<aside> 💡 The Research Strategy explains why and how you gave the answer you did. This section allows you to map out your research journey. It is how we prove our credibility to the client through a step-by-step explanation of our logic. It includes any assumptions or estimates you made, any calculations you performed, and any strategies you used to arrive at your answer.

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Use this section to explain the research paths you took; the key sources consulted, any triangulation/calculations performed, and/or any assumptions made.

Why is a Research Strategy important? Here we can address any issues we have with the research or explain the steps we took to answer their question. It is often this section that lets the client understand that we did our due diligence and provides insight into the research process.

Requirements

Follow these steps and format in Research Strategy:

1. Add a “Research Strategy” header at the end of your research report. This is required for all types of Research jobs.

2. In 1-2 short paragraphs, detail the research paths you took in producing the report under the “Research Strategy” header.

3. Define any criteria used and/or provide a logical explanation of the reasoning behind any assumptions made. If a triangulation/calculation was performed, outline the math for the client. Make sure the report is well-reasoned, free of logical fallacies, and contradictions.

4. If data was available and the research was straightforward, use this template for the Research Strategy:

   “For this research on [INSERT TOPIC], we leveraged the most reputable sources of information that were available in the public domain, including [INSERT REPUTABLE SOURCE NAMES & Links]".

5. Avoid generalized research strategies (e.g., “we reviewed industry news, market reports, and journal articles but couldn’t find the information” or “we scoured through surveys, studies, and company documents). Clearly mention which news reports, market reports, surveys, studies, and company documents were consulted and cite at least some of these sources.

6. If it makes more sense to share the assumptions, triangulations, or creative research paths you took within the findings, feel free to do so, but remember to briefly summarize the Research Strategy in its section as well. For example, if you’ve performed calculations in the findings section, you won’t repeat those calculations in the Research Strategy section, but you’ll briefly explain how you performed the calculations, i.e., which data points you used and how/why. Here are a few examples:

   • We used the latest available annual revenue of Lenovo and the global computer hardware market size to estimate the share of Lenovo in the global computer hardware market.
   • We used the penetration rate of wireless earbuds among Gen Z consumers and the average amount Gen Z consumers spend on wireless earbuds to estimate the size of the wireless earbuds market for Gen Z consumers.
   • We used the percentage of millennial smartphone users in Europe and the total number of smartphone users in Europe to calculate the number of millennial smartphone users in Europe.

• 📢 📢 If the Research is a Client Update (Partial or Full), follow the requirements and format outlined on the Client Updates page and provide at least one creative strategy. 📢 📢

  • Clearly demonstrate that you went beyond a basic Google search or a company’s official website to confirm the unavailability of the required information. Explain where you looked and/or why data wasn’t available, and provide at least one creative research strategy.

    Creative research strategies include attempts to triangulate the required information, making logical assumptions, searching relevant databases or census data, reviewing expert interviews, surveys, or industry reports, among other sources.

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For more information, check out these pages below.