Evaluating undergraduate research needs in one-on-one research consultation requests: A qualitative study

Abstract

This study analyzes the areas of assistance students identified as necessary when they scheduled a one-on-one research consultation; the analysis was conducted through the evaluation of >300 consultation scheduling forms, which ask students to describe their research before meeting with a librarian or other library research assistant.

It specifically considers the kinds of resources, types of assignments, specific assistance, and the research topics and subject areas for which students seek library help. It also analyzes the language used to better understand how students describe their research. Results found that, while students mostly scheduled appointments seeking assistance for traditional library services and resources for research projects and papers, they did not come from one dominant subject area. Students had varied ways of describing their needs that do not fit neatly within the library vernacular. This information can help librarians develop more targeted outreach areas for both subject areas and emerging forms of scholarship not seen in research consultations. Understanding the language students use, regardless of whether or not it comes from their instructor, can show how they learn and conceive of research going forward, as well as how they construct their identity as researchers.