Research methods for innovators

Good research is reproducible: someone else can follow your notes and reach the same documents.

1. Define the question in one sentence.
2. Choose sources deliberately: scholarly (Google Scholar, OpenAlex, PubMed, arXiv), patents (Espacenet, PATENTSCOPE, IP India, Google Patents, The Lens), theses (Shodhganga, NDLTD), standards (BIS, ISO, ETSI) and products (IndiaMART, Amazon, Alibaba). Each covers different disclosures.
3. Keep a log — date, database, exact query, filters, hits, what you opened, what mattered. Use the search-log template in Resources.
4. Capture evidence properly: title, authors, publication date, link or DOI, and the exact passage. A date decides whether something is prior art, so get it from the source (Crossref for papers, the front page for patents).
5. Separate fact from inference. Write what the document says, then what you conclude.

Exercise: open a research workspace for your idea, add five keywords and two classifications you suspect, and log three searches.