FIELD GUIDE / 01

Good research starts with
better questions.

Find your direction. Start a mentor conversation. Make room for the work.

An independent guide to undergraduate research at Utah.

An illustrated path connecting a question, a conversation and a first research project.

A QUESTION IS A PLACE TO BEGIN.

The project and the paperwork are different paths.

Mentors shape research. OUR manages its programs. Departments and the Registrar handle course arrangements. CIS does not replace any of those decisions.

Understand the distinction →

YOUR READING ROUTES

Where are you
in the process?

Start with the question you have today.
Come back for the next one.

Find a direction

Start with a question, not a lab title

Turn a broad interest into a small, discussable first research direction.

3 MIN READ

Read an opportunity before you apply

A practical way to compare projects without confusing interest, availability and eligibility.

3 MIN READ

Work with a mentor

Make the first mentor conversation useful

Bring a focused introduction, an honest skills inventory and a few questions about the work.

3 MIN READ

Write a project scope small enough to use

Define a question, a first output and the boundaries that keep a beginner project manageable.

3 MIN READ

Organize the campus side

Keep UROP, mentorship and course credit separate

Three decisions may support one project, but they are not interchangeable approvals.

3 MIN READ

Build a research-course registration brief

Gather the department-specific details before touching a class schedule.

3 MIN READ

Keep the work moving

Keep a decision log, not just a task list

Remember why the plan changed and what needs a mentor decision next.

3 MIN READ

Prepare a research explanation before the poster

Build a clear account of the question, your contribution and the limits of the work.

3 MIN READ

An original illustration of a project scope with a question, a boundary and a first output.

FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

A small project.
A clear next step.

You do not need a finished proposal to start a useful conversation. You need something specific to ask, and an honest sense of what you can commit.

Build a one-page scope →

FOLLOW THE SOURCE

Official decisions stay
with the University.

Our articles offer planning ideas, not official approval. Check current requirements with the responsible office.

Office of Undergraduate Research ↗Registrar: registration resources ↗How we use sources →

Good research starts withbetter questions.

The project and the paperwork are different paths.

Find a direction

Work with a mentor

Organize the campus side

Keep the work moving

A small project.A clear next step.

Official decisions staywith the University.

Good research starts with
better questions.

A small project.
A clear next step.

Official decisions stay
with the University.