"It's my first real lit review:" Mentoring undergraduate students from reading to writing

Abstract

Reviewing the literature in the field is often the first step to conducting research in one’s own area of interest. How do we translate library research skills into comprehensive, publishable literature reviews? This poster addresses the application of multigenerational, “just in time” instruction and mentoring for undergraduates, as they develop their own research questions and write reviews of the literature. In this case, undergraduates in a research group are mentored by two to three mentors. These mentors include the faculty member heading the group, graduate student research supervisors who have their own skill sets, and practitioners from the field. Multigenerational mentors allow the undergraduate the freedom of asking for different kinds of help from different people. The student builds confidence founded in the freedom to make mistakes, and the freedom to ask “stupid” questions to mentors who are not always faculty, who are instead graduate students and more like peers. Producing a publishable literature review has the added benefit of increasing the undergraduate student’s proficiency and confidence in reading and writing, which provides preparation for graduate studies.