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Subject line: Be as specific as possible. You might include your name, student status, and ‘research opportunities’. You might use the subject to ask about a specific time frame. Such as “Are you available the week of 10/1 to discuss undergraduate research opportunities?”
Salutation: Your email should be professional and use either “Dear Dr. Xxx” or “Dear Professor Xxx”.
Body: The first email should be brief, about 7-12 sentences. The structure should consist of three main parts: 1) Who you are and your goals, 2) State your interest in the professor’s research and how research in this field (or research in general) relates to your goals, 3) Ask to schedule a meeting.
Closing: Be sure to thank professors for their time and use “Sincerely” for the closing
When creating a poster, be sure to read the guidelines for your conference to make sure your poster is the correct size. We have created a page with more detailed information. Click here to navigate to that page. Some quick tips are below.
Quick Tips:
- Use large point serif fonts, so that it can be read easily from at least 3 feet.
- Minimize text in favor of using images you can explain orally to your audience.
- Title should not exceed two lines. Author(s) should be below the title, and your department and institution should be below the author line.
- Clearly state your research question/hypothesis, problem statement or concept as well as your conclusions.
- Use bold, bright, primary colors and try to use a consistent color theme.
- Provide enough background information so that the readers understand the question or concept being addressed.
- Arrange the information on your poster so that it “flows” clearly label figures, tables, and graphs.
- Aim for 500-800 words. Anything over 1000 is too wordy.
- Proofread, proofread, proofread! Once posters are printed, there is no changing them.
- Prepare your poster early, it will take longer than you think!
Online Resources:
“Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentations”
“Designing Conference Posters”
Poster Templates:
Under Construction
In the meantime, these online resources can help!
Need help finding a research topic or help locating certain information? The Auraria Library can offer many services to students including workshops, advising, and help creating your presentation Please visit their website to learn more.
Sometime research opportunities arise through informal conversations with your professors. Here are some sample questions you might ask your professor when visiting them during their office hours.
Sample Questions:
- What research projects are you working on or planning for?
- What made you interested in your research topic?
- Are there classes I need to take or other prerequisites for working with you on research?
- Are there other students who work with you that I should meet with?
- Are there readings that you recommend I complete before I get started?
- How many hours a week would I need to commit? Would research hours be at a particular time or place?
- Do you have regular research meetings with students? When are they?
- What work do you require research students to turn in to you and how often?
- What are you looking for in a research student?
- Do undergraduate students generally initiate the topics of their research or do they usually work on a project of your choice?
Does your research involve human subjects? If so, before collecting data, you must follow the appropriate procedures for human subject research as outlined by the MSU Denver Human Subjects Protection Program (HSPP). The MSU Denver Institutional Review Board (IRB) is the final authority on this issue. If you think you may be doing research with humans, please refer to the HSPP website to learn more.
An abstract is a brief (200-400 word) summary of your project, which includes purpose, context, methods, brief conclusion. The goal of an abstract is to entice the reader to come to your presentation/performance or poster and learn more about your work.
How to write an abstract:
- Briefly describe what is already known
- Describe the motivation behind your project and how it contributes to what is already known
- Describe how you approached your project
- Describe the outcome of your project
- Write a one or two sentence conclusion on the implications of your work
MSU Denver Writing Center can help students at any point in their writing and thinking process, from finding a topic and formulating a research question to composing an abstract and writing a presentation. Please visit their website to learn more about the Writing Center or to schedule an appointment.
The Writing Center offers students resources for developing as writers and thinkers, sharing their work and ideas, and receiving thoughtful feedback on work in progress in a practical, friendly, collaborative environment.
Here are some of the types of writing they can help you with:
- Research papers
- Grant proposals
- Abstracts
- Senior capstone projects and portfolios
- Honors theses
- Scholarship essays
- Graduate school application essays
- Resume and cover letters
If you would like to schedule an appointment with the Writing Center, please see the following link to make an appointment.