diff --git a/assets/script.js b/assets/script.js
index cfb4f0f..6c975c3 100644
--- a/assets/script.js
+++ b/assets/script.js
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 jQuery(document).ready(function ($) {
+  /** Triggers filtering and pagination of resources based on the current form state.
+   *
+   * @param {number} [paged=1] - The page number to query.
+   */
   function triggerFiltering(paged = 1) {
     let searchTerm = $('#search').val();
 
diff --git a/resource-filter.php b/resource-filter.php
index dc916a5..c432b79 100644
--- a/resource-filter.php
+++ b/resource-filter.php
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@ if (!defined('ABSPATH')) { exit; } // Prevent direct access
 require_once plugin_dir_path(__FILE__) . 'includes/template-loader.php';
 
 class ResourceFilterPlugin {
-  /**
-   * Registers the necessary actions and filters.
+  /** Registers the necessary actions and filters.
    *
    * Adds a shortcode handler for the 'resource_filter' shortcode.
    * Enqueues the necessary scripts and styles.
@@ -27,8 +26,7 @@ class ResourceFilterPlugin {
     add_action('wp_ajax_nopriv_filter_resources', [$this, 'filterResources']);
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Enqueues the necessary scripts and styles for the resource filter.
+  /** Enqueues the necessary scripts and styles for the resource filter.
    *
    * Checks if the 'resource_filter' shortcode is present on the page before loading.
    * Includes a CSS style and a JavaScript file specific to the plugin.
@@ -49,8 +47,7 @@ class ResourceFilterPlugin {
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Renders the resource filter form.
+  /** Renders the resource filter form.
    *
    * Loads the filter form template and displays a summary of the total resources.
    * Displays the number of resources and applied filters.
@@ -67,6 +64,64 @@ class ResourceFilterPlugin {
 
     ob_start();
 
+    $query = $this->getQuery();
+
+    $resTotal = $query->found_posts; // Default total resource count
+
+    // Determine which form template to load
+    $attTmpl = ($atts['type'] === 'homepage') ? 'filter-homepage.php' : 'filter-form.php';
+    $resForm = rfGetTemplate($attTmpl);
+    $summary = rfGetTemplate('filter-summary.php');
+
+    if ($resForm) {
+      include_once $resForm;
+    } else {
+      echo '<p>Error: Form template not found.</p>';
+    }
+
+    if ($atts['type'] === 'default') {
+      if ($summary) {
+        include_once $summary;
+      } else {
+        echo '<p>Error: Summary template not found.</p>';
+      }
+    ?>
+
+    <div id="resource-results">
+        <?php
+        if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
+          $this->filterResources(); // Directly render filtered results
+        } else {
+          $this->loadResources(); // Load all resources initially
+        }
+
+        $pagination_links = paginate_links([
+          'total' => $query->max_num_pages,
+          'current' => max(1, get_query_var('paged', 1)),
+          'format' => '?paged=%#%',
+          'prev_text' => '&laquo;',
+          'next_text' => '&raquo;',
+          'type' => 'list'
+        ]);
+        ?>
+    </div>
+    <?php
+      if ($pagination_links) {
+        echo '<div class="pagination">' . $pagination_links . '</div>';
+      }
+    }
+
+    return ob_get_clean();
+  }
+
+  /** Generate a WP_Query object based on the request method.
+   *
+   * If the request method is POST, build the query args based on the
+   * $_POST data. Otherwise, build a basic query for all resources.
+   *
+   * @return WP_Query The query object
+   */
+  private function getQuery() {
     if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
       $sort_order = isset($_POST['sort_order']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['sort_order']) : 'date_desc';
 
@@ -79,31 +134,7 @@ class ResourceFilterPlugin {
       ];
 
