could provide
additional mentoring.

2. Identifying Research Rotation Groups (5 - 20 minutes):

○ Either assign this activity to be completed before the session or give
trainees 15 minutes to complete it in session.
○ Discussion (5 minutes)
■ What were the challenges in identifying research groups you are
A. Sokac (2018). Finding a Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
interested in for a rotation?
■ What strategies did you use to find information about the research group?
■ Note: Some trainees may have difficulty identifying specific
names for some of the questions on the shortlist worksheet.
Reassure them that this list is just a place to start thinking about
individuals who might fill these roles, and reiterate that the
names will likely change.

3. Contacting Potential Rotation Mentors (25 -40 mins)

○ Either assign this activity to be completed before the session or give
trainees 15 minutes to complete it in session.
○ In pairs, trainees share their email drafts and ask for feedback on both
structure and content. (10 minutes)
○ Discussion (15 minutes)
■ Are you satisfied with your emails? Why or why not? Did you
run into any challenges in writing them? (Volunteers can read
from their drafts and ask for real-time feedback.)
■ Do you have questions about what information should be
included on your résumé/CV?
■ When should emails be sent to mentors?
■ How long should you wait before sending a mentor a reminder email?
■ How should you prioritize between mentors?
○ Is the best strategy to rotate with your top choice mentor
first? Last? Why or why not?
○ Be prepared to give trainees strategies based on the
setup of your program. For example, if Term 1 includes
significant coursework plus Rotation 1, then it is
advisable to do the most desirable rotation in a later term
as finding the balance between classes and lab can be
challenging at first.

4. Interviewing with Potential Rotation Mentors (20 minutes)

○ Give the trainees time to read “Interviewing with Potential Rotation
Mentors” individually. Ask them to circle the points that resonate with
them or concern them. (3-5 minutes)
○ Discussion (10 minutes)
■ Ask the trainees what resonated with them and what concerned them.
○ Give the trainees time to generate their own list of important
questions to ask at their interviews. (5 minutes)

● Wrap Up (5 minutes)
○ Encourage trainees to revisit the worksheet after rotations and reflect
on whether they might answer the questions differently.
■ Note: Facilitators may also formally incorporate this follow-up as
an activity in a later session.

Note: Alternative Implementations

● The “Three Professors” or “Roles for Your Research Mentor” activities can
be used to supplement or used instead of the “Reflecting on the “Right Fit”
A. Sokac (2018). Finding a Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
activity, particularly if trainees do not have significant prior research
experience.
● If “2nd year” trainees are included, the session can end with a structured
networking activity where the older trainees share with the group their single
most important piece of advice about the rotation choice and process.

A. Sokac (2018). Finding a Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Finding Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors
Trainee Materials

Learning Objectives:
Trainees will:
● Identify potential research groups for rotation.
● Learn about good strategies for contacting potential research mentors.
● Learn about important considerations when choosing research groups for rotation.

Reflecting on the “Right Fit”

The goal of this activity is to explore what research group characteristics and mentoring
styles will fit your personal and professional goals, and personality. This is
particularly important for the rotations that you identify as being the most likely to
translate into a home or significant collaboration for your future thesis project. Where
can you be successful? Which mentor can help you achieve your career goals? Where
will you be comfortable?

Individually, think about the characteristics you value in a research group and in a
primary mentor. Note- these may be slightly different! Once you have generated a
list, discuss your list with a neighbor.

A. Sokac (2018). Finding a Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Identifying Research Rotation Groups

The goal of this activity is to identify a prioritized list of rotation mentors, and develop
strategies for securing a rotation opportunity with those mentors. In considering which
research groups to rotate in, complete the following:

I am interested in learning more about these scientific topics/methods:

● topic 1: .
● topic 2: .
● method 1: .
● others: .

These topics/methods are studied/used in the research groups of (search the

departmental website and talk to trainee and faculty contacts for this information):
● mentor 1: .
● mentor 2: .
● mentor 3: .
● mentor 4: .

Use this list as a starting point to choose your rotations. Even if you do not rotate with a
mentor or choose to join their research group, these individuals can still contribute to
your graduate training and professional development. Consider inviting them to fill the
roles listed below. Revisit this list throughout your graduate career because your
answers may change as you acquire more experiences, get acquainted with the
department, and take more classes.

I would like to invite to serve on my thesis

committee. I would like to be part of my professional

network.

I would like to ask for a letter of recommendation in the future.

I really enjoyed my interaction with during

recruitment, seminar, class, etc.

A. Sokac (2018). Finding a Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Contacting Potential Rotation Mentors

Adapted from: Branchaw, J. L., Pfund, C., and Rediske, R. (2010) Entering Research: A Facilitator’s Manual.
New York: WH Freeman & Company.

Email is a good way to make initial contact with potential rotation mentors. By sending
an email you give the mentor a chance to review your materials before responding. It is
like the first step in an interview, so be sure it reflects your best effort and be sure there
are no spelling or grammatical errors.

Use the following tips to draft an email to ask one of the mentors you have identified if
you can meet to discuss a rotation opportunity in their research group. Bring your draft
to class. Also, update your résumé/CV as it should accompany your email to the mentor.

Here are some things to consider when composing emails:

● Research mentors are very busy people, so keep it short and to the point
(approximately one paragraph).
● Make sure your email has a “subject.” For example, you may want to reference
the name of the lab or your interest in doing a research rotation.
● Address the email using the mentor’s official title (e.g. Professor, Dr.)
● Specifically refer to the mentor’s research, and what you find interesting about it.
Be sure to use your own words and not to copy text from the research description
on their website.
● If you are interested in a specific project in the mentor’s research group, then clarify that.
● Show enthusiasm for the mentor’s research!
● Be clear that you are looking for a research rotation and specify which term or
semester you would like to do the rotation.
● Request that if the mentor is not able to take a rotation trainee for the term you
asked for, that they recommend the terms where availability does exist.
● Highlight what you have to offer; what distinguishes you from other trainees
(e.g. prior research experience, eager to learn, work you have published
relevant to the mentor’s research).
● Make sure it is clear which graduate program you are a part of (if your
institution has multiple graduate training programs).
● Request a face-to-face meeting to discuss the rotation further.
● Include your current résumé/CV, and pdf’s of your research publications
as an email attachment.

A. Sokac (2018). Finding a Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Interviewing with Potential Rotation Mentors

The goal of this activity is to develop strategies to collect the information you need to
make an informed choice when selecting research groups for rotation. Read the
following tips for interviewing potential rotation mentors. Circle the points that
resonate with you. It is also useful to ask current trainees in the research group some of
these questions.

Tips for making a good impression with potential rotation mentors:

● Be on time.
● Be yourself. Be enthusiastic and motivated. Smile!
● Be ready to discuss why you want to do research in general and why you
want to do research with this mentor specifically.
● What are your academic and career goals?
● What is it about his/her research that is interesting to you?
● Is there a particular project on which you would like to work?
● Read about the research BEFORE you go to the interview. There is usually a
research overview on the web with references/links to the group’s published
papers. Try to read one or two of these papers and prepare some questions about
them. Generally, mentors won’t expect you to fully understand the research, but
making the effort to learn about it on your own shows independence and
motivation. Carefully choose the papers that reflect the primary interests of
the research groups, and not just collaborations (i.e. choose papers where the
mentor is the senior author).
● Bring a hardcopy of your current résumé/CV, and pdf’s of your research publications.

Tips for getting the information you need to make an educated decision about
whether to rotate with a mentor’s research group:
● What are the expectations for rotation trainees in the group?
○ How much time should you spend in the research group each week?
○ How does the mentor view the balance between classes and benchwork?
○ What type of work will you do?
○ Will you be expected to give a research group meeting, final presentation
or write a paper on your rotation project?
● Who will serve as your direct mentor in the group for the rotation and beyond
(professor, post-doc, senior graduate trainee, technician)?
● What is the big picture research direction of the research group and how will
your rotation project contribute to it? Why is the rotation project important for
the research group?
● How does the research group communicate and interact? (group meetings,
weekly or monthly one-on-one meetings with the mentor, etc.).
● Does the mentor have a mentor-trainee compact or contract or a mentoring philosophy?
● If you have specific career goals that require specific activities (e.g. serving as
a teaching assistant), then ask if the mentor will support you in that activity
in the future.
● What is the funding situation of the research group? Are there funds available
to support you if you join the group?

What additional questions do you want to ask at your interviews?

A. Sokac (2018). Finding a Potential Research Rotation Groups and Mentors. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Week 3

Aligning Expectations

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills
Researcher Identity
● Develop Identity as a Researcher
Research Confidence and Independence
• Develop Independence as a Researcher

Activities:
• Aligning Mentor & Trainee Expectations

Assignments Due:
• Aligning Mentor & Trainee Expectations

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Aligning Mentor and Trainee Expectations
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice, intermediate or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication
Skills
● Researcher Identity
○ Develop Identity as a Researcher
● Research Confidence and Independence
○ Develop Independence as a Researcher

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Understand that their expectations of their research mentoring relationship
may be different from their mentors.
● Establish an open line of communication with their mentor in order to
address any differences and align their expectations.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

One Session Implementation
● Trainee Pre-Assignment Time: 1-2 hours
● In Session Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 10 minutes-2 hours, 30 minutes
Two Session Implementation
● Session 1 Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
● Trainee Pre-Assignment Session 2 Time: 30 minutes
● Session 2 Time : 1 hour, 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity is most beneficial when trainees first join a research team, regardless of their
career stage (e.g. during lab rotations for graduate students). However, it can be used at any
stage of a mentor-trainee relationship to address issues arising from misaligned
expectations.

This activity can be implemented with the “Professional Development Plans” activity to
explore the relationship between professional development goals and expectations for the
mentoring relationship. An example mentor/trainee agreement can be found in the
Trainee Materials.

Trainees may also be unsure of how to handle the power and authority dynamics they
perceive in the relationship and therefore resist asking for exactly what they need
from a faculty member who holds authority over them. Reassure them that their
mentors are there to support their training and development and encourage them to ask
for what they need.

Implementation Guide
This activity may be implemented in either one or two sessions.

One-Session Implementation

Trainee Pre-Assignment (1-2 hours)

● Have trainees write answers to the questions listed in the “Goals and
Expectations” exercise.
● Have trainees meet with their mentor to discuss their answers to the
questions. Send the research mentor expectations worksheet and allow the
mentor to review the questions before the meeting.
○ NOTE: If their mentor is not the leader of the research group (e.g.
the Professor), then the leader should be invited to join the meeting.
If it is not possible for all to meet together, then separate meetings
can be scheduled.

Workshop Session (1 hour, 10 minutes)

● In-Session Activity: Small Group Discussion (30 minutes)
○ In groups of 4-5, have trainees share the expectation
agreements they developed with their mentors.

● In-Session Activity: Large Group Discussion (30 minutes)

○ Each small group shares the breadth of responses from their members
from one of the questions. Example responses are provided in the box
below.

● Wrap-Up (10 minutes)

○ Summarize the main ideas generated from the large group discussion.
○ Encourage trainees to revisit their agreements with their mentor
regularly throughout the course of their relationship. Invite trainees
to suggest how frequently this should occur (e.g. every 6 months,
annually, at milestones during training experience - after a
preliminary exam, after a conference presentation, after the
publication of a paper, etc.)
Adapted by E. Frazier, C. Pfund, and A. R. Butz from Branchaw, Pfund & Rediske (2010). Entering Research:
A Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company, and from Pfund, Wassarman & Skarlupka
(2014). Establishing your Mentoring Relationships for CMB, Biophysics and Nutritional Sciences. Branchaw, J.
L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Example Trainee Expectations of Mentor Example Mentor Expectations of Trainee

I expect my mentor to: I expect my trainee to:

 meet with me at least every few weeks.  be present and punctual when we have scheduled
 be open to my questions and to take time to think meeting times.
about them carefully.  work hard and give their best effort.
 be patient with me because I am new to research.  manage their time efficiently and effectively
 initially be directive but eventually let me design when doing research.
and do experiments on my own.  keep up with course work, but to let me know if
 challenge and encourage me. they need a break from research to focus on
 teach me basic research techniques/procedures courses.
and safety protocols.  make every effort on their own to understand the
 help me define a project that is doable, yet research our group does, but to ask questions
relevant, and that keeps me busy. when they do not understand.
 help me understand the basic scientific concepts  listen carefully, take notes, and follow
and study design underlying my project. instructions when being taught new techniques.
 understand when I need to take time away from  follow all disciplinary ethics and safety
research to focus on my coursework and allow procedures.
me to take it.  gradually gain independence, but to regularly
 help me network with other researchers in the communicate with me about what they are doing.
group and/or discipline.  be able to analyze their experimental data,
 be willing to discuss possible career goals and/or generate logical conclusions based on that
future jobs that will utilize the skills being analysis, and propose future experiments, with
learned during this research opportunity. assistance.
 work cooperatively, collaboratively, and
respectfully with other members of the research
team.
 be attentive, creative and contribute at research
group meetings.

Session One

Workshop Session(1 hour, 5 minutes)

● In Session Activity: Small Group Discussion (30 minutes)
○ Trainees form small groups with members who have varying
levels of research experience. If all trainees are beginners,
then invite more experienced trainees as guests to join the
groups.
○ Discuss and answer questions on the mentor-trainee expectation agreement.

● In Session Activity: Large Group Discussion (30 minutes)

○ Invite groups to share their answers to the questions on the
trainee expectation worksheet.
● Wrap-Up: Trainee Pre-Assignment for Session Two (5 minutes)
○ Trainees should schedule an appointment with their research
mentor to discuss the questions and align their expectations. Send
the research mentor expectations worksheet (see trainee materials)
before the meeting to allow the mentor to review the questions ahead
of time.

Session Two

Workshop Session (1 hour, 10 minutes)

● In Session Activity: Small Group Discussion (30 minutes)
○ Have trainees discuss how their conversation with their mentor
went about expectations.

● In Session Activity: Large Group Discussion (30 minutes)

○ Lead a large group discussion to identify reasonable goals and
expectations for the research experience, and to share how easy or
difficult it was for trainees to have this conversation with their
mentors. Example responses from trainees appear in the boxes
below. Discussion Questions:
■ How well did your goals and expectations for your
research experience align with your mentor’s?
■ How does your project fit with the other projects that your
research group is doing?
■ Was it difficult to generate an agreement with your mentor?
■ What were the most and least comfortable topics to
discuss with your mentor?
■ What are you most excited about, and what are you most
concerned about after talking with your mentor?

How well did your goals and expectations for your research experience align with
your mentor’s?
➢ I’m still unsure what exactly I would like to get out of the research experience, but am
happy with what the mentor defined.
➢ The research experience is going to be much more independent than I expected and
my concern is whether there will be enough guidance in the beginning to get started.
➢ We talked very little about the research questions. The conversation was focused on
learning experimental techniques rather than working on any particular experiment
at this early stage in project development.

Example Responses from Trainees

How does your project fit with the other projects that your research group is doing?
➢ My project is vital to only a certain part of the lab. The lab is broken up to multiple
projects and my project is a small part of my mentor’s project.
➢ There are two projects going on in the group and mine is connected to only one of
them.
My project is considered a “side project” and not connected to the main projects in the lab.

Example Responses from Trainees

Was it difficult to generate an agreement with your mentor?

➢ The goals and expectations discussion helped.
➢ We still have a few things to settle, but got most of it got done.
➢ My mentor didn’t really want to go through the agreement, but we had an informal
conversation about expectations.

● Wrap-Up (10 minutes)

Alternative Activity for Graduate Trainees (30 minutes)

● Instead of completing the “Goals and Expectations Exercise”, graduate

trainees can review a sample mentor-trainee agreement (compact)
included in the Trainee Materials (see “Example Mentor - Graduate

NOTE: Graduate trainees could incorporate a discussion about expectations into a larger discussion of
their Individual Development Plan (IDP; see “Professional Development Plans” activity) with their
mentor.

● In Session Activity: Discussion Questions:

○ What items from the example were important to discuss with your mentor?
○ What, if anything, is missing from these agreements (compacts)?
○ What ideas do you have about how you establish expectations
with your mentor?
○ How do you start a conversation around expectations?

NOTE: A role playing exercise can be used to help graduate trainees practice raising difficult
questions with their mentors. Trainees pair up and take turns being the trainee and the mentor.

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Understand that their expectations of their research mentoring
relationship may be different from their mentors.
● Establish an open line of communication with their mentor in order to
address any differences and align their expectations.

Assignment

1. Answer the questions on the Undergraduate Research Trainee

Expectations worksheet.

2. Meet with your mentor to discuss the questions and to align your
goals and expectations for the research experience. Send the Research
Mentor Expectations worksheet to your mentor before the meeting so
that he/she can prepare.

3. Trainees and mentors should tailor their discussion to the specific needs of their
relationship.

4. After the discussion, complete the Mentor-Trainee Expectation document together.

1. Why do you want to do research?

2. What are your career goals? How can this research experience and the mentor–
trainee relationship help you achieve them?

3. What would success in this research experience look like to you?

4. How many hours per week and at what times/days do you expect to work on your
mentor’s research?

5. Assuming a good fit, how long do you expect to work with this research group?

6. What, if any, specific technical or communication skills do you expect to learn as part
of the research experience?

7. How do you learn best (written procedure, verbal instructions, watch and repeat,
etc.). What can your mentor do to help you learn the techniques and skills in a
timely manner that you need to be successful in your research lab? What can you do
before you start in the lab to allow you to be successful in this research group?

8. Once you are trained in basic techniques, would you prefer to continue to work
closely with others (e.g. on a team project), or independently?

9. Once you have learned the techniques and procedures used in your lab do you prefer
that your mentor watch closely what you do, walking your through all the steps or do
you prefer a hands off approach to being supervised?

10. How will you document your research results? Is there a specific protocol for keeping
a laboratory notebook in your research group?

11. To whom do you expect to go if you have questions about your research project?
Does your mentor expect you to come solely (or first) to them, or should you feel free
to ask others in the research group? If others, can your mentor identify those in the
group who would be good resource people for your project?

12. Are you comfortable with the methodology used in the lab? Does it involve the use of
animals, for example? Does it involve lengthy field trips where you might be isolated
with other researchers for weeks at a time? How do you feel about that?

13. Will the research that you will be involved in be confidential? Are you allowed to
discuss your project with other individuals outside of your laboratory?

14. What role will your mentor play in the development of your skills as a writer? Is
your mentor willing to help you with your research-related writing along the way or
does he/she only want to read it after it is in its final version? If your mentor
onlywants to read final versions of your writing, could he appoint someone in the
laboratory/research team to proof read your writings?
Adapted by E. Frazier, C. Pfund, and A. R. Butz from Branchaw, Pfund & Rediske (2010). Entering Research:
A Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company, and from Pfund, Wassarman & Skarlupka
(2014). Establishing your Mentoring Relationships for CMB, Biophysics and Nutritional Sciences. Branchaw, J.
L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
15. Do you know all the institutional safety and ethics training that is required to work in
your research project? Discuss the required training with your mentor and
establish a deadline by which you should complete it.

16. If you have previous research experience, what skills do you expect to bring to your
new research group?

1. Why do you want to mentor an undergraduate researcher?

2. What are your career goals? How can this research experience and the mentor–
trainee relationship help you achieve them?

3. What would success in this research experience look like to you?

4. How many hours per week and at what times/days do you expect your trainee to
work on your research?

5. Assuming a good fit, how long would you like your trainee to remain with the group?

6. What, if any, specific technical or communication skills do you expect your trainee to
learn as part of the research experience?

7. What level of independence do you expect your trainee to achieve, once basic
techniques are learned? How will you let your trainee know when he/she has reached
this level?

8. What is your mentoring approach? Once your trainee has learned the techniques
and procedures used in your lab do you prefer to watch your trainee closely,
walking him/her through all the steps or do you prefer a more hands off approach?

9. How will your trainee document research results? Is there a specific protocol for
keeping a laboratory notebook in your research group?

10. To whom should your trainee go if they have questions about your research project?
Do you expect them to come to you solely (or first), or should they feel free to ask
others in the research group? If others, who would be good resource people for your
project?

11. What are your expectations for your trainee’s level of comfort with the methodology
used in the lab. For example does your research involve working with animals,
lengthy field trips, or working in isolation with other researchers, and is your
trainee comfortable with this?

12. Is the research that your trainee will be involved in confidential? Are they allowed to
discuss your project with other individuals outside of your laboratory? What are your
expectations?

13. What role will you play in the development of your trainee’s skills as a writer? Are
you willing to help them with research-related writing along the way or do you only
want to read it after it is in its final version? Is there someone else in the
lab/research team that is available to help your trainee with their writing?

14. Discuss the institutional training that is required for your trainee to work on your
research project and establish a deadline by which they should complete it.

Trainee (print) Mentor (print)

This agreement outlines the parameters of our work together on this research project.

1. Our major goals are:

A. proposed research project goals –

B. trainee’s personal and/or professional goals -

C. mentor’s personal and/or professional goals –

2. Our shared vision of success in this research project is:

3. We agree to work together on this project for at least semesters.

4. The trainee will work at least hours per week on the project
during the academic year, and hours per week in the
summer.

5. The trainee will propose their weekly schedule to the mentor by the week of the
semester.

If the trainee must deviate from this schedule (e.g. to study for an
upcoming exam), then they will communicate this to the mentor at least
(weeks/days/hours) before the change occurs.

