Research journals in social science often accept for publication fewer than 10 percent of the papers submitted, that’s about 30-50 out of the 1000 or so they receive each year. Those numbers reveal the remarkable accomplishments of first-time student researcher, Mitchell Watkins.

“This was an undergraduate in our college doing professional research,” said Zak Taylor, an Assistant Professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs (INTA) who has been Watkin’s mentor. “Publishing in the social sciences is a long and arduous process, many masters and PhDs students don’t achieve it, yet this paper went from Mitch learning the rudiments of a research proposal in Fall 2009 to publication in November 2010.”

The genesis for Watkin’s paper was an assignment for the Economics and International Affairs capstone class (ECON/INTA 4740/4741 Senior Thesis Seminar) taught by Taylor and Olga Shemyakina, Assistant Professor School of Economics. In the first semester, Watkins and his classmates studied the rudiments of research: research methods, regressions, and probability and statistics, and they developed a research proposal. In the second semester, students focused on executing the proposal and developing a high quality paper that could potentially be published in an undergraduate or professional journal.

Last May, when Watkins completed his thesis, Taylor evaluated the article and offered Watkins assistance in submitting it to an undergraduate or professional journal. Watkins was busy graduating, but during the summer decided to try to publish and the two began working on revisions.

“Dr. Taylor did a substantial amount of work to clean up the language of the entire paper and elevate it to the standards required by professional journals,” explained Watkins. “In particular, he did an amazing job restructuring the literature review and developing the analysis of the results/conclusion.”

Taylor then submitted the paper and handled further revisions. In November, 2010, “Intellectual Property Protection and U.S. Foreign Direct Investment in Emerging Economies”, was published in the Journal of Intellectual Property Rights, a peer-review specialized sub-field research journal that tracked by the major search databases, including Thomson-ISI's "Web of Science". Watkins is listed as the first author, Taylor as co-author.

“All the data, methods, and analysis are his,” said Taylor. “The research environment requires constant self-assessment, reassessment, and critical assessment. Mitch was willing to confront failure and through that learn what makes a good or bad research question, a good or bad justification. He was absolutely tenacious and achieved this caliber of work through hard work, dedication, and focus.”

Taylor’s dedication, passion, and support were also key to Watkins’s success. A previous undergraduate student of his was also published and another Taylor student is moving along the same track.

Having a published paper is, obviously, impressive on a resume; Watkins shared advice for other students interested in the process.

“First and foremost is to choose a research topic that truly interests you. It will make the entire research process a lot easier and more enjoyable.”

He also recommends working with a professor as he did with Taylor and Shemyakina. Also helpful, was Watkins research internship in the Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy (CISTP) where he conducted research on international terrorism and unconventional weapons under the supervision International Affairs Assistant Professor Margaret Kosal. “I have found that working with a professor is tremendously valuable and a great learning experience. Professors will help you learn good research methods and help you develop your writing skills,” said Watkins.

“My final piece of advice is to learn and practice good research methods. This applies to research in all disciplines of study. It is crucial to constantly consider the validity of your research.”

Watkins experience exemplifies the approach that the College tries to take with its students. “We try to go beyond assigning term papers by incorporating undergraduates into our own research, we train our students to be professional scientists, ready for the job market,” said Taylor.

Watkins graduated in Spring 2010. He is currently working as an analyst at an aviation consulting firm in Denver, Colorado. He says the published paper positions him well in his career and for continuing his education in a few years.