For nearly twenty years, undergraduate students in the Modern Psychological Studies class at UTC have published one of four journals in the country featuring undergraduate psychology research. Modern Psychological Studies is going global this year, as the student editorial board of the journal solicits undergraduate research manuscripts from around the world. A companion book will also be published, featuring the best of the best research.
Cover of the Spring 2011 journal
Students learn the skills of marketing the magazine as they solicit articles and offer individual and university paid subscriptions. This small business requires students to invest a lot of time as they learn the layout of the journal and scrutinize submissions.
“Modern Psychological Studies is a unique learning experience for students who submit papers to the journal and the MPS class itself. It provides both groups a level of training that will serve them well as they prepare for graduate study,” said Dr. David Ross, MPS faculty advisor and professor in the UTC Department of Psychology. “It gives young scholars an opportunity to publish their research and to learn the rigors of how to conduct research that is of a publishable quality.”
Approximately ten UTC papers have been published in the journal during Ross’ 15-year tenure as faculty advisor.
“The most memorable UTC contribution was by a student who did a fabulous study on whether or not students read letters of informed consent when they participate in research. The study was novel, unique, and important – and found that students tend not to read letters of informed consent,” Ross explained.
In their international quest for undergraduate research, the editorial board is seeking diversity in research theories, methodologies and research questions asked, but students do not anticipate a difference in quality.
“We want the journal to have a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach and to cut across a variety of areas of psychology to give the reader a snapshot of what young minds in the field of psychology are accomplishing,” Ross said.
Visit the Department of Psychology online for more information about subscriptions, submissions and more at http://www.utc.edu/Academic/Psychology/
