Expectations for Lab Members

Graduate Students

My Expectations for My Ph.D. Students

Think Like a Researcher
- Unlike undergraduate education, there are no more quick, simple, and standardized answers for your questions. You are not simply receiving knowledge but actively producing knowledge.
- ALWAYS support your statements with empirical evidence. When you have a research question or a research interest, your first action should be looking for an answer from existing literature.
- You are the expert in your research area. As your advisor, I am here to facilitate your research project, but you should/will be THE EXPERT in the literature, theory, design, and analysis of your project.
- You need to have a growth mindset. In your doctoral training, you will encounter theories you have never heard before and analytical tools you have never seen before, but you can always learn it. One of the most essential skills you will gain from doctoral training is the ability to quickly learn new things.
Time Management
- You will be BUSY. Graduate school should be considered as a busy full-time job. Time will always be limited in graduate school.
- Prioritize your time for the most important things. You should dedicate time when you are most mentally active for things that require the most mental capacity (e.g., writing a paper) before things that require less mental capacity (e.g., responding to emails).
- Block time off in your calendar for reading and writing. Reading research articles and writing for your research projects may be more important than class work in graduate school. If you block time off for class work, you should make sure that you block time for reading and writing and “attend” those times.
- Be realistic when planning. Track your time spent and progress so you can get a better idea of your productivity and efficiency. Plan accordingly.
- Use peer support. Having writing groups or reading groups may help you stay productive during planned hours.
Be Responsible
- You are responsible for tracking the progress of your research projects and program requirements. I am here to support you and we will talk about your progress in our individual meetings, but you should be the one taking the responsibilities of your program, including knowing the department handbook, required core classes, and looking for specialized classes.
Be Respectful
- Be prepared for meetings. To make best use of everyone’s time, come to meetings with specific agenda and questions.
- Be mindful of other people’s time. Only request minimum time needed for meetings and discussions.
- Look for solutions before asking for one. I am happy to help after you have already given it a try.
- Firmly meet deadlines!! Your tasks may be one piece in a larger project, and others’ plans may depend on you meeting the deadlines. If you realize that you cannot meet the deadlines, ask for extension before the deadline rather than explain your reasons after the deadline is missed.
- Proofread your draft before you send it out. I want to use my time to improve and polish the actual content instead of typos and grammatic issues. Utilizing software or AI is allowed. I also encourage you to use the OSU writing center if you struggle with writing.
Communicate
- Check your email at least twice a day on weekdays. Once in the morning and once at the end of workday. Email is the most important way to communicate in graduate school.
- Ask questions. Although you should look for solutions yourself, it is okay (and EXPECTED) that you ask questions. I’d rather you ask questions and make progress than you spend too long trying to figure out one question and not make progress. Remember, you are responsible for reaching out to me when you need help.
- Inform your advisor or lab mates if you need to make changes to plans (e.g., cancel or reschedule a meeting) as soon as you know that you need to change. Usually, a 48-hour notice is needed unless there is an emergency.
- Always confirm reception of messages (even just a reaction emoji in Outlook).
Stay Organized
- Keep track of plans and meeting action items and send it to your advisor and lab mates. You are the leader of your projects. To make sure you are making progress for your project, it is your responsibility to remind others of the plan. Even your advisor and professors may forget what you talked about.
- Use tools to help you stay organized.
  - Use a calendar to track your schedule. Send out calendar invites if you are requesting meetings.
  - Use a planner or software to make (realistic) to-do lists.
  - Use software (e.g., Zotero) to organize your literature.
- Update your CV once a semester starting the first semester of your doctoral program
Be Flexible
- You will be working on grants, manuscripts, conference abstracts/presentations, and etc. Sometimes, there will be quick turn arounds due to urgent deadlines. You will need to alter your usual schedules to meet those deadlines.
How to Take Feedback
- You will receive a lot of constructive feedback. Responding to feedback is one of the most important ways to learn in graduate school.
- Respond to every comment. Your advisor and other mentors spend time to provide the feedback. You should try to respond to them, so you do not have the same problem or mistake again in the future. You will be doing the same thing in revise & resubmit for manuscripts.
- Do not take it personally. Feedback can be overwhelming at times. A lot of feedback does not necessarily mean that you are not doing a good job. Please remember that your advisor and other mentors are NOT trying to attack you but to help you improve your work.
How to Collaborate
- Respond to collaborators request for feedback. Use track change and comments in Microsoft Word. Add your initial and date to the Word document’s name after your editing.
  - Save your version as docmentname_MMDDYY_yourinitial
- Acknowledge your reception and approval of the document if you do not have feedback.
- Have an open conversation about authorship if you have questions.
- When sharing your ideas or drafts with collaborators, use PowerPoints when needed. Put things in writing if you can and always write in APA format.

