  Many modern theories which try to unify gravity with the Standard Model of
particle physics, as e.g. string theory, propose two key modifications to the
commonly known physical theories: i) the existence of additional space
dimensions; ii) the existence of a minimal length distance or maximal
resolution. While extra dimensions have received a wide coverage in
publications over the last ten years (especially due to the prediction of micro
black hole production at the LHC), the phenomenology of models with a minimal
length is still less investigated. In a summer study project for bachelor
students in 2010 we have explored some phenomenological implications of the
potential existence of a minimal length. In this paper we review the idea and
formalism of a quantum gravity induced minimal length in the generalised
uncertainty principle framework as well as in the coherent state approach to
non-commutative geometry. These approaches are effective models which can make
model-independent predictions for experiments and are ideally suited for
phenomenological studies. Pedagogical examples are provided to grasp the
effects of a quantum gravity induced minimal length. This article is intended
for graduate students and non-specialists interested in quantum gravity.
