 When you start your research journey, you may be overwhelmed and unsure where to start. You most likely have experience using a search engine such as Google, but academic research is not as simple as a Google search. Developed and organized research takes time, and your research question cannot be answered within a few minutes. The research process can become messy at times, which is completely normal and a part of the process. Research is like a long road trip with your family. You hope you can get from one destination to another in a timely manner, but you'll most likely get lost at some point and need to retrace your steps to find the phone you lost at a rest stop. However, do not be discouraged if you get lost or confused while researching. Here are steps you can take to make your journey as organized and timely as possible. Just keep in mind that research is non-linear and will require you to go back and make adjustments along the way. The first step of the research process is to understand the requirements of the assignment and understand what your instructor is requesting. Take notes and ask your instructor for clarification on any question you may have. The second step is to pick a topic for your research. Since you'll be spending a large amount of time researching, it is important to pick a topic that is of interest to you. If your instructor has already selected a topic or theme, then the third step would be spending time discovering interesting ways you could approach that specific topic. This is when you will do your background research and will most likely not cite the information you find in this step. This is the time when you will get a better understanding of your topic if you do not already have a strong background knowledge of the research. After you have a solid background knowledge, then the fourth step is to refine and polish your research topic. Since research is non-linear, you may need to revisit the previous steps multiple times before you solidify your final topic. Remember, creating a research topic is research. The fifth step is finding and selecting your resources. This is the step where you should be prepared to do a lot of searches with various search terms. You could be lucky and get great sources on the first couple of searches, but it's more than likely you will have to change up your search terms to get more relevant sources. You may discover during the step that the research is leading you away from your original topic or there are not enough published sources to support your research. This is okay and you can go back to the previous step and tweak your topic. The last step is beginning the writing process. While writing, it is okay to go back to the previous steps to make adjustments or tweak your topic along the way. Remember, the research process is like a road trip with your family. It is long and winding and can become hectic. It is important to spend time on all these steps and be prepared to make adjustments along the way. If you need help finding sources or with research help in general, you can always ask a librarian. Go to library.usu.edu and click on meet with a librarian for more information.