Faculty and Staff Research and Publishing Guide: Getting Started

You are not alone in your project. TCC provides a variety of resources to assist faculty and staff in the planning stages of research.     

• Have you checked the published literature to see what has already been done in your area of study?
  • Make an appointment with one of your campus librarians to get help with searching the literature.
  • If the TCC libraries do not have a copy of what you need, you have two options:
    • TCC faculty and staff members are eligible for interlibrary loan to have the item sent from an external library. 
    • TCC faculty and staff members are eligible to receive a TexShare card from the TCC libraries which gives them limited privileges at some external libraries. 
• Does your research involve human subjects?
  • All research involving gathering data from students, employees, or members of the community should be cleared through the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Even research exempt from IRB regulation should be submitted. 
  • Faculty planning to use human subjects should complete the Protecting Human Research Participants training course from the National Institutes of Health Office of Extramural Research prior to submitting a proposal to the TCC IRB. 
  • Allow at least four weeks for IRB review in the research plan. For more information, see the IRB's website and Quick Reference Guide.  
  • If using a survey, review the TCC Survey Administration webpage and the TCCD Survey Policy and Procedures document.  
• Do you need funding?
  • Research projects on student success may be eligible for funding through grant proposals.
    • Contact the TCC Office of Grants Development and Compliance for funding through government grants. 
    • Contact the TCC Foundation to seek funding through private sources. 
  • If you apply for and participate in the TCC Mastery of Teaching Institute, the Teaching and Learning Academy will fund up to $2000 to cover your research expenses for research-focused conference travel, software purchases, subscriptions, and necessary materials. Visit their webpage on the TCC faculty and staff intranet site for more details.