Our lab provides Radford students researchers with the resources they need to conduct collaborative research with a faculty mentor or complete innovative classroom assignments across a broad range of social media data collection platforms. Members of our staff are available throughout the week to provide one-on-one consultation for how students can strengthen challenging research assignments, honors projects, and theses.
The SMART Lab is open to students from any major or program. Whether you are working on a class assignment, thesis, capstone, undergraduate research project, graduate research project, poster, presentation, or larger academic project, the lab gives you a place to think through research, work with professional tools, and get support as your project develops.
Come in when a project has you stuck, when you are unsure which tool to use, or when you want to build stronger skills with research software, visualization tools, data tools, or AI tools.
To request support or schedule a time, email smartlab@radford.edu.
Class assignments
When a course requires research, data collection, analysis planning, visualization,
AI literacy, or data literacy, the SMART Lab can help you understand the process,
choose appropriate tools, and use them with greater confidence.
Research planning and methods
The lab can help you develop research questions, think through hypotheses, organize
ideas for the literature review, plan methods sections, prepare surveys or interview
guides, and understand how different research approaches fit different kinds of questions.
Media and social media research
Students can use the lab to collect, study, and visualize public conversation from
traditional news, social media, and other digital sources.
Theses, capstones, and major academic projects
Students working on theses, capstones, undergraduate research, graduate research,
and other large projects may consult with the SMART Lab in coordination with their
faculty mentor. The lab can help students think through tools, methods, visualization,
AI literacy, data literacy, and the research process.
Posters and presentation
The lab can help students turn research findings into clear visuals for class presentations,
conference posters, research showcases, and other academic settings.
The SMART Lab helps students understand research, use tools responsibly, and make stronger decisions about their projects. Students remain responsible for completing, interpreting, and explaining their own work.
The lab can help you think through possible analytical approaches, understand what different tools can do, and prepare your findings for clear presentation. The lab does not complete data analysis for students. For theses, capstones, and other faculty-supervised projects, students should work with their faculty mentor on analysis decisions and interpretation.
If you are interested in becoming a researcher consider enrolling in the Digital Communications and Research Analytics Minor. View the catalog details for the minor below.
The SMART Lab Research Hub is available upon request. The Research Hub is a D2L-based resource site accessed through OneCampus. It includes video tutorials, guides, sample materials, datasets, and method-specific resources that help students understand the research process and use the lab’s tools with more confidence. Topics include:
During fall and spring semesters, the SMART Lab is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hours are also posted outside the lab.
Walk-ins are welcome when staff are available, but appointments are preferred so the lab can prepare the right tools, space, and support for your project.
Summer support is available by appointment only.
To schedule a time, email smartlab@radford.edu.