Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers

Mentors are the heart and soul of undergraduate research. Here you can find resources for mentoring students, guidelines for writing letters of recommendation for VPUE Student Grants, and details about mentor eligibility.

Faculty Mentor Eligibility

All projects supported by a Student Grant must be conducted under the guidance of a qualifying Stanford faculty mentor. A student's project may draw upon the guidance of more than one mentor; however, at least one mentor must meet all of the following criteria:

Is Academic Council faculty OR University Medical Line faculty OR is approved by a department or interdepartmental program (IDP) as a qualifying honors/capstone advisor.
- Typically has the Stanford title of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Senior Lecturer or Senior Fellow
- In Arts disciplines (creative writing, film/drama, arts practice), Lecturers are eligible
Has their own active scholarly or creative agenda closely related to the main disciplines and methodologies of the proposed project.
- Interdisciplinary research projects and creative arts projects are strongly encouraged to draw upon the knowledge and guidance of multiple mentors.
Is available to provide consultation, training, and advice throughout the funded project timeline.

Writing Letters of Recommendation for VPUE Student Grants

VPUE Student Grant applicants are required to work with a faculty mentor throughout their project. An essential part of the application process includes the review of a faculty letter of recommendation.

The most helpful mentorship letters include an honest and critical evaluation of the student’s written project proposal. The strongest letters of recommendation include the following:

a frank, scholarly evaluation of the proposed project, its feasibility in the time indicated and its potential significance
an indication of the student’s level of independence and ownership of this project within the faculty mentor’s broader scholarly agenda
suggestions on how the plans could be modified or improved
an assessment of the candidate's ability to carry out the project
an outline of future interactions between the student and the faculty mentor

If the project involves human subjects, faculty should comment on the steps taken to ensure safety, and the progress of the student acquiring IRB approval for the project.

Furthermore, if the project involves fieldwork away from campus, the faculty letter should assess the student's level of preparation for such work. This includes methodological training and a comprehensive awareness of safety and ethical considerations.

Submitting Letters of Recommendation

An auto-email is generated using the contact information a student submits in their application. Letters must then be uploaded directly using the link in the email. Undergraduate Research cannot accept hard copies or email attachments.

Undergraduate Research maintains the confidentiality of letters to the extent provided by law. Because the proposal review process is intended to be educational for students, we may aggregate faculty recommendations with comments from other of grant reviewers when giving feedback to students. Candid faculty evaluations remain vital to the quality of this feedback process.

Comments or questions about VPUE Student Grants are welcome at vpue-research@stanford.edu.