Humanities Lab Contact Tips
Social Sciences, Psychology, Arts, History, and Humanities Research
What Makes Humanities & Social Science Research Different?
- Research assistantships: Often called "RA" positions rather than "lab" positions. May involve working directly with a professor.
- Varied structures: Some have formal lab structures with grad students; others work one-on-one with the professor.
- IRB and ethics training: Human subjects research requires ethics certification (often Institutional Review Board training).
- Writing-intensive: Strong writing skills are highly valued for literature reviews, coding qualitative data, etc.
Skills to Highlight in Your Email
Research Methods
- • Qualitative coding (NVivo, Atlas.ti)
- • Interview & focus group experience
- • Survey design (Qualtrics)
- • Content analysis
- • Ethnographic observation
- • Archival research
Quantitative Skills
- • SPSS, Stata, or R
- • Statistical analysis
- • Data entry and management
- • Excel proficiency
- • Survey data analysis
Writing & Communication
- • Literature review writing
- • Academic writing experience
- • Citation management (Zotero, EndNote)
- • Strong attention to detail
- • Editing and proofreading
Other Valuable Skills
- • Foreign language proficiency
- • Participant recruitment
- • Data transcription
- • IRB protocol preparation
- • Subject pool management
Common Tasks for Undergraduate RAs
Psychology/Behavioral
- • Running experiment sessions
- • Participant scheduling
- • Data entry and coding
- • Stimulus preparation
Social Sciences
- • Literature searches
- • Qualitative coding
- • Survey administration
- • Interview transcription
Humanities
- • Archival research
- • Database compilation
- • Translation work
- • Editing and citations
Email Template for Humanities/Social Science Research
Subject: Undergraduate Research Assistant Interest - [Your Name], [Major] [Year]
Dear Professor [Name],
I am a [year] [major] student at UIUC writing to inquire about research assistant opportunities in your lab/research group. I am particularly interested in your work on [specific topic from their research], especially [specific paper, project, or finding that caught your attention].
Through my coursework in [relevant courses, e.g., "Research Methods and Social Psychology"], I have developed skills in [specific skills, e.g., "survey design, SPSS data analysis, and qualitative coding"]. I also have experience with [other relevant experience, e.g., "conducting literature reviews using academic databases"].
I am drawn to your research because [explain genuine interest—perhaps connect to your career goals, coursework, or personal experience]. I am available [X hours/week] and can start [semester/date]. I am happy to assist with any tasks that would be helpful to your research.
I have attached my resume and would be grateful for the opportunity to discuss how I might contribute to your work. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Email] | [Your Phone]