6. On a daily basis, our primary means of communication will be

through (circle all that apply):
face to face/phone/email/instant messaging/

7. We will meet one-on-one to discuss our progress, the larger project

goals, and to evaluate the trainee’s performance in the lab. We will
reaffirm or revise our goals and/or expectations going forward for at
least minutes time(s)
per month.

a. (Circle one): It will be the (trainee’s/mentor’s) responsibility to

schedule these meetings.

b. In preparation for these meetings, the trainee will:

c. In preparation for these meetings, the mentor will:

9. When learning new techniques and procedures, the mentor will train the
trainee using the following procedure(s) (e.g. write out directions, hands-
on demonstration, verbally direct as trainee does procedure, etc.):

10. The proper procedure for documenting research results (laboratory

notebook) in our research group is:

The notebook will be checked (e.g., weekly/monthly).

11. If the trainee gets stuck while working on the project (e.g. has
questions or needs help with a technique or data analysis) the
procedure to follow will be:

12. The standard operating procedures for working in our research group,
which all group members must follow and the trainee agrees to follow,
include: (e.g. require institutional training wash your own glassware,
attend weekly lab meetings, reorder supplies when you use the last of
something, etc.)

13. The mentor and trainee have agreed on a mentoring approach which consists of:

14. The mentor and trainee have discussed the methodology used in the lab
in detail and the trainee understands what is expected of them. To become
part of the lab the trainee must complete the follwoing safety procedures
and/or ethics training(s):

15. The mentor agrees to read and revise the trainees research writing
according to the following procedure:

16. The trainee agrees to not present any of the research findings from this
laboratory in any shape or form without the explicit consent and approval
of the mentor.

By signing below, we agree to these goals, expectations, and working parameters for
this research project

Trainee’s signature Date: Mentor’s signature

Date: Professor’s
signature Date:

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Understand that their expectations of their research mentoring
relationship may be different from their mentors.
● Establish an open line of communication with their mentor in order to
address any differences and align their expectations.

Assignment

1. Answer the questions on the Graduate Research Trainee Expectations worksheet.

2. Meet with your mentor to discuss the questions and to align your goals
and expectations for the research experience. Send the Research Mentor
Expectations worksheet to your mentor before the meeting so that he/she
can prepare.

3. Trainees and mentors should tailor their discussion to the specific needs of their
relationship.

4. After the discussion, complete the Mentor-Trainee Expectation document together.

1. Why do you want to do research?

2. What are your career goals? How can this research

experience and the mentor–trainee relationship help you
achieve them?

3. What would success in this research experience look like to you? What
would you like to achieve:
a. By the end of your 1st year?
b. By the end of your 3rd year?
c. By the time you complete your degree?

4. How many hours per week and at what times/days do you expect to
work on your mentor’s research?

5. What other commitments or obligations will you have during graduate

school (group meetings, teaching, family, religious, community, etc.)?
How many hours will these take? How will you schedule around these
commitments?

6. Assuming a good fit, how long do you expect to work with this research group?

7. What, if any, specific technical or communication skills do you expect

to learn as part of the research experience?

8. How do you learn best (written procedure, verbal instructions, watch

and repeat, etc.). What can your mentor do to help you learn the
techniques and skills in a timely manner that you need to be
successful in your research lab? What can you do before you start in
the lab to allow you to be successful in this research group?

9. Once you are trained in basic techniques, the goal should be to gain
independence. What can you do to gain independence in your research?
How long do you expect this transition to take?

10. What role do you want your mentor to take throughout your graduate
career? For example, would you prefer that your mentor is hands-on
throughout your graduate work? Or do you prefer a more hands-off
approach to being supervised?

11. How will you document your research results? Is there a specific
protocol for keeping a laboratory notebook in your research
Adapted by E. Frazier, C. Pfund, and A. R. Butz from Branchaw, Pfund & Rediske (2010). Entering Research:
A Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company, and from Pfund, Wassarman & Skarlupka
(2014). Establishing your Mentoring Relationships for CMB, Biophysics and Nutritional Sciences. Branchaw, J.
L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
group?

12. To whom do you expect to go to if you have questions about your research project? Does
your mentor expect you to come solely (or first) to them, or should you feel free to ask others
in the research group? If others, can your mentor identify those in the group who would be
good resource people for your project?

13. Are you comfortable with the methodology used in the lab? Does it
involve the use of animals, for example? Does it involve lengthy field
trips where you might be isolated with other researchers for weeks at a
time? How do you feel about that?

14. Is the research that you will be involved in confidential? Are you allowed
to discuss your project with other individuals outside of your laboratory?

15. What role will your mentor play in the development of your writing
skills? Will they provide feedback and guidance on numerous drafts or
will they only want to provide feedback on the final draft? If your
mentor only wishes to read final drafts of writing, are there others in the
lab who are willing to provide feedback on earlier drafts?

16. Do you know all the institutional safety or ethics training that is required to
work in your research project? Discuss the required training with your
mentor and establish a deadline by which you should complete it.

17. If you have previous research experience, what skills do you expect to
bring to your new research group?

1. Why do you want to mentor a graduate researcher?

2. What are your research goals? How can this research

experience and the mentor–trainee relationship help you
achieve them?

3. What would success for you trainee look like to you? What would
you like your trainee to achieve:
By the end of his/her
1st year? By the end
of his/her 3rd year?
By the time he/she completes his/her degree?

4. How many hours per week and at what times/days do you expect your
trainee to work on your research?

5. Assuming a good fit, how long would you like your trainee to remain with the group?

6. What, if any, specific technical or communication skills do you expect your

trainee to learn as part of the research experience?

7. What level of independence do you expect your trainee to achieve, once

basic techniques are learned? What can your trainee do to gain
independence in research? How long do you expect this transition to
take?

8. What is your mentoring approach? Once your trainee has learned the
techniques and procedures used in your lab do you prefer to watch
your trainee closely, walking him/her through all the steps or do you
prefer a more hands off approach?

9. How will your trainee document research results? Is there a specific

protocol for keeping a laboratory notebook in your research group?

10. To whom should your trainee go if they have questions about your
research project? Do you expect them to come to you solely (or first), or
should they feel free to ask others in the research group? If others, who
would be good resource people for your project?

11. What are your expectations for your trainee’s level of comfort with the
methodology used in the lab. For example does your research involve
working with animals, lengthy field trips, or working in isolation with
other researchers, and is your trainee comfortable with this?

12. Will the research that your trainee will be involved in be confidential?
Are they allowed to discuss your project with other individuals outside
of your laboratory? What are your expectations?
Adapted by E. Frazier, C. Pfund, and A. R. Butz from Branchaw, Pfund & Rediske (2010). Entering Research:
A Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company, and from Pfund, Wassarman & Skarlupka
(2014). Establishing your Mentoring Relationships for CMB, Biophysics and Nutritional Sciences. Branchaw, J.
L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
13. What role will you play in the development of your trainee’s writing skills? Will you
provide feedback and guidance on numerous drafts or do you only want to provide feedback
on the final draft? If you are only willing to read final drafts of writing, are there others in the
lab who are willing to provide feedback on earlier drafts?

14. Discuss the institutional safety or ethics training that is required for your
trainee to work on your research project and establish a deadline by
which they should complete it.

15. If a student has previous research experience, is there anything that

you need to share about this research group that is unique and that the
student should be aware of?

Trainee (print) Mentor (print)

This agreement outlines the parameters of our work together on this research project.

1. Our major goals are:

A. proposed research project goals –

B. trainee’s personal and/or professional goals -

C. mentor’s personal and/or professional goals –

2. Our shared vision of success in this research project is:

3. We agree to work together on this project for at least years

4. The trainee will work at least hours per week on the project
during the academic year, and hours per week in the summer. In
addition, the trainee is expected to

5. The trainee will propose their weekly schedule to the mentor by the week of the
semester.

If the trainee must deviate from this schedule (e.g. to study for an
upcoming exam), they will communicate this to the mentor at least
(weeks/days/hours) before the change occurs.

6. On a daily basis, our primary means of communication will be

through (circle all that apply):
face to face/phone/email/instant messaging/

7. We will meet one-on-one to discuss our progress on the project and to

reaffirm or revise our goals for at least minutes time(s) per
month

a. (Circle one): It will be the (trainee’s/mentor’s) responsibility to

schedule these meetings.

b. In preparation for these meetings, the trainee will:

c. In preparation for these meetings, the mentor will:

9. The trainee is expected to participate in the following (e.g. journal club,

teaching commitments, etc.)

10. When learning new techniques and procedures, the mentor will train the
trainee using the following procedure(s) (e.g. write out directions, hands-
on demonstration, verbally direct as trainee does procedure, etc.):

11. The proper procedure for documenting research results (laboratory

notebook) in our research group is:

The notebook will be checked (e.g., weekly/monthly).

12. If the trainee gets stuck while working on the project (e.g. has
questions or needs help with a technique or data analysis) the
procedure to follow will be:

13. The standard operating procedures for working in our research group,
which all group members must follow and the trainee agrees to follow,
include: (e.g. require institutional training wash your own glassware,
attend weekly lab meetings, reorder supplies when you use the last of
something, etc.)

14. The mentor and trainee have agreed on a mentoring approach which consists of

15. The mentor and trainee have discussed the methodology used in the lab
in detail and trainee understands what is expected of him/her.

16. The mentor agrees to read and revise the trainees research writing
according to the following procedure:

17. The trainee agrees to not present any of the research findings from this
laboratory in any shape or form without the explicit consent and approval
of the mentor.

18. Other issues not addressed above that are important to our work together:

Trainee’s signature Date: Mentor’s signature

Date: Professor’s
signature Date:

The broad goals of my research program

As part of my job as a professor, I am expected to write grants and initiate research that will make
tangible contributions to science, the academic community, and to society. You will be helping me
carry out this research. It is imperative that we carry out good scientific method and conduct
ourselves in an ethical way. We must always keep in mind that the ultimate goal of our research is
publication in scientific journals. Dissemination of the knowledge we gain is critical to the
advancement of our field. I also value outreach and informal science education, both in the
classroom and while engaging with the public. I expect you to participate in this component of our
lab mission while you are part of the lab group.

What I expect from you

Another part of my job as a professor is to train and advise students. I must contribute to your
professional development and progress in your degree. I will help you set goals and hopefully
achieve them. However, I cannot do the work for you. In general, I expect you to:
● Learn how to plan, design, and conduct high quality scientific research
● Learn how to present and document your scientific findings
● Be honest, ethical, and enthusiastic
● Be engaged within the research group and at least two programs on campus
● Treat your lab mates, lab funds, equipment, and microbes with respect
● Take advantage of professional development opportunities
● Obtain your degree
● Work hard – don’t give up!

➤You will take ownership over your educational experience

Acknowledge that you have the primary responsibility for the successful completion of your
degree. This includes commitment to your work in classrooms and the laboratory. You should
maintain a high level of professionalism, self-motivation, engagement, scientific curiosity, and ethical
standards.
Ensure that you meet regularly with me and provide me with updates on the progress and
results of your activities and experiments. Make sure that you also use this time to communicate
new ideas that you have about your work and challenges that you are facing. Remember: I cannot
address or advise about issues that you do not bring to my attention.
Be knowledgeable of the policies, deadlines, and requirements of the graduate program,
the graduate school, and the university. Comply with all institutional policies, including
academic program milestones, laboratory practices, and rules related to chemical safety, biosafety,
and fieldwork.
Actively cultivate your professional development. UW-Madison has outstanding resources in
place to support professional development for students. I expect you to take full advantage of these
resources, since part of becoming a successful engineer or scientist involves more than just doing
academic research. You are expected to make continued progress in your development as a
teacher, as an ambassador to the general public representing the University and your discipline,
with respect to your networking skills, and as an engaged member of broader professional
organizations. The Graduate School has a regular seminar series related to professional
Adapted by E. Frazier, C. Pfund, and A. R. Butz from Branchaw, Pfund & Rediske (2010). Entering Research:
A Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company, and from Pfund, Wassarman & Skarlupka
(2014). Establishing your Mentoring Relationships for CMB, Biophysics and Nutritional Sciences. Branchaw, J.
L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
development. The Delta Program offers formalized training in the integration of research,
teaching, and learning. All graduate degree programs require attendance at a weekly seminar.
Various organizations on campus engage in science outreach and informal education activities.
Attendance at conferences and workshops will also provide professional development
opportunities. When you attend a conference, I expect you to seek out these opportunities to
make the most of your attendance. You should become a member of one or more professional
societies such as the Water Environment Federation, the American Society for Microbiology, or the
American Society for Limnology and Oceanography.

➤You will be a team player

Attend and actively participate in all group meetings, as well as seminars that are part of
your educational program. Participation in group meetings does not mean only presenting your
own work, but providing support to others in the lab through shared insight. You should refrain
from using your computer, Blackberry, or iPhone during research meetings. Even if you are
using the device to augment the discussion, it is disrespectful to the larger group to have your
attention distracted by the device. Do your part to create a climate of engagement and mutual
respect.
Strive to be the very best lab citizen. Take part in shared laboratory responsibilities and use
laboratory resources carefully and frugally. Maintain a safe and clean laboratory space where data
and research participants confidentiality are protected. Be respectful, tolerant of, and work
collegially with all laboratory colleagues: respect individual differences in values, personalities,
work styles, and theoretical perspectives.
Be a good collaborator. Engage in collaborations within and beyond our lab group.
Collaborations are more than just publishing papers together. They demand effective and frequent
communication, mutual respect, trust, and shared goals. Effective collaboration is an extremely
important component of the mission of our lab.
Leave no trace. As part of our collaborations with the Center for Limnology and other research
groups, you will often be using equipment that does not belong to our lab. I ask that you respect
this equipment and treat it even more carefully than our own equipment. Always return it as soon as
possible in the same condition you found it. If something breaks, tell me right away so that we can
arrange to fix or replace it. Don’t panic over broken equipment. Mistakes happen. But it is not
acceptable to return something broken or damaged without taking the steps necessary to fix it.
Acknowledge the efforts of collaborators. This includes other members of the lab as well as those
outside the lab. Don’t forget important individuals like Dave Harring at the CFL and Jackie Cooper at
CEE.

➤You will develop strong research skills

Take advantage of your opportunity to work at a world-class university by developing and
refining stellar research skills. I expect that you will learn how to plan, design, and conduct high
quality scientific research.
Challenge yourself by presenting your work at meetings and seminars as early as you can
and by preparing scientific articles that effectively present your work to others in the field.
The ‘currency’ in science is published papers, they drive a lot of what we do and because our lab is
supported by taxpayer dollars we have an obligation to complete and disseminate our findings. I
will push you to publish your research as you move through your training program, not only at the
end. Students pursuing a Masters degree will be expected to author or make major contributions
Adapted by E. Frazier, C. Pfund, and A. R. Butz from Branchaw, Pfund & Rediske (2010). Entering Research:
A Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company, and from Pfund, Wassarman & Skarlupka
(2014). Establishing your Mentoring Relationships for CMB, Biophysics and Nutritional Sciences. Branchaw, J.
L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
to at least one journal paper submission. Students pursuing a doctoral degree will be expected to
be lead author on at least two journal papers submissions, preferably three or four.
Keep up with the literature so that you can have a hand in guiding your own research. Block
at least one hour per week to peruse current tables of contents for journals or do literature
searches. Participate in journal clubs. Better yet, organize one!
Maintain detailed, organized, and accurate laboratory records. Be aware that your notes,
records and all tangible research data are my property as the lab director. When you leave the lab, I
encourage you to take copies of your data with you. But one full set of all data must stay in the lab,
with appropriate and accessible documentation. Regularly backup your computer data to the
Bacteriology Elizabeth McCoy server (see the wiki for more instructions).
Be responsive to advice and constructive criticism. The feedback you get from me, your
colleagues, your committee members, and your course instructors is intended to improve your
scientific work.

➤You will work to meet deadlines

Strive to meet deadlines: this is the only way to manage your progress. Deadlines can be
managed in a number of ways, but I expect you to work your best to maintain these goals. We
will establish mutually agreed upon deadlines for each phase of your work during one-on-one
meetings at the beginning of each term. For graduate students, there is to be a balance between time
spent in class and time spent on research and perhaps on outreach or teaching. As long as you are
meeting expectations, you can largely set your own schedule. It is your responsibility to talk with me
if you are having difficulty completing your work and I will consider your progress unsatisfactory if
I need to follow-up with you about completion of your lab or coursework.
Be mindful of the constraints on my time. When we set a deadline, I will block off time to read
and respond to your work. If I do not receive your materials, I will move your project to the end of
my queue. Allow a minimum of one week prior to submission deadlines for me to read and respond
to short materials such as conference abstracts and three weeks for me to work on manuscripts or
grant proposals. Please do not assume I can read materials within a day or two, especially when I
am traveling.

➤You will communicate clearly

Remember that all of us are “new” at various points in our careers. If you feel uncertain,
overwhelmed, or want additional support, please overtly ask for it. I welcome these conversations
and view them as necessary.
Let me know the style of communication or schedule of meetings that you prefer. If there is
something about my mentoring style that is proving difficult for you, please tell me so that you give
me an opportunity to find an approach that works for you. No single style works for everyone; no
one style is expected to work all the time. Do not cancel meetings with me if you feel that you have
not made adequate progress on your research; these might be the most critical times to meet with a
mentor.
Be prompt. Respond promptly (in most cases, within 48 hours) to emails from anyone in our lab
group and show up on time and prepared for meetings. If you need time to gather information in
response to an email, please acknowledge receipt of the message and indicate when you will be
able to provide the requested information.
Discuss policies on work hours, sick leave and vacation with me directly. Consult with me and

Adapted by E. Frazier, C. Pfund, and A. R. Butz from Branchaw, Pfund & Rediske (2010). Entering Research:
A Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company, and from Pfund, Wassarman & Skarlupka
(2014). Establishing your Mentoring Relationships for CMB, Biophysics and Nutritional Sciences. Branchaw, J.
L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
notify fellow lab members in advance of any planned absences. Graduate students can expect to
work an average of 50 hours per week in the lab; post-docs and staff at least 40 hours per week. I
expect that most lab members will not exceed two weeks of personal travel away from the lab in
any given year. Most research participants are available during University holidays, so all travel
plans, even at the major holidays, must be approved by me before any firm plans are made. I
believe that work-life balance and vacation time are essential for creative thinking and good
health and encourage you to take regular vacations. Be aware, however, that there will necessarily
be epochs – especially early in your training—when more effort will need to be devoted to work
and it may not be ideal to schedule time away. This includes the field season, for students/post-
docs working on the lakes.
Discuss policies on authorship and attendance at professional meetings with me before
beginning any projects to ensure that we are in agreement. I expect you to submit relevant
research results in a timely manner. Barring unusual circumstances, it is my policy that students
are first-author on all work for which they took the lead on data collection and preparation of the
initial draft of the manuscript.
Help other students with their projects and mentor/train other students. This is a valuable
experience! Undergraduates working in the lab should be encouraged to contribute to the writing of
manuscripts. If you wish to add other individuals as authors to your papers, please discuss this with
me early on and before discussing the situation with the potential co-authors.

What you should expect from me

I will work tirelessly for the good of the lab group; the success of every member of our group is my
top priority, no matter their personal strengths and weaknesses, or career goals.
I will be available for regular meeting and informal conversations. My busy schedule requires
that we plan in advance for meetings to discuss your research and any professional or personal
concerns you have. Although I will try to be available as much as possible for “drop in business”,
keep in mind that I am often running to teach a class or to a faculty meeting and will have
limited time.

I will help you navigate your graduate program of study. As stated above, you are responsible for
keeping up with deadlines and being knowledgeable about requirements for your specific program.
However, I am available to help interpret these requirements, select appropriate coursework, and
select committee members for your oral exams.
I will discuss data ownership and authorship policies regarding papers with you. These can
create unnecessary conflict within the lab and among collaborators. It is important that we
communicate openly and regularly about them. Do not hesitate to voice concerns when you have
them.
I will be your advocate. If you have a problem, come and see me. I will my best to help you solve
it.
I am committed to mentoring you, even after you leave my lab. I am committed to your
education and training while you are in my lab, and to advising and guiding your career
development – to the degree you wish – long after you leave. I will provide honest letters of
evaluation for you when you request them.
I will lead by example and facilitate your training in complementary skills needed to be a
successful scientist, such as oral and written communication skills, grant writing, lab
Adapted by E. Frazier, C. Pfund, and A. R. Butz from Branchaw, Pfund & Rediske (2010). Entering Research:
A Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company, and from Pfund, Wassarman & Skarlupka
(2014). Establishing your Mentoring Relationships for CMB, Biophysics and Nutritional Sciences. Branchaw, J.
L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
management, mentoring, and scientific professionalism. I will encourage you to seek
opportunities in teaching, even if not required for your degree program. I will also strongly
encourage you to gain practice in mentoring undergraduate and/or high school students, and to
seek formal training in this activity through the Delta program.
I will encourage you to attend scientific/professional meetings and will make an effort
to fund such activities. I will not be able to cover all requests but you can generally expect to
attend at least one major conference per year, when you have material to present. Please use
conferences as an opportunity to further your education, and not as a vacation. If you register for a
conference, I expect you to attend the scientific sessions and participate in conference activities
during the time you are there. Travel fellowships are available through the Environmental
Engineering program, the Bacteriology Department, and the University if grant money is not
available. I will help you identify and apply for these opportunities.
I will strive to be supportive, equitable, accessible, encouraging, and respectful. I will try my
best to understand your unique situation, and mentor you accordingly. I am mindful that each
student comes from a different background and has different professional goals. It will help if you
keep me informed about your experiences and remember that graduate school is a job with very high
expectations. I view my role as fostering your professional confidence and encouraging your critical
thinking, skepticism, and creativity. If my attempts to do this are not effective for you, I am open to
talking with you about other ways to achieve these goals.

