Doing undergraduate research for credit is based on an individual agreement between you and the professor, so the actual arrangement varies. The experience is designed to teach students how and why experiments are done and to let them feel the excitement of seeing positive results. More advanced students may design their own research project, but the majority work alongside a faculty researcher or graduate student on an on-going project. To gain a good sense of the scientific research method, it is good if you work on a specific project with a specific hypothesis, read original scientific papers related to the research topic, perform experiments, perform data analysis or at least discuss data analysis with your sponsor, and write a report. The University of Washington expects students to work an average of 3 hours per week to receive 1 credit.
Students usually take three to five credits per quarter for several quarters.
This translates into an average of 9 to 15 hours per week. However, because research is done by individual arrangement there will be some variation. Thus, it is most practical to spend whole mornings, afternoons, or evenings doing research, rather than one or two-hour time blocks. The standard vehicle for undergraduate research is through a research course such as Zoology 498 or its equivalent in other departments. In order to register for undergraduate research credit you first have to make an arrangement with a faculty member with whom you will do research.