This page is intended to support undergraduate students seeking to conduct research abroad. The tips and anecdotes below are a reflection of my own experience conducting research in Belize (May and June 2019) in connection to my undergraduate thesis.
1. Locating a Mentor/Advisor and Developing the Idea of the Project
2. Background Reading, Writing and Editing
3. The IRB Process (for research involving human subjects, including interviews
4. Applying for Research Funding
5. Pre-Trip Preparations
5.1. Project-Related
5.2 Personal
1. Locating a Mentor/Advisor and Developing the Idea of the Project
Takeaway: Begin as early as possible and go in with an open mind.
I believe the most important aspect of beginning to write a thesis is to think of it as a process – to be open to changes and to recognize that although it is your thesis, it takes many other people to make it happen. Selecting an advisor who you feel comfortable working closely with and one that has the capacity and capability to serve as a mentor is key to ensuring the thesis process goes well. Deciding to write a thesis early on in your college experience allows you the time to put the necessary work into finding the right advisor and developing the right topic for you.
I decided that I wanted to write an undergraduate thesis during the summer between my sophomore and junior years. Although I did not know what I wanted to write about, I sent emails to a handful of professors and asked them if they were willing to talk with me about undergraduate research. After a brief back and forth, I scheduled a meeting with the professor who is now my thesis advisor for the first week of the fall term.
Our initial meeting consisted of me describing what I was interested in and him turning those interests into proposals for potential projects. In the weeks following we met a few more times – he would assign me brief readings and I would try to come up with a research question that I wanted to base the project around using what I was learning from these readings. It was very open ended and I felt a sense of autonomy. It took four meetings before we had settled on a topic that we both felt sufficiently comfortable with and developed a plan for how to set up my thesis successfully. By the end of September, we had settled on my topic.
2. Background Reading, Writing and Editing
Takeaway: Don’t try to become an expert overnight.
After we decided on my topic, my advisor began recommending reading materials to support familiarity with the topic. The reading list consisted of three initial books and a few academic articles. The purpose of this reading is to know where and how to situate your research contribution within the literature that already exists, and also to learn where other scholars have tread so that you don’t repeat them.
At this point, there is a possibility for feelings of being overwhelmed. More literature exists about any given topic than you likely have time to read and not all of it will be relevant or useful. It is important to step back and consider what is important to have read while taking into account your time constraints. In addition to reading, your writing and analysis will not be expected 
to achieve the level of mastery that many scholars have. Again, it is important to step back and remember that this is an undergraduate project, not a PhD dissertation. It is expected that you develop a critical understanding of the major themes of your field and apply a rigorous eye in developing a contribution to it, not be able to conduct a two-hour oral defense of all potentially relevant literature. This is a point I struggled a bit with. I knew it was true at an abstract level, but I didn’t realize how much of a relief it would be to hear it from another person. So, I will repeat it again here: Undergraduate research is not held to the same standard as PhD research. Rather than use this fact as an excuse to slack off, I was able to use it to allow me the room to function instead of devotedly reading and comparing everything under the sun.
Takeaway: If stuck, just get ideas (any ideas!) on paper and get feedback on them. You will go through many drafts and nobody expects you to be spot on the first few times.
After settling on your topic, you will need to write a research proposal to explore your topic. This proposal will be used (with modifications each time) to apply for research funding, apply to graduate “with Research Distinction” through the University, and to apply for research-based scholarships. It is the manifestation of [1] why the thing you are proposing to research is important, [2] how this research would fit within existing literatures, [3] what methods you are going to use to actually obtain your findings, and (in the case of the funding sources) [4] what you will spend the funds on.