Yearly evaluation
Each year we will sit down to discuss progress and goals. At that time, you should remember to
tell me if you are unhappy with any aspect of your experience as a graduate student here.
Remember that I am your advocate, as well as your advisor. I will be able to help you with any
problems you might have with other students, professors, or staff. Similarly, we should discuss
any concerns that you have with respect to my role as your advisor. If you feel that you need more
guidance, tell me. If you feel that I am interfering too much with your work, tell me. If you would
like to meet with me more often, tell me. At the same time, I will tell you if I am satisfied with your
progress, and if I think you are on track to graduate by your target date. It will be my
responsibility to explain to you any deficiencies, so that you can take steps to fix them. This will be
a good time for us to take care of any issues before they become major problems.

Searching Online Databases

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Developing Logical/Critical Thinking Skills
Practical Research Skills
• Develop Ability to Design a Research Project

Activities:
• Searching Online Databases

Assignments Due:
• Generate a list of keywords for your research area

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Searching Online Databases
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice trainees

Areas of Trainee Development

● Practical Research Skills
○ Develop Ability to Design a Research Project
● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Developing Logical/Critical Thinking Skills

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Learn how to use online resources to search for scholarly articles related to their research.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● Trainee Pre-Assignment Time: 30 minutes
● In Session Time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity is best suited for trainees who have joined a research group. In the case of graduate
trainees in programs with rotations, this activity can be implemented during the first research
rotations.

Inclusion Considerations
Consider learning styles, differences and disabilities when discussing best practices in searching
online databases. Ask if trainees have concerns and empower them to talk about any of these barriers
or concerns with their mentor or another advisor.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment (30 minutes)

● Before the session, trainees should talk with their research group members to
learn how they identify and access relevant scientific articles. Trainees
should also reflect on their research and generate a list of keywords.

Workshop Session (1 hour)

● Introduce trainees to the databases most relevant to their research (e.g., PubMed
for health research and Web of Science for general science research). A librarian
can be invited as a guest facilitator to lead this session. Most libraries have
webpages with the available databases and the subjects they cover.
● Discuss how using databases to find peer reviewed articles is more effective
than using a generic search engine.

Adapted by A. Prunuske from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A Facilitator's
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd
ed.). New York: Macmillan.
● Demonstrate how to access the relevant databases through the institution and
make sure trainees have the required usernames and passwords to access the
articles.
● Hold the session in the library and/or use tutorials to facilitate learning.
○ PubMed tutorial: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/disted/pubmedtutorial/cover.html
○ Web of Science tutorial:
http://wokinfo.com/training_support/training/web-of-
knowledge/
● Discuss good keywords followed by some basic search strategies including
how to use BOOLEAN or MeSH terms and how to limit the search to
review articles.
● Trainees should have at least 5 minutes to practice searching for relevant
articles using their keywords.
● Wrap-up (5 minutes)
○ At the end of the session, trainees compare and contrast which search
strategies worked well and how they refined their keyword search
terms.

Note: If it is beneficial to trainees, facilitators may wish to introduce reference manager

software, how to save searches, or how to set up new record alerts as part of this activity.

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Learn how to use online resources to search for scholarly articles related to their research.

Searching the literature to find scholarly articles is something most researchers do

daily. Identifying relevant articles to your research is necessary when planning
research projects and interpreting the results of those projects. This activity introduces
you to research databases and will help to develop the skills needed to identify and
access relevant scholarly articles.

BEFORE the session:

1. Which online databases do members of your research teach use to search the literature?

2. With your mentor or another member of your research team, generate a list of
keywords relevant to your research project. Include important authors in the
field, the organism or population of interest, techniques or interventions,
molecules or drugs, and relevant diseases.

1. Write your own step-by-step guide on how to search the database most
relevant to your research.

2. Test the keywords you generated with your mentor using the database. Identify
at least one article you think would be helpful to your project. Write the article
citation below.

3. Identify at least two strategies you found to be particularly effective in

identifying relevant articles.

Importance of Reading in Graduate School

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop Disciplinary Knowledge
Researcher Confidence and Independence
● Develop Independence as a Researcher
Professional and Career Development Skills
• Explore and Pursue a Research Career

Activities:
• Importance of Reading in Graduate School

Assignments Due:
● Read Parker, R. (2012) Skill development in graduate education, Molecular Cell. 46:377-381.
● My Lab’s Core Journal List

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Importance of Reading in Graduate School
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: graduate trainees

intermediate or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
o Develop Disciplinary Knowledge
● Professional and Career Development Skills
o Explore and Pursue a Research Career
● Researcher Confidence and Independence
o Develop Independence as a Researcher

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Learn how research literature can play an important role in their success.
● Develop strategies to consume the appropriate and relevant research
literature for their individual and research group needs.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● Trainee Pre-Assignment Time: 20 minutes
● In Session Time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity is recommended for beginning graduate students especially those in research rotations.
It can be implemented on its own or paired with the “Article Organization, Comprehension, and
Recall Discussion”, “Searching Online Databases”, or “Research Writing 4: Scientific Literature
Review and Publishing Process” activities.

Inclusion Considerations
Learning and reading styles will vary among trainees. Invite trainees to share with you any learning
accommodations they need or preferences they have and be flexible when setting reading and
writing assignment deadlines. Encourage trainees to share with the group alternative ideas about
how to approach reading scientific papers, organizing information, and constructing reviews.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment (20 minutes)

● Read Parker, R. (2012) Skill development in graduate education, Molecular Cell. 46:377-381.

Workshop Session (45 minutes)

● Introduce learning objectives of the session (1-2 minutes)
o Trainees will begin to learn how research literature plays an important
role in their success.

A. Sokac (2018). Importance of Reading in Graduate School. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
o Trainees will develop strategies to consume the appropriate and
relevant research literature for their individual and lab group needs.
● Building Skills By Reading Literature Activity (20 minutes)
o Reflecting on the article, “Skill Development in Graduate Education”,
generate a list of the skills and competencies needed in graduate school
and how reading literature can help them achieve those
skills/competencies. (pairs, 10 minutes)
o Group discussion of skills and competencies needed in grad school.
Document their answers on a whiteboard or flip chart. (15 minutes)
■ What competencies do trainees believe they will need
in order to successfully reach the following milestones
in graduate school?
➢ become a productive part of their rotation/permanent lab
➢ pass their Qualifying Exam
➢ complete their thesis work
➢ become an expert in their field
■ How will reading the literature in the field impact each milestone?
■ Optional additions:
➢ If an institutional or departmental rubric for the
Qualifying Exam is used in the graduate training
program, it could be distributed so students see the
expectations for passing to degree status. The
expectations listed on the rubric could substitute for
the list of competencies generated in class.
➢ After discussing the impact of reading the literature on professional
development for the student, discuss what the scientific
literature provides more broadly. For example, it
reveals the remaining outstanding questions in a field,
and serves as a “newspaper” for scientists. The
literature also connects scientists across the world and
centers their efforts.
● When do I read what? Where do I start? Activity (20 minutes)
o Ask trainees to reflect on their scientific reading habits. (3 minutes)
o In pairs, discuss the following questions. (7 minutes)
■ How many papers have you read so far for your rotation lab/project?
■ Do you think that you are reading enough?
■ Are you finding the papers that you want?
■ What problems are you having in finding papers?
o Distribute the “When do I read what? Where do I start?” handout.
Using the document as a source of ideas, ask the group to
brainstorm strategies to find relevant papers to read. (10
minutes)
● Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
o Summarize the main ideas generated from the large group discussion.
■ Importance of reading in graduate school
■ Strategies to find relevant scientific literature

Trainee Post-Assignment: Ask trainees to interview their mentor or a colleague on their research
team to complete the My Lab’s Core Journal List activity included in the trainee materials.
A. Sokac (2018). Importance of Reading in Graduate School. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Importance of Reading in Graduate School
Trainee Materials

Building Skills by Reading Literature

The goal of this activity is to see how reading the literature can promote your
immediate and long-term success in graduate school and beyond.

Consider the following questions in order to generate a list of skills or competencies that
you will need to be successful in graduate school. Then consider how reading the
literature in your field will impact each skill or competency on the list. Use the table
below to record your ideas

What skills or competencies do you need to gain in order to become a productive part of:
● Your rotation lab?
● Your permanent research group?
● To pass your Qualifying Exam?
● To complete your thesis work?
● To become an expert in your eventual field of study?

Skill/ Competency Impact of Reading the Literature

A. Sokac (2018). Importance of Reading in Graduate School. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Activity: When do I read what? Where do I start?

The goal of this activity is to identify strategies to filter through the innumerable papers
that are available, so you can focus on those that are most useful to your purposes right
now (e.g. your current rotation lab/project).

In pairs, reflect on your current rotation lab/project and answer the following:
● How many papers have you read so far for your rotation lab/project?

● Are you finding the papers that you want?

● Do you think that you are reading enough papers to excel in your rotation?

● What problems, if any, are you having in finding papers?

● What strategies could you use to read more relevant literature?

A. Sokac (2018). Importance of Reading in Graduate School. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
When do I read what? Where do I start?

When do I read what?

Reviews are a good start to get the big picture.

● On the hill with binoculars, overlooking the cornfield

An expert needs a deep understanding of the primary literature.

● Farmer in the cornfield identifying plant pathogens

Getting more familiar with methods, including their uses, strengths, and
weaknesses, through methods articles can make the primary literature easier to
understand and evaluate.

Where do I start?

Job 1: Acquire knowledge

● Start with a review. Dig deeper by looking up the papers cited in the most
relevant parts of the review.
● Start with your mentor’s paper, a paper from your mentor’s lab, or a paper
recommended by your mentor or other member of your research group. Dig
deeper by looking up additional papers that are cited in the first paper.
● Start with older papers first, and read towards the newer papers to gain a
historical perspective on the research subject.
● Brainstorm keywords for database searches with somebody knowledgeable in your lab.

Job 2: Stay current in the research field

● Sign-up for eAlerts on journal websites (the table of contents for each issue of
the journal will then be delivered to your email).
● Talk to people about new findings!
● Attend seminars and journal clubs.

A. Sokac (2018). Importance of Reading in Graduate School. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Activity: My Lab’s Core Journal List:

Every research group will have a different set of core journals that they read and keep up
with. You need to find out what that core set of journals is for the research group that you
are rotating/working in. Knowing this can help you understand what literature the research
group values, as well as how the research group sees itself fitting into the broader research
community.

Broad interest journals (e.g. Science or Nature): Among these journals, the mentor or
research team members look at every issue and get email notifications (eAlerts) for every
issue.

Specialist journals (e.g. Plant Cell, Human Brain Mapping) : Among these journals, the mentor
or lab members look at every issue and get email notifications (eAlerts) for every issue.

Other journals with relevant articles, but of lesser importance: Time permitting, the
mentor or research group members look at issues of these journals. They may or may not
receive eAlerts for every issue.

A. Sokac (2018). Importance of Reading in Graduate School. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Week 6

Article Organization, Comprehension, and Critique

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop Disciplinary Knowledge
Professional and Career Development Skills
• Explore and Pursue a Research Career

Activities:
● Article Organization, Comprehension, and Recall

Assignments Due:
• Tools for Handling Your Papers

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Article Organization, Comprehension and Recall
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

intermediate or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop Disciplinary Knowledge
● Professional and Career Development Skills
○ Explore and Pursue a Research Career

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Learn about electronic tools for organizing their papers, citing papers, and
taking notes on their papers.
● Learn to use a framing funnel as a strategy to actively reading papers.
● Learn to use guided questions to understand and evaluate scientific papers.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● Trainee Pre-Assignment Time: 20 minutes
● In Session Time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity is recommended for intermediate and advanced trainees who have
foundational research experience. It can be implemented on its own or paired with the
“Research Writing 4: Scientific Literature Review and Publishing Process” activity.

Inclusion Considerations:
Learning and reading styles will vary among trainees. Invite them to share with you any
learning accommodations they need or preferences they have and be flexible when
setting reading and writing assignment deadlines. Encourage them to share with the
group alternative ideas about how to approach reading scientific papers, organizing
information, and constructing reviews.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment (20 minutes)

● Ask trainees to complete the “Tools for Handling Your Papers” worksheet by
interviewing their primary mentor, at least one member of their research team,
or a senior member of their research team. The worksheet may be distributed in
the previous session or sent via email.

Adapted by A. Sokac from Branchaw, J. L., Pfund, C., and Rediske, R. (2010) Entering Research: A Facilitator’s
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Workshop Session (1 hour)
● Introduction (2-3 minutes)
○ The goal of this activity is for trainees to learn how to organize, cite, and
take notes on papers. Using the framing funnel and guided questions,
trainees will learn to better evaluate and understand scientific papers.

● Large group discussion (10 minutes)

○ Use the following questions to lead the discussion in the large group.
■ What are the tools and combinations of tools that people use
to organize their papers?
■ What tools are people using that did not appear on the worksheet?
■ Why do people like the specific tools that they are using?
■ What limitations do these tools have? Benefits?
■ Which tools are the most attractive to you and why?

● Framing Funnel Activity 1 (20 minutes)

○ In the large group, ask trainees the following questions about reading
papers. Either assign a paper for this activity or instruct students to read
and bring a paper from their research group. Alternatively, the facilitator
can provide an article where all elements of the Framing Funnel are
apparent, and ask the students to read it before class. Record responses
and/or strategies on a whiteboard or chart.
■ What are the easiest and most challenging parts of reading research articles?
■ How might you use the sections of a research article to break
down complex ideas and results?
■ How might reading a textbook help you understand a research article?
■ Can you link ideas and concepts learned in courses to research articles?
○ Distribute the “Framing Funnel” document. Explain that the framing
funnel is a tool that can be used by readers to outline research articles. It
represents the language that scientists use to think about and present
their research and what they expect from other scientists. Every research
paper has an underlying framing funnel. Using the framing funnel to
map scientific articles can increase understanding and retention of the
information that is presented and develop logical thinking skills.
○ Review each element of the framing funnel with the group.

● Critical Evaluation of Papers Activity 2 (20 minutes)

○ Brainstorm: Ask trainees to describe the function of each part of a
research paper. For example:
■ What should the Title of a research article do?
■ What information should be in the Abstract?

Adapted by A. Sokac from Branchaw, J. L., Pfund, C., and Rediske, R. (2010) Entering Research: A Facilitator’s
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
■ In the Introduction?
■ In the Methods?
■ In the Results?
■ In the Discussion?
○ Distribute the Paper Parts & Evaluation document and compare the
trainees’ ideas to the descriptions on the handout.
○ Ask the group how confident they feel critically evaluating a paper.
Individually, have them take a few minutes to look over the questions
behind the descriptions of paper sections in the “Critical Evaluation of
Papers” handout provided in the trainee materials. Ask them to consider
which questions they think they can answer and which would require
them to read the paper more closely. For example:
■ Do the authors’ methods critically or directly test their hypothesis?
■ Did the authors use a creative method to evaluate their hypothesis?
■ Do you agree with the authors’ interpretation of the data or are
there other interpretations?

Optional Assignment: Facilitators may assign trainees to use the Critical

Evaluation of Papers activity to identify and review a scientific paper that is
relevant to their research project. These review assignments can be assessed
by peers or the facilitator using the rubric below.

0 1 2 3
Absent Does not meet Meets Exceeds
expectations expectations expectations
Title, Abstract, Introduction
Articulated the title and purpose of the article.
Provided a brief overview of the article, including
hypotheses and key results.
Methods
Determined whether the proposed methods
critically test their hypotheses.
Identified limitations of the method.
Examined creativity of the author’s methodology
Examined methodological process.
Identified methodological innovation.
Results
Determined whether data supports argument.
Interpreted the data.
Formulated own opinion based on the data.
Examined format in which data was presented in
the paper.
Evaluated all figures and supporting documents.
Discussion
Determined whether the conclusion is supported
by the data.
Identified alternative interpretations of the data.
Identified novel insights gained from the results.
Determined if the results may be applied more
generally.
Identified author’s future directions.

Notes:

Learning Objectives:
Trainees will:
● Learn about electronic tools for organizing their papers, citing papers, and
taking notes on their papers.
● Learn to use a framing funnel as a strategy to actively reading papers.
● Learn to use guided questions to understand and evaluate scientific papers.

Pre-Assignment: Tools for Handling Your Papers

Generate a list of electronic (and other) tools for organizing your papers, citing papers,
and taking notes on your papers by interviewing your current mentor or a senior
person on your research team to ask what tools and methods they use to organize, cite,
and take notes on the papers. If you interview multiple people, you may find that
everyone has their own system!

Based on your interview, circle the tools used below. If your interviewee suggests new
tools, record them. Also ask why your interviewee likes or dislikes the tools they use.

Finding papers: ● Papers (Mekentosj)

● Google Scholar ● Mendeley
● PubMed ● Readcube
● Bing
● Papers (Mekentosj) Tools at journal websites for digging deeper:
● Readcube ● Social media (Facebook, Twitter)
● eAlerts
Organizing and note-taking for ● Journal-specific Apps
pdfs: ● Video Portals
● Adobe Acrobat ● Podcasts
● Papers (Mekentosj) ● Webinars
● OneNote ● Blogs
● Word ● Twitter
● Google Docs
● Notes Plus Mindful Note-taking (plagiarism scanning
● Good Note software):
● Evernote ● TurnItIn
● Readcube ● iThenticate
● Doc Cop
Citing papers: ● Grammarly
● EndNote

Adapted by A. Sokac from Branchaw, J. L., Pfund, C., and Rediske, R. (2010) Entering Research: A Facilitator’s
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Consider these questions about the pre-meeting activity:
● Who did you interview to complete this worksheet?
● What are the tools and combinations of tools that people use to handle their papers?
● What tools are people using that did not appear on the worksheet?
● Why do people like the specific tools that they are using?
● What limitations do these tools have? Benefits?

Activity 1: The Framing Funnel

Use these questions to explore strategies to improve your understanding and retention
of the research presented in scholarly articles.
● What are the easiest and most challenging parts of reading research articles?
● How might you use the sections of a research article to break down complex
ideas and results?
● How might reading a textbook help you understand a research article?
● Can you link ideas and concepts learned in courses to research articles?

The framing funnel is a tool that can be used by readers to outline research articles. It
represents the language that scientists use to think and present their research and what
they expect from other scientists. Every research paper has an underlying framing funnel.
Using the framing funnel to map scientific articles can increase understanding and
retention of the information that is presented and develop logical thinking skills.

Select a scientific article to read and use the Framing Funnel below to outline the content.

Description: In very few words, what is this paper about? What is the synopsis?

Background: What is already known?

Hypothesis*/Model/Research Question: What is the working hypothesis, model or

research questions that these authors are testing or investigating? What is the
rationale for doing this specific set of experiments or collecting the data?

Predictions: If the authors’ hypothesis/model is correct, what results are expected?

What if the hypothesis/model is incorrect?

Experiments/Data Collection: What are the experiments or data collection methods?

What is the flow of the experiments or the collection of data? What are the strengths
and weaknesses of the methods used? Are there alternative methods? What are the
results?

Data Analysis: How are the data analyzed? Are the analysis techniques appropriate to
address the hypothesis or research questions?

Interpretation/Model: Based on the results, what new things were learned? What do
the results mean? Was the initial hypothesis/model correct or incorrect? How does the
hypothesis/model need to be revised? What are the next directions? What new gap
opened up?

*A hypothesis is a possible explanation that is proposed on the basis of a small amount of

preliminary data. A hypothesis serves to launch and focus future research.

Activity 2: Critical Evaluation of Papers

The goal of this activity is to provide a solid set of questions and criterion that will
help you critically evaluate the research papers that you read. Scientific articles are
typically organized in sections as outlined below. Knowing what types of information
are present in each section allows one to more efficiently and effectively find
information.

In your own words, describe each part of a research paper.

● What should the Title of a research article do?
● What information should be in the Abstract?
● In the Introduction?
● In the Methods?
● In the Results?
● In the Discussion?

How confident do you feel in critically evaluating a paper?

Take a few minutes to look over the questions following the descriptions of paper
sections below. Among these, identify good questions to ask when you are critically
evaluating a paper. For example:
● Do the authors’ methods critically or directly test their hypothesis?
● Did the authors use a creative method to evaluate their hypothesis?
● Do you agree with the authors’ interpretation of the data or are there other interpretations?

Title
Paper titles are usually brief, stand-alone overviews of a paper's contents. Authors make
an effort to include keywords that abstracting services could use in indexing the article.
Therefore, if you are new to a field and/or subject, it is useful to take note of the words
used in the title as they may provide you with useful keywords to use in future literature
searches.

