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.

Spring 2026 Undergraduate Research Project List

Project Title: Coder
Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Brad J. Bushman
Contact Information: bushman.20@osu.edu 
Total number of Research Assistants sought: 5

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 reviews on a variety of topics (e.g., narcissism, hate speech, aggression in hockey). Preference will be given to those who can work multiple semesters (e.g., SP26, SU26, AU26). This opportunity can be taken on a voluntary basis or for credit in Communication (COMM 4998). 

Remote or in-person: Remote/online, emails and weekly Zoom meetings.

Format of remote interaction: There will be held weekly Zoom meetings to go through the information collected and any questions you might have. 

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.