---
name: desk-research
description: "Run effective desk research: search terms from sub-questions, source types from official statistics to filings and studies, search operators, primary sources, skimming and reading, lateral credibility checks, a research log, tracing citations, triangulation and summaries of what is known, uncertain and unknown. Use whenever someone needs to research a topic online, find statistics or market data, search for regulations or company information, trace a statistic to its source or build a research log."
license: CC-BY-4.0
metadata:
  author: Afeez Adebayo
  author_url: https://afeezadebayo.com
  author_linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/
  author_x: https://x.com/za_icon
  source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/research-learning/desk-research/
  category: productivity
  subcategory: research-learning
  version: "1.0.0"
  created: "2026-10-10"
  updated: "2026-10-14"
---

# Desk Research

Desk research means finding and using information that already exists: reports, statistics, company filings, regulations, academic papers, news, websites and databases. It is the fastest and cheapest research method, yet many people search badly: one vague query, the first few results, no record of sources and conclusions drawn from SEO-driven blog posts. Skilled researchers search more precisely, go to primary sources, use specialist databases, read laterally to check credibility and keep a clean record of everything they find.

This skill runs effective desk research: turning questions into search strategies, using search operators and specialist sources, finding primary data, reading efficiently, recording sources and notes, triangulating findings and summarising what is known, unknown and uncertain.

## Operating principles
1. **Start from the question.** Search for answers to sub-questions, not for the topic in general.
2. **Go to the source.** Prefer original data, filings, laws and studies over articles about them.
3. **Search precisely.** Use operators, specific terms and specialist databases.
4. **Record as you go.** Source, date, key fact and page or quote for everything you might use.
5. **Triangulate.** Important facts need more than one independent source.
6. **Know when to stop.** Stop when sub-questions are answered to the agreed standard.

## Source types
| Type | Examples | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Official statistics | National statistics offices, World Bank, OECD, central banks | Population, economy, sector data |
| Regulation and government | Laws, regulators' guidance, consultations | Rules, compliance, policy changes |
| Company sources | Annual reports, investor presentations, filings, pricing pages | Strategy, financials, products |
| Research and academia | Journals, working papers, university reports | Evidence, methods, effects |
| Industry reports | Analysts, trade associations | Market sizing, trends (check methods) |
| News and trade press | Reputable outlets, specialist publications | Recent events, interviews |
| Communities and reviews | Forums, review sites, social media | Customer language, complaints (biased samples) |
| Datasets | Open data portals, APIs, your own data | Analysis and verification |

## Search operators (Google and many engines)
| Operator | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| "exact phrase" | Exact wording | "net revenue retention" |
| site: | Search one site or domain type | site:gov.uk apprenticeship levy |
| filetype: | Find documents | filetype:pdf annual report 2025 fintech |
| - (minus) | Exclude words | jaguar -car |
| OR | Alternatives | (survey OR study) remote work productivity |
| intitle: | Words in the title | intitle:"market report" edtech Nigeria |
| before: / after: | Date limits (where supported) | data privacy fines after:2025-01-01 |
Check current operator support, as search engines change features over time.

## When to use, and when not to
Use it for market and competitor research, background before interviews, regulations, statistics, best practices and fact-finding for reports and decisions.

Don't use it when the answer does not exist in published sources (use interviews, surveys or experiments) or as a substitute for legal or financial advice.

## Inputs
- The research plan and sub-questions.
- Known sources and databases available (including paid ones).
- Regions, languages and time periods in scope.
- Evidence standards and deadline.

## Workflow

### Step 1. Turn sub-questions into search terms
List key terms, synonyms, technical terms, acronyms and the words experts use.

### Step 2. Choose source types
For each sub-question, which types of source are most likely to hold the answer?

### Step 3. Search systematically
Start broad to learn the vocabulary, then narrow with operators and specialist sources. Search official and primary sources directly.

### Step 4. Skim, then read
Skim titles, summaries and headings; read in full only sources likely to answer a sub-question.

