Student Resources

Roadmap to Research 

Everyone's research journey is unique, but this outline can provide some structure as you embark on yours. 

• Be curious 

• • Hone in on your interests: Write down your favorite classes and why you liked them, journal about your favorite memories and how you could leverage that interest in research, and ask people close to you what they think your favorite academic subjects are. 

• • Explore Diverse Topics: Dive into various subjects that pique your interest. 

• • • Utilize search engines and AI to explore related topics. 

• • • • Example: ChatGPT “I am interested in anthropology; what are some related fields?” or “What are the hottest topics in music research in the last decade?” 

• Brainstorm 

• • Identify Problems: Look for gaps in existing research or issues that need solving. 

• • Generate Ideas: Hold brainstorming sessions individually or with peers to generate a list of potential research topics. 

• • • Have at least 2 interests prepared before your meetings. 

• Meetings 

• •  Meet with an advisor to help sharpen your ideas and develop them in a presentable way for potential mentors. Advisors can also help you establish connections with mentors. [Schedule a meeting here]
    • This can be your assigned advisor OR someone from the Undergraduate Research Council, the Undergraduate Scholars Program, or Undergraduate Research.  

• • Advisors will also help you evaluate the feasibility of your idea in terms of time, resources, and potential impact. 

• Meet your mentor 

• • Choose a mentor with the help of your advisor.

• • Email: Here is an email template to help you connect 

• • Establish a Relationship and Set Goals: Regularly meet with your mentor to discuss progress and seek guidance. Work with your mentor to set short-term and long-term research goals. Use our guide here to establish expectations with you new mentor. 

• Secure funding or credit

• •  Students can volunteer, work, or earn credit as they conduct research
  • How you get paid depends on several things, and your advisor/mentor can help with this. The grant that funds the research, the organization you applied through, or your status as a work-study are all examples of different ways payment gets configured.
  • Students can also earn credit for their research. This option is to be established through your mentor and will likely come from your mentor's department. 

• Training (discipline-specific) 

• • This is often in the beginning of your work via online courses to prepare you for hands-on research.  

• • Training timelines and expectations should be discussed in the initial Mentor-Mentee expectations meeting. 

• Research 

• • After you are fully trained, you will conduct your research and report back to your mentor. 
  • If you need assistance with special archives or literature reviews, the Renne Library's staff is excellent at helping! Schedule online to meet with a librarian (trust us, they'll love it). If in-person isn't your thing, you can also access their online resources. 

• Present/Publish

• • There are many opportunities for students to share their work. Just within Montana State, there is a student-run publication called Curiositas, the Annual Undergraduate Research Celebration in the Spring of each year, and ScholarWorks hosted by Renne Library. For more specifics on publishing and presenting, visit this page

To learn more about getting started on your research journey, visit these two sites!