Abstract
The purpose of the abstract is to provide the reader with a brief summary of the article.
Thus, the abstract should provide information about the specific research problem being
investigated, the methods used, the results obtained, and what the results of the study
mean in the larger context of the research study and in some cases the field of study.
This means that the abstract is a good place to look first if you are trying to decide
whether or not the paper is relevant to your work.

Introduction
The introduction section provides a general overview of the research question being studied - why

Adapted by A. Sokac from Branchaw, J. L., Pfund, C., and Rediske, R. (2010) Entering Research: A Facilitator’s
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
it is a worthy question, what work has already been done by others to address it, and
what the authors may have already done in this area. Introductions are a good place to
go if you are new to the subject.
● What is the main question they are interested in pursuing?
● What background research, pattern, theoretical prediction, or theoretical
framework motivates this question?
● Why is this question interesting in light of the background they discuss?
● Do they offer one hypothesis or more than one?
● What assumptions are made when proposing the hypotheses?

Methods
The methods section will provide detailed information about experiments performed
or data that was collected. Such information typically includes sources for all materials
used, names of all data collection instruments, detailed descriptions of experimental
or data gathering techniques, and detailed descriptions of data analysis techniques,
including computer programs used.
● Do the proposed methods test the hypotheses or address the research question?
● Are any of the methods confounded?
● Did the authors use a creative method to evaluate their hypothesis or interpret their data?
● Are the methods simple and elegant or complicated and convoluted?
● Was a new technique or research approach presented that will better evaluate
a problem others have struggled with?

Results
Some articles will distinguish between "Results" and "Discussion" while others will
combine this information into one section "Results and Discussion." In papers that
contain two distinct sections ("Results" and "Discussion"), the data obtained from the
study are introduced in the "Results" section and their interpretation is delayed until the
"Discussion" section. In papers that contain one section ("Results and Discussion"),
results are introduced and interpreted
experiment-by-experiment.
● What does the data say about the hypotheses or research questions?
● Is there only one interpretation of the data?
● Are there any big surprises/unexpected results?

Discussion
In papers that contain a distinct “Discussion” section, the interpretations of the results are
included here. The “Discussion” should also place the results in the context of the
existing literature in the field of interest. Authors may also suggest future directions in
this section.
Keep the following in mind:
● Does the author say that they support or reject the hypothesis?
● Do you agree with the author's interpretation of the data?
● What novel insights are gained from the results?

Adapted by A. Sokac from Branchaw, J. L., Pfund, C., and Rediske, R. (2010) Entering Research: A Facilitator’s
Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Company. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
● What do the results imply more generally for the field of interest? For other fields?
● What will the authors do next?

Sophisticated Understanding
With experience, reading the literature in a given field will come more easily. This
includes the ability to better evaluate what is being presented, and the ability to ask
more sophisticated questions.
● When reading papers be critical, but also pay attention to exciting findings,
novel insights, and creative ideas. It’s easy to criticize, but hard to praise!
● What critical experiment would you do to evaluate the proposed hypothesis?
● What data would you collect to address the research questions?
● Form an opinion after looking at the data, before reading the author’s
interpretation and conclusions.
● Do you agree with the authors’ interpretation or are there others?
● If more than one hypothesis is offered, does each hypothesis propose a distinctly
alternative explanation that is incompatible with the others, or could some of the
hypotheses operate simultaneously?
● Are there compelling alternatives given the data?
● What assumptions are made about the effectiveness of the experiments or the
accuracy of the data?

Consider these questions:

● Is a research paper comprised of “facts” or “arguments?”
● What is the difference between a result and an interpretation?

Writing in Science

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop Disciplinary Knowledge
● Develop Science Communication Skills
Professional and Career Development Skills
• Explore and Pursue a Research Career

Activities:
● Research Writing 4: Research Literature Review and Publishing Process
● Tips for Technical Writers

Assignments Due:
● Read Journal Jargon handout
● Write one paragraph summarizing a task or experiment you have done in the lab

Assessment Tools:
• Tips for Technical Writers - assessment rubric

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Research Writing 4:
Research Literature Review and Publishing Process
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

intermediate or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop Disciplinary Knowledge
● Professional and Career Development Skills
○ Explore and Pursue a Research Career

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Learn how peer-reviewed research papers are published.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● Trainee Pre-Assignment Time: 5 minutes
● In Session Time: 30 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity is recommended for beginning graduate students especially those in research rotations.
It can be implemented on its own or paired with the “Article Organization, Comprehension, and
Recall”, “Searching Online Databases”, or “Importance of Reading in Graduate School” activities.

Inclusion Considerations
Learning and reading styles will vary among trainees. Invite them to share with you any
learning accommodations they need or preferences they have and be flexible when setting reading
and writing assignment deadlines. Encourage them to share with the group alternative ideas about
how to approach reading research papers, organizing information, and constructing reviews.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment (5 minutes)

● Read “Journal Jargon” handout. Note any questions or points of confusion.

Workshop Session (30 minutes)

● Introduce learning objectives of the session (1 minute)
○ Trainees will learn how peer-reviewed research papers are published.
● Journal Jargon Activity (5 minutes)
○ Based on your reading of the “Journal Jargon” handout, what questions do you
have about the terms associated with the journal publishing process?
○ Facilitators may wish to highlight specific journals in their discipline(s) or the
disciplines of the trainees to show what impact factors look like in different
research fields. Encourage trainees to talk with their mentors or with advanced
trainees in their research group or lab to identify top-tier journals.

A. Sokac (2018). Scientific Literature Review and Publishing Process. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
● Peer-Reviewed Literature Activity (25 minutes)
○ Gather printouts of the author instructions from several journals, specifically the few
paragraphs describing the editorial process. For example, the following is provided
on the Developmental Cell website (http://www.cell.com/developmental-
cell/authors): “Editorial Evaluation Timeline: All submissions are initially evaluated
in depth by the scientific editors. Papers that are not deemed, by the editors, to be
strong candidates for publication will be returned to the authors without detailed
review, typically within 3–5 days. Otherwise, manuscripts will be sent to reviewers
who have agreed in advance to assess the paper rapidly. The editors will make
every effort to reach decisions on these papers within 3–4 weeks of the submission
date. If revisions are a condition of publication, editors will carefully evaluate the
reviewers' comments and, whenever possible, will provide guidance on the
important concerns to be addressed. We generally allow 2 months for revisions and
consider only one revised version of the paper. Evaluations of conceptual advance
and significance are made based on the literature available on the day of the final
decision, not the day of submission. Accepted papers will be published in print
within 3 months of acceptance and, in most cases, earlier in print or online. Any
major changes after acceptance are subject to review and may delay publication.”

○ Distribute the author instructions from several different journals (one per
trainee). Allow trainees time to read the author instructions individually. (3-5
minutes)

○ In the large group, ask for volunteers to describe the editorial process of their
particular journal and discuss the similarities and differences of the editorial
processes. (20 minutes)
■ Which processes are similar among these journals?
■ Which processes are different?
■ Has anyone published a paper? Was your experience different or
similar to the editorial processes described?
■ How might differences in peer-review impact the publications?

A. Sokac (2018). Scientific Literature Review and Publishing Process. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Research Writing 4:
Research Literature Review and Publishing Process
Trainee Materials

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Learn how peer-reviewed research papers are published.

Pre-Assignment Reading: Journal Jargon

Primary literature: These are journal articles that represent new research findings with data and
methods included.

Peer-reviewed: This describes an article or journal with content that is evaluated and refined by
experienced colleagues in the field.

Impact factor: This is a “score” that is calculated for academic journals. It represents the average
number of citations received per article in a given journal. The company, Thomson Reuters,
calculates impact factors for a given journal as follows1:

A = the number of times articles published in 2013-2014 were cited in indexed journals during 2015
B = the number of articles, reviews, proceedings or notes published in 2013-2014
Impact factor 2015 = A/B

Top-tier journals: These journals are considered to be the most prestigious in the field, and
typically have the highest impact factors.

Broad interest journals: Articles in these journals are meant for a broad audience. In Nature, Cell
and Science, these articles are often touted as “seminal” or “paradigm shifting”.

Specialist journals: Articles in these journals will have a narrower audience. While it varies by
journal, these articles often report more incremental advances.

Letters/Communications: These are short articles that are used to report experimental findings
very quickly. These articles include limited experimental results and methods.

Reviews: These are compilations of the primary literature. Different reviews will have different
agendas. Some reviews are written for the purpose of simply summarizing or giving a broad
overview of the vast literature within a field of study. Other reviews are written to address some
dispute or a gap within a field.

Methods articles: These are journal articles that describe a method in detail, often including a full
protocol as well as troubleshooting advice. These articles are often found in “method” or “protocol”
journals.

Publication costs: These are fees paid by the authors to the journal to cover publication
expenses. Depending on the journal, these costs may be flat fee or may be calculated based on the
number of color figures.

A. Sokac (2018). Scientific Literature Review and Publishing Process. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Open access: These are journals or journal articles that are provided online, for free, for everyone to
view and download. The costs of open access publishing are offset by a sponsor or by fees that the
author covers.

1
http://www.sciencegateway.org/impact/

A. Sokac (2018). Scientific Literature Review and Publishing Process. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Activity: Peer-Reviewed Literature

Read the “For Authors” information from one journal. Outline the editorial process of this
journal here and report back to the group.

Discussion Questions:

● What is common among the peer-review processes of different journals?

● Are there any differences among the peer-review processes of different journals?

● How might differences in peer-review impact the publications?

● What are some examples of non peer-reviewed reference materials?

A. Sokac (2018). Scientific Literature Review and Publishing Process. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Tips for Technical Writers
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice, intermediate or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop Science Communication Skills

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Learn strategies for improving technical writing.
● Learn strategies and criterion for giving feedback on technical writing.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● Trainee Pre-Assignment Time: 30 minutes
● In Session Time: 40 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity may be used with undergraduate and graduate students at any level of research
experience. It is recommend that this activity is implemented before trainees perform any kind of
technical writing (e.g. prior to writing a research proposal). The resource included in this trainee
materials for this activity may also be helpful for trainees when providing feedback on one
another’s technical writing.

Inclusion Considerations

Novice trainees, especially those who have traveled non-traditional academic pathways, may have
had limited opportunity to practice research writing. Reassure trainees that their research writing
skills will improve with practice and even the most experienced writers use an iterative process of
review and revision when writing. If trainees have challenges with writing (e.g., disabilities) talk
about these challenges and encourage them to seek help from professionals and to share this
information with their research mentor, so that he or she is aware and can help.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment (30 minutes)

● Assign trainees to write one paragraph summarizing one task or experiment that
they have completed in the lab (e.g. an organic synthesis reaction, a cell fixation
and staining protocol, an equipment calibration, etc.).
● The paragraph should include why they did the task or experiment, what they
did, and what they got as a final product (i.e. rationale, brief methods, and result).
Tell trainees to bring two printed copies of their paragraph to class.

A. Sokac (2018). Tips for Technical Writers. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Workshop Session (40 minutes)
● Introduction (1-2 minutes)
○ State the learning objectives for this activity.
○ Tell trainees that communicating information by writing clear, concise,
engaging text (e.g papers, abstracts, proposals, etc.) is critical to research
success. Distribute the Technical Writing Tips resource found in the
Trainee Materials, and tell trainees that being aware of the strategies in
this handout can help writers at any ability level to avoid common
mistakes that undermine the effectiveness of their technical writing. In
addition, the Tips document also provides good criteria for giving
feedback on the technical writing of others.

● Activity: Tips for Technical Writers (30 minutes)

○ Ask trainees to swap paragraphs with a partner.
○ Tell trainees to carefully read the paragraph that they received, and
complete the provided rubric. They can use the “Technical Writing
Tips” resource, found in the Trainee Materials, to evaluate the
paragraph (10 minutes).
○ Ask trainees next to evaluate and complete the rubric for their own
paragraph (10 minutes).
○ Pair with their partner and discuss the evaluation of their
paragraph (8-10 minutes). Discussion questions:
■ What were the strengths of each paragraph? What were the weaknesses?
■ What was the biggest challenge for you in writing this paragraph?
■ What did you learn from evaluating your partner’s paragraph?
■ How can your paragraph be improved?

● Wrap-Up (1-2 minutes)

○ Ask Trainees:
■ Are there any questions regarding the “Technical Writing Tips” resource?
■ With the feedback you received from your neighbor and yourself,
how would you improve your paragraph?
○ Encourage trainees to run their paragraph through a free editing
software, such as Grammarly; and/or calculate the readability statistics
using the tools in Microsoft Word.
○ Encourage trainees to reference the Technical Writing Tips
handout when completing other writing assignments or
reviewing the work of peers.

● Optional Assignment: Ask trainees to edit their paragraph using (1) the feedback
that they received in class; (2) the Technical Writing Tips resource; and (3) the
feedback gained from Grammarly and the readability statistics from Word. They
should turn in the original paragraph, rubrics and the edited paragraph and be
graded or given feedback on how effectively they incorporated the feedback and
how much improvement was made. The rubric can also be used by facilitators to
evaluate trainee paragraphs.

A. Sokac (2018). Tips for Technical Writers. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Tips for Technical Writers
Trainee Materials

Learning Objectives:
Trainees will:
● Learn strategies for improving technical writing.
● Learn strategies and criterion for giving feedback on technical writing.

Technical Writing Tips

Use the first person

Use of “I“ or “We” is common and encouraged in the biomedical sciences, but may be
discouraged in other STEM disciplines. Make sure to ask a researcher in your area
about the use of “I” and “We” in scientific communications.

Pay attention to publications in your field of study and notice if and how often “I”
and “We” are used. Do not use the first person in the methods section of a paper in
any discipline.

Avoid ambiguous references

We used an ATP hydrolysis assay to test the function of the enzyme, and it did not
work. (What did not work? The assay or the enzyme?)

Use active voice

Early embryos expressed zygotic genes by cell cycle 14. (Active)

Zygotic genes were expressed in early embryos by cell cycle 14. (Passive)

Be concise, and use simple language

Our work showed the network motifs present in complex networks by determining
the patterns of interconnections that occur within complex networks as opposed to
randomized networks.

We identified network motifs specific to complex networks by comparing connectivity

patterns found in complex networks with those in randomized networks.

Be specific, not vague

Small changes in the dosage of Gene X impact the outcome of cell fate decisions.

A 30% reduction in Gene X dosage increases the chance that cells make the wrong
cell fate decision.

Clearly define what “this” and “these” refer to

This suggests that Myosin-2 motor activity is not required for contraction.

This result suggests that Myosin-2 motor activity is not required for contraction.

A. Sokac (2018). Tips for Technical Writers. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Use consistent formatting for items in a series
The research project will provide Viola ample opportunity for generating data and
publication of research articles.

The research project will provide Viola ample opportunity for generating data and
publishing research articles.

Use the “Readability Statistics” function of Word

Aim for no more than 15-20 words per sentence.

Aim for a reading level appropriate to your audience and to the purpose of

your text. Aim for sentences that vary in structure (some short, some

long).

Make sure not all sentences start with the same word such as ‘The.”

Make sure that every paragraph has a topic sentence and all other sentences in
that paragraph support the topic sentence.

Use transition words or transitions between sentences and between paragraphs

Use of transitions establishes relationships between sentences and paragraphs that
improve clarity.

Recognize that writing is an iterative process

After writing your text, read it as if you are the audience (not the author). Often, it
even helps to read your text out loud to catch awkward sentences and typos. Do not
be afraid to edit your own drafts ruthlessly--try not to become too attached to what
you have written as it may not be the best way to communicate an idea, a result, etc.
Always be on the look-out for ways to improve. If it is unclear in any way, fix it. If
there are typos or grammatical errors, fix them. At least as much time may be spent
on editing as on writing.

Practice, practice, practice

Look for opportunities to improve your technical writing skills. Examples of writing
opportunities include weekly research summaries of your work, travel award grants,
utilizing writing centers on campus, fellowship applications, reading scientific
literature and mimicking the style of papers that you find particularly well written.
Also, look for opportunities to volunteer to give other people feedback on their
abstracts, applications, and proposals.

Get feedback
Ask for feedback from advisors, classmates, and lab mates. In some cases,
even a family member can give valuable feedback regarding readability and
clarity.

*We acknowledge the valuable input of Susan Marriott, Ph.D., founder and President of
Bioscience Writers, Inc. (www.biosciencewriters.com).
A. Sokac (2018). Tips for Technical Writers. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Assessment Rubric

Instructions: Use the rubric below to evaluate your own and your partner’s draft paragraph.

0 1 2 3

Professional Unacceptable; no Many Few grammatical No grammatical

appearance of evidence of any grammatical and and spelling or spelling
the text proofreading spelling errors; errors; errors;
No title No title An appropriate
title is included

Clarity of the The writing does The writing The writing The writing
text not communicate communicates communicates communicates all
any information some most information information
clearly information clearly clearly
clearly, but it is
challenging to
understand
many sentences

Readability of Text is long, Text is wordy Text is somewhat Text is concise;

the text complex and with many wordy, but with there are no
difficult to read run-on no run-on run-on
sentences; word sentences; word sentences; word
choices are choices are choices are
overly complex reasonable, but simple and
and sometimes could be appropriate;
miss the simplified; punctuation aids
intended punctuation aids readability
meaning readability

Precision of the Information Little detail is Some or too An appropriate

language provided is provided; Some much detail is level of detail is
completely vague words and provided; There provided; Words
superficial with ambiguous are few examples and language are
no details; Vague language are of vague words specific and it is
words and scattered or ambiguous always clear
ambiguous throughout; Not language; It is what “this and
language are clear what “this usually clear “that” refer to
used throughout; and “that” refer what “this and
Not clear what to “that” refer to
“this and “that”
refer to

A. Sokac (2018). Tips for Technical Writers. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
0 1 2 3

Organization Paragraphs have A topic sentence Paragraphs Paragraphs

and use of one no obvious per paragraph is contain one topic contain one topic
topic sentence structure, and often difficult to sentence and the sentence and all
per paragraph there is no topic find; other sentences other sentences
sentence; Poor organization of mostly support support the
organization of sentences and the topic topic sentence;
sentences and ideas is sentence; organization of
ideas overall somewhat organization of sentences and
logical sentences and ideas are logical
ideas are logical with no gaps
with only
occasional gaps

Level of reader No engagement: Little Moderate High

engagement Text is written in engagement: engagement: engagement:
achieved by the the passive voice; Text is written in Text is written in Text is written in
text Text is difficult to the passive voice, the first-person the first-person
read, and the and is somewhat and mostly active and active voice,
message is so understandable; voice; text is and is
unclear that the audience understandable; compelling;
audience “tunes-out” by audience may meaning is
“tunes-out” the end want to ask a completely clear;
immediately follow-up audience wants
question after to read or
reading discuss more

Discussion Questions:
● What were the strengths of each paragraph? What were the weaknesses?
● What was the biggest challenge for you in writing this paragraph?
● What did you learn from evaluating your partner’s paragraph?
● How can your paragraph be improved?

A. Sokac (2018). Tips for Technical Writers. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Week 8

Data Rigor and Reproducibility

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop Disciplinary Knowledge
● Develop Science Communication Skills
Research Ethics
● Develop Responsible and Ethical Research Practices
Practical Research Skills
• Develop Ability to Conduct a Research Project

Activities:
● Research Documentation Process
● Research Documentation: Can you decipher this?

Assignments Due:
● Research Documentation Process
● Bring in copies of your lab notebook

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Research Documentation Process
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate and graduate trainees

novice trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Practical Research Skills
○ Develop Ability to Conduct a Research Project
● Research Ethics
○ Develop Responsible and Ethical Research Practices
● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop Disciplinary Knowledge
○ Develop Science Communication Skills

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Explain why it is important to accurately document their research.
● Identify key elements in research documentation.
● Identify commonalities and differences in documentation associated with different
research fields.
● Understand the ethical implications of documenting their work.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● Trainee Pre-Assignment Time: 1 hour
● In Session Time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 hours

When to use this activity

This activity should be used very early in the novice trainee’s research career, preferably as soon as
they start working with a research group to establish good practices. It can be implemented before
or after a trainee selects a mentor.

Inclusion Considerations
Consider learning styles, differences and disabilities when discussing best practices in research
documentation. Ask whether trainees have concerns about traditional best practices to empower
them to talk about any of these barriers or concerns with their mentor or another advisor.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment (1 hour)

Adapted by J. Gleason from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A
Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
● Have trainees complete the “Research Documentation Process” assignment,
which requires them to discuss with their mentor how research is documented in
their group. Trainees should bring their outlines to the session.
● Before the discussion , you may also distribute Guidelines for SCIENTIFIC RECORD
KEEPING in the Intramural Research Program at the NIH, which is available as a
pdf and is a good resource on scientific notebook keeping.

