A cooperative learning approach to involving students with diverse backgrounds, an Affinity Research Group (ARG) is an effective means of ensuring student engagement. Through a structured team approach, students learn how to conduct scholarly research, lead effective team discussions, kick off a research project, and much more. The ARG model, researched and documented with the support of the National Science Foundation, delivered results at the University of Texas, El Paso. During an evaluation of 175 group members over five years: * 78% of members participating in undergraduate research came from underrepresented student groups; * 30% of undergraduates continued to graduate school; * 100 papers have been published with student coauthors. Now, with this practical handbook, supplemented by author workshops nationwide, the success of the Affinity Research Group model can spread to all sorts of programs in a wide range of institutions.