what is research methods starfield

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Research Methods Skill Rank Up Guide

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Research Methods is a Novice Science skill that reduces the required crafting resources and speeds up the completion of research projects in Starfield. Read on to learn the effects of the Research Methods skill, how to unlock and rank up the Research Methods skill, and the backgrounds that know it.

List of Contents

• How to Unlock and Overview
• How to Rank Up
• Related Guides

Research Methods How to Unlock and Overview

Research methods skill overview.

Research Methods Skill
	Science
	Novice
By skilfully employing both new and time tested methods, a researcher may complete projects faster, and even gain unexpected insights.

How to Unlock Research Methods

Spend a skill point to unlock skill.

As Research Methods is a Novice skill, it can be learned without having to spend skill points on other skills in the Science skill tree. You just need to spend a skill point on Research Methods to learn it.

Backgrounds with the Research Methods Skill

The Research Methods skill is automatically learned by the following backgrounds:

List of All Backgrounds

How to Rank Up Research Methods Skill

All rank challenges and effects.

Rank	Challenge	Effects
1	-	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 10%.
2	Craft 5 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 20%.
3	Craft 10 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 40%.
4	Craft 15 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.	Sudden developments during research are twice as common. Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 60%.

Craft Different Items to Complete the Challenge

This does not refer to any rarity of items such as Unique Weapons or Unique Armors , or the unique components you can craft in the Industrial Workbench .

Where to Craft Different Items

Craftable Item	Workbench

Starfield Related Guides

• List of All Skills

Skills Guide

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All Skill Trees

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Starfield: How The Research Lab Works

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Project Tamriel Aims To Bring The Entirety Of Skyrim, Oblivion, And Morrowind Into Starfield

Every ending in five nights at freddy's: into the pit, ranked, 10 rarest playstation 5 games and how much they're worth, quick links, what does the research lab do, how to use the research lab, research progress overflow explained, how to improve research lab efficiency, unique research projects, where to find research labs.

The worlds of Starfield are extremely dangerous, and you’ll need to keep on top of your research at the Research Lab so you can upgrade your equipment and spacesuit. You never know when you might encounter the ruthless Crimson Fleet or hazardous planet surface conditions or, dare we say, have a run-in with a bloodthirsty Terrormorph.

Related: Starfield: How To Find Structural Materials

That’s why you should collect every resource and material you can find on your space-faring adventures so that you can fully utilize the Research Lab and learn new crafting schematics from outpost structures to weapon mods and everything in between.

Before you can craft an item, whether it be optics and lasers for your weapons or cooking up a meatloaf at a Cooking Station, you’ll need to unlock how to craft it in the Research Lab.

The Research Lab features five research categories:

• Pharmacology
• Food And Drink
• Outpost Development

Each category has a series of research projects. The available research projects are displayed on each Research Lab's main menu.

You must level up your skills to carry out higher-level projects. At the start of the game, you can research all level-one projects (as long as you have the resources available).

To complete a research project, you are required to deposit resources and materials into the Research Lab . Each item that is deposited will be consumed .

For example, if you wanted to learn how to cook Meatloaf, you would need to complete the Old Earth Cuisine level one project, requiring that you deposit the following items into the Research Lab:

Once you complete a project, you’ll then be able to craft each item at their corresponding crafting stations, in this case, the Meatloaf at the Cooking Station.

Advanced research projects will require more materials and deposits to unlock.

When you deposit resources into a project, you may make a “Sudden Development” in research , rewarding you with other bonus materials . Research Overflow can even complete a research project if you’re lucky.

Due to Research Overflow, It’s a good idea to deposit materials you carry a lot of since you could potentially use them to fill in materials you don’t have for the project.

Starfield wouldn’t be a Bethesda RPG without an extensive skill tree. There are a plethora of skills and certifications to unlock to improve your character's abilities and skills, and the Research Lab is no exception.

The Research Methods skill is a Novice Science skill that reduces the cost of required resources and the number of resources required to complete a research project.

The Research Methods skill has four ranks that increase the potency of the skill’s effect with each rank, but you must complete each rank’s challenge before you can purchase it with a skill point.

Not all research projects are automatically displayed in the Research Lab. Some projects are locked behind specific skills .

The Special Projects skill found under the Master Science skill tree will allow you to research experimental projects and craft rare, exotic, and unique items .

The Gastronomy skill found under the Novice Social skills tree allows you to cook and research unique food and drink recipes .

You'll want to carefully consider which character background you choose for your character since this could give you access to unique research projects quicker than usual.

Research Labs can be found all over the galaxy! In fact, you’ll never be far from a Research Lab since you'll have one aboard your ship . Furthermore, you'll find countless Research Labs in major settlements like the bustling city of New Atlantis and facilities that you find on remote planets.

The Constellation Lodge is a fantastic place to make a preliminary base since your room features a safe with infinite storage. As Walter Stroud states, the Lodge has every type of crafting station you could possibly need, including a Research Lab.

Next: Starfield: How To Make Credits Quickly

How To Make And Sell Aurora

Starfield: complete guide and walkthrough, the research lab, explained.

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Starfield Research Methods Leveling Guide | Cheapest Things to Craft

Crafting items will help you out during your travels by upgrading your weapons, ensuring your survivability, and even allowing you to expand your existing outposts. Here is how to level up your Research Methods in Starfield.

