Those of you who have enrolled in university have probably heard that you will have to conduct research on a specific topic at the end of your undergraduate course. Or, if you are planning to go abroad for higher education, you might want to publish one or more research papers during your undergraduate studies to make future admissions easier. Even just a few years ago, research was thought to be needed only for PhDs or Master’s degrees, but that is no longer the case. Many universities now include research work as part of their undergraduate programs. Today, I will discuss how undergraduate students can prepare themselves to become researchers.

“Research” – What Does It Mean?“

Research is a process in which you discover, analyze, and observe a specific topic in order to create new knowledge, or solve a problem. At the undergraduate level, research offers you a unique opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in a practical way.

Types of Research:

Although the term “research” is very broad and can refer to many different things, for undergraduate students I would categorize research into two types—

(1) Fundamental Research: This type of research is conducted to gain new knowledge. Here, new theories are added to existing theoretical knowledge.

(2) Applied Research: Research aimed at finding practical solutions to scientific or social problems.

Steps in the Research Process

It’s very important to know which topic you want to research and why. Let’s break these down a bit:

1. Identify Your Area of Interest

There are countless topics you could research, both globally and in Bangladesh. But what should you choose? The first thing you need is to discover your own area of interest. This could be a subject from your honors curriculum, but there are also many topics outside of that. So, how do you go about finding your interests? Let’s take a look:

• Start by making a list of your favorite subjects.
• Read books and research articles or papers on these subjects.
• Discuss the topic and try to learn deeply by talking to your professors or classmates.
• Which of these topics excites you the most—one that never feels boring to study and always makes you want to learn more? That’s your main area of interest.

Of course, as easily as I’m explaining this to you, it’s not always that simple. While we may find it easy to form opinions about others, we often don’t truly know ourselves that well. So it might take some time to discover your own interests. But don’t worry about that.

Let me share a personal experience. Like you, during my undergraduate studies, I really struggled to identify my own interests. Even though I was studying Electrical Engineering, I was more excited about applying it to different fields than just working in the core discipline itself. At that time, I became very interested in biology. I studied my undergraduate in Japan—and as you know, it’s quite difficult to find local Bangladeshi food abroad. To solve this, a few of us formed a shared house where we all used to eat together. I was the only engineer; everyone else was researching genetics or biotechnology. The more I heard about biotechnology from them, the more interested I became. While searching for a research topic, I looked for teachers among our faculty who were working in bio-related fields. That’s when I found Professor Uchida, who was working on biomaterials and DNA structure. Discovering my area of interest was one of the most important phases of my life. Later on, I started working in biomedical research and continue to do so today. That’s my story. But you also need to find your own area of passion in a similar way.

Let me add a little extra here. Don’t stress about what you should research—focus instead on what would make you enjoy the research process. If it’s not something you enjoy, it will be very difficult to succeed.

2. Formulate a “Research Question”

After identifying your area of interest, define a specific question or problem that you want to investigate. A good research question should have the following characteristics:

• Clear: Precise and focused.
• Researchable: Can be investigated with available resources.
• Significant: Meaningful and valuable in your field.
• Example: If you are interested in environmental science, a research question could be: “What impact does urbanization have on the biodiversity of coastal areas?”

Find the “Why?”

Just creating a research question isn’t enough—you also need to know the reason behind it. Knowing the “why” is crucial. I recommend watching Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” video on this topic. There’s also a book expanding on his ideas, which you might find helpful.

3. Find a Supervisor or Mentor

It’s hard to do research alone. That’s why you will need a mentor or supervisor—and it’s up to you to find one. It could be a professor, researcher, or senior student who can guide you through the research process.

• How to find a mentor?
  • Contact professors in your department who have expertise in your area of interest.
  • Attend seminars, workshops, or networking events to meet experienced researchers.
  • Look for opportunities to work as a research assistant.
  • You can find many Bangladeshi researchers on Scientist.org—feel free to reach out to them as well.
  • If you want to choose someone from outside your university as a mentor, talk to your department chair or someone at that level for advice on the process. This will depend on your university’s policies regarding the undergraduate program.