Workshop Session (1 hour)

● Introduction
○ The goal of this activity is to familiarize trainees with the research
documentation process in their research group.
● Discussion (30 minutes)
○ Research activities are diverse, thus the documentation of those
activities can vary, including both written and electronic forms. What is
outlined below may include documentation of activities that none of the
trainees in the cohort are doing. Other trainees may have
documentation needs that are not addressed. However, the
underlying principle of documenting all work done so that it can be
repeated should come through in the discussion.
■ If this activity is used with graduate students in a program
that has rotations, include a discussion about watching for
similarities and differences as they rotate among groups.
Graduate students may also discuss comparisons to groups in
which they worked as undergraduates.
○ Ask each trainee to name one thing that should be included in each
research notebook entry. Generate a comprehensive list for the
subsequent discussion. (5 minutes) This list might include:
■ Date
■ Hypothesis
■ Explanation of goals/rationale for the experiment
■ Detailed procedures identifying experimental and control treatments
■ Reagents
■ Key for labeling and identifying tubes, animals, etc.
■ Data, both successful and unsuccessful results
■ Analyses of data
■ Interpretation and thoughts about what to do next
■ Computer scripts for data mining and data analysis
■ Locations of transects and other field notes
■ References to locations of specimens and electronic data
■ Citations for methods, reagents, analyses, etc.
○ Using the list of items generated above, discuss the commonalities and
differences across trainees’ research groups (20 minutes).
○ Discussion Questions:
■ Why is it important to keep a research notebook?

Adapted by J. Gleason from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A
Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
➢ to be able to repeat the experiment
➢ to be able to write up the results for publication
➢ to document for patents
➢ to defend against accusations of fraud

■ What format is required?

➢ Does the lab use paper copies or electronic copies?

➢ If paper copies, what happens to any photo, video or other
computer output?
➢ If electronic copies, how is the electronic copy maintained? How is
the data backed up?

■ Who owns the data? Where is the notebook to be kept?

➢ All data belongs to the research group and university or company.

■ How will the notebook be used in the future? How does

planning for the future influence how notes are kept?

➢ The notebook needs to be detailed for you or other lab members to

do follow up experiments.
➢ Discuss obligations for sharing data post publication (both the
scientific ethics of sharing and publication requirements).

■ What elements of research need to be documented? This

could lead to a discussion of :

➢ procedures, including descriptions of experiments, observations

and computer scripts
➢ raw data
➢ data analysis, including the procedures used to analyze the data
➢ processed data

■ Are there elements that are used in other research groups that
you may find helpful to your own research?

Adapted by J. Gleason from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A
Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
■ How do your lab’s research documentation protocols reflect the
culture in your research group? How do they reflect the
communication style in your research group?

● Wrap-up (5 minutes)
○ Summarize key points of the discussion with trainees. Encourage
trainees to clarify with their mentor any parts of the documentation
process that are unclear to them.

Meet with your mentor to go over the protocol you must follow when documenting your research.
Aspects of research that need to be documented may include a description of the methods followed,
the raw data results, the analysis used and the results of analyses. Discuss the level of detail
expected in the documentation for your research group and ask you mentor to identify a research
team member who keeps an exemplary notebook, or to show you another excellent example. The
specifics of what and how to document research will vary depending on the nature of the research
(e.g., field or lab based, computational, library).

Write an outline of the protocol that you are to follow when doing research and identify the parts of
the process that are common to your entire research group and which are specific to your project.
In addition, address the following questions:
1. What kinds of notes are kept? Are they hard copy documents or electronic files?
2. Where are the notes kept?
3. What parts of the research are documented? What level of detail is needed in
documenting experiments?
4. How are data to be recorded?

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice, intermediate or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Develop an appreciation for the need to keep detailed notes.
● Recognize the ethical implications of poor note taking.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● In Session Time: 15 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity may be used with undergraduate or graduate trainees at any level of research experience
and at any stage in the mentoring relationship. For novice trainees, this activity is best implemented
with the “Research Documentation Process” activity.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment
● Trainees should bring copies of pages of their laboratory or field notebook to this session.

Workshop Session (15 minutes)

● Introduction (1-2 minutes)
○ State the learning objectives for this session.

● Small group review (5 minutes)

○ Trainees exchange copies of pages from their laboratory or field
notebook in groups of three.

Adapted by J. Gleason from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A
Facilitator's Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
○ If trainees are not allowed to share copies from their notebook, then
distribute copies of notebook pages from a research group that has
approved use of these pages in the workshop. These may be from the
facilitator’s or a colleague’s research group or examples may be found on
the internet, particularly using an image search.
○ To ensure that both good and poor examples of notebook
documentation are available for this activity, the facilitator may want to
bring some specific examples.
○ Trainees should be instructed to try to explain one another’s
experiments based on what is written in the notebook

● Large group discussion: Explaining the experiment

○ Ask trainees to share how easy or difficult it was to explain their peers’
experiments based solely on what was documented in their notebook (5
minutes).
■ Could you repeat this experiment accurately? If not, why is that a problem?
■ Do you understand the purpose of the experiment?
■ What information might improve the notes?
■ Is there potential for inaccurate data recording?
■ If the results or conclusions drawn from the experiment
described were called into question, is there enough information
in the notebook to support them?
○ Generate a list of best practices for note keeping. Record ideas on a
whiteboard or flipchart. (5 minutes) For example:
■ The date on every page
■ Numbered pages
■ A detailed description of the procedures followed
■ Legible writing in pen (permanent)
■ Correcting mistakes in a manner that original entry can be seen
■ An explanation of the purpose or rationale of the procedures used
■ Inclusion of all data, including “failed” experiments
■ Interpretation of successes and failures

● Wrap-Up (2-3 minutes)

○ Trainees should reflect on their laboratory documentation practices:
■ Could their current notebook documentation withstand a
challenge to the results? If not, how do they need to change
their practice?
■ Based on today’s exercise and discussion, trainees should
identify 2 or 3 things they plan to modify in how they
document their research.

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Develop an appreciation for the need to keep detailed notes.
● Recognize the ethical implications of poor note taking.

Pre-Assignment:
Bring a copy of pages from your lab or field notebook describing an experiment to the next
session.

In groups of three, exchange copies of notebook pages, review them and try to explain the
experiments based on what is written in the notebook to the third person.

1. Are you able to follow the flow of experimental work described in the
notebook? Why or why not?

2. What parts of the notebook were useful in explaining the experiments?

3. What pieces of information were missing that made it difficult to explain the experiments?

Research Ethics
Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:
Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop Logical/Critical Thinking Skills
● Develop an Understanding of the Research Environment
Research Ethics
● Develop Responsible and Ethical Research Practices
Researcher Identity
• Develop Identity as a Researcher

Activities:
● Truth and Consequences Article
● Case Study: Selection of Data

Assignments Due:
● Read Couzin, J. (September 2006) “Truth and Consequences,” Science, 313: 1222-1226.
doi:10.1126/science.313.5791.1222

Assessment Tools:
• Post-activity mini-reflection exercise & rubric

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Truth and Consequences Article
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice, intermediate or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Research Ethics
○ Develop Responsible and Ethical Research Practices
● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop an Understanding of the Research Environment
● Researcher Identity
○ Develop Identity as a Researcher

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Explore academic misconduct and the impact it can have on mentors and their trainees.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● Trainee Pre-Assignment Time: 15 minutes
● In Session Time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity can be used with undergraduate and graduate trainees at any career stage, though it
may be most relevant for trainees who have had some experience working in a lab or prior
experience with a research mentor or PI. If facilitators wish to dedicate more time to the discussion
of Ethics, this activity can be combined with the case studies “Selection of Data” or “Credit Where
Credit is Due”; “The Sharing of Research Materials” role playing exercise; or the “Ethics Case
Discussion with Mentor” activity.

Inclusion Considerations
Discuss with trainees how understanding of ethical behavior may be different based on differences
in cultural backgrounds or across generations. Facilitators can ask trainees to consider the “Truth or
Consequences” situation from different cultural or generational perspectives. Emphasize that it can
sometimes be as difficult to determine whether behavior is unethical as it is to decide how to deal
with that behavior in a sensitive and respectful manner. Encourage trainees to seek input from
others, in particular those who can offer different perspectives, when dealing with potentially
unethical situations in the research environment.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment (15 minutes)

● Read article “Truth and Consequences”
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/313/5791/1222.full Couzin, J. (September
2006) “Truth and Consequences,” Science, 313: 1222-1226.
doi:10.1126/science.313.5791.1222

Adapted by A.R. Butz from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A
Facilitator’s Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Workshop Session
● Introduction (2 minutes)
○ The goal of this discussion is to explore a “real life” incident of academic
misconduct and the impact it had on the people involved. Trainees
should read the article cited above prior to considering the discussion
questions below.
● Discussion Questions (15 minutes)
1. What would you do if you suspected your PI or mentor of falsifying data?

■ Talk to your supervisor

■ Talk to graduate students or other senior students in the lab
■ Talk to your PI
■ Approach the department chair or other trusted faculty members
■ Visit your institution’s research office on responsible conduct of research
and research ethics. Make an appointment to have a confidential
conversation with someone in this office.

2. Do you think the students handled the situation correctly? Why or why not?

3. Would the stage of your academic career (e.g., sophomore

undergraduate vs. fourth-year graduate student) impact your
decision about what you would do? How?

■ Impact of the power-differential between mentor and trainee (i.e.,

undergraduate student approaching a PI versus a graduate student or
postdoc)
■ Different nature of the relationships (more advanced trainees often have
more contact with the PI than novice trainees)
■ A more senior graduate student or postdoc may have greater fear of the
consequences on their career.

4. What might motivate someone to falsify data?

■ Pressure to publish, get grant funding

■ To impress a mentor or supervisor in order to get a good performance
review or a letter of recommendation.

5. Does your school have procedures for dealing with academic misconduct?

■ Facilitators may wish to direct trainees to where they can locate policies
and procedures on their institution’s website.

6. Additional questions for discussion:

Adapted by A.R. Butz from Branchaw, J.L., Pfund, C., & Rediske, R. (2010). Entering Research: A
Facilitator’s Manual. New York: WH Freeman & Co. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018).
Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
■ What other ethical issues in addition to falsification of data
can arise in scientific research?
■ What ethical issues could you experience in your own research?
■ Where can you find the code of ethics in your discipline?

Optional Activity: Encourage trainees to visit retractionwatch.com (or pull up the site
during the session) to emphasize the point that falsifying data and retracting
published studies is pretty common.

● Wrap-Up (3 minutes)
○ Trainees often ask what happened to the professor from this article. Dr.
Goodwin pled guilty to falsifying data and was sentenced to two years of
probation, directed to pay a $500 fine and $50,000 restitution to both the
US Dept. of Health and Human Services and the University of
Wisconsin. Dr. Goodwin also agreed to not be involved in any federal
government research for three years. After leaving the University of
Wisconsin, Dr. Goodwin held a job with a research-based
pharmaceutical company. See this press release from the Milwaukee
division of the FBI for more information:
https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/milwaukee/press-
releases/2010/mw090310.ht m)

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Explore academic misconduct and the impact it can have on mentors and their trainees.

Read article “Truth and Consequences” Couzin, J. (September 2006) “Truth and Consequences,”
Science, 313: 1222-1226. doi:10.1126/science.313.5791.1222

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/313/5791/1222.full

The goal of this discussion is to explore a “real life” incident of academic misconduct and
the impact it had on the people involved.

Discussion Questions:
1. What would you do if you suspected your PI or mentor of falsifying data?

2. Do you think that the students handled the situation correctly? Why or why not?

3. Would the stage of your academic career (e.g., sophomore undergraduate vs.
fourth-year graduate student) impact your decision about what you would
do? How?

4. Does your school have procedures for dealing with academic misconduct?

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Research Ethics
○ Develop Responsible and Ethical Research Practices
● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop Logical/Critical Thinking Skills

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Discuss and practice ethical research decision-making.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● In Session Time: 25 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity is suitable for undergraduate and graduate level- novice trainees who have chosen a
research mentor and who have been conducting research for at least one month. It can be combined
with any of the following activities as part of a larger unit on ethics in research:
● Case study: The sharing of research materials
● Case study: Credit where credit is due
● Ethics case discussion with mentor
● Truth and consequences article

Inclusion Considerations
Discuss with trainees how understanding of ethical behavior may be different based on differences
in cultural backgrounds or across generations. Facilitators can ask trainees to consider the case
study from different cultural or generational perspectives. Emphasize that it can sometimes be as
difficult to determine whether behavior is unethical as it is to decide how to deal with that behavior
in a sensitive and respectful manner. Encourage trainees to seek input from others, in particular
those who can offer different perspectives, when dealing with potentially unethical situations in the
research environment.

Implementation Guide

Workshop Session (25 minutes)

● The goal of this activity is to have trainees consider ethical dilemmas that
they may encounter in research and to discuss possible strategies to
address these challenges.
● Distribute the case study and have one trainee read it aloud, or display
the case on a projector screen and have trainees read and consider it
silently (5 minutes).
● Discussion Questions (10 minutes):

■ The data should be included in analyses, but the trainees should also
mention the data anomalies in their discussion of the data and results.
■ The data should be included in analyses with no mention of the
anomalies.
■ The data should not be included in analyses, but the trainees should
mention the data anomalies in their discussion of the data and results.
■ The data should not be included in the analyses and should not be
mentioned in the paper

○ Should the data be included in tests of statistical significance and why/why not?

■ Yes, it is appropriate to include all data points in this test

■ No, anomalous data should be excluded from tests of significance
because these data points are outliers that are not consistent with the
expected ranges for data points.

○ What sources of information could Kathleen and Deborah use to help decide?

■ Previous research/papers
■ Statistical/research methods publications
■ Contact the national laboratory to see if others have reported similar
anomalies in their own data.

● Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
○ Summarize the main ideas generated from the discussion and generate an
“action plan” for Kathleen and Deborah. Would you be comfortable
carrying out all of these action items if Deborah was your direct mentor ?
Why or why not?
○ Invite trainees to ask their mentors how they determine what data to
include and exclude in their own research.

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Discuss and practice ethical research decision-making.

Modified from: “On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in

Research”, 2nd ed., National Academy Press, 1995

Trainees Deborah and Kathleen have made a series of measurements on a new

experimental semiconductor material using an expensive neutron source at a national
laboratory. When they get back to their own lab and examine the data, they get the
following data points. A newly proposed theory predicts results indicated by the curve.

During the measurements at the national laboratory, Deborah and Kathleen observed
that there were power fluctuations they could not control or predict.

Furthermore, they discussed their work with another group doing similar experiments,
and they knew that the group had gotten results confirming the theoretical prediction
and were writing a manuscript describing their results.

In writing up their own results for their research project and hopefully for publication,
Kathleen suggests dropping the two anomalous data points near the abscissa (the solid
squares) from the published graph and from the statistical analysis. She proposes that
the existence of the data points be mentioned in the paper as possibly due to power
fluctuations and being outside the expected standard deviation calculated from the
remaining data points. “These two runs,” she argues to Deborah “were obviously
wrong.”

Discussion Questions:
1. How should the data from the two suspected runs be handled?

2. Should the data be included in tests of statistical significance and why/why not?

3. What sources of information could Kathleen and Deborah use to help decide?

The Power of Social Persuasion

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills
Researcher Confidence and Independence
● Develop Confidence as a Researcher
Professional and Career Development Skills
• Develop Confidence in Pursuing a Research Career

Activities:
● Messages Sent and Received
● The Power of Social Persuasion

Assignments Due: None

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Messages Sent and Received
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice to intermediate trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Researcher Confidence and Independence
o Develop Confidence as a Researcher
● Professional and Career Development Skills
o Develop Confidence in Pursuing a Research Career
● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
o Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Identify the intent behind statements and questions.
● Practice effective ways to communicate with their research mentor.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● In Session Time: 25 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity can be used in combination with “The Power of Social Persuasion” and “Case Study:
Responding to Feedback” activities as part of a session or series of sessions dedicated to feedback
and communication between mentors and trainees.

Inclusion Considerations
Consider that trainees who are members of underrepresented groups in research may already feel
marginalized in the research environment. Given this, how might the statements in this exercise
impact those trainees, compared to trainees from majority groups who feel more comfortable and
welcome in the research environment? The facilitator could invite the trainees to consider how they
might support one another in their research teams in situations like this.

Implementation guide

Workshop Session (25 minutes)

● Trainees select and complete the rows for two or three statements in the table in
the trainee materials (5 minutes)
● Trainees discuss their responses in pairs or trios (5 minutes)
● Large Group Discussion Questions (10 minutes)

Adapted by C. Pfund and A. R. Butz from C. Pfund, Navigating Mentoring Relationships and Handelsman, J.,
Pfund, C., Miller Lauffer, S., and Pribbenow, C.M. 2005. Entering Mentoring: A Seminar to Train a New
Generation of Scientists. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
o How do you determine that you are receiving the message that
your mentor intended to send?
o How might your interpretation differ if you and your mentor’s
communication styles don’t align?
o How do status and power play into how you and your mentor
communicate with one another?
o How do you deal with feedback that makes you feel stressed or less
confident in your abilities as a researcher?
● Wrap-up (5 minutes)
o Emphasize that trainees should give their mentors the benefit of the
doubt when it comes to feedback. However, if communication is a
problem, the trainee should work with their mentor to make sure that
expectations are clear and to identify a method of communication that
works for each of them.

Learning Objectives:
Trainees will:
● Identify the intent behind statements and questions.
● Practice effective ways to communicate with their research mentor.

Instructions: Fill in the blank columns for 2-3 statements below.

Statement or What is the likely How might the How could you respond
Question intention of this statement be to this statement in a
statement heard? constructive manner?

“Be on time to our

group meetings from
now on”

“How much longer do

you think it will take
you to finish that
project?

“You will never get

anywhere in this field
if you don’t dig in and
stick with problems
until you solve them.”

“If you think you are

busy now, wait until
you’re a faculty
member.”

“Clean up your work

area”

“I haven’t seen you

around the lab much.
Are you taking time
off?”

“I’m not sure you

have your priorities
in order.”

“What’s it like to be a
minority in this
program, anyway?”

“It seems you might

be better suited for
an ‘alternative’
career”

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice, intermediate or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Researcher Confidence and Independence
○ Develop Confidence as a Researcher
● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Assess the influence that mentors have on their confidence in their abilities.
● Devise strategies to cope with and respond to feedback that negatively
influences their confidence.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● In Session Time: 50 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity is designed for use with trainees who are in a position to receive feedback from their
mentors on their work and/or writing. It is best used as a follow up to “Fostering Your Own
Research Self-Efficacy” to further explore the concept of self-efficacy. However, it can also be used
as a standalone activity. This activity can also be used in combination with the “Case Study:
Responding to Feedback” and “Messages Sent and Received” activities as part of a session dedicated
to feedback and communication between mentors and trainees.

Inclusion Considerations
Discuss the potential implications or perceptions of cross-cultural/cross gender feedback. Trainees
from underrepresented and stereotyped groups in research may carry some unconscious “threats”
with them that will impact how they perceive critiques of their research. Discuss how the
similarities or differences between the backgrounds of the mentor and the trainee might impact
how criticism is intended and how it is perceived. Share information about stereotype threat and
imposter syndrome (see Entering Research resources) to help trainees learn to overcome and push
past these barriers with confidence in one's ability to complete tasks with success. Encourage
trainees to ask questions of their mentors, including, "What else should I know or be doing to be
successful on this project?"

Implementation Guide

Workshop Session (50 minutes)

● Introduction (5 minutes)
○ Self-efficacy refers to the confidence that individuals have in their ability to perform

A.R. Butz (2015). The Power of Social Persuasion. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
a given task. Individuals evaluate their self-efficacy based on their
past accomplishments and experiences, the successes and failures of
others, their emotional and physiological state, and the messages that
they receive from others.
○ This activity focuses on the messages that trainees receive from their
mentor. Feedback and criticism are an inevitable part the mentoring
relationship, especially when it comes to writing up and presenting
research. In this activity, we will consider the influence that feedback
from mentors may have on your self-efficacy, and devise strategies to
help you maintain confidence in the face of criticism.
● Activity: The Power of Social Persuasion (40 minutes)
○ The goal of this activity is for trainees to assess the influence that mentors
have on their self-efficacy and to devise strategies to cope with and
respond to feedback that can negatively influence self-efficacy.
○ Have trainees read the prompt on the handout quietly to themselves or
out loud in small groups (pairs or triads). (3 minutes).
○ Have the participants discuss the following questions in their small
groups , or have the following discussion with the large group (10
minutes)
■ How do you feel right now? Write down some of the
emotions and/or physical responses you are feeling.
■ How would this feedback influence your confidence in
your ability to continue to prepare this manuscript for
publication?
■ How would it influence your confidence in your ability to
write future successful manuscripts?
■ How might you go about looking to other sources (i.e., individuals,
messages, or experiences) that could increase your self-efficacy
to revise this manuscript?
○ If using small groups, have participants share highlights of their
discussions with the large group (5 minutes).
○ Engage the large group discussion with the following questions (20 minutes)
■ How might this feedback influence your mentoring
relationship? How might it influence your desire to
collaborate with this individual in the future?
■ How might this feedback be perceived differently if you were at
an earlier stage in your career/training (e.g., as a first year
undergraduate or graduate student?) or at a later stage (e.g., as a
full professor or senior scientist?)
■ What are the assumptions that you find yourself making about
the person giving you this feedback?
■ How do you maintain your confidence in the face of criticism?
■ Would you address how this feedback made you feel with
your mentor? Why or why not?

