Supporting your reports with research is important. Researching without a plan wastes time. Therefore, following these 5 steps outlined by Bovee is important to success:

1. "Plan your research. Planning is the most important step of any research project because a clear plan yields better results in less time.
2. Locate the data and information you need. 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 located. The data and information you find probably won't be in a form you can use immediately and may require statistical analysis or other processing.
4. Apply your findings. You can apply your research findings in three ways: summarizing information, drawing conclusions, and developing recommendations.
5. Manage information efficiently. Many companies try to maximize the return on the time and money invested in business research by collecting and sharing research results in a variety of systems, known generally as knowledge management systems" (Bovee, p 526, 2018).

Do you see any area you can improve on when completing research for reports or even an assignment?