The process of writing the research proposal is intensive and takes many drafts. I completed five drafts between early October and mid-January. My final proposal was six pages in length, single-spaced, and included an introd
uction (the relevance), a background section (literature review utilizing books and articles that were read before), a methodology section (the how’s), and an expected outcomes section, along with references, a budget, and a timeline. With classes and life apart from the research still going on, this can seem like a lot. The key is to always continue to write something, even when you don’t feel it’s wholly correct, and ask for feedback from your project advisor. Many aspects of my final proposal look nothing like earlier versions and I would have never been able to reach that point if I hadn’t made the initial drafts. Work within whatever timeline works best for you but hold yourself accountable. The proposal will get done as long as you keep working at it.
3. The IRB Process (for research involving human subjects, including interviews)
Takeaway: Determine whether your project will require IRB approval as early as possible and use the application process to hone your research plans.
The Ohio State University Institutional Review Board (IRB), known as Buck-IRB, may need to be consulted in order to carry out your research project. The purpose of an IRB is to review and approve research that involves human or animal subjects to ensure they are being conducted within the proper research guidelines. If your research does not involve human or animal subjects in any manor, you do not need to consult Buck-IRB.
My proposal centered around my traveling to Belize to conduct interviews with living people in addition to archival research, so I needed to gain approval from the IRB. A lot of detail is required to complete IRB applications, and much of it wouldn’t be on the forefront of your mind when you are completing your proposal. My research required conducting interviews with Belizean economic stakeholders. To support my IRB application I submitted drafts of all proposed communication (including emails, phone call scripts, etc.), written consent forms, oral consent scripts, explanations for how I planned to collect data, store that data, maintain the confidentiality of that data, and so on. It does take a significant amount of time to complete. In addition, after submitting your IRB application it is likely that it will be sent back to you with suggestions for further revisions. These take more time. My IRB application was revised two additional times after the initial submission.
I began the process of completing my IRB application in mid-January for research that would take place in early May. This was too late and I felt rushed; I recommend starting the IRB process six months ahead of the start of your research, or as soon as you have the project proposal concept down. I received final approval in mid-April.
One particular upside of completing the IRB process, aside from familiarizing yourself with the appropriate standards, is that you are given the opportunity to put yourself in the real-world situation of doing the research and you can ask yourself the questions concerning details. It is incredibly useful to think about those questions ahead of time rather than grappling with them for the first time on-site. It will allow you to imagine a more nuanced experience of what will happen and to ask the questions, pack the supplies, and make the connections that you foresee yourself needing.
4. Applying for Research Funding
Takeaway: Apply to a broad range of funding sources.
I knew that I was going to have to secure funding to complete my project. I needed to pay for airfare to and from Belize, research equipment, and five weeks-worth of food and housing. My process began in late October – I methodically combed through all of the relevant funding sources and compiled them into a spreadsheet document. I noted the grant name, organization, amount of funding, due date, what the grant said they were looking for in successful applicants and what materials were needed in the application. From the list of funding sources, I found nine different sources ranging from $500-$8000 that I thought fit the scope of my project. The spreadsheet helped me keep all of the information straight and in one place.
Fortunately, I was able to secure the funding that my project required – I was given a financial award from the 
Karen A. Holbrook Fund and the amount was more than enough to fund what I needed; I had no need to stack funding from multiple sources. The award is named after past Ohio State University president Karen A. Holbrook and is made available specifically for undergraduate students seeking funding for research abroad. The award is incredibly generous and made the research process significantly easier – those supporting the award even took the time to book and pay for my flights, my hotels, bought my materials and gave me a large stipend for food in Belize. A link to both the Karen A. Holbrook grant and the OUR&CI’s central page for research funding (that I found immensely helpful) are included below.
For my funding application to the Karen A. Holbrook Fund I submitted: [1] a personal statement, [2] a lengthy project description (using large chunks of the research proposal I had written), [3] expected outcomes from the project, [4] a description of in-country support, [5] a budget, [6] a timeline, [7] the status of my IRB application and [8] my advising report. I also included [9] a “description of pending research” because I was concurrently applying for the OSU Undergraduate Research Library Fellowship and wanted to make them aware of this (also see link below). In addition to these components, my advisor wrote a letter of recommendation and I was interviewed by the OUR&CI research funding committee.