A.R. Butz (2015). The Power of Social Persuasion. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
○Invite trainees to look at the same feedback framed in a different way
(display or hand out the second set of feedback).
● How does your reaction to this feedback differ from the first example?
● What are the assumptions that you find yourself making about the person
giving you this feedback?
■ What is the intent behind each of these feedback examples? Is it the same?
● Wrap-up (5 minutes)
○ Teachers and mentors are in a position to have a profound influence on
how trainees perceive their capabilities, for better or for worse. One way
to deal with critical feedback that may lower your self-efficacy is to
consider the intent of what your mentor told you.
○ Social persuasions are just one source of self-efficacy; at any given time,
one or all four of the sources of self-efficacy may influence your
confidence. Tell trainees that when they receive feedback that lowers their
self-efficacy, they should look to other sources to verify their capabilities
(e.g., I have successfully navigated the ups and downs of preparing a
manuscript before).

A.R. Butz (2015). The Power of Social Persuasion. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
The Power of Social Persuasion
Trainee Materials

Learning Objectives:
Trainees will:
● Assess the influence that mentors have on their confidence in their abilities.
● Devise strategies to cope with and respond to feedback that negatively
influences their confidence.

Self-efficacy refers to the confidence that you have in your ability to perform a given
task. Individuals evaluate their self-efficacy based on their past accomplishments and
experiences, the successes and failures of others, their emotional and physiological state,
and the messages that they receive from others. In this activity, we are going to focus on
the messages that you receive from your mentor. Feedback and criticism are an
inevitable part the mentoring relationship, especially when it comes to writing up and
presenting research. In this activity, we will consider the influence that feedback from
mentors may have on your self-efficacy, and devise strategies to maintain confidence
in the face of criticism.

Directions: You have written the first draft of a manuscript for which your mentor is a co-
author. You spent a lot of time working on the manuscript and are really pleased with the
progress that you have made on this paper. You send the manuscript to him/her for
feedback. Now, imagine that you have received an email from your mentor with this
feedback:
I have included some edits for grammar and clarity in the document. The
manuscript needs substantial work before I see it again. You have cited a lot of
prior research in the introduction and literature review, but it is disorganized and
difficult to follow. The methods and results are okay, but the manuscript will not
be ready to submit to the editor until the discussion is further developed. Once
you have made these changes, let me know and I will take another look. I do not
want to waste any more of my time reviewing this until the manuscript has been
drastically improved.

Questions for Discussion:

● How do you feel right now? Write down some of the emotions and/or physical
responses you are feeling.
● What are the assumptions that you find yourself making about the person
giving you this feedback?
● How would this feedback influence your confidence in your ability to continue
to prepare this manuscript for publication?
● How would it influence your confidence in your ability to write future
successful manuscripts?
● How might you go about looking to other sources (i.e., individuals,
messages, or experiences) that could increase your self-efficacy to
revise this manuscript?

A.R. Butz (2015). The Power of Social Persuasion. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Now, turn the page and consider the same feedback framed in a different way:
This is a good first draft of the manuscript. I have included some edits for
grammar and clarity in the document. I can tell that you have put in a lot of time
and effort into reviewing the literature. The methods and results are clearly
articulated and are explained in a way that should be accessible to a broad
audience, which should please the journal editor when we submit it. The
discussion section needs some work, particularly where you are trying to make
the case for how our study extends what is currently known. I think you could
also spend a little more time in the introduction setting up the study and doing a
little foreshadowing for the reader. I would like to review the manuscript again
once you have addressed these comments, but I have every confidence that you
can get this manuscript to where it needs to be.

● How do you feel after receiving this feedback?

● What are the assumptions that you find yourself making about the person
giving you this feedback?

A.R. Butz (2015). The Power of Social Persuasion. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering
Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Week 11

Coping Efficacy
Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:
Researcher Confidence and Independence
● Develop Confidence as a Researcher
Equity and Inclusion Awareness and Skills
• Advance Equity and Inclusion in the Research Environment

Activities:
• Coping Efficacy

Assignments Due: None

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Coping Efficacy
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate

novice, intermediate, or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Researcher Confidence and Independence
○ Develop Confidence as a Researcher
● Equity and Inclusion Awareness and Skills
○ Advance Equity and Inclusion in the Research Environment

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Be able to distinguish between emotion and problem focused coping strategies.
● Identify when it is appropriate to apply emotion and problem focused coping strategies.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● In Session Time: 55 minutes
Total time: 55 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity can be used with undergraduate or graduate trainees at any level. When implementing,
it is important that facilitators make time to establish trust in the group. Therefore, it may be
beneficial to implement with an already established cohort of trainees or after a course has been
meeting regularly for a few weeks. Ground rules should have been established and be displayed
throughout the session to remind participants of the guidelines that they co-constructed. In
addition, because there are several references to self-efficacy, it may be beneficial to complete the
activity “Fostering Your own Research Self-Efficacy” prior to implementing this activity.

Inclusion Considerations
Using the strategies presented in this activity to cope with stress requires trainees to identify the
source of the stress. This can be difficult in complicated situations or overwhelming if they feel like
their peers are not experiencing the same stresses. For example, generally feeling like one does not
belong in the research environment because they are “different” from everyone else can cause stress.
Encourage trainees to find trusted mentors, colleagues and friends with whom they can talk about
their stressful situation. In particular, those who are outside the research environment who they know
well and respect (e.g. clergy, parents, hometown community members) can be particularly insightful
and supportive when trainees are trying to identify and understand what is causing them stress.

Implementation Guide

Workshop Session (55 minutes)

● Introduction (10 minutes)
○ The goal of this activity is to help trainees identify effective coping
strategies for challenges they may face in their research experiences.

A. Kaatz (2018). Coping Efficacy. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
○ Most trainees experience psychological stress in school, particularly
when learning new, challenging material or adjusting to new
environments. When you feel “stressed” your resources for coping are
surpassed (Bandura, 1997; Lent, Brown & Hackett, 2000). Developing
academic coping self-efficacy – confidence to cope effectively with
academic stress – is one thing that trainees can do to help lower their
stress level as they work to persist and succeed in school (Lent,
Brown & Hackett, 2000).

○ Refer trainees to the first page of the trainee materials, which includes a
flowchart for coping strategies. Walk them through the flowchart using
the notes below as a guide.
■ Recognizing that you are experiencing stress is the first step
toward combating it. Next, it is important to assess whether the
situation you are in is changeable or unchangeable. Identifying
whether the situation you are in is changeable determines what style
of coping will help most.
■ Most challenging situations in academia are changeable. For
example, having a bad advisor is a situation that can be changed,
as is starting out with poor grades in a class. Importantly, these
changeable situations require
problem-focused coping (i.e., engaging in actions that can help to
address problems that cause stress; Chesney et al., 2006), such as
choosing a new advisor from the multiple other advisors available
in the former case, and engaging in activities, such as tutoring or
working with a study group help to improve your performance in
the latter case.
■ Unchangeable situations are less common, but can be impactful.
For example, being expelled from school is an unchangeable
situation. The death of a classmate or professor is another example
of something that you cannot change. For these unchangeable
situations, it is most advantageous to apply emotion-focused coping
(i.e., working to adjust your emotional response to a stressor; Chesney
et al., 2006), such as seeking social support from friends and loved
ones, or engaging in therapy to gain psychological support for a
change or loss.

○ Review the examples of changeable and unchangeable situations and

appropriate problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies
outlined in the handout.
■ Often stressful situations require both types of coping. For
example, if you experience stress from performing poorly in a
class, it would help you to seek out some social support (i.e., to
engage in emotion-focused coping), even though problem-
focused coping, such as learning how to study more effectively,
is the type of coping that would ultimately be able to help you
change your stressful situation.
■ Trainees get into trouble when they, usually
inadvertently, use problem-focused coping to
A. Kaatz (2018). Coping Efficacy. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
address unchangeable situations, or
emotion-focused coping to address changeable situations – this
mismatch of coping styles is called, maladaptive coping.
➢ As an example, consider a trainee who starts to fail a science class
(i.e., changeable situation) and only seeks out social
support (i.e., emotion-focused coping). Leveraging
emotion-focused coping will not help the trainee learn
how to improve their performance, and consequently
they may begin to doubt their ability to succeed in
science. In this case, seeking social support would
likely help the trainee feel valued, but problem-focused
coping, such as talking with the teacher about ways to
improve performance, or being tutored would be most
helpful for addressing the underlying cause of stress.
○ Often, when trainees solely apply emotion-focused coping to changeable
situations, such as seeking out friends to make them feel better about poor
academic performance, they begin to believe that they don’t have the skills
or ability to succeed. This can lead to loss of interest in science and
attrition from science tracks. Thus, being able to recognize if the situation
you are in is changeable is an important and powerful skill that will help
you succeed, even when faced with great challenges.

● Activity: Case Studies (40 minutes)

○ Case studies are provided in the trainee materials. Choose the case
studies based on the amount of time available and the topics that will
be most relevant to your trainees. Allow approximately 10 minutes per
case study. For each case study, ask trainees what they would do if they
were in this situation. Suggested points for discussion are included in
the Facilitator Resource. (20 minutes)

○ Case Study #7
■ Invite trainees to reflect on a time when they were in a challenging
academic situation. Was it a changeable situation? Was it an
unchangeable situation? Was it a little of both? How did they
handle it? Did they use the most beneficial coping strategies? If
not, what would they do differently? (5 minutes)
■ In pairs or triads, have trainees share their experiences and their
coping strategies. Have trainees identify the effective and
ineffective coping strategies in their examples. (5 minutes)
■ As a lar ge group discuss the following: (10 minutes)
➢ What were the effective strategies that you identified?
➢ What were the ineffective strategies that you identified?

● Wrap-Up (5 minutes)
○ Summarize the main ideas generated from the large group discussion.
○ Facilitators may want to follow up with trainees in a future session and
ask them to share how they have implemented problem-focused and
emotion-focused coping strategies in the context of their research
experience.

A. Kaatz (2018). Coping Efficacy. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
Facilitator Resource
Coping Efficacy: Case Study Discussion Guide

● Case Study #1: In math class today, your professor handed back the first midterm exam. In high
school, you had done well in math and you felt that you’d studied hard for this first exam.
To your surprise, you see that you got a C- on the test. You feel embarrassed, and quickly
turn over your exam so your classmates don’t see your low grade. You start thinking that you
might not be cut-out for a career in science. What should you do?
○ This is a changeable situation, and the student should use problem-based coping.
The problem is that this student needs to learn how to study for university exams
and could engage in a variety of activities to grow that skillset. For example, the
student could go talk to their professor about ways to improve performance on
future exams or join a study group.

● Case Study #2: You are close to finishing your biology degree and are waiting to hear from
graduate schools. Last week at your annual physical health exam, your primary care doctor
noticed that you’d described an interesting cluster of symptoms. So, she ran a few tests. She
called you to come back into her office to discuss the results. She informed you that you have a
disease that will increasingly begin to cause extreme fatigue and impair your mobility. There are
drugs that can help, but no cure. You are shocked. You had your life planned-out … you were
going get a PhD in biology and become faculty at a research institution ... you don’t see how you
could still do that if you begin to experience the symptoms your doctor described. What should
you do?
○ This situation, at least the diagnosis, is unchangeable, and the student would
benefit from drawing on emotion-focused coping techniques, such as seeking
support from friends and family. This student will have to come to terms with the
diagnosis – thus, social and psychological support might help the most.
○ Though the diagnosis is unchangeable, there are many things that the student could
change that would enable them to continue on the path to grad school and a
research career. For example, there could be forms of physical therapy that might
help to develop physical strength and endurance. Graduate schools may have
special resources for students with similar conditions or disabilities that would
make it easier to attend class and participate in research.
○ This case shows how often we need both emotion-based and problem-based
coping skills to navigate challenging situations – some type of mental adjustment
is usually needed to move through challenges or roadblocks, even if the
situation is changeable and engaging in problem-based coping would be most
beneficial.

● Case Study #3: You’ve been working extra hours in the lab to get enough data to earn
authorship on the research team’s next paper. However, it is unclear how much data will be
enough and there is no guarantee that your mentor will include you as an author, even if you
contribute a lot of data. Worrying about this has created a lot of stress for you. Everyone says
you need to be an author on a peer reviewed paper to get into the good graduate training
programs. On top of this, you’re starting to notice that spending a lot of time in the lab is making
it difficult to keep up with your course work. Now you’re beginning to worry about your grades

A. Kaatz (2018). Coping Efficacy. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
as well. What should you do?
○ This situation is changeable, so a problem-focused coping strategy would be most
effective. For example you could have a conversation with your mentor to better
understand the expectations for an authorship role and whether you are meeting
those expectations. You can also think about the amount of time you are
dedicating to research and your coursework and determine if their current
commitments are sustainable. If it is not sustainable, it may be useful to have a
conversation with your mentor to better understand the expectations of the
research group and to talk about balancing coursework and research with your
mentor and academic advisor to determine the best course of action.

● Case Study #4: You’ve finished all of your coursework, passed your preliminary exam, and now
must write your thesis proposal. Up to this point, everything you’ve been required to do as a
graduate student has been familiar: taking classes, passing exams, and carrying out
experiments. These are all things that you did as an undergraduate student and you’ve been able
to handle it. Writing a thesis proposal, on the other hand, is brand new territory. You have to be
independent. How will you come up with your own project? You’re completely stressed and it
feels like your brain is frozen. You don’t know where to begin. What should you do?
○ This problem could be addressed using both problem and emotion-focused coping
strategies. For example, talking with your mentor and other students in the
research group about strategies and best practices might be helpful in devising
your own plan. Identifying or creating a support group for graduate students at
similar stages in the thesis writing process would provide emotion-focused coping
in the form of social support from peers as well as a means for collectively
identifying problem-focused coping strategies.

● Case Study #5: Micah, a postdoctoral scholar on your research team, has been a good friend and
mentor to you since you began graduate school four years ago. You and your partner
frequently go camping and hiking with him and his wife, Lila, and you have become part of their
circle of friends. Lately, you’ve noticed that Micah is making a lot of mistakes when doing
experiments. You ask him if everything is okay and learn that he and Lila have been having
trouble and are contemplating divorce. He begins telling you stories about Lila, who you
consider a good friend, and urges you to take his side in their disputes. This has been going on
now for over 6 months and it is creating a stressful environment for you in the lab. What should
you do?
○ Given your close relationship with Micah, it might be best to adapt a problem-
focused strategy by telling Micah how these conversations make you feel and
work together to find a solution that makes you both comfortable.

● Case Study #6: You have been working in the Nikita lab for one semester and are feeling good
about your progress in understanding of the research context and have gained confidence in
your ability to carry out experiments independently. Recently you have noticed that your
mentor seems aloof and does not want to talk to you or answer your questions. You have
overheard her making remarks to another graduate student about how little you know and how
A. Kaatz (2018). Coping Efficacy. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
much time it takes to mentor you. You feel caught because you want to do a good job, but
sometimes you don’t know what you are doing and need to ask questions, but she won’t
answer them. In the coming week you are supposed to analyze your data and you need your
mentor’s help. When you arrive in her office to discuss the data analysis she sees a mistake,
tells you to fix it, and puts on her headphones while you make changes to the data file. The
uncomfortable working environment is stressful and has diminished your confidence to do
research and you are considering leaving the lab. What should you do?
○ In this case, you could employ both problem and emotion-focused coping
strategies. Confiding in a trusted friend or peer about your feelings may help you
process your feelings and help you find support as you consider your options.
Talking with your mentor to identify strategies to help you gain more
independence and better understand the expectations of your mentor could also
help address the inconsistency between you and your mentors’ assessment of
your capabilities.

Additional resources for facilitators on coping self-efficacy:

● Bandura A. Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman; 1997.
● Chesney MA, Neilands TB, Chambers DB, Taylor JM, Folkman S. A validity
and reliability study of the coping self-efficacy scale. British journal of health
psychology. 2006 Sep 1;11(3):421-37.
● Lent RW, Brown SD, Hackett G. Contextual supports and barriers to career
choice: A social cognitive analysis. Journal of counseling psychology. 2000
Jan;47(1):36.

A. Kaatz (2018). Coping Efficacy. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
Coping Efficacy
Trainee Materials

Is the situation stressful?

Yes

Is it changeable?

Yes (examples): No (examples):

 Poor performance in a class.  Death of mentor, professor, classmate, or
 Failing an exam. friend.
 Having problems with an advisor.  Being diagnosed with an untreatable
 Being rejected from a program. disease.
 Being expelled from school.
 Losing your data for an experiment.

Problem-focused coping strategies Emotion-focused coping strategies

 Seeking help from a professor, TA, study  Seeking social support from friends,
group, or tutor. family, and other loved ones.
 Finding a professor who would be a better  Seeking out professional therapy to help
advisor. you process your loss or health transition.
 Reapplying to the program, and realizing  Admitting you made a mistake and seeking
that most candidates face initial rejection. forgiveness.

*Note: most situations require both types of coping. For example, being expelled from school is not
something you can change, so it will require some emotion-focused coping; but you can also seek
out a new school that might be a better fit, which would be a problem-based coping strategy.

A. Kaatz (2018). Coping Efficacy. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
Case Studies

Case Study #1: In math class today, your professor handed back the first midterm exam. In high
school, you had done well in math and you felt that you’d studied hard for this first exam. To your
surprise, you see that you got a C- on the test. You feel embarrassed, and quickly turn over your
exam so your classmates don’t see your low grade. You start thinking that you might not be cut-out
for a career in science. What should you do?

Case Study #2: You are close to finishing your biology degree and are waiting to hear from
graduate schools. Last week at your annual physical health exam, your primary care doctor noticed
that you’d described an interesting cluster of symptoms. So, she ran a few tests. She called you to
come back into her office to discuss the results. She informed you that you have a disease that will
increasingly begin to cause extreme fatigue and impair your mobility. There are drugs that can help,
but no cure. You are shocked. You had your life planned-out … you were going get a PhD in biology
and become faculty at a research institution ... you don’t see how you could still do that if you begin
to experience the symptoms your doctor described. What should you do?

Case Study #3: You’ve been working extra hours in the lab to get enough data to earn authorship
on the research team’s next paper. However, it is unclear how much data will be enough and there is
no guarantee that your mentor will include you as an author, even if you contribute a lot of data.
Worrying about this has created a lot of stress for you. Everyone says you need to be an author on a
peer reviewed paper to get into the good graduate training programs. On top of this, you’re starting
to notice that spending a lot of time in the lab is making it difficult to keep up with your course
work. Now you’re beginning to worry about your grades as well. What should you do?

Case Study #4: You’ve finished all of your coursework, passed your preliminary exam, and now
must write your thesis proposal. Up to this point, everything you’ve been required to do as a
graduate student has been familiar: taking classes, passing exams, and carrying out experiments.
These are all things that you did as an undergraduate student and you’ve been able to handle it.
Writing a thesis proposal, on the other hand, is brand new territory. You have to be independent.
How will you come up with your own project? You’re completely stressed and it feels like your
brain is frozen. You don’t know where to begin. What should you do?

Case Study #5: Micah, a postdoctoral scholar on your research team, has been a good friend and
mentor to you since you began graduate school four years ago. You and your partner frequently go
camping and hiking with him and his wife, Lila, and you have become part of their circle of friends.
Lately, you’ve noticed that Micah is making a lot of mistakes when doing experiments. You ask him
if everything is okay and learn that he and Lila have been having trouble and are contemplating
divorce. He begins telling you stories about Lila, who you consider a good friend, and urges you to
take his side in their disputes. This has been going on now for over 6 months and it is creating a
stressful environment for you in the lab. What should you do?

A. Kaatz (2018). Coping Efficacy. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
Case Study #6: You have been working in the Nikita lab for one semester and are feeling good
about your progress in understanding of the research context and have gained confidence in your
ability to carry out experiments independently. Recently you have noticed that your mentor seems
aloof and does not want to talk to you or answer your questions. You have overheard her making
remarks to another graduate student about how little you know and how much time it takes to
mentor you. You feel caught because you want to do a good job, but sometimes you don’t know
what you are doing and need to ask questions, but she won’t answer them. In the coming week you
are supposed to analyze your data and you need your mentor’s help. When you arrive in her office
to discuss the data analysis she sees a mistake, tells you to fix it, and puts on her headphones while
you make changes to the data file. The uncomfortable working environment is stressful and has
diminished your confidence to do research and you are considering leaving the lab. What should
you do?

Case Study #7: Now it is your turn: Reflect on a time when you were in a challenging academic
situation. Was it a changeable situation? Was it an unchangeable situation? Was it a little of both?
How did you handle it? Did you use the most beneficial coping strategies? If not, what would you do
differently.

A. Kaatz (2018). Coping Efficacy. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
Week 12

Diversity in STEM

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Equity and Inclusion Awareness and Skills
● Develop Skills to Deal with Personal Differences in the Research Environment
● Advance Equity and Inclusion in the Research Environment

Activities:
• Diversity in STEM

Assignments Due:
● Read Dr. Quiñones’ story
● Watch Dr. deGrasse Tyson’s response “What’s up with chicks and science?”

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Diversity in STEM
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice, intermediate, or advanced trainees

Areas of Trainee Development

● Equity and Inclusion Awareness and Skills
○ Advance Equity and Inclusion in the Research Environment
○ Develop Skills to Deal with Personal Differences in the Research Environment

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Be more aware of disparities between majority and historically
underrepresented groups in STEM careers.
● Consider different reasons for disparities in STEM career/degree attainment.
● Articulate strategies to reduce these disparities in STEM career/degree attainment.
● Learn about the prejudice encountered by researchers belonging to
historically underrepresented groups.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● Trainee Pre-Assignment 1 Time: 5 minutes
● In Session 1 Time: 20 minutes
● Trainee Pre-Assignment 2 Time: 15 minutes
● In Session 2 Time: 35 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

When to use this activity

This activity is appropriate for use with undergraduate or graduate trainees at any stage whose
understanding of race and race relations in the U.S. is at the novice stage. If the trainee population in
the workshop is a mix of novice and more advanced trainees in their understanding of race and race
relations in academia, this can be beneficial for the facilitator. Facilitators should encourage
dialogue among students, but be aware of singling out individuals to be the spokesperson for their
particular group or identity.

