Textbooks and journal articles show a tidy version of science. Real research? Messy, iterative, and full of failure. In this episode of Un-Hidden Curriculum, we unpack what actually happens behind the scenes of a research study—from figuring out how to ask the right questions to designing flawed experiments, wrangling messy data, and navigating inevitable setbacks. You’ll learn why failure isn’t just normal but necessary, how science actually moves forward, and what no one tells you about timelines, funding, and the not-so-glamorous middle of doing science.