1. Conducting Research

Library books; research; reading

Quotation (Ratcliffe, 2018). Image generated with AI by Lila Patel, from Adobe Stock [Education License – Standard Image].

Most projects you work on—whether you are planning or implementing ideas, proposing ideas, or recommending solutions—will require research. Research can save you time by

  • determining what other similar designs/solutions have already been proposed,
  • what has been tried and tested in the past and what the results were,
  • what patents are already in place, and so forth.

It also helps you to understand the background of your project and how it fits into a larger context. Research helps you to find out about previous studies on your topic and what those researchers have concluded.

Finally, research is necessary to help you to develop and validate your ideas by showing how similar projects have had beneficial outcomes. Researching is one of the key steps in any number of projects you may be working on once you enter the workplace.

REFERENCES

Kyte, M. (2024, January 27). Technical communications: Introduction to communications in aviation. Seneca. https://pressbooks.senecapolytechnic.ca/technicalcommunications/ [Used under CC BY 4.0]

Ratcliffe, S. (Ed.). (2018). Oxford Essential Quotations. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acref/9780191866692.001.0001

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Technical Communication for TCOM 104 Copyright © 2026 by Katherine Dyck; Suzan Last; McDonald Kyte; Robin L. Potter; and Tricia Hylton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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