The School of Communication both welcomes and encourages undergraduate student involvement in the research programs of faculty and graduate students by serving as undergraduate research assistants. Research assistants play a vital role in the research of any university, by helping with data collection and analysis, computer programming, library research, and writing of research reports for presentation and conferences and for publication. Undergraduates in the social sciences with research experience (especially in the form of an undergraduate thesis) and who meet other entry requirements are often highly sought out by graduate schools, including the graduate program in the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. Furthermore, people with research skills are also sought out in industry and the corporate world. Thus, serving as a research assistant can give you a competitive advantage in your quest for furthering your education in the social sciences or obtaining employment upon graduation. If you need a letter of recommendation from a faculty member for graduate school or a job, you will get a much stronger letter if you work in a faculty member’s lab. Because there is no such thing as too much experience, we especially encourage students to get involved early in their education, at least a year before graduation. It sounds a lot better for a faculty member to say that that you worked in their lab for two, three, or even four years than only a semester.
The School of Communication recruits undergraduate research assistants for ongoing research projects. You may earn "independent study" course credit by working on these projects or get involved on a voluntary basis—details are to be discussed with the faculty/project contacts.
Autumn 2024 Opportunities:
Meta-Analysis Coder
Faculty supervisor: Dr. Brad J. Bushman
Contact information: bushman.20@osu.edu
Total number of research assistants sought: 2
Project location: Remote/online
Minimum commitment per week: 3 hours
Preferred qualifications: Experience with Excel, organized, close attention to detail, strong reading comprehension.
Project description: This project involves coding research studies for meta-analytic reviews. The term meta-analysis literally means “analysis of analyses.” It is a quantitative literature review that combines the statistical analyses (e.g., correlations, standardized mean differences) from different studies conducted on the same topic. I am conducting a meta-analytic review with colleagues from Germany on the topic of power and aggression. Preference will be given to those who can also work SP25 semester. This opportunity can be taken on a voluntary basis or for credit in Communication (COMM 4998).
Format of remote interaction: Remote/online, emails and weekly Zoom meetings.
Adolescents and Media
Faculty supervisor: Dr. Jesse Fox
Contact information: https://forms.gle/t8imrFaX8Ts81ubS9
Email (link for application is above; do not email to apply): fox.775@osu.edu
Total number of research assistants sought: 4
Project location: Off campus locations
Minimum commitment per week: 3 hours
Preferred qualifications: Ideal candidates will have experience working with children or adolescents and will have access to their own means of transportation. Applicants must also have some availability in the evenings and weekends (we will coordinate with you to find times that work). Relevant experiences may include:
- camp counselor
- coaching
- prior experience conducting interviews or focus groups
- teaching experience
- youth group leadership
Project description: The goal of this project is to develop a better understanding of the ways adolescence experience and think about their celebrity crushes. RAs will assist and lead focus groups of adolescents discussing their favorite media figures and their attachment to them. These focus groups will take place in off-campus locations such as local libraries, girl scout troop meetings, etc. Other tasks may include recruitment, interviews, or assisting with data.
Remote or in-person: Both
Format of remote interaction: Zoom
User Experiences with Technology
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Jesse Fox
Contact Information: Dr. Jesse Fox
Email (link for application is below; do not email to apply): fox.775@osu.edu
Total number of Research Assistants sought: 4-6
Project location: Journalism Building, room 347
Minimum commitment per week: 6 hours (2 credits); up to 3 credits available
Preferred qualifications: Good interpersonal and professional communication skills; attention to detail; ability to adhere to strict research protocols; reliable and timely. Students with an interest in human-computer interaction, user experience (UX), or user testing are strongly encouraged to apply. You must have some blocks of time available (2 hours or more) to run experiments in person in the laboratory Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM.
Project description: We are seeking research assistants to help conduct studies in the Journalism Building. You will be conducting live experimental sessions on a regular schedule. You will develop several research skills that are useful for careers in UX/UR/HCI, user experience, and market research more broadly.
Remote or in-person: In person
To apply for this position, please fill out the following link: https://forms.gle/x6sb6bBqUHhgkx3GA
Tech Use in Relationships
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Jesse Fox
Contact information: Dr. Jesse Fox
Email (link for applcation is below; do not email to apply): fox.775@osu.edu
Total number of Research Assistants sought: 3-4
Project location: Journalism Building & Derby Hall
Minimum commitment per week: 6 hours (2 credits); up to 3 credits available
Preferred qualifications: Good interpersonal and professional communication skills; attention to detail; ability to adhere to strict research protocols; organized and able to oversee multiple things at once; reliable and timely. You must have some blocks of time available (2 hours or more) to run experiments in person in the laboratory Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM.