This activity is used for raising trainees’ awareness that careers and career interest disparities exist
in STEM fields between trainees from well-represented racial/ethnic backgrounds and trainees
from groups historically underrepresented in STEM. This activity will also raise awareness in
trainees that individuals who identify with racial or ethnic groups historically underrepresented in
STEM frequently encounter prejudice, discrimination, and racism in their academic and
professional journey as a STEM trainee and researcher.

When implementing this activity, it is important that facilitators make time to establish trust in the
group. It may be useful for facilitators to work with trainees to establish some ground rules and
display them on the whiteboard or flipchart throughout the session to remind participants of the

S. Keyl (2018). Diversity in STEM. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
guidelines that they co-constructed. Although this activity primarily focuses on racial, ethnic and
gender diversity in STEM, many of the concepts and ideas highlighted here can be applied to other
groups underrepresented in STEM (e.g., LGBTQ, visible and invisible disabilities, socioeconomic
status, etc.).

Reading/viewing material:
Neil deGrasse Tyson responding to the question “What’s up with chicks and science?”
(youtube (beginning - 3:37): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5S7QD9dryI

Dr. Quiñones’ story: http://www.doctorqmd.com/dr-q-s-story---a-doctor-without-borders/

Additional Readings/Resources for Facilitators:

● https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2017/nsf17310/digest/introduction/
● https://phys.org/news/2017-01-women-minorities-persons-disabilities-
science.html Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science
and Engineering
● Ong, M., Wright, C., Espinosa, L., & Orfield, G. (2011). Inside the double bind: A
synthesis of empirical research on undergraduate and graduate women of color in
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Harvard Educational Review,
81(2), 172-209.

Inclusion Considerations
Encourage all trainees to share their experiences with the group, but do not require it. Trainees
from groups historically underrepresented in research should not be asked or expected to speak for
their respective identity group. All shared experiences should be presented as individual
experiences yet considered in light of the historical and social contexts the trainees learn about in
the readings. If trainees from well represented groups expect their peers from underrepresented
groups to be the main contributors to the discussions, redirect questions that they ask to the entire
group for consideration.

Implementation Guide

Trainee Pre-Assignment 1 (5 minutes)

● Reflection Exercise
○ Prior to the session, distribute the handout provided in trainee
materials and tell trainees to write about the ideas/images that come to
mind for each of the words listed. Encourage trainees to focus on the
first image that comes to mind.

Workshop Session 1 (20 minutes)

● Introduction (5 minutes)
○ The goal of this guided reading activity is to:
■ Get trainees to think about their preconceived notions about
historically underrepresented groups in STEM (immigrants,
undocumented peoples, and African Americans)
■ Introduce trainees to empirical evidence that asserts career
disparities exist between dominant male groups and
underrepresented female groups

S. Keyl (2018). Diversity in STEM. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
■ Expose trainees to narratives of STEM researchers’ lived
experiences encountering prejudice and racism.
○ Tell trainees that they will be doing a lot of reflection for the next hour on
topics that they may or may not have a lot of experience with and that they
will be discussing as a class issues related to identity and race.

○ Establish ground rules. If this activity is used as part of a class or

workshop series, then remind trainees of the ground rules they
established at the beginning and add to them if necessary. A few ground
rules that are important to this discussion are:
■ We respect the views of others.
■ No one talks unless they are holding the talking stick/wooden
spoon/stress ball. When someone is done talking, they say done
and toss the talking stick to the next person who wants to share.
■ Respect the confidentiality of what is shared in this room and
do not talk about what is shared with individuals outside of this
group.

● Discussion of Reflection Exercise (15 minutes)

○ The purpose of this activity is to raise trainees’ awareness of their
assumptions about individuals and roles within STEM. Emphasize to
trainees that we all carry around unconscious assumptions, and by
raising our awareness about these assumptions, we can begin to
challenge them.

○ Small Group Discussion (5 minutes)

■ In pairs or small groups, have trainees discuss their reflections

○ Large Group Discussion (10 minutes)

■ What were some of the images and characteristics that came to mind?
■ Was there consensus in your small groups as to what these
individuals looked like?
➢ Note: If physical characteristics do not come up in discussion,
facilitators may want to prompt trainees to consider
the assumptions that they made about gender identity,
racial/ethnic identity, socioeconomic status, age, or
clothing, if such descriptions do not come up in your
discussion. Facilitators may also want to acknowledge
that we make assumptions about characteristics we
cannot necessarily see, such as sexual orientation,
political beliefs, religion, ability status, etc.
■ How were the pictures in your mind informed by what you have
seen/heard in the news, what your friends, family members, or
teachers have told you?

Trainee Pre-Assignment 2 (15 minutes)

● Have trainees review Dr. Quiñones’ story prior to the next
session: http://www.doctorqmd.com/dr-q-s-story---a-
doctor-without-borders/
S. Keyl (2018). Diversity in STEM. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
Workshop Session 2 (35 minutes)
● Video: Neil deGrasse Tyson (5 minutes)
○ Share the video of Neil deGrasse Tyson responding to the question
“What’s up with chicks and science?” (beginning - 3:37):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5S7QD9dryI
● Reflection (5 minutes)
○ Invite trainees to reflect on how the story of Dr. Quinones, Dr. deGrasse
Tyson, and the stories shared by trainees in this class compared to some
of the characteristics that were identified in the reflection exercise in the
previous session.

● Large Group Discussion (20 minutes)

○ How do the stories of Dr. Quinones and Dr. deGrasse Tyson match (or
counter) your assumptions about the individuals that we reflected on in
the first session (e.g., researcher, immigrant, minoritized group, PI,
graduate trainee)?
○ Were you aware of the discrimination that some minoritized groups encounter?
○ Do you have friends or family members who encounter
prejudice and discrimination?
○ Which sections of the readings and videos were the most challenging to understand?
○ How did the experiences of the scientists you read/viewed resonate with
you? Did they reflect your own experience?

Note: Some trainees might have a difficult time with some aspects of this
exercise. They may feel as if the facilitator is blaming dominant groups for the
problems in diverse settings. Normalize this reaction (i.e., “many people in
positions of power and privilege have this reaction at some point”) and
emphasize to trainees that we all play a part in reinforcing (or deconstructing)
social norms and ideas.

● Wrap-up (5 minutes)
○ Conclude the discussion by asking trainees to identify:
■ Questions they still have about the ideas presented in the reading and video
■ How the ideas described in the readings either directly or
indirectly affect, in their opinion, STEM trainees and researchers.

S. Keyl (2018). Diversity in STEM. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
Diversity in STEM
Trainee Materials

Learning Objectives:
Trainees will:
● Be more aware of disparities between majority and historically
underrepresented groups in STEM careers.
● Consider different reasons for disparities in STEM career/degree attainment.
● Articulate strategies to reduce these disparities in STEM career/degree attainment.
● Learn about the prejudice encountered by researchers belonging to
historically underrepresented groups.

Reflection Exercise: Using the space provided below, write about the ideas/images that come to
mind when you hear each of the following words. Write about what you see/hear in the news, and
what your friends, family members and teachers have said:

Researcher:

Minoritized group:

Undergraduate trainee:

Professor:

Principal Investigator/PI:

Graduate trainee:

Immigrant:

Activity adapted from “Advancing Equity and Inclusion” in Pfund, Branchaw, & Handelsman
(2014). Entering Mentoring. New York: WH Freeman & Co.

S. Keyl (2018). Diversity in STEM. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.).
New York: Macmillan.
Week 13

Challenges Facing Diverse Teams

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Equity and Inclusion Awareness and Skills
● Develop Skills to Deal with Personal Differences in the Research Environment
● Advance Equity and Inclusion in the Research Environment
Activities:
• Challenges Facing Diverse Teams
Assignments Due: None
Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Challenges Facing Diverse Teams
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees novice trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Equity and Inclusion Awareness and Skills
○ Develop Skills to Deal with Personal Differences in the Research Environment
○ Advance Equity and Inclusion in the Research Environment

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Learn about three common challenges that individuals working in diverse teams often face.
● Identify practical strategies for recognizing and mitigating these challenges to
create more inclusive research teams.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● In Session Time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour

When to use this activity

This activity is ideal for novice researchers early in their training (e.g., undergraduate
research program or graduate school orientation) and works best coupled with a
discussion of why diversity is important for STEM.

Inclusion Considerations
In discussions, be cautious about asking or expecting individuals from groups
historically underrepresented in research fields to speak for their respective identity
group. Instead, encourage all trainees to share in identifying challenges and barriers to
creating more inclusive teams and diversifying STEM careers.

Implementation Guide

Workshop Session (1 hour)

● Introduction (2 minutes)
○ There is a lot of evidence that diverse teams produce better results.
○ It is the responsibility of every member of a research team, not just the
team leader, to build a welcoming environment for individuals from all
backgrounds. To be successful, trainees must learn to appreciate and
value the ideas, experiences, and perspectives of everyone on the team.
These skills will help them to build and lead successful teams as they
advance in their careers.

● Brainstorm: Challenges Facing Diverse Teams (10 minutes)

○ Diverse research teams can face challenges that make it difficult to
incorporate multiple perspectives. For example: someone who
observes different religious

A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
holidays than everyone else on the team could miss important
meetings or opportunities if they are out of work regularly while
everyone else is in the office. This person could also be viewed as a
burden if others must cover for them while they are out.

■ What are other challenges that diversity might pose in the

research environment? Examples trainees might come up
with could include:

➢ isolation if a research group member is not a native English

language speaker or if a research group member is the only one of
their race/ethnicity in the research group.
➢ awkward research group celebrations if some research group
members like to drink alcohol and others don’t
➢ challenges for research group members who are parents with time
constraints versus others that aren’t parents
➢ research group members who have difficulty making it to the field
station to collect data due to transportation issues (e.g., no or
limited access to reliable transportation)

● Activity: Challenges Facing Diverse Teams (30 minutes)

○ (10 minutes) Small Group Discussions: Distribute the Challenges
Facing Diverse Teams handout included in the trainee materials. Divide
trainees into groups of 3-4. Assign each group a number (1, 2, or 3)
corresponding to a section on the handout. Distribute the corresponding
reading for each topic (see “Trainee Materials” below for brief readings
on Imposter Syndrome, Stereotype Threat, and Implicit Bias). Instruct
groups to assign a scribe to take notes, and a reporter who will speak
for the group at the end. Each group should:
■ review the reading on their topic
■ prepare to briefly define their topic and provide examples how
their topic impacts research groups; and
■ generate strategies for how to address the challenge
presented in their examples.

○ (20 minutes) Large Group Discussion: Groups explain their topic and their example.
■ What is (Imposter Syndrome? Stereotype Threat? Implicit Bias?)
➢ Has anyone ever experienced this or known someone who
may have experienced it?
■ What are the strategies that you came up with to address each challenge?
■ If members of a team don’t feel a sense of true belonging and
equal status, what impact might this have on their
contributions to the research team?
Additional Discussion Question (if time permits):
A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
■ What are other examples of how this challenge might present
itself in the research environment?
Note: During these discussions, it may be helpful to specifically highlight or list biases
and stereotypes that exist in science/academia/research. Examples might include:
● Women are less capable in math/engineering (the Google memo!)
● Minority students were admitted to address affirmative action efforts, but aren’t as qualified
● Students who are parents cannot put in enough time to be successful in research
● Asian students are extremely smart and driven (‘the model minority’)
● Scientists/academics are liberal

● Activity: Practical Strategies for Building Inclusive Teams (15 minutes)

○ Invite trainees to brainstorm some additional practical strategies to
address the three types of challenges, generating a list. Examples are
provided in the boxes below.
Reducing Implicit Bias:

■ Educate yourself and decision makers on bias. Raising awareness can

reduce reliance on stereotypes
■ Exposure to individuals from different backgrounds helps reduce
reliance on stereotypes

Reducing Stereotype Threat

■ Practice, build confidence in ability to succeed

■ Cultivate a growth mindset (e.g., I can improve my skills if I keep
working on them)
■ When receiving feedback, remember that it is being given in order to
help you develop – not because you have a deficiency.
■ If you are in a position to give feedback, focus on the standards for
success and the individual’s ability to reach the goal

Reducing Imposter Syndrome

■ Learn to internalize external validation

■ Talk about your fears – to a friend, partner, therapist, academic advisor,
or someone in your department.
■ Develop a more realistic view of yourself (your abilities and your
habits) and others (No one is perfect!)
■ Write down your successes, keep a record

● Wrap-Up (3 minutes)

A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
○ Summarize the key points raised in the discussion.
○ Encourage trainees to continue to consider the ideas shared during the
discussion and to try a few of the strategies. Invite them to learn
more using the additional readings and resources.

A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Challenges Facing Diverse Teams
Trainee Materials

Learning Objectives:
Trainees will:
● Learn about three common challenges facing individuals working in diverse teams.
● Identify practical strategies for recognizing and mitigating these challenges to create more
inclusive research teams.

Instructions: Use the provided readings on Imposter Syndrome, Stereotype Threat, and Implicit
Bias to write a definition of each of the types of challenges listed below. Work in groups to review
your assigned research environment example, offer another example based on the experience of
group members or those known to group members, and then brainstorm a list of strategies one
could use to mitigate each of the challenges.

1. IMPOSTER SYNDROME

RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT EXAMPLE: Carl is a third-year graduate student in the research group
of a world-renowned chemistry professor. The recipient of a prestigious graduate research
fellowship, Carl has published several articles with his famous mentor, presented at national
conferences, and is already making a name for himself in the field. Yet, Carl still faces his own self-
doubts about whether he is good enough to pursue a career in research.
Sometimes, Carl finds himself wondering if it was a fluke that he was admitted to his graduate
program.

YOUR RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT EXAMPLE:

STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS IMPOSTER SYNDROME:

2. STEREOTYPE THREAT

RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT EXAMPLE: Elena is a first-year student at a large research university

who wants to major in Biology and go on to study medicine. On her first day of classes, she
takes a seat among 300 other students in her introductory Biology class and waits for Professor
Jones to begin her lecture and go over the course. As Elena scans the room, she sees that there are
few other Latinx students in the class. Professor Jones emphasizes to students that this course is
designed to weed out those students who “won’t cut it” in science. The first test is worth 30% of her
final grade, and Professor Jones encouraged all students who don’t

A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
make at least a B to drop the class because if they don’t understand the material by that point in the
course, they will never get it.

YOUR RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT EXAMPLE:

STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS STEREOTYPE THREAT:

3. IMPLICIT BIAS

RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT EXAMPLE: John and Naomi are both recent PhD graduates applying for
laboratory manager positions. Both have impressive research and publication records.
They are invited to interview on campus at a research-intensive university. When John, a man who
identifies as White and is originally from the region, shows up to the front desk, he is greeted
with a smile and asked to take a seat. Naomi, a woman who identifies as Chicana and African
American, enters the office next. Before she can introduce herself, a faculty member passing
through the office makes eye contact and asks with a smile “are you lost?”

YOUR RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT EXAMPLE:

STRATEGIES TO ADDRESS IMPLICIT BIAS:

A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a persistent feeling of self-doubt and non-belonging, despite evidence to the
contrary. The phenomenon was first described in the context of high-achieving women (Clance and
Imes, 1978). Since then, it’s become clear that a person of any gender can experience imposter
syndrome. Individuals who experience imposter feelings often harbor fears that they were
‘accidentally’ chosen for their current position, or that they are advancing only due to luck and soon
will be ‘found out’ and ‘exposed as a fraud’. These feelings are common among high achieving
individuals and have been reported by professionals in many settings including academia,
entertainment, business, and others.

Citation: Rose Clance, Pauline & Ament Imes, Suzanne. (1978). The imposter phenomenon in high achieving
women: Dynamics and therapeutic intervention. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice. 15. 241-247. 10.

Stereotype Threat
Anna Kaatz, PhD

Stereotype threat is the psychological experience of anxiety about performing in a way that
reinforces a negative stereotype about your group (e.g., girls are bad at math). It was first
discovered by Dr. Claude Steele while he was at the University of Michigan. He noticed a troubling
trend where white students would start to outperform Black students by their sophomore year,
despite having similar ability and credentials when they started college. He attempted to recreate
this performance gap in his lab, and after several failed attempts he identified the causal mechanism
(Steele & Aronson, 1995). He gave two groups of similarly qualified white and Black students a
portion of the verbal GRE. Prior to taking the test, he told the first group that it was a test of their
ability; he told the second group that it was a problem-solving task (Steele & Aronson, 1995). Black
students performed significantly worse than white students when they were told the exam was a
test of ability. By comparison, Black and white students performed similarly when told the exam
was a problem-solving task. These results remained even after controlling for students’ prior
standardized test scores.
Hundreds of studies and decades later, we now know that stereotype threat can be
triggered by subtle cues that make membership of a negatively stereotyped-group salient, and that
it undermines performance by causing anxiety. In Dr. Steele’s study, simply saying the exam was a
test of ability made salient the stereotype that Blacks have low academic competence. This lead
Black students to experience test anxiety, which took away some of their working memory, led
them to underperform, and subsequently reinforced a negative stereotype about ability for their
social group.
In academia, there are strong negative stereotypes that women, racial/ethnic minorities, and
first-generation college students lack the intrinsic ability to succeed in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, which makes members of these group highly
vulnerable to stereotype threat. Stereotype threat can be activated by essentially any means that
makes stereotype-group membership salient. This includes emphasizing that a test is indicative of
ability (Steele & Aronson, 1995), stating that performance disparities between certain groups (e.g.,
men vs. women, whites vs. Blacks; Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999), providing demographic
information before a test (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity; Steele & Aronson, 1995), being the only
member of your social group in a classroom (e.g., only woman, only Black student) in a field where
there are stereotypes about ability (Sekaquaptewa, Waldman, & Thompson, 2007), or any other
interaction or experience that makes a negatively stereotyped identity salient (e.g., pictures of prior
faculty that only include white men).
A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
There are many ways to prevent the activation of stereotype threat and to protect students
from underperforming. One of the most effective methods is to build strong self-efficacy beliefs.
Self-efficacy is belief in your ability to perform the tasks necessary to succeed in a given domain,
such as biology, medicine, mathematics, or leadership. Multiple studies have shown that students
with high self-efficacy beliefs are less likely to underperform after their negatively-stereotyped
identity is made salient (e.g., Spencer, Steele, & Quinn, 1999; Sekaquaptewa, Waldman, &
Thompson, 2007; Hoyt & Blascovich, 2007); strong self-efficacy beliefs can also lead to increased
performance for students in negatively stereotyped-groups under stereotype threat conditions – a
state called, reactance (Hoyt & Blascovich, 2007).
Other ways to mitigate the negative impact of stereotype threat on student performance
include, educating students about stereotype threat (Johns, Inzlict & Schmader, 2008); encouraging
students to focus on an alternate, unthreatened identity (e.g., college student vs. woman in math;
Ambaby et al., 2004); providing contextual reasons for test anxiety (e.g., low-grade noise);
reframing a test as not indicative of ability or talent (e.g., saying men and women perform similarly
well on this test; Steele & Aronson, 1995) or emphasizing that they have the ability to perform well
on the test (Cohen, Steele, & Ross, 1999); providing role models (e.g., have the test proctor be a
successful woman in science; Marx, Stable, & Muller, 2005); and encouraging students to have a
growth vs. fixed view of intelligence (e.g., anyone can learn math vs. men are innately better at math
than women; Thoman et al., 2008); having students do a self-affirmation activity prior to taking a
test (Cohen et al., 2006).

References
Ambady, N., Paik, S. K., Steele, J., Owen-Smith, A., & Mitchell, J. P. (2004). Deflecting negative
self-relevant stereotype activation: The effects of individuation. Journal of Experimental
Social Psychology, 40, 401-408.
Cohen, G. L., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., & Master, A. (2006). Reducing the racial achievement gap: A social-
psychological intervention. Science, 313, 1307-1310.
Cohen, G. L., Steele, C. M., & Ross, L. D. (1999). The mentor’s dilemma: Providing critical feedback
across the racial divide. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 1302–1318.
Good, C., Aronson, J., & Harder, J. A. (2008). Problems in the pipeline: Stereotype threat and
women’s achievement in high-level math courses. Journal of Applied Developmental
Psychology, 29, 17-28.
Hoyt, C. L., & Blascovich, J. (2007). Leadership efficacy and women leaders' responses to stereotype
activation. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 10(4), 595-616.
Johns, M., Inzlicht, M., & Schmader, T. (2008). Stereotype threat and executive resource depletion:
Examining the influence of emotion regulation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,
137, 691-705.
Marx, D. M., Stapel, D. A., & Muller, D. (2005). We can do it: The interplay of construal orientation
and social comparison under threat. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88, 432-
446.
Sekaquaptewa, D., Waldman, A., & Thompson, M. (2007). Solo status and self-construal: Being
distinctive influences racial self-construal and performance apprehension in African American
women. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 13, 321-327.
Spencer, S. J., Steele, C. M., & Quinn, D. M. (1999). Stereotype threat and women's math performance.
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 35, 4-28.
Steele, C. M., & Aronson, J. (1995). Stereotype threat and the intellectual test performance of
African-Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 797-811.
Steele, C. M., Spencer, S. J., & Aronson, J. (2002). Contending with images of one's group: the
psychology of stereotype and social identity threat. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in
A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Experimental Social Psychology. San Diego: Academic Press.
Thoman, D. B., White, P. H., Yamawaki, N., & Koishi, H. (2008). Variations of gender-math stereotype
content affect women's vulnerability to stereotype threat. Sex Roles, 58, 702-712.

