Preparation & Presearch

Now that you have located the Research Criteria within the Research Outline, it is time to do some presearch. Spend the next few minutes deciding whether the information is available or if you will proceed with either a partial or full client update.

To not miss Research Criteria, we highly recommend using some of the strategies learned in the Proficiency curriculum, such as writing them down on a piece of paper or entering them into the editor as headers so nothing is missed.

• Make sure you understand all definitions and jargon.
• Break down Research Criteria into manageable steps.
• Make a project outline in the editor to ensure you do not miss any Research Criteria.

Step One- Common Project Types

Review the Common Project Types for minimum requirements and a guide on completing the job.

Step Two- Presearch

Wrap your mind around the research. Envision what the answer looks like. What information do you need? What instructions do you have?

1. Start with the hardest Request Criteria first.
2. Keep track of good sources and strategies.
3. Do a direct Google search.
   1. Paste the actual question into the search bar.
   2. Ask Google for help! For instance, you can ask, “How or where can I find a company’s advertising spend? “How can I identify a company’s clients?” You will be surprised at how much Google can help when you do not know where to start.
   3. Pay close attention to the alternatives that Google presents as you are typing. These can all be helpful research paths.
   4. If your search did not give you the results you wanted, check the other similar searches that are at the bottom of each page. This will often give you a search string you have not thought about yet. Modifying keywords is an easy way to come up with additional search strings.
   5. Think of possible synonyms or alternative phrases for the keywords you are searching.
      1. If you are struggling, try a website like Keyword Surfer or AnswerThePublic.
4. Use the Master Resource List to locate available resources by topic quickly.
5. Use an Advanced Google Search to focus on a date, phrase, region, website, etc. This advanced search will take care of Boolean for you. Read more about Boolean and X-Ray searches here.
6. Install Waldo to have a guided research process.
7. If you are still struggling, try approaching the research from a new angle.
   1. How the question is written will shade how you interpret it, but sometimes that can set you off on the wrong path. If you find yourself stuck here, take a step back. What industry contains the product the client has inquired about? How does that industry operate? Does knowing a little more about it make the client's question make more or less sense? And if you find the client is asking for something that’s not available because of the state of that industry and how it operates, how can you gently correct them? One effective way is to explain why, based on those industry particulars you’ve unearthed, the assumptions in the original query aren’t quite right.

If you do not find relevant information or a relevant research strategy within the first 15 minutes or so of presearching, switch gears to look for ways to triangulate the information or to see if there is an appropriate proxy or assumption.