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Division of Academic and Student Affairs 
Office of Undergraduate Research

Explore Different Forms of Research

Research occurs in all fields (including the Arts, Business/Management, Humanities, and Social Sciences), but can look very different from one pursuit to the next. Look through the different forms of research below to see a variety of examples. We also recommend considering how your interests overlap with other fields—students can do research outside their major or college.

Students work in a laser lab on Centennial campus. Photo by Marc Hall

Your Imagination is the Limit

Laboratory Research

E.g. Analyze human or animal behavior in a controlled environment; develop new, environmentally friendly dyes for fabrics; study the genetic differences/similarities of different organisms; test different materials’ strengths; measure sound production/quality of new instrument or speaker designs

Library/Museum Research

E.g. Compare and contrast different cultures; uncover how certain artifacts were made; study how a process/procedure, culture, or language developed; improve methods of protecting artwork and artifacts from degradation; draft communication strategies to engage users

Computational Research

E.g. Explore impacts of social media on language use; build a model predicting market trends, ecosystem dynamics, or weather patterns; develop new programming to optimize search functions; create and test new learning modules using AI; map data to geological areas; processes large sets of genomic data

Field & Water Research

E.g. Explore how to grow more crops with less land and resources; investigate human-ecosystem interactions; document natural phenomena in different environments; measure air and water quality over time; study animal behavior in native environments; develop interventions to stop the spread of invasive species

Interview/Survey Research

E.g. Capture the experiences of a population during a given event; conduct focus group discussions for market research on a product or for education research on a new teaching technique; conduct interviews of clinical trial patients to evaluate treatment paths; collect and analyze user experiences with software or products

Machine Shops & Art Studios

E.g. Create a performance or art piece to convey a message; design a new space for people to engage with; craft a product for an entrepreneurship idea; create a more fuel-efficient engine or a device to capture wave energy to then test later for function and efficacy

Diagnostics & New Technology

E.g. Create a more effective process to detect drugs or explosives; optimize the growth of cells needed for 3D organ printing; design a new method of storing solar energy; devise an improved system for recycling of mixed waste materials; design a faster processor

Reading/Writing & Interrupting

E.g. Investigative journalism; craft a literature review on a topic; compare/contrast past studies; document the development of an idea or technique adding your own critiques and recommendations; conduct a meta-analysis of data from multiple studies

Want more examples?

Browse through our abstract books—collections of short summaries describing recent/current undergraduate research projects. With these, you can brainstorm what kind of research project you might like to do.

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