1. Plan your research. A solid plan

1. Plan your research. A solid plan yields better results in less time.2. Locate the data and information you need. The research plan tells you what to look for; your next step is to figure out where the data and information are and how to access them.3. Process the data and information you’ve located. The data and information you find probably won’t be in a form you can use immediately and will require some processing, which might involve anything from statistical analysis to resolving the differences between two or more expert opinions.4. Apply your findings. You can apply your research findings in three ways: summarizing information for someone else’s benefit, drawing conclusions based on what you’ve learned, or developing recommendations.5. Manage information efficiently. Many companies today are trying to maximize the return on the time and money they invest in business research by collecting and sharing research results in a variety of computer-based systems, known generally as knowledge management (KM) systems.