Welcome to Research 101, a resource where you can learn the basics of research, find undergraduate research opportunities, and connect with student researchers at Mesa. These resources were selected by professors Daniela Bruckman (biology), Erin Evans (sociology), Dean Leavitt (biology), Paige Hu (biology), and Waverly Ray (geography) to give you the tools you need to become a researcher.

The materials are organized in the following modules:

Module 1. Research Opportunities: Find out what research projects are looking for community college students (from the Mesa campus, to the San Diego community, and beyond).
Module 2. Mesa Community Connections: Find other Mesa students who are interested in research to ask questions, share insights, and collaborate with.
Module 3. Library Research Basics*: Don't be intimated by the specialized terms used by researchers! Check out the Glossary to learn the key terms used by researchers, and tutorials on finding and understanding existing research.
Module 4. Research Methods and Data Analysis: Review common research methods and learn about the different tools for data analysis.
Module 5. Conference Presentations: Learn the steps to create an awesome research poster at conferences. Also, find opportunities to present at conferences.
Module 6. Instructor Resources: Assignments and other resources that instructors can use in their classes.

*Be sure to utilize the library resources. To access them:

From a computer, you can click on Mesa Library in the left-hand menu in Canvas.
From the Canvas app, click on Mesa Library in the Research 101 course.

There's lots to explore on their page. We recommend that you utilize the Ask A Librarian link and schedule a research appointment to get one-on-one support.