We developed a novel tool, the CREDIT URE, to define and measure roles performed by undergraduate students working in research placements. Derived from an open source taxonomy for determining authorship credit, the CREDIT URE defines fourteen possible roles, allowing students and their research mentors to rate the degree to which students participate in each role. We administered the tool longitudinally across three cohorts of undergraduate student-mentor pairs enrolled in a biomedical research training program for students from diverse backgrounds. Students engaged most frequently in roles involving data curation, investigation, and writing. Less frequently, students engaged in roles related to software development, supervision, and funding acquisition. Students’ roles changed over time as they gained experience. Agreement between students and mentors about responsibility for roles was high. This work provides valuable insights regarding the nature and extent of undergraduate student research experiences. All roles represented on the CREDIT URE are considered important contributions to the overall process of conducting and reporting research. Our findings indicate that students in long-term research placements are gaining broad exposure to a variety of research activities. Our findings also suggest variability in the roles of students corresponding to their general level of training and experience suggesting that mentors can provide clear instruction and training, and the students can develop the relevant skills through practice, after which they can assume relatively high levels of responsibility. Another factor that may explain the changes in ratings over time is that students can develop a better sense of the respective roles. To address this, the CREDIT URE could be introduced early in the placement and mentoring relationship so students have time to think more about their roles while engaging in lab work. In this presentation, we will share the tool and our methods, in order to encourage replication in additional settings.

Contributions undergraduates make to research projects: Using the CRediT taxonomy to assess undergraduate research experiences

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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