Eligibility and expectations

• The research award is restricted to BYU freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Seniors are eligible to apply if their proposed project will be completed prior to their graduation.
• Applicants must identify a faculty member or curator/librarian as a mentor, who can help applicants identify materials for research, formulate project proposals, and conduct research. Applicants must commit to meeting with their faculty mentor at least 6 times over the course of the project. Faculty mentors will review research plans and provide feedback on versions of approved projects.
• Awardees will submit a monthly progress report to Special Collections.
• Awardees must complete their research project no later than the week prior to April finals.
• Awardees will give a presentation or create a poster discussing their project and its results.

Application process

Interested undergraduates should submit a research proposal (no more than 1 page) and one letter of recommendation to Gordon Daines at gordon_daines@byu.edu by April 14, 2024. The research proposal should include the following information:

• Working title of your project.
• Short overview of your research: the key issue(s) that you want to investigate, and why these are important.
• A short description of the context of your research: Why does it matter? What knowledge gaps is it filling? Etc.
• A description of your primary research questions.
• A list of the primary sources in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections that you plan to use.
• An introductory reference list—What articles or books do you plan to consult?
• Final outcome of the project (academic essay, online exhibition, film, or other creative project).
• Name of the faculty member or curator/librarian who will serve as your project advisor.

The letter of recommendation should come from the faculty member or curator/librarian who will serve as your mentor and should speak to your qualifications to conduct the research outlined in your proposal.

Submit any questions about the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Research Grant to Gordon Daines at gordon_daines@byu.edu or 801-422-5821.