Now, creating goals is the easier part. How do you actually make these goals into a reality. Here's each step you need to do to succeed in research. Whether your goal is winning 1st place at ISEF or competing on the regional level, there are some steps that are needed for every project. 

1) Getting help. 

Completing an entire project by yourself and doing the statistical analysis is challenging. Unless you're already introduced to these topics and data science tools, it becomes very hard to complete a project by yourself. Seeking help is your best strategy. This means finding a mentor who can help guide you through the research process and teach you to do research yourself. This can also mean finding other students who have competed in science fairs and conducted research. Our resources on this website have plenty of introductory material to research and the science fair process. 

I'll link some useful resources below: 

46 page guide by the Unity Network x GenXL on research for beginners
Generating a research topic from scratch
A Beginners Guide to ISEF

But regardless, seeking out a mentor is the number one step you can do to creating a project. Now, before you seek out a mentor, be sure to think of several things.

1) Type of research. Do you want to do a lab-based project or a computational project? This will alter whether location matters for your project. In addition, keep in mind lab-based research projects are typically more time-intensive. Consider the time it takes to commute, set up in the lab, and actually working on the research project. Remember, you'll probably be doing research during the school year so it makes it extremely challenging to balance everything. Computational projects also require a lot of time with coding, creating datasets, etc so both will be time consuming and you have to determine which type of research is best suited with your given skills and time availability. If you have some decent coding experience already and have less time, then a computational project is probably a better idea. Remember, If you do a computational project, you're not prohibited by location and you can seek a mentor from anywhere in the world which can also be a huge plus.

2) Brainstorm ideas and become an expert. You don't want to simply email professors without an idea of what they're working on or what project you want to do. That's a waste of your time and their time. Instead, you want to deeply research the topic you want to study. This fundamentally means you will need to read papers and  understand the key concepts and problem. Look at the professor's work and have questions to ask. This way, when you ask these mentors to help you, they're more willing to. Make sure this is a topic you actually want to go deeper into. Exhibit passion!

You do not want to work on a project you're not interested in and are simply doing to have a project. You won't be happy. Having passion in your topic will also motivate you to seek to understand the issue much better than if you're doing the bare minimum when it comes to understanding. These professors are happy to talk with people about their work, especially when they themselves understand the topic well. But even if you can't get a good grasp on their project, still, shoot an email. Research is tough for a reason, and if you've already tried your best, it's still better to find a mentor who can help you with the process, than struggle alone. 

Additional Resource: 
The Guide to Cold Emailing Professors & Researchers 

2) Summer Research Programs

Now, getting a mentor is one way to definitely enter the research field and gain critical help, but it's not the only way. Finding a research program to attend to can be a great way to start research and also allows you to find a mentor from the program to work long term with, even after the program has ended.

First, how do you find a program to attend? 

The web is your best friend in this case so scour the internet for different programs. Often reddit will have good advice (no joke) and previous program attendees can tell you what went well or poorly about the program. You can find people that have attended programs in the past through discord servers, personal relations, LinkedIn, etc. In addition, the Unity Network has a ton of different research programs reviews listed on our website including personal insights into RSI, BU RISE, SSP, and more! Check them out in our research program reviews page which are also separated by regions of the U.S. Do a thorough job researching programs and ultimately compile a list of programs you believe best fit you based on scientific interest, cost, and other factors we will cover.

Here's a step-by-step process on how to select programs you desire to attend by looking at critical factors when determining a research program. 

1) Location: 

Programs will be located all across the world (we will talk about specifically the U.S), mostly on the East and West coast in large cities with strong research institutions like in Boston, New York, across California, etc. Most of the time, local colleges are open to high schoolers conducting research so check that out too. Find options that are both close to you and make sure to consider if you're able to travel far away, live away from home for an extended period of time (1-2 months), and the costs associated with such travel. 

2) Prestige: 

The most important consideration is of course prestige if you are unconstrained heavily by cost and location. Going to a top research program like the Research Science Institute (RSI), Summer Science Program (SSP), among other top programs are a great way to not only find an excellent mentor but also demonstrate to colleges that you are in the upper echelons of candidates who do research. RSI usually accepts 60-80 people from over 2000 applications, making it harder to get into than some ivy league schools. SSP boosts roughly a 10% acceptance rate and other competitive programs are around 5-20% in acceptance rate. 

3) Costs:

Of course, no matter how good a program is or how far it is, you have to consider costs and paying less is of course better. RSI is great because not only is it commonly agreed upon as the best research program but also completely free. Yep. RSI covers all expenses. Other programs will be much more expensive like SSP which costs around $4000-8000 depending on your financial aid. Other top programs will probably also cost in the thousands range. Going to a more local program or researching at a local university will be much cheaper and could still offer the same or if not greater benefits. 

There are other smaller factors to consider like how long a program is, what science research do they offer, how engaged are the mentors with students, and more to consider. But at the end of the day, remember to weigh your options. Going a prestigious program might be worth it even if it costs thousands of dollars but remember it's not the only option. Plenty of students conduct research at their local universities and go on to achieve great things like publishing in journals, qualifying to ISEF and the Regeneron STS competition. It's up to you to weigh your options based on these different factors and consider ultimately if you should go or not.