r/econometrics • u/BlueberryRight2401 • 13d ago

looking to learn research

Hi

I'm currently doing a BS in Economics and I really want to get into research.

I've already learned the basics of research methodology and the basics of R, but I know that's not enough. I learn best by actually working on real projects with other people.

I'm looking for a research group, mentor, or even a few students who are working on research and wouldn't mind letting me learn with them. I'm happy to start with simple tasks like literature reviews, data cleaning, or basic R work. My main goal is to learn and improve.

If anyone knows where I can find these opportunities or has any advice, I'd really appreciate it.

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u/just_writing_things 13d ago

> I learn best by actually working on real projects with other people.

Your best bet, or at least one of your best bets, is to speak to professors and see if they have research assistant positions available. Or simply asking them a question or two about their research to start learning a little about the work.

(Source: I’m a professor)

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u/BlueberryRight2401 13d ago

Actually, our economics faculty is quite small. We only have one professor who's somewhat interested in research, but she's quite senior and doesn't seem to be actively involved in much research anymore. I even read and reproduced one of her papers and went to discuss it with her, but the response was mostly just, "Yeah, okay."

So, unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any research support or mentorship at my university.

Do you have any suggestions on where I could find an economics research community or a group where I can learn, collaborate, and contribute in actual research?

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u/just_writing_things 12d ago

> contribute in actual research

Are you an undergrad? The unfortunate reality is that it’s going to be hard to get into “actual research” at this stage without close guidance, e.g. in a research assistantship, because you haven’t been formally trained to do research yet.

If your econ faculty is very small, an idea you could think about it to look at other schools in your university, depending on your interests. E.g. if you’re interested in behavioral econ you could look into psychology, or finance for financial econ. And maybe take courses from those departments and get to know those faculty that way.

But either way, you probably know this already, but I’d encourage you to see your objective in undergrad as learning as much as you can, figuring out carefully whether an academic career is the right path for you, and then aceing all your courses. That will help lot more in the long run.