Successfully Publishing With Undergraduate Coauthors in Psychology: Insights From Faculty With Top Track Records

Abstract

Research in psychology and other fields has demonstrated the benefits of faculty-undergraduate collaborative research and shown that these research experiences can culminate in publication. To date, there has not yet been an in-depth investigation of the factors that enable faculty to successfully publish with undergraduate coauthors. In the present study, we used blended reflexive qualitative and quantitative methods to understand faculty perspectives on the topic by recruiting 38 faculty with extensive experience publishing with undergraduate coauthors from institutions in three categories: predominantly undergraduate, masters-granting, and doctoral-granting. These faculty responded to an open-ended survey regarding their experiences publishing with undergraduates. Although these faculty find great joy and meaning in publishing with undergraduates, they report facing obstacles such as a lack of student training, high rates of student turnover, and lack of time to dedicate to the process. Based on our results, we recommend that if institutions seek to increase their rates of faculty-student publication, they should dedicate resources, especially time, for student-faculty collaboration. In addition, departments should offer advanced training in scientific writing to facilitate student success in publication.