Project description: We are seeking research assistants to help conduct studies in the Journalism Building and Derby Hall. You will be interacting with participants, determining eligibility, and overseeing data collection.
Remote or in-person: In person
To apply for this position, please fill out the following link: https://forms.gle/x6sb6bBqUHhgkx3GA
The Functions of Entertainment in Everyday Life
Faculty supervisor: Dr. Sara Grady
Contact information: grady.367@osu.edu, Apply using this short form with your interests, experience and availability
Total number of research assistants sought: 2-6
Project location: Mostly asynchronous, with a few meetings in Derby Hall over the semester
Minimum commitment per week: 5 hours
Preferred qualifications:
- Ability to use Microsoft word & excel well
- Ability to work unsupervised and meet deadlines
- Took one or more of the following: COMM 3160 (Research Methods), 3414 (Entertainment) and/or 3466 (Pop Culture)
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Enthusiasm, motivation, and curiosity
Project description: People spend so much of their free time on entertainment. My team studies how and why people chose to the entertainment they do. Mostly, we examine the kinds of media content people turn to in different situations, and what they hope to get from it. RAs will meet with our research team every week or two for training and discussion, and then have specific tasks to do on their computer/at home between meetings. Usually this involves (1) looking up specific media to gather information about it and/or (2) sorting and labelling data for later analysis. Sound interesting? Apply using this short form with your interests, experience and availability
Remote or in-person: Mostly remote via Zoom, Teams & email
Project 2025 Training Videos: How to become a conservation political appointee in the new Republican administration
Faculty supervisor: Dr. Susan L. Kline
Contact information: Dr. Susan L. Kline
Email: kline.48@osu.edu
Total number of research assistants sought: 2-4
Project location: Mostly remote, but with a few in-person meetings in Derby Hall over the semester
Minimum commitment per week: 3 hours
Preferred qualifications: Strong reading and comprehension skills, attention to detail, ability to complete tasks with high quality and in a timely manner, use of excel, and interest in politics and current events.
Project description: Project 2025, developed by the Heritage Foundation, is designed to train political appointees for jobs in the next Trump administration. The goal is to replace many federal workers with political appointees. As part of this project are an estimated 20 training videos have been produced: https://www.propublica.org/article/video-project-2025-presidential-training-academy-trump-election. The purpose of this research project is to code the types of arguments and teaching strategies in Project 2025 videos to learn how conservatives intend to persuade viewers to join a new Republican administration. Research assistants will be asked to watch and code parts of each video for certain categories to help develop coding systems. Then the systems will be slowly applied to the other training films. The coding task will involves learning about the actions and strategies enacted in these training videos.
Remote or in-person: Mostly remote, but with several in-person meetings
Format of remote interaction: We will have weekly zoom meetings to discuss coding and findings, and also use email for follow ups.
Communicating social support in online communities: Expanding available theories
Faculty supervisor: Dr. Susan L. Kline
Contact information: Dr. Susan L. Kline
Email: kline.48@osu.edu
Total number of research assistants sought: 2-4
Project location: Mostly remote, but with a few in-person meetings in Derby Hall over the semester
Minimum commitment per week: 3 hours
Preferred qualifications: Strong reading and comprehension skills, attention to detail, ability to complete tasks with high quality and in a timely manner, use of Excel
Project description: The purpose of this research project is to analyze posts and replies from two very different types of online communities: (a) community members focused on pursuing new hobbies or careers, and (b) caregivers for those working with aging adults and/or adults with dementia. Research assistants will be asked to code posts and replies for the types of support actions enacted in them using particular coding systems. We will meet as a group to learn how to code consistently so coders can proceed to code independently. RAs may elect to work on one of the two online community types.
Remote or in-person: Mostly remote, but with several in-person meetings
Format of remote interaction: We will have weekly zoom meetings to discuss coding and findings, and use email for follow ups.
More opportunities may be added as projects become available.
Communication Research Experience Program (C-REP)
Research experience is an important part of undergraduate education in the School of Communication. Some classes require student participation in research, while others allow students to earn extra credit in this way. The Communication Research Experience Program (C-REP) helps to connect students and researchers, and provides a way to track which studies a student has completed. The resources listed below provide more information about C-REP.
Video: A Student Guide to CREP
Sona (School of Communication Research Participation Portal)
Some links on this page are to Adobe .pdf files requiring the use of Adobe Reader. If you need these files in a more accessible format, please contact schofcomm@osu.edu.