By Pranit Prasanna Are you stuck with a science research project idea and unsure of your next steps?

Whether you're just starting out or facing hurdles along the way, know that you're not alone.

Having someone to offer support and guidance can help you navigate through challenges and reach your research goals more efficiently.

By definition, a mentor is someone who can provide expert-level guidance and gets along well with you, whether that be by understanding where your idea arises from or putting up with your questions for hours upon hours.

They can guide when you are experiencing trouble and evaluate your solutions to ensure success.

First and foremost, you should search for experts that are actually working in the field currently such as professors or scientists working in a lab.

You should read the research papers of the people you are contacting to understand what they do and whether they will be able to help you or not.

This will reduce the number of “failed” emails you get.

The easiest and most straightforward method of reaching out to people to assist you with your research is by emailing them.

Some important things you should include are your passion and interest.

Most field experts are very busy and your email must overcome this barrier for you to get help from them.

You should show them that you truly care about your research topic and not just make it look like you want to add something to your resume.

Additionally, add the specifics of your project in the email and any questions you have so they can get a better understanding of your project.

Send multiple of these and don’t be disappointed if most or even all of them are declined.

The most important thing during this apprehensive time is to stay calm and have a positive mindset.

Without thinking of it as “rejected,” consider less connotatively powerful words or phrases as failure is not a stopping point but rather a checkpoint to measure your courage and perseverance.

If you are truly passionate about your topic of research, you are sure to get a better opportunity in the future.

You should send around 3 to 5 emails per day.

The number of emails you get back will accumulate quickly; therefore, you should keep them organized in a platform such as Google Sheets.

After you have obtained a mentor, you should schedule a virtual or in-person meeting with them depending on your locality.

Before this meeting, list down questions that you have for them and also read their research papers to get better insight into their research, which could be very closely connected to yours.

After your meeting, evaluate the number of questions answered as well as their interest in helping you through facial expressions and how they talk with you.

You will clearly be able to tell.

Finally, if they have met all your requirements, ask them if they could potentially meet with you once every other week or whatever works best for them.

If they agree, then Congratulations!

You should already have a project in mind and work with the mentor so that they can help you head in the right direction with their feedback, answer your questions, and teach you methods that they use that can help you.

Remember that this is still an independent project with some extra guidance from an industry professional, so make sure your mentor isn’t giving you the research idea or doing the research for you.

Even though in theory, research projects can be completed without a mentor, the experience is worthwhile and creates lasting impacts that extend later into your life.

You can develop your network of people to possibly apply for an internship or even a job.