Bias Literacy: An Introduction

Anna Kaatz, PhD

A diverse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce is needed to drive
research innovation and ensure the US remains competitive in the global economy for science and
technology (NAS, 2007; 2014; Kaatz et al., 2017). Women and racial/ethnic minorities (i.e., Black,
Native American, Hispanic, and Southeast Asian individuals) remain disproportionately
underrepresented as students, professionals, and leaders in STEM, despite multiple calls for equity,
and enforcement of Title VI in 1964 and Title IX in 1972 – federal laws that made it illegal for
educational institutions that accept federal funds to discriminate based on an individual’s
race/ethnicity, or sex, respectively.

Recently, the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) investigated barriers to diversity in STEM
fields, and concluded that women and racial/ethnic minorities are similarly talented, and
committed to careers in STEM; however, bias that arises from stereotypes depicting women and
racial/ethnic minorities as deficient in the skills and traits associated with competence in STEM
operates in personal interactions, evaluation processes, and institutional cultures to subtly, yet
systematically disadvantage them as they work to succeed. Stereotype-based bias is particularly
problematic because people are usually unaware that it can impact their judgment, decision-
making, and behavior. For that reason, it is commonly called implicit or unconscious bias. Studies
show that such bias can impact peoples’ decision-making and behavior regardless of their gender,
race/ethnicity, and extent to which they consciously hold egalitarian beliefs. It can also impact self-
perceptions about ability. Common forms of implicit gender and racial bias are reviewed on the
next page.

Although fully addressing stereotype-based bias requires interventions at multiple levels,

individuals can learn how to recognize and reduce the impact of such bias on their decision-making
and behavior. One of the most effective strategies involves becoming “bias literate” – i.e., learning a
vocabulary about bias; a skill set to recognize, understand, and converse about bias; and
intentionally practicing cognitive and behavioral strategies to mitigate the impact of group
stereotypes on judgment and decision making (Sevo and Chubin, 2008). Bias literacy has been used
to successfully reduce implicit stereotype-based bias in students (Devine et al., 2012) and to reduce
biased behavior and improve department climate for faculty (Carnes et al., 2012, 2015) in academic
science fields.

References
Carnes M, Devine PG, Baier Manwell L, Byars-Winston A, Fine E, Ford CE, Forscher P, Issac
C, Kaatz A, Magua W, et al. The effect of an intervention to break the gender bias habit
for faculty at one institution: a cluster randomized, controlled trial. Acad Med.
2015;90:221–230.
Devine PG, Forscher PS, Austin AJ, Cox WTL. Long-term reduction in implicit race prejudice:
A prejudice habit-breaking intervention. J Exp Soc Psychol. 2012;48:1267–1278.
Carnes M, Devine PG, Isaac C, et al. Promoting institutional change through bias literacy. J
A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Divers High Educ. 2012;5:63–77.
Kaatz A, Carnes M, Gutierrez B, et al. Fair Play: A Study of Scientific Workforce Trainers’
Experience Playing an Educational Video Game about Racial Bias. Kenneth G, ed. CBE
Life Sciences Education. 2017;16(2):ar27. doi:10.1187/cbe.15-06-0140
Sevo R, Chubin DE. Bias Literacy: A Review of Concepts in Research on
Discrimination. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of
Science Center for Advancing Science & Engineering Capacity; 2008.

A. O’Connell, and J. Harrell (2018). Challenges Facing Diverse Teams. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A.
(2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Week 14

Networking

Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:

Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
● Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills
● Develop Science Communication Skills
Researcher Identity
● Develop Identity as a Researcher
Researcher Confidence and Independence
● Develop Independence as a Researcher
Professional and Career Development Skills
• Explore and Pursue a Research Career

Activities:
● Networking 2: What Should Your Network Look Like?
● Introduction to Developing a Curriculum Vitae

Assignments Due: None

Assessment Tools: None

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Networking 2: What Should Your Network Look Like?
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees

novice to intermediate trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Professional and Career Development Skills
○ Explore and Pursue a Research Career
● Research Comprehension and Communication Skills
○ Develop Effective Interpersonal Communication Skills
○ Develop Science Communication Skills
● Researcher Confidence and Independence
○ Develop Independence as a Researcher
● Researcher Identity
○ Develop Identity as a Researcher

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Think strategically about the individuals and types of individuals that they
should have in their professional network.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● In Session Time: 25 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

When to use this activity

For undergraduate trainees, this activity is best implemented once a trainee has been paired with a
research mentor and has a general idea of the career path that might be of most interest to them. In
most cases, this activity may be more appropriate for intermediate undergraduate trainees, but can
also be implemented with novice trainees.

For graduate students, this activity can be used prior to and/or during the time when they are
doing research rotations. This may be institution and program specific, but will likely be just as the
student is entering graduate school.

Given that networking is a career long endeavor, and that it pertains to all fields (even those where
it is uncommon to do research rotations), this activity can be adapted for many career stages and
student populations. It may be particularly useful in proximity to those times in a trainee’s career
when they will have a significant networking opportunity. For example, the activity could be used to
prepare undergraduates for their interviews and visits to graduate school programs. It could also
be used for more advanced graduate students who are preparing to participate in local or national
meetings, or postdoctoral interviews.

This activity can be implemented as a standalone activity or as part of a series of activities focused
on networking. If implemented as part of a series, the following order is recommended:

A Sokac (2018). Networking 2: What Should Your Network Look Like?. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
1. Networking 1: Introduction to networking
2. Networking 2: What should your network look like?
3. Networking 3: Your brand
4. Networking 4: Planning for networking opportunities and engaging in
purposeful interactions

In addition, this suite of networking activities can be used with the My Mentoring and Support
Network activity.

Optional Reading:
● Networking for Nerds: Find, Access and Land Hidden Game-Changing Career
Opportunities Everywhere. Alaina G. Levine. 2015. Wiley Blackwell. Hoboken,
NJ.
○ This book served as a key resource for the development of these
activities. This book is so useful to students that departments or
programs may consider buying a copy for each incoming student.
Alternatively, consider giving this book as a prize for Networking
Challenges, etc. that fit appropriate institutional events.)

Inclusion Considerations
De-mystify networking and empower trainees to be themselves by discussing how networking is
simply talking or having a conversation. This can be especially important for women and others
historically underrepresented in research careers, who may feel intimidated or isolated when
attending research events in their discipline or interacting with others in their department or
future profession. Encourage them to think about how their unique background will contribute to
(not be a barrier to) pursuing their future profession.

Implementation Guide

Workshop Session (25 minutes)

● Introduction (5 minutes)
○ Building your network is a career-long task. It will grow throughout
every career stage and it is never too early or too late to build your
network! While every professional (and casual) conversation can lead
to a professional opportunity, you should also have a thoughtful plan
for what your own network should look like. This plan can take into
account both short-term and/or long-term career goals.

● Small Group Discussion (10 minutes)

○ Give trainees time to consider the following questions at their tables:
■ Who should be in your network if you want a career in
industry? In academia? In publishing? In law? In public
policy? In consulting?
➢ Note: Alternatively, this question can be posed as an activity. Post
career options around the room (either on a whiteboard or
flip chart) and have students write their responses under
each career path.
Discuss with the group the similarities and differences in
networks across career pathways.
A Sokac (2018). Networking 2: What Should Your Network Look Like?. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
■ If you are settled on a career path, when should you start
building your network?
■ What if you are not settled on a career path yet? Is
networking still worthwhile? Why or why not?
■ If you have not established your scientific reputation yet,
will anyone important want to network with you? Why or
why not?

● Wrap Up (10 minutes)

○ Bring everyone together as a large group and discuss responses to the
questions above.

A Sokac (2018). Networking 2: What Should Your Network Look Like?. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Networking 2: What Should Your Network Look Like?
Trainee Materials

Learning Objectives:
● Think strategically about the individuals and types of individuals that they
should have in their professional network.

The goal of this activity is to start thinking about the composition of the network that you need in
order to promote your future success.

Building your network is a career-long task. It will grow throughout every career stage and it is never
too early or too late to build your network! While every professional (and casual) conversation can
lead to a professional opportunity, you should also have a thoughtful plan for what your own network
should look like. This plan can take into account both short-term and/or long-term career goals.

Discuss the following questions at your tables:

● Who should be in your network if you want a career in:

○ Industry?

○ Academia?

○ Publishing?

○ Law?

○ Public policy?

○ Consulting?

● If you are settled on a career path, when should you start building your network?

● What if you are not settled on a career path yet? Is networking still
worthwhile? Why or why not?

● If you have not established your scientific reputation yet, will anyone
important want to network with you? Why or why not?

A Sokac (2018). Networking 2: What Should Your Network Look Like?. Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith
A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Week 15
Developing a Curriculum Vitae
Areas of Trainee Development and Meta Learning Objectives Addressed:
Researcher Identity
● Develop Identity as a Researcher
Professional and Career Development Skills
• Explore and Pursue a Research Career
Activities:
• Developing a Curriculum Vitae

Assignments Due:
• Draft Curriculum Vitae

Assessment Tools:
• Comprehensive Course Evaluation & Entering Research Learning Assessment (ERLA) Surveys
o Trainee self-assessment of learning gains
o Mentor assessment of trainee learning gains

Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith, A. R. (2018). Entering Research, 2nd Edition. New York: Macmillan
Developing A Curriculum Vitae
Facilitator Instructions

Trainee Level: undergraduate or graduate trainees novice trainees

Areas of Trainee Development:

● Researcher Identity
○ Develop Identity as a Researcher
● Professional and Career Development Skills
○ Explore and Pursue a Research Career

Learning Objectives
Trainees will:
● Learn the differences between a resume and curriculum vitae (CV).
● Draft a CV.

Activity Components and Estimated Time for Completion:

● In Session Time 1: 1 hour
● Pre-Assignment for Session 2: 1-2 hours
● In Session Time 2: 1 hour
Total time: 3-4 hours

When to use this activity

This activity may be used at any point in a trainee’s career. However, it is particularly useful for
undergraduate students preparing to apply to summer research internships or graduate training
programs. For graduate students, this activity can be useful at the beginning of their program and
then updated regularly (at least every 6 months).

Inclusion Considerations:
Trainees from diverse backgrounds, in particular those who are the first in their family to go to
college or graduate school, may wonder whether their previous experiences are “good enough” for
an academic CV. To help them articulate the value of their experiences, ask them to identify and
validate other models of leadership and success in their lives outside of research. For example,
responsibility at a job or leadership within their family, religious or other organization. Discuss how
these types of experiences are equally valuable and provide evidence of the kind of problem
solving, work ethic and commitment needed to do research successfully. If available, provide
examples of academic CVs that include non-academic experiences.

Some trainees may come from backgrounds where humility is valued and they have been
acculturated not to speak of their achievements freely. Talk about why it is important to present
one’s work positively and with confidence on their CV and reassure trainees that they can do this
while remaining true to their ideals around humility.

This activity includes two sessions, between which they draft a CV. In the first session, trainees are
introduced to CVs through a large group discussion and an in-class activity. In the second session,
they share their CV drafts, discuss the content and formatting choices they made, and offer one
another feedback for improvement.

BEFORE the first session, facilitators need to gather resumes and CVs from a variety of disciplines to be
used as examples in the discussion. Trainees could be asked to bring a copy of their mentor’s CV and/or
resume.

Workshop Session One (1 hour)

● Large Group Discussion (20 minutes)
○ Distribute examples of a resume and CV. If the trainees represent various
disciplines, then several examples from different disciplines can be
distributed. Distribute the “Comparing Resumes and Curriculum Vitae”
worksheet in the trainee materials. Pair trainees to review the examples of
resumes and CVs and ask them to identify the similarities and differences
between the documents using the worksheet. Use the questions below to
guide the discussion.

○ How does a CV compare to a resume?

■ What differences do you note on your worksheet?
■ What are the components of each and what purposes do you
think each serves?

○ How might a CV change throughout one’s career?

Distribute examples of CVs from people at different stages of their
careers (undergraduate intern, graduate student, post-doc, research
scientist in academy/industry/government position, assistant professor,
full professor, etc.).
■ CVs are expanded over time and information is generally
not deleted. However, as individuals become more advanced
in their career, it may be appropriate to remove some content
to eliminate less relevant items. For example:
➢ By the time trainees reach the mid-point of their graduate training
they will have likely removed small/odd-end jobs
completed in high school or college from their CVs
➢ As trainees progress in their research career, they will give many
presentations. Shortening the presentation list to only
the most recent or those that are most important may be
advised.
■ Some items, such as the summary of a trainee’s formal
education and training experiences and peer-reviewed
publications, should never be removed.
■ Sometimes a shortened (2-page) condensed CV is requested (e.g.,
grant proposal applications). In this situation, one should identify
and retain only the information that is most relevant to the
specific request.
A. Bramson (2018). Developing a Curriculum Vitae. Some content adapted from Purdue Online Writing Lab (n.d.)
Writing the Curriculum Vitae. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/resumes_and_vitas/writing_the_cv.html.
Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
● Brainstorm (15 minutes)
○ What should be on MY CV at this stage in my career?
There are no specific rules for what to include on a CV. It depends on what
trainees want to highlight and how the CV will be used. At the beginning
stages of a career, it is best to include all academic, professional and
educational activities. Later, trainees can customize it to meet career
needs. For example, undergraduate trainees might include the following:
■ Educational Experiences and Academic Achievements:
awards and scholarships, research experiences, research
publications or presentations, relevant coursework.
■ Professional Experiences: jobs, internships, memberships in
professional organizations (i.e. American Astronomical Society).
■ Leadership and Service Experiences: clubs, extracurricular
activities, leadership activities on campus and beyond
campus.
■ Teaching, Mentoring and Outreach Experiences: tutoring,
organizing study groups, undergraduate TA or
preceptorship, organizing public outreach events,
mentoring underclassmen.

○ How should I format my CV?

Be concise, yet descriptive. Strategies to use:
■ Gapping: Use incomplete sentences to present information succinctly.
For example, instead of writing,"I was a guest lecturer and grader for
Geology 101, an undergraduate level course, during the Fall 2015
semester.” write “Geology 101 (Fall 2015): gave guest lectures and graded
exams for this
undergraduate-level course”
■ Parallelism: Use the same structure of phrases (especially verb
tenses) and visual aspects throughout the document. Likewise,
list information in the same chronological order in all sections
(i.e. most recent to oldest, or vice versa).

● Activity: Developing A Curriculum Vitae Worksheet (10 minutes)

○ Distribute and introduce the assignment. Trainees should use the
worksheet to list the academic and professional activities and
experiences that they may want to include on their CV.
○ Point out that as demonstrated by the examples shown in class, CVs do
not have one standard format and do not need to be organized into the
categories listed on that worksheet. They should use examples from their
discipline (e.g. their mentor’s CV) to decide how to organize it.

Alternative Implementations:
● As a 1-hour workshop: Trainees can complete the worksheet, with the
recommendation to create a formatted version on their own after they leave.
The discussion and worksheet should be sufficient, if combined with enough
examples of formatted CVs to provide them with the knowledge they need to
be able to make a formatted version on their own.
● As a half-day workshop: This activity could be done in a computer lab. After

A. Bramson (2018). Developing a Curriculum Vitae. Some content adapted from Purdue Online Writing Lab (n.d.)
Writing the Curriculum Vitae. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/resumes_and_vitas/writing_the_cv.html.
Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
trainees fill out the worksheet, they help each other decide what information
should go on their CVs. Trainees brainstorm together in real time as they
work on the computers to create their first CVs and find the best organization
and formatting to use in their documents.

Pre-Assignment for Session Two (1-2 hours):

● Assign trainees to create a formatted CV based on their completed worksheet and
bring 2 or 3 copies to the next session.

Workshop Session Two (1 hour)

● Check-in (10 minutes): Share CV creating experiences.
○ How difficult was it to draft your CV?
○ How did you decide what to include? Were there items you included
that were not on the worksheet? Were there items from the worksheet
you did not include?
○ How did you format your CV? What influenced this decision?
○ What advice would you give to trainees making a CV for the first time?

● Pair and Review (40 minutes)

○ Trainees exchange their CV with a peer and review using the guiding
questions below. Depending on time, 2 to 4 rounds of pairing and
reviewing should be possible..
■ Is the information clear, concise and formatted consistently?
■ Is the information provided relevant? Is anything missing?
■ Is the format logical and easy to follow?
■ What suggestions do you have to improve the CV? Offer
at least two suggestions for each CV reviewed.

● Reflection and Next Steps (10 minutes)

○ (5 minutes) Trainees reflect on what they have learned from the feedback
they received and from reviewing their peers’ CVs and write down at
least three ways in which they plan to modify their CV.
○ (5 minutes) The facilitator asks for volunteers to share what they
learned and their plans for modification.

Alternative Implementations (Advanced Trainees)

● This activity can be implemented with advanced trainees who have already
developed a CV by only implementing the Pair and Review component of
Session Two. If trainees are actively seeking jobs or advanced training, it may be
useful for them to bring in a copy of a job advertisement for their partner to
review in conjunction with their CV.

This rubric can be used to assess the content of curriculum vitae.

Name of trainee:
Absent Developing Mature Comments
Heading
Name at the top of the page
Current contact information: address, telephone
number, and email address
Education
Education (institution, years attended and [expected]
graduation date, major, GPA and/or class rank)
Start and end dates for each institution
Provided information about degree classification
Brief details of your main project/ dissertation?
List of Relevant Courses (courses applicable to your
career interests or a position you are applying for)
Started with your most recent course first and then
worked backwards
Professional & Work Experience
Listed from most to least recent experience
Provided start and end dates
Provided company/organization name
Job title is included
Provided brief descriptions of main duties and
responsibilities
Skills (computer, research, instrumentation, languages
spoken)
Work, Professional and/or Research Experiences
(boss/advisor/mentor, years worked there)
Teaching Experiences
Mentoring Experiences
Outreach Experiences
Presentations and Publications (list authors; title of
talk or paper; locations, dates [conference name and
city] and format [poster or oral] of presentations)
Honors, Hobbies & Interests
Concentrated on relevant interest rather than listing
Provided short bullet point explanations
i d ddi i l kill l i h b l ki

A. Bramson (2018). Developing a Curriculum Vitae. Some content adapted from Purdue Online Writing Lab (n.d.)
Writing the Curriculum Vitae. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/job_search_writing/resumes_and_vitas/writing_the_cv.html.
Branchaw, J. L., Butz, A. R., & Smith A. (2018). Entering Research (2nd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Leadership Activities (involvement timeline and short
description of your role)
Honors, Awards, Scholarships and Fellowships (name of
award and date awarded)
Additional Information
Additional information relevant to job/career/position
References
Either listed or noted as available upon request
Layout
Attractive and draws attention to the important
information
Sans Serif Font
Clean appropriate line spacing and margins
Font size 11 or 12
Free of long paragraphs of text
Free of typographical errors

Notes and constructive feedback for improvement:

Learning Objectives:
Trainees will:
● Learn the differences between a resume and curriculum vitae (CV).
● Draft a CV.

Comparing Resumes and Curriculum Vitae

Resume Curriculum Vitae

Describe the
length and overall
format of each
document.

List the types of

information that
is included in each
document.

For what purposes

would each type of
document be
used?

What other
similarities or
differences do you
notice?

Create a draft of your curriculum vitae (CV) by filling in the information below and reformatting it
into a concise document. It is not necessary to use all of the information nor to keep the categories the
same. Use an example CV from your discipline to guide your decisions about what content and format
to use.

Use these strategies to format your CV:

1. Gapping: Use incomplete sentences to present information succinctly. For example,
instead of writing, “I was a guest lecturer and grader for Geology 101, an
undergraduate level course, during the Fall 2015 semester.” write “Geology 101 (Fall
2015): gave guest lectures and graded exams for this undergraduate-level course”
2. Parallelism: Use the same structure of phrases (especially verb tenses) and
visual aspects throughout the document. Likewise, list information in the same
chronological order in all sections (i.e. most recent to oldest, or vice versa).

Use these questions to identify the information to include on your CV:

1. Name:

2. Contact Information (address, email address, phone number):

3. Education (school, years attended and [expected] graduation date, major, GPA
and/or class rank:

4. List of Relevant Courses (courses applicable to your career interests or a

position you are applying for)

5. Honors, Awards, Scholarships and Fellowships (name of award and date awarded):

6. Skills (computer, research, instrumentation, languages spoken)

8. Presentations and Publications (list authors; title of talk or paper;

locations, dates [conference name and city] and format [poster or oral]
of presentations)

9. Leadership Activities (involvement timeline and a short description of your role)

10. Teaching/Mentoring/Outreach Experiences

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