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"Important Enough to Show the World": Using Authentic Research Opportunities and Micropublications to Build Students'
Lisa DaVia Rubenstein1, Kelsey A Woodruff2, April M Taylor3
1Department of Educational Psychology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA.
Micropublications offer authentic research experiences for students at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). This approach helps students develop key scientific skills and identify as members of the scientific community.
Area of Science:
- Scientific Education
- Scholarly Publishing
Background:
- Primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) face challenges in offering authentic research opportunities leading to traditional publications.
- Traditional scientific publication requires extensive work, often incompatible with undergraduate training timelines.
- Short-form, single-figure "micropublications" present a new avenue for authentic scientific contributions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the benefits of authentic, small-scale research projects for students at a PUI.
- To investigate how disseminating research as micropublications impacts student development.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative case study design.
- In-depth interviews with eight undergraduate and master's students.
- Analysis of student experiences in conducting and publishing small-scale research.
Main Results:
- Students developed competencies in scientific literature review, experimental design, and data interpretation.
- Participants gained skills in collecting and interpreting publication-worthy data.
- The research and publication process fostered a sense of belonging within the scientific community.
Conclusions:
- Micropublications provide a feasible pathway for authentic research experiences and skill development at PUIs.
- This model enables early-career scientists to make meaningful contributions and identify with the scientific community.
- Small-scale research projects culminating in micropublications enhance undergraduate and master's education.
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