### Step 5. Check credibility
Read laterally: what do other sources say about this source? See `source-evaluation`.

### Step 6. Record findings
One line per fact: claim, number, source, date, link, page, confidence.

### Step 7. Follow citations
Trace statistics back to their original source; use reference lists to find better sources.

### Step 8. Triangulate
Compare sources on key facts; note agreements, conflicts and gaps.

### Step 9. Summarise
For each sub-question: what we know, how confident we are, what conflicts and what is still unknown.

## Research log template
```
| # | Sub-question | Claim or data | Source | Date | Link | Page or quote | Type | Confidence |
| 1 | Market size | 4,200 secondary schools in Lagos | State education ministry | 2024 | ... | p. 12 | Primary | High |
| 2 | Market size | 38% use paid digital tools | Industry survey | 2025 | ... | Table 3 | Secondary, n=300 | Medium |
```

## Finding primary sources
- Search the publisher of a statistic, not the article quoting it.
- Look for "methodology", "technical notes" or "about this data" pages.
- Use regulators' and statistics offices' own search tools.
- For companies, use investor relations pages and official filings.
- For research, use Google Scholar, PubMed, SSRN or arXiv, and check whether a paper is peer-reviewed or a preprint.

## Specialist databases worth knowing
| Need | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Company filings (UK) | Companies House |
| Company filings (US) | SEC EDGAR |
| Academic research | Google Scholar, PubMed, SSRN, arXiv, Semantic Scholar |
| Global statistics | World Bank Open Data, OECD, UN data portals |
| Patents | Google Patents, national patent offices |
| Web archives | Internet Archive Wayback Machine for past versions of pages |
| Search trends | Google Trends for relative interest over time |

## Using AI search carefully
AI search and research tools can speed up finding sources, but they can also cite pages that do not say what is claimed. Open every cited source for key facts, check dates and record the original source rather than the AI summary. See `ai-assisted-research`.

Save the log beside the final report.

## Edge cases and judgement calls
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Data is old | Use it with the date stated; look for newer proxies |
| Sources conflict | Compare methods and dates; report both with reasons |
| Non-English sources | Search in local languages; translate carefully; note translation |
| Paywalled reports | Look for executive summaries, press releases, author talks or library access |
| Only blog posts available | Treat as low confidence; trace claims back or seek other methods |
| Too much information | Return to sub-questions; stop collecting what does not answer them |

## Handoffs to related skills
- Planning: `research-planning`
- Credibility checks: `source-evaluation`
- Checking specific claims: `fact-checking`
- AI research tools: `ai-assisted-research`
- Academic sources: `literature-review`
- Synthesis: `research-synthesis`

## Worked example
A marketing manager needed the size of the digital learning market in Lagos secondary schools. Generic searches returned blog posts quoting a figure with no source. Using the skill, she searched the state education ministry and national statistics sites for school counts, found an industry survey with a disclosed sample for adoption rates, used company pricing pages for typical spend and traced the blog figure back to a 2019 report that measured something different. The log recorded each source with dates and confidence, and the final estimate gave a range with clear assumptions instead of a single unsupported number.

## Common mistakes
- One vague search and the first page of results.
- Quoting statistics without finding their origin.
- Mixing old and new data without dates.
- No research log.
- Collecting interesting facts that do not answer the question.

## Output format
```
1. Search strategy per sub-question
2. Research log
3. Findings by sub-question with confidence
4. Conflicts and gaps
5. Sources list
```

## Self-check before you answer
- Were searches tied to sub-questions?
- Were primary sources found for key facts?
- Is every claim logged with source and date?
- Are confidence, conflicts and gaps stated?

---
Created by Afeez Adebayo, Marketing, SEO & Growth Expert
Website: https://afeezadebayo.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/afeez-adebayo/
X: https://x.com/za_icon
Source: https://afeezadebayo.com/skills-md/productivity/research-learning/desk-research/

Licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share and adapt this skill, including for commercial use, as long as you credit Afeez Adebayo and link to the source URL above. Keep this notice in any copy or adapted version.