       // Sorting logic
-      switch ($sort_order) {
-        case 'date_asc':
-          $query_args['orderby'] = 'date';
-          $query_args['order'] = 'ASC';
-          break;
-
-        case 'date_desc':
-          $query_args['orderby'] = 'date';
-          $query_args['order'] = 'DESC';
-          break;
-
-        case 'title_asc':
-          $query_args['orderby'] = 'title';
-          $query_args['order'] = 'ASC';
-          break;
-
-        case 'title_desc':
-          $query_args['orderby'] = 'title';
-          $query_args['order'] = 'DESC';
-          break;
-
-        default:
-          $query_args['orderby'] = 'date';
-          $query_args['order'] = 'DESC';
-      }
+      $query_args = $this->applySorting($query_args, $sort_order);
 
       $tax_query = [];
 
@@ -134,119 +165,35 @@ class ResourceFilterPlugin {
         ];
       }
 
-      $query = new WP_Query($query_args);
+      return new WP_Query($query_args);
     } else {
-      $query = new WP_Query([
+      return new WP_Query([
         'post_type' => 'resource',
         'posts_per_page' => 12, // Show 12 results per page
         'paged' => max(1, get_query_var('paged', 1)), // Get current page number
       ]);
     }
-
-    $resTotal = $query->found_posts; // Default total resource count
-
-    // Determine which form template to load
-    $attTmpl = ($atts['type'] === 'homepage') ? 'filter-homepage.php' : 'filter-form.php';
-    $resForm = rfGetTemplate($attTmpl);
-    $summary = rfGetTemplate('filter-summary.php');
-
-    if ($resForm) {
-      include_once $resForm;
-    } else {
-      echo '<p>Error: Form template not found.</p>';
-    }
-
-    if ($atts['type'] === 'default') {
-    if ($summary) {
-      include_once $summary;
-      } else {
-      echo '<p>Error: Summary template not found.</p>';
-    }
-    ?>
-
-    <div id="resource-results">
-        <?php
-        if ($_SERVER['REQUEST_METHOD'] === 'POST') {
-          $this->filterResources(); // Directly render filtered results
-        } else {
-          $this->loadResources(); // Load all resources initially
-        }
-
-        $pagination_links = paginate_links([
-          'total' => $query->max_num_pages,
-          'current' => max(1, get_query_var('paged', 1)),
-          'format' => '?paged=%#%',
-          'prev_text' => '&laquo;',
-          'next_text' => '&raquo;',
-          'type' => 'list'
-        ]);
-        ?>
-    </div>
-    <?php
-      if ($pagination_links) {
-        echo '<div class="pagination">' . $pagination_links . '</div>';
-      }
-    }
-
-    return ob_get_clean();
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Load and display resources.
+  /** Modify the query args based on the specified sort order.
    *
-   * @return void
+   * The sort order can be one of the following:
+   * - date_asc: Sort by date in ascending order (oldest first).
+   * - date_desc: Sort by date in descending order (newest first).
+   * - title_asc: Sort by title in ascending order (A-Z).
+   * - title_desc: Sort by title in descending order (Z-A).
+   *
+   * If an invalid sort order is provided, the query args will default to sorting
+   * by date in descending order (newest first).
+   *
+   * @param array $query_args The query args to modify.
+   * @param string $sort_order The desired sort order.
+   *
+   * @return array The modified query args.
    *
    * @since 1.0.0
    */
-  public function loadResources() {
-    $query_args = [
-      'post_type' => 'resource',
-      'posts_per_page' => 12, // Show 12 results per page
-      'paged' => max(1, get_query_var('paged', 1)), // Get current page number
-    ];
-
-    $query = new WP_Query($query_args);
-    $resources = $query->posts;
-
-    $resResults = rfGetTemplate('resource-results.php');
-
-    if ($resResults) {
-      include_once $resResults;
-    } else {
-      echo '<p>Error: Results template not found.</p>';
-    }
-
-    wp_reset_postdata();
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * AJAX handler for filtering resources.
-   *
-   * Searches for resources based on search term, resource type, and/or resource subject.
-   * Returns a JSON response with the count of resources found and the HTML for the resource results.
-   *
-   * Verifies the nonce and sanitizes the input data.
-   *
-   * @since 1.0.0
-   */
-  public function filterResources() {
-    $is_ajax = defined('DOING_AJAX') && DOING_AJAX;
-
-    if ($is_ajax) {
-      check_ajax_referer('resource_filter_nonce', 'nonce');
-    }
-
-    $sort_order = isset($_POST['sort_order']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['sort_order']) : 'date_desc';
-
-    $query_args = [
-      'post_type'      => 'resource',
-      'posts_per_page' => 12, // Show 12 results per page
-      'paged'          => isset($_POST['paged']) ? intval($_POST['paged']) : 1, // Get current page number
-      'tax_query'      => [],
-      's'              => isset($_POST['search']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['search']) : '',
-    ];
-
-    // Sorting logic
+  private function applySorting($query_args, $sort_order) {
     switch ($sort_order) {
       case 'date_asc':
         $query_args['orderby'] = 'date';
@@ -273,34 +220,53 @@ class ResourceFilterPlugin {
         $query_args['order'] = 'DESC';
     }
 