My Commitments to My Ph.D. Students

We will have weekly individual meetings. I like short and efficient meetings, so we will only book as much time as needed.
I am happy to set up additional as-needed meetings when you encounter problems.
You can expect me to respond to your emails within 24 hours. If not, please email me again.
I support you to use existing data in the lab for your own projects or collecting your own data. However, funding for your own data collection is not guaranteed. If you want to collect your own data for your thesis or dissertation, you will be responsible for applying for research funding.
If you put your ideas and products in writing, I will get my feedback to you within one week. That said, you will probably need additional time to incorporate my feedback. Please leave enough time for feedback turnarounds, and do not send me a draft two days before it is due.
I am always happy to include student authors on projects, but real work is always expected if you are an author. Work like literature review and synthesis, conceptualization of research questions, data analysis, writing results, and writing discussion will grant authorship. However, participation in data collection itself does not grant authorship.
I will provide in-lab workshops and materials to facilitate learning advanced statistics.

Undergraduate Students

Time Commitment

Each credit hour of PSYC 4990 equates to 3 hours in the laboratory.
Individual work schedules will be developed for each student within the first few weeks of class. Students are expected to resolve potential schedule conflicts, if they arise, in advance of the day(s) they are expected in the lab.
Excused absences will be assigned for legitimate conflicts, such as illness, physician appointments, exams in other classes, and so forth, as long as they are cleared by me or the supervising graduate student at least one day in advance. Usually, a 48-hour notice is needed unless there is an emergency.
Unexcused absences will be assigned for absences that lack merit or failure to follow the assigned schedule without justifiable explanation, pending my discretion.
Absences due to circumstances beyond the student’s control (e.g., extended illness, health-related problems, death in the family, etc.) are unique and will be handled individually.

RA Activities

Group Lab Meetings. We will schedule a one-hour bi-weekly meeting. In this meeting, we will discuss assigned readings, research activities, literature review projects, general difficulties and challenges, and plan for the next week.
Reading Assignments. You will be given a few readings throughout the semester. The papers will be shared via OneDrive, and we will spend time discussing them in lab meetings. You are expected to read the assigned articles and be prepared to discuss them.
Research Activity. You will be involved in a variety of research activities during the semester. Below is a list of possible research activities:
- Participant lab visit protocol training
- Participant recruitment
- Participant screening on the phone
- Administrate in-lab activities
- Behavioral coding of lab visits
- Data analysis
- Report writing
- Presenting research posters at conferences

Grading Policy

Your final grade in 4990 will be based on two, equally important dimensions: dependability and conscientiousness. The following guidelines will be used to determine your final grades:
- A = excellent performance: Fulfills weekly time commitment, responds to e-mail or phone messages promptly (not longer than 24 hours), has no more than two excused absences, has no unexcused absences; exceptional dependability and conscientiousness.
- B = good performance: Fulfills weekly time commitment, responds to e-mailor phone messages in a reasonable time (not longer than 36 hours), has no more than 3 excused absences, has no more than 1 unexcused absences; good dependability and conscientiousness.
- C = marginal performance: Usually fulfills weekly time commitment, has no more than 4 excused absences, has no more than 2 unexcused absence; marginal dependability and conscientiousness.
- D and F = poor performance: Fails to fulfill weekly time commitment regularly, has 5 or more excused absences, has 3 or more unexcused absences; poor dependability and conscientiousness.

My Expectations for My URAs

Check your email at least twice a day on weekdays. Once in the morning and once at the end of workday. Email is the most important way to communicate regarding lab work.
Firmly meet deadlines!! Your tasks may be one piece in a larger project, and others’ plans may depend on you meeting the deadlines. If you realize that you cannot meet the deadlines, ask for extension before the deadline rather than explain your reasons after the deadline is missed.
Show up for assigned lab time and lab activities. Dependability is particularly important for research activities, especially scheduled participant visits.
Look for solutions before asking for one. I am happy to help after you have already given it a try.
Ask questions. Although you should look for solutions yourself, it is okay (and EXPECTED) that you ask questions. I’d rather you ask questions and make progress than you spend too long trying to figure out one question and not make progress. Remember, you are responsible for reaching out to me when you need help.
You need to have a growth mindset. You will encounter theories you have never heard before and analytical tools you have never seen before, but you can always learn it.
Inform me or the lab coordinator if you need to make changes to plans (e.g., cancel or reschedule a meeting) as soon as you know that you need to change. Usually, a 48-hour notice is needed unless there is an emergency.
Always confirm reception of messages (even just a reaction emoji in Outlook).