Your employer asks you to recommend the best software for a particular project. You want to plan a trip during your spring break. You need to find an inexpensive source for your dog’s heartworm medication. Once you begin to think about it, you’ll find that many of your day-to-day activities call for research. Preparing to do research means taking a long look at what you already know, the best way to proceed, and the amount of time you have to find the information you need.