I concurrently applied to the Undergraduate Research Library Fellowship (URLF) as a way to both supplement my understanding of the research process and a way to learn more about knowledge equity and distribution. The URLF application was due on the same day as the Karen A. Holbrook Fund Award in mid-February. Admittedly, I began this application process quite late. Fortunately Craig Gibson, who runs the the ULRF program, was willing to guide me and pair me with Pamela Espinosa de los Monteros, the Latin American Studies Librarian. Pamela engaged intensively and on short notice with me to prepare my ULRF application. She went above and beyond and we collaborated to create a stellar proposal. After I was accepted, she provided invaluable guidance and expertise serving as my primary advisor during my time as an Undergraduate Library Research Fellow.
The vast majority of grants are due between mid-February and mid-March so that the funding can be available for the summer term. The Karen A. Holbrook Fund Award was due in mid-February. After completing my research proposal in mid-January, I had roughly one month to focus on my funding applications. While this was sufficient, if you can find a way to begin earlier, I would recommend doing so.
OSU Office of Undergraduate Research & Creative Inquiry (OUR&CI) research funding page
OSU Undergraduate Research Library Fellowship (URLF)
Takeaway: Know what the different funding sources are seeking and clearly demonstrate in your application why your project fits their mission.
Funding sources place differing values on what makes a successful applicant. In order to maximize your success, I recommend becoming familiar with what each source has stated it is looking for and working to align your project with their mission. I adjusted my project description, expected outcomes, budget and timeline to fit the specifics of each grant. My personal statement, the description of in-country support and my advising report stayed relatively static across applications. Rather than be disingenuous on your application and say things you don’t actually mean, recall the sentiment from the beginning of the research process that it takes many people to make your research happen. The monetary means by which you carry out the project is a prominent way in which others contribute to your project and you owe it to whoever decided to fund you to do your best to generate something that satisfies everyone. This may result in slight alterations to your project but at the end of the day it may be what is what is necessary. Research is fundamentally a team sport.
5. Pre-Trip Preparations
After securing funding, the last step of the process before you go is to prepare for the trip. This is more intensive than it may seem and you should consider all of the following points before leaving Ohio State:
5.1 – Project-Related
Work flow scaffolding – With my Library Fellowship advisor, I worked to scaffold a structure to my work flow. This is an item that appears trivial at first but will ease the process later on. Work flow scaffolding is essentially the structure that will govern your time and work when you are on-site. A work-flow plan will allow you to map out what a “regular” day will look like, how will you keep yourself organized, how will you make time for yourself, etc. Constructing it does not mean that it can never be broken (it can certainly be broken!) but it is helpful to bring a structure with you to an otherwise very unstructured endeavor.
As an example, here was my work-flow scaffolding for days that I would spend in the National Archives:
Plan A
6am – 7:15am – Exercise and Breakfast
7:15am – 8am – Answer Emails and Prepare for Day
8am – 1130am – Archives
12pm – 4pm – Archives
4pm – 5pm – Cataloguing Documents and Putting Everything in Order
5pm – 7pm – Dinner Break
7pm – 8pm – End of Day Reflection
8pm – Personal Time
Plan B
8am – 9am – Exercise and Breakfast
9am – 11am – Personal Time
11am – 1pm – Archives
130 – 6pm – Archives
6pm – 7pm – Cataloguing Documents and Putting Everything in Order 7pm – 9pm – Dinner Break
9pm – 10pm – End of Day Reflection
10pm – Personal Time
I gave myself two potential day structures so that I had some flexibility. I went in with the goal of sticking to this structure 70% of my Archive days. I ended up doing around half of my days there in one of these two ways.