-    $tax_query = [];
+    return $query_args;
+  }
 
-    if (!empty($_POST['resource_type'])) {
-      $resType = is_array($_POST['resource_type']) ? array_map('sanitize_text_field', $_POST['resource_type']) : sanitize_text_field($_POST['resource_type']);
+  /** Load and display resources.
+   *
+   * @return void
+   *
+   * @since 1.0.0
+   */
+  public function loadResources() {
+    $query_args = [
+      'post_type' => 'resource',
+      'posts_per_page' => 12, // Show 12 results per page
+      'paged' => max(1, get_query_var('paged', 1)), // Get current page number
+    ];
 
-      $query_args['tax_query'][] = [
-        'taxonomy' => 'resource_type',
-        'field'    => 'slug',
-        'terms'    => $resType,
-        'operator' => 'IN'
-      ];
+    $query = new WP_Query($query_args);
+    $resources = $query->posts;
+
+    $resResults = rfGetTemplate('resource-results.php');
+
+    if ($resResults) {
+      include_once $resResults;
+    } else {
+      echo '<p>Error: Results template not found.</p>';
     }
 
-    if (!empty($_POST['resource_subject'])) {
-      $query_args['tax_query'][] = [
-        'taxonomy' => 'resource_subject',
-        'field'    => 'slug',
-        'terms'    => array_map('sanitize_text_field', $_POST['resource_subject']),
-        'operator' => 'IN'
-      ];
+    wp_reset_postdata();
+  }
+
+  /** AJAX handler for filtering resources.
+   *
+   * Searches for resources based on search term, resource type, and/or resource subject.
+   * Returns a JSON response with the count of resources found and the HTML for the resource results.
+   *
+   * Verifies the nonce and sanitizes the input data.
+   *
+   * @since 1.0.0
+   */
+  public function filterResources() {
+    $is_ajax = defined('DOING_AJAX') && DOING_AJAX;
+
+    if ($is_ajax) {
+      check_ajax_referer('resource_filter_nonce', 'nonce');
     }
 
-    if (!empty($tax_query)) {
-      $query_args['tax_query'] = [
-        'relation' => 'AND', // Both filters must match
-        ...$tax_query
-      ];
-    }
+    $query_args = $this->buildQueryArgs();
 
     $query = new WP_Query($query_args);
 
