Research Support

Research is an integral part of the curriculum at Mercy University and an important part of the teaching and learning experience for undergraduate and graduate students alike. Research at Mercy aims to contribute to the community, the economy and scholarly discoveries and creation. Through a range of services and efforts, the Office of the Provost supports faculty, staff, and students by cultivating scholarship and research, encouraging and supporting research in emerging areas, and prompting individual researchers and partnerships in order to advance basic and applied knowledge.

Much of the research conducted by faculty at Mercy University focuses on community issues and has strong potential for community impact. Through study of health, behavioral, organizational, or educational interventions, Mercy faculty are actively engaged in research that tests and demonstrates how to promote effective change that can improve our communities. Working closely with community partners around our region, Mercy faculty also study optimal ways of implementing tested interventions in effective fashion.

Mercy University is committed to broadening participation among students in authentic research in collaboration with faculty.  Currently, Mercy students participate in research through a variety of programs, including the McNair Scholars program and the University’s Honors Program, as well as in course-based research opportunities.  Undergraduate research, as defined by the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), is "inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution discipline".  As an institutional member of CUR, and in keeping with AAC&U high-impact educational practices, Mercy University is committed to promoting undergraduate research opportunities, as well as graduate student research opportunities, across the disciplines.

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) supports the work of Mercy University faculty and staff in seeking external funding for research, teaching and related endeavors. The OSP represents a font of information regarding grants and fellowships guidelines, resources, and potential funding sources--and offers a range of pre- and post-award services.

Mercy University provides a number of opportunities for faculty to advance their scholarship, research, and service projects through internal awards. These opportunities include the Faculty Travel Fund, which pays for a portion of travel expenses of faculty who have an active role at recognized scholarly meetings; Faculty Development Grants, which support research and scholarship projects that aim towards development of proposals for external support.

The Mercy University Research Salon is a series of gatherings conducted every monthly by and for faculty to discuss and advance research ideas, methods, resources, and related areas of concern. Discussions range over faculty members' specific research as well as broader issues and challenges. The Salon meetings are open to the University community, and are coordinated by Dr. Saul Fisher, Associate Provost for Research, Grants, and Academic Initiatives (sfisher@mercy.edu).

The Mercy University Institutional Review Board (IRB) conducts continuing review of research at intervals appropriate to the degree of risk to human participants. The University is committed to ethical principles for the protection of human participants in research, as set forth in the Belmont Report of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. The University recognizes and accepts responsibility, which shares with its investigators and other researchers, for determining that research involving human participants fulfills these ethical principles. The basic ethical principles, as outlined in the Belmont Report, guide the Institutional Review Board's deliberations and decision-making, including respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.

The Mercy University Libraries provide access to essential information supporting research and scholarship. The Library collection includes over 22,000 journals and scholarly publications via electronic databases and e-journal subscriptions. Books, ebooks, and other digital resources can be located via the catalog. The Library also enjoys benefits of memberships in tri-state area consortia and associations that provide faculty additional access to needed materials held by the other library collections. For further information and more detailed listings of resources, please visit the Mercy University Libraries page, or contact a librarian for assistance.