Guidelines for Submission

Frequently Asked Questions - Scroll Down

Need assistance?

The URS team offers assistance with various stages of the process. Don’t see what you need below? Contact Dan Gerth at gerthd@umsl.edu.

Looking for help with the URS intent to participate form?

If you need help writing your initial abstract, Dr. Kimberly Baldus is happy to offer in-person workshops. Please be sure to RSVP at least 24 hours in advance: balduski@msx.umsl.edu or 314-516-4231.

Friday, February 23, 2:30-3:30pm, Seton (Provincial House – south campus)

Monday, February 26, 4:00-5:00pm, Express Scripts Hall 104 (north campus)

Have general questions about the intent form? Please contact Dan Gerth at gerthd@umsl.edu.

Looking for assistance with poster design? Dr. Jodi Heaps is happy to offer in-person and online workshops. Please be sure to RSVP at least 24 hours in advance: Jodi.Woodruff@mimh.edu or 314-516-8456.

In-person workshops:

April 2, 9:30-10:30am, Villa 155 (south campus)

April 6, 2:30-3:30pm, Clark 400 (north campus)

Webinars

March 30, 1:00-2:00pm https://www.gotomeet.me/Heaps-Woodrufflab

April 9, 11:00am-12:00pm https://www.gotomeet.me/Heaps-Woodrufflab

Looking for assistance with the final draft of your abstract? Dr. Kimberly Baldus is happy to offer in-person workshops. Please be sure to RSVP at least 24 hours in advance: balduski@msx.umsl.edu or 314-516-4231.

April 2, 10:00-11:00am, SSB 449 (north campus)

April 9, 3:30-4:30pm, Villa 155 (south campus

Looking for assistance with turning a paper into an oral presentation? Dr. Kimberly Baldus is happy to offer in-person workshops. Please be sure to RSVP at least 24 hours in advance: balduski@msx.umsl.edu or 314-516-4231.

April 13, 2:00-3:00pm, Legras (Provincial House – south campus)

April 19, 9:00-10:00am, Express Scripts Hall 103 (north campus)

April 23, 4:00-5:00pm, Villa 155 (south campus)

Basic Information Questions

What is the URS?

URS stands for Undergraduate Research Symposium. It is an annual event at which students present their research in poster and oral formats as they would in a professional-style conference. The research needs to be conducted at UMSL between last year's URS and the upcoming URS. Research conducted offsite but through an internship program with UMSL is eligible for presentation.

Who can apply to the URS?

All current UMSL undergraduates.
Also, any former UMSL students who have graduated within one academic year from the date of the previous URS.
Students who have completed research for an UMSL course or who have been mentored by an UMSL faculty member since the previous URS.
If you are unsure if you are eligible, contact the URS Committee.

Is this only for science majors?

No. Definitely not. Students from all majors (including engineering, the humanities, and fine arts) are encouraged to apply to present their work. If your research/presentation is appropriate for a conference in your discipline, consider applying for the URS. If you are worried that your work may not be presentable in either poster or oral presentation format, contact the chairperson(s) of the URS by email. The chair of the URS may have ideas about how to present the project.

The URS is open to students from all disciplines.
From the inception of the URS, the word 'research' in the title was intended to be inclusive of a variety of activities considered important in different disciplines. For the 2007 URS, the URS committee realized that some disciplines might not label the work of their students as research, so the words scholarship and creative works were added to emphasize the inclusive nature of the URS.

What is the difference between research, scholarship, and creative works?

In fact, most projects include a combination of research, scholarship, and creative thought. The URS committee defines them in the following way:

Research: Typically characterized by evidence-based exploration of a question or hypothesis that entails working with primary sources, in a laboratory, or with direct observation. The research may be theoretical or practical, such as developing, designing, or constructing devices, structures, machines, and systems. Projects from senior seminar, introduction to research methodology, or research courses are particularly appropriate. The project must demonstrate intellectual rigor, innovation, and originality. We expect upper-level work.
Scholarship: Typically characterized by evidence-based exploration of a question or hypothesis that entails working with secondary sources (e.g., literature reviews or theoretical concepts demonstrated through works of art and/or performance). Projects from senior seminar, introduction to research methodology, or research courses are particularly appropriate. The project must demonstrate intellectual rigor, innovation, and originality. We expect upper-level work.
Creative Works: Typically characterized by theory-based exploration that yields a project that shows academic achievement through an artistic product or performance (e.g., poetry, graphic design, or musical composition). The project must demonstrate intellectual rigor, innovation, and originality. We expect upper-level work.

Is the URS open to writers and artists?

Definitely! We encourage writers, visual artists, composers, and performing artists to submit an Application. You can choose to submit under "creative works" (e.g., a poem, graphic design, or performance) or under "research or scholarship" (e.g., primary source research or secondary source scholarship about literature, art, music, drama).

Is the URS open to group projects?

We recognize that research, scholarship, and creative works are often done in groups, so we encourage group projects. Only one Intent to Participate (ITP) and one Application per group should be submitted. Someone in the group must be designated as the primary or lead person. The chosen member's name will appear first on the listing in the URS booklet. The primary or lead person should submit the Intent to Participate (ITP) or Application. Other group members will be listed in the order indicated on the application.

Why should I participate in the URS?

Professional reasons:

Most disciplines now include poster sessions at their professional conferences; this will help you learn to create the poster.
In most jobs, you will need to be able to speak in front of an audience. Giving either a poster or an oral presentation will give you practice speaking about your topic to strangers.
Applying for professional conferences includes advance planning and a variety of applications. The mere act of applying helps you understand the process.
You can list this on your resume. Students who take the risk and take advantage of learning opportunities impress graduate schools and employers.
You will be networking with the faculty, staff, and students who visit your poster or attend your oral presentation.

Mental growth:

The very act of having to create a poster or an oral presentation requires that you address your material in a new way. Rather than only collecting data, you are forced to choose, synthesize, and analyze that data.
You will be speaking to an audience of varied disciplines and backgrounds. You will get practice in explaining your topic at different levels of theory and specificity.
You will gain confidence from your experience.

How complete must research be?

Some research is undertaken in stages, which might take years to complete; therefore, applicants are not required to have the full and final conclusion to their research.
However, the research must be well underway and the student must have enough data collected and analyzed to make an interesting and useful presentation. Usually that means that some stage of the research is completed (although the entire years-long research is not completed).
We understand that final results and conclusions might not be ready for the abstract deadline (in which case, students could include their expected results). However, students should have results and conclusions ready to discuss with others by the date of the URS.

Is the URS exactly like a professional conference?

In many ways it is, but in some ways it is not. For example:

The participants and audience are different. At the URS all participants are students from all the colleges at the university. Most professional conferences are confined to one or two related disciplines. Participants should keep in mind that there will be an educated, but non-specialist, audience.
The time schedule is different. Many professional conferences require that you submit a proposal or an abstract at least ten months before the event. Understandably, many of the results and conclusions are not yet final ten months before a conference. The URS has a much tighter schedule (requiring an application only 5 weeks before the event) in order to deal with the compressed time schedule for student research in academic semesters.
The pre-event workshops and free printed posters are different. Professional conferences do not offer workshops on writing abstracts or making posters. We recognize that many of our participants are still acquiring these skills and may need some instruction. Just as in professional conferences, the presenters offer high-quality research.