Obtaining research materials – Make time to identify and gather the research materials you will need for your project. For my project I needed to get an audio recorder for interviews, a bibliographical software called EndNote and printed copies of all of my important documents (consent forms, IRB approval, project description, etc.). Bear in mind that printing may not be readily accessible onsite. (Regarding bibliographical software: I use EndNote and the Ohio State TechHub offers a significant discount. However, examples of good free software are Zotero and Refworks. If possible, I recommend spending a portion of your grant money on bibliographical software.)
Finalize logistics – Schedule your flights, book your lodging, set up a
means of communication (will you get a cell phone plan or rely on local wi-fi to remain connected? Do you need to remain connected?) and determine the best means of transportation in country. I bought a bikein Belize to get around my city (I sold it before I left) and used the bus system to get around the country.
Create central research questions and hypotheses document – This may not be standard operating procedure but I found it to be a helpful and fruitful thing to do. I created a document before I left for outlining my thinking about the project and continued to edit it as my time onsite progressed. Even with all of the reading and writing that it took to get to this point, the time actually in the place of research will be the time during which you learn the most. It is useful to track how your thinking changes and to capture insights that may not have occurred to you back at OSU. Share it and discuss it with your advisor often.
Plan for managing your data – Be mindful of the following questions and plan accordingly: What IRB requirements are you committed to? How will you store data when you obtain it? How will you ensure you maintain the confidentiality of the data (if needed)? Will you have an alternative way to store data if your computer crashes or gets stolen (recommend hard drive AND flash drive AND cloud sharing if permitted)? If working with a large number of files, how will you name and store them so they are easily found? Consider what types of file formats you will be encountering and how store them accordingly. Librarians are available to assist you with helping to manage your data. I worked with my Library Advisor to think through how to manage my field work data.
Ensure everyone is on the same page – Contact the government of the country you are traveling to and obtain any permits that they require. Let them know where you are staying and what you are doing. Make sure Ohio State, your advisor, your funding source, your family and friends, all know what they need to know before you leave the country.
Miscellaneous
If conducting interviews – determine who exactly you will contact and begin figuring out the specific logistics of each interview (date, time, location, etc.). It is important when conducting interviews that you select somewhere quiet with minimal background noise so that the sound is 
audible. Also, it may be necessary to ask your interviewee to speak louder or to speak more directly into the audio recorder. Once the interview takes place, a transcription will need to be made for the audio. If completing the transcriptions yourself, allocate roughly an hour of your time per ten minutes of interview time. Fair warning: transcribing interviews is tedious and takes more time than one would generally expect. As part of my library fellowship, I practiced conducting interviews before my trip abroad.
If working in an Archive – If you (like me) have never worked in an Archive before, I recommend practicing with University Libraries’ Special Collections Reading Room. See the following site for more information: https://library.osu.edu/special-collections/scholar-visit. There are librarians and special collection curators that will help to explain how to access special collection materials.
If using material beyond an undergraduate thesis – If obtaining material that may be used in ways other than your undergraduate thesis (e.g., a website, a future academic publication, a 
library display, etc.), ensure you obtain the proper copyright consent. Consent for inclusion in an academic work is substantially different from consent for inclusion in a work with a greater public audience. Published material has specific copyright components that an unpublished thesis does not require. If in doubt, I recommend setting up an appointment with OSU Copyright Services. I was connected to this resource through my Library Fellowship.
5.2 – Personal
Familiarize yourself with important information – Know what all of the important places and phone numbers are, or at least where you can find them. Be mindful of local emergency numbers, your health insurance plan, local hospitals, areas that may not be completely safe, who you can go to with problems, and so on.
Take care of yourself – It is easy to underestimate the stress level that comes with doing research abroad, especially if you are there on your own. My advisor shared with me five things he does to make sure he takes care of himself – [1] exercise and eat well every day, [2] read every day, [3] write every day, [4] talk to at least five people, including two new people, every day, and [5] maintain communication back home. In addition to these things I kept a journal while I was in Belize.