Going from an unbalanced redox reaction to a balanced net redox reaction is not always an easy process. Now, equations for redox reactions often involve water molecules, hydronium molecules and hydroxide molecules. And therefore, determining the number of these molecules in a balanced equation can be very tedious. Fortunately, a systematic approach exists to finding the balanced redox reactions and I've outlined seven steps that you can follow when determining or balancing redox reactions. So let's see these steps. In the first step, you basically have to recognize what atom is oxidized and what atom is reduced.