The research skills that you learn now will last you a lifetime. These skills will help you develop good habits that you aid you in your school years and beyond.  

It is important for you to understand that research is actually a process rather than something that happens naturally. The best researchers develop a process that allows them to fully comprehend the ideas they are researching and also turn the data into information that is usable for whatever the end purpose may be.  

• Form a question: Research should be targeted; develop a question you want to answer before progressing any further.

• Decide on resources: Not every resource is good for every question/problem. Identify the resources that will work best for you.

• Gather raw data: First, gather information in its rawest form; do not attempt to make sense of it at this point.

• Sort the data: After you have the information in front of you, decide what is important to you and how you will use it. Not all data will be reliable or worthwhile.

• Process information: Turn the data into usable information. This processing step may take longer than the rest combined. This is where you really see your data shape into something exciting.

• Create a final piece: This is where you would write a research paper, create a project or build a graph or other visual piece with your information. This may or may not be a formal document.

• Evaluate: Look back on the process. Where did you experience success and failure? Did you find an answer to your question?

Please note: this process can be adjusted to suit your particular needs.  Just remember that the goal is not only to find the data for your particular project, but to learn research skills that will help you in the long run.