@@ -317,32 +283,116 @@ class ResourceFilterPlugin {
     }
 
     if ($is_ajax) {
-      // Prepare response JSON
-      $response = [
-        'count' => $query->found_posts,
-        'filters' => [
-          'search' => isset($_POST['search']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['search']) : '',
-          'resource_type' => !empty($_POST['resource_type']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['resource_type']) : '',
-          'resource_subject' => !empty($_POST['resource_subject']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['resource_subject']) : ''
-        ],
-        'html' => ob_get_clean(),
-        'pagination' => paginate_links([
-          'total' => $query->max_num_pages,
-          'current' => isset($_POST['paged']) ? intval($_POST['paged']) : 1,
-          'format' => '?paged=%#%',
-          'add_args' => [], // Pass additional query arguments
-          'prev_text' => '&laquo;',
-          'next_text' => '&raquo;',
-          'type' => 'array',
-        ])
-      ];
-
-      echo json_encode($response);
-      wp_die();
+      $this->sendAjaxResponse($query);
     } else {
       echo ob_get_clean();
     }
   }
+
+  /** Build the query arguments array for filtering resources.
+   *
+   * Uses the $_POST data to generate the query arguments for the WP_Query object.
+   * Sanitizes the input data to prevent SQL injection attacks.
+   *
+   * @return array The query arguments array.
+   *
+   * @since 1.0.0
+   */
+  private function buildQueryArgs() {
+    $sort_order = isset($_POST['sort_order']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['sort_order']) : 'date_desc';
+
+    $query_args = [
+      'post_type'      => 'resource',
+      'posts_per_page' => 12, // Show 12 results per page
+      'paged'          => isset($_POST['paged']) ? intval($_POST['paged']) : 1, // Get current page number
+      'tax_query'      => [],
+      's'              => isset($_POST['search']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['search']) : '',
+    ];
+
+    $query_args = $this->applySorting($query_args, $sort_order);
+    $query_args['tax_query'] = $this->buildTaxQuery();
+
+    return $query_args;
+  }
+
+  /** Builds a taxonomy query array for filtering resources by type and subject.
+   *
+   * Constructs a taxonomy query based on the 'resource_type' and 'resource_subject'
+   * POST parameters. The function checks if these parameters are present and
+   * properly sanitizes them before adding them to the query. If both parameters
+   * are provided, the query will require both conditions to match using an 'AND'
+   * relation.
+   *
+   * @return array The constructed tax query array, or an empty array if no filters are applied.
+   */
+
+  private function buildTaxQuery() {
+    $tax_query = [];
+
+    if (!empty($_POST['resource_type'])) {
+      $resType = is_array($_POST['resource_type']) ? array_map('sanitize_text_field', $_POST['resource_type']) : sanitize_text_field($_POST['resource_type']);
+
+      $tax_query[] = [
+        'taxonomy' => 'resource_type',
+        'field'    => 'slug',
+        'terms'    => $resType,
+        'operator' => 'IN'
+      ];
+    }
+
+    if (!empty($_POST['resource_subject'])) {
+      $tax_query[] = [
+        'taxonomy' => 'resource_subject',
+        'field'    => 'slug',
+        'terms'    => array_map('sanitize_text_field', $_POST['resource_subject']),
+        'operator' => 'IN'
+      ];
+    }
+
+    if (!empty($tax_query)) {
+      return [
+        'relation' => 'AND', // Both filters must match
+        ...$tax_query
+      ];
+    }
+
+    return $tax_query;
+  }
+
+  /** Sends an AJAX response with resource filtering results.
+   *
+   * Constructs a response array containing the number of resources found,
+   * the applied filters, the HTML output of the resources, and pagination links.
+   * The response is then encoded as a JSON object and sent back to the client.
+   *
+   * @param WP_Query $query The query object containing the filtered resources.
+   *
+   * @since 1.0.0
+   */
+
+  private function sendAjaxResponse($query) {
+    $response = [
+      'count' => $query->found_posts,
+      'filters' => [
+        'search' => isset($_POST['search']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['search']) : '',
+        'resource_type' => !empty($_POST['resource_type']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['resource_type']) : '',
+        'resource_subject' => !empty($_POST['resource_subject']) ? sanitize_text_field($_POST['resource_subject']) : ''
+      ],
+      'html' => ob_get_clean(),
+      'pagination' => paginate_links([
+        'total' => $query->max_num_pages,
+        'current' => isset($_POST['paged']) ? intval($_POST['paged']) : 1,
+        'format' => '?paged=%#%',
+        'add_args' => [], // Pass additional query arguments
+        'prev_text' => '&laquo;',
+        'next_text' => '&raquo;',
+        'type' => 'array',
+      ])
+    ];
+
+    echo json_encode($response);
+    wp_die();
+  }
 }
 
 new ResourceFilterPlugin();