First Year Research Experience (FYRE) Support Guide for Research Coaches

Students share and communicate research findings via authentic academic dissemination with colleagues and peers which builds critical communication skills. Research does not exist unless it is shared.

Research Posters:

• How to Create A Research Poster (workshop recording from Undergraduate Research Initiative, August 2021)
• Creating Poster Presentations (website from Trent Univ) - some of the elements follow the traditional format which may or may not lend itself to all disciplines / subject areas.
• Mike Morrison started a bit of poster revolution by questioning the effectiveness of the standard, old-school poster format; #betterposter was born and went viral. 
  • This was started with #betterposter generation 1. The video is too long to show in a class, although the 'good stuff' starts at approx. the 11:32 mark.
  • How to create a better research poster in less time (#betterposter Generation 2) uses an evidence-based approach to research design (again, a long video)

Infographics:

• How to Make an Infographics [video from Canva)
• Creating Infographics (Seneca Polytechnic)

Presentations:

• Creating Effective Presentations (Seneca Polytechnic)
• Preparing and Delivering Oral Presentations (Trent Univ)
• Creating Effective Powerpoint Slides(Trent Univ)

USask Templates:

• USask Marketing and Communications templates (via PAWS)

Undergraduate Project Symposium:
In your role as a Research Coach, you can also encourage your students to submit their FYRE projects to the Undergraduate Project Symposium (UPS).  The UPS is an annual event highlighting the research, scholarly and artistic works of undergraduate students at the University of Saskatchewan.

Publishing in USURJ:
Do you have a student(s) that produced a great research piece?  If so, please encourage them to publish their work in the University of Saskatchewan Undergraduate Research Journal (USURJ).  Submissions can include articles, reviews, artwork, and research snapshots

USURJ is an open access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal featuring original artwork and scholarly articles by University of Saskatchewan undergraduate students.  All submissions are reviewed by established experts in a relevant field. The journal is supported by the Office of the VP, Research and the University Library, including the Writing Centre. It is indexed in the DOAJ.

• Original student work
  • All disciplines and professional colleges
  • Single or multi-authored 
  • Co-authored (professors)
• Artwork and photographs
• Multimedia 
• Research papers
• Review papers
• Research Snapshots: provide a concise overview of students’ ongoing work, its significance, and any preliminary results, but they can also take the form of a mini-analysis

Writing Help Centre:
Students can visit the Writing Help Centre to receive feedback at any stage of their research projects.  The Writing Centre is located on the first floor of the Murray Library.  Students can also submit their work online and receive feedback within 24 - 48 hours.

The Writing Centre is staffed by a multidisciplinary tutoring team. Research Coaches are welcome to contact Liv Marken, Writing Help Coordinator, who can then train writing tutors to help with your specific assignment.  Research Coaches are also encouraged to make arrangements for an in-class presentation or visit.

Writing Centre tutors can help students with:

• clarifying goals 
• improving organization and writing style 
• learning how to outline, draft, and revise
• practicing the conventions of writing in a discipline
• noticing patterns of error in writing, which will help focus editing and proofreading
• understanding the rules of grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation.

Tutors cannot edit or proofread (i.e., correct the grammar and punctuation). They will teach about writing using the student's work as an example of writing areas of strength and weakness.

Citing Sources:
Proper citation of sources can be challenging for many first-year students especially if they are not familiar with the practice of citing. Also, many FYRE students are taking courses from different disciplines, each with their own citation styles.   It is recommended that the desired citation style for the FYRE course be clearly stated on the course syllabus. It also may be helpful to have a discussion with the FYRE students on why we cite in university (and not focus solely on how to cite or the implications of not citing sources).  

There are many resources Research Coaches can provide to students that provide instruction on the basics of the major citation styles, including this video on citations from the Political Studies department. Students are also encouraged to attend a workshop on this topic. 

Chapters 7 and 8 from Choosing and Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research, Ohio State University). Tip: Use the arrows in the bottom left and right corners to navigate within this e-book.

• Chapter 7: Ethical Use and Citing Sources
• Chapter 8: Citation and Citation Styles

Students are encouraged to review the tools and resources in the "Creating Content" section of the Learning with Technology Toolkit.   

The University Library offers various workshops throughout the term on topics such as sharing your academic work and citing sources in various styles. Please encourage your FYRE students to attend these workshops!