4. Learn About the Research Process

It’s important to learn about research methods that are appropriate for your research question. Generally, typical research processes include:

• Literature Review: Study previous work on your topic and identify gaps that still need to be addressed.
• Data Collection: Methods may include experiments, surveys, simulations, or field studies.
• Data Analysis: Use statistical or qualitative methods to analyze your findings.
• Conclusion: Review your results and draw conclusions, relating them to your research question.

5. Start with Small Steps

Many new researchers dream of making a big impact right away. There’s nothing wrong with that—it’s natural. However, when starting your research career, don’t set huge goals at first; instead, set small, achievable targets based on your current abilities. This approach greatly increases your chances of long-term success.

Almost every university offers undergraduate research opportunities. Students can join faculty research projects as assistants. This is a great opportunity to gain practical experience, which lays a solid foundation for future research. By participating directly in research projects, students can develop skills in research methodology, techniques, and learning how to tackle various challenges.

Therefore, as a beginner, it’s important to set small, realistic goals for starting your research journey, and to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by your university to gain valuable experience.

• What to Do:
  • Find out about research programs offered at your university.
  • Apply for summer internships at research institutes or laboratories.
  • Participate in student research conferences or competitions.
  • Nowadays, you can also do remote research with many organizations right from Bangladesh. So, reach out to relevant organizations as well.

6. Develop Essential Research Skills

Just studying isn’t enough to succeed in research—you will also need to develop several other skills. Some important ones include:

• Critical Thinking: This is a mental process through which you try to find a logical, well-considered, and analytical solution to a problem or question. It involves verifying information, ensuring the soundness of reasoning, and making accurate decisions. Critical thinking means not just accepting information, but questioning its validity, logic, and connections to other relevant facts. It’s an active process where you question every step and analyze the problem from all possible angles.
• Writing Skills: This is absolutely necessary for a researcher. Clearly and effectively presenting your research results, ideas, and proposals is essential. Developing skills in writing research papers, reports, and proposals is vital for successfully executing any research activity.
• Time Management: This skill helps you plan and organize tasks effectively to complete them within deadlines. As a researcher, managing your time is crucial for maintaining the quality of your work and meeting timelines.
• Collaboration: This is the ability to work with others and find solutions as a team to achieve a common goal. In research or academia, collaboration is very important because it harnesses different perspectives, skills, and experiences. Good communication skills are essential for successful collaboration—sharing information, expressing opinions, and maintaining good relationships with everyone in the team. Effective coordination with supervisors, peers, and research team members helps enhance productivity.

7. Learn to Write a Research Proposal

A research proposal is a document that outlines the plan and guidelines for your research before you begin. It’s an important document that describes what your research will focus on, why it’s important, and how you plan to carry it out. Proposals are typically required for funding or for internal university approval, where you must explain your research objectives, scientific significance, and expected contribution. Before starting any research, you must clarify why you want to do it. By now, you probably realize how important it is to find the “why” behind your research.

(I’ve probably used the word “why” an awful lot in this article and spent a lot of time talking about it, haven’t I? The truth is, it’s extremely important—something we often fail to consider.)

8. Find Funding or Grants

Some research projects may require funding for equipment, travel, or materials. Universities, government agencies, and private organizations offer grants for students. In Bangladesh, this can be challenging, but speak with your department’s teachers—what’s the harm in trying, right?

9. Publish Your Research

After conducting your research and discovering something new—either on your own or with your team—that isn’t the end. The most important step comes next: letting the world know what you have found that no one else has before. Once you’ve gained knowledge, you have a duty to share it with humanity. Otherwise, your achievement doesn’t have much value. Publishing your research is essential for sharing your findings. You can present them at academic journals or conferences. When publishing in journals, check the impact factor to evaluate their quality. I’ll discuss impact factors in detail another time, okay?

• Ways to Publish:
  • University journals or student research journals.
  • Presentations at undergraduate research conferences.
  • Writing blogs or articles about your research.

Conclusion

Many of us dream of becoming researchers, but as you get involved in the research process, you’ll realize it’s not as easy as it looks. Anything worthwhile feels difficult at first, but the most important things are patience, perseverance, and keeping your passion alive—a lesson I’ve learned both from my own life and from interviewing nearly a hundred scientists and researchers on Scientist.org. Prepare yourself thoroughly as a researcher, and I hope you achieve great success. If you found this article helpful, don’t forget to share it with your friends.