Starfield Research Methods Leveling Guide

Research Methods is a Novice-tier skill in the Science Skill Tree in Starfield . This means that as soon as you create your character and level up for the very first time you can unlock this skill. This skill will reduce the required resources necessary to craft items and will eventually make sudden developments happen two times more than before. To rank up or level up this skill you will have to craft an increasing number of unique food, drinks, drugs, and weapon or equipment mods. Mastering the Research Methods will require you to craft a total of 30 different recipes.

1	None.	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 10%.
2	Craft 5 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 20%.
3	Craft 10 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 40%.
4	Craft 15 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.	Sudden developments during research are twice as common. Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 60%.

Related : Starfield Gymnastics Leveling Guide | Best Zero G Environments for Combat

Cheapest Things to Craft in Starfield

Due to the condition of recipes being unique to count toward the rank-up tally – meaning that you cannot craft the same recipe multiple times – the best way you can approach this method is to craft the first recipes that appear in all crafting stations. You can even track the recipe so that when you visit a vendor, you will see the items you need with a magnifying glass next to it. Continue to research and craft these items and you will level up your skill in a decent amount of time. Be sure to level up your Scavenging skill so you might encounter more resources in your space adventures.

Starfield crafting and research guide: how to unlock and make new items

Advance the field of science so that you can make your guns shoot better.

The research lab

Research categories, how to research, research skills.

• Crafting guide

Crafting and research are key to your adventure in Starfield , and though they can be a little overwhelming, once you understand how it all works they're pretty simple systems. By doing research to unlock new items and mods, and then crafting them using resources collected out in space, you can gain a real edge over all the Spacers and other dangers in the game. 

To get started doing research in Starfield, the first step is to find a research lab. You'll find one of these little computer consoles in the spaceship you start with, but I find the best place to go is the Lodge in New Atlantis . You can fast travel there with ease, and there's a lovely setup for all your research and crafting needs in the basement. 

Alternatively, you might want to build yourself a little den of science at one of your outposts—check out our Starfield outpost guide for more info on that. 

Pharmacology

Learn how to make new drugs and medical supplies. Very useful if you love stacking buffs on yourself.

Food and Drink

Learn how to make meals that can restore health and provide other buffs. I've found this one the least useful, as there are usually better aid items to be found in Pharmacology—but then I do have Alien DNA which makes food less effective for me, so maybe it's just me…

Outpost Development

Learn how to make new buildings that can be placed at your outposts. Very useful if you intend to go big on building bases. Pick projects carefully depending on the kind of building you like to do—for example, some buildings are purely cosmetic, while others have specific useful functions.

Learn how to make new upgrade mods for your helmet, spacesuit, and boost pack. These are handy for increasing things like your oxygen and boost pack capabilities, but you'll find Weaponry has a bigger impact on what you can get away with in combat.

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Learn how to make new upgrade mods for your guns. Easily the most important one, I've found—you'll find yourself in gunfights all the time, and mods will enable you not only to make your weapons more powerful, but also tweak them to your preferred playstyle with things like scopes and silencers.

Click through to one of these categories, and you'll discover a list of projects ready to be researched. Each covers multiple new items—Barrel Mods I under Weaponry, for example, unlocks new barrel mod options for all the different guns in the game. 

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To research a project within a category, you just need to click on it and feed the relevant resources into it from your inventory. Helmet Mods 1, for example, requires three Tungsten, two Cosmetic, and three Polymer. Pay the cost, and the project is complete—you don't have to wait for it to finish or anything like that.

Sometimes you won't even have to pay the full cost. When you complete a particular resource requirement, there's a chance of receiving an "overflow" bonus, which automatically fills out some of the other resource requirements of the project for free. Using that Helmet Mods 1 example, if you handed over the three Tungsten, and got an overflow, it might give you the two Cosmetic for free. This means that even if you don't have all the resources you need to complete a project, as long as you have enough for one or two steps, it may be worth feeding them in anyway for a chance at not actually needing the bits you're missing after all. 

Past the initial set, most research projects are gated by your Starfield skills . Unfortunately, unlocking them isn't as easy as just dumping points in one science-based skill—each category of research demands a different category of skill, and progressing in them all can mean investing a lot of points, especially as you need to rank them up further to do more demanding projects.

The skills relevant to research are the following:

Chemistry (Science)

Determines what Pharmacology projects you can complete. It may take you a while to get this one—it requires eight points invested in Science skills before you can even start putting points in Chemistry. 

Gastronomy (Social)

Determines what Food & Drink projects you can complete. This is an easy one to get—it's available without any other investment in Social skills, and many backgrounds start with it already picked. It's annoying, however, that it isn't in the Science tree, because it means that points invested here aren't getting you any closer to other relevant research and crafting skills.

Outpost Engineering (Science)

Determines what Outpost Development projects you can complete. Like Chemistry, this one requires eight points in Science, so if building bases is your main focus in Starfield, my advice is to invest early and often in this skill category. 

Spacesuit Design (Science)

Determines what Equipment projects you can complete. Only four points in Science skills are needed to get to this one, so it's a good one to grab early on.

Weapon Engineering (Science)

Determines what Weaponry projects you can complete. Like Spacesuit Design, it's only four points deep in the Science tree—for the impact it'll have on combat, that makes it well worth taking. 

Research Methods (Science)

While this skill doesn't gate any of your research projects, it's still worth considering because it makes them cheaper. If you're struggling with finding enough resources for your projects, it's a good pick, but only if you're happy to rank it up to max ASAP—the early bonuses are quite small, but by rank four you're spending 60% less resources and getting overflow bonuses twice as often. 

The only other thing to note with these skills is that levelling up in Starfield isn't as simple as just assigning points—once you have your first rank in a skill, you have to complete a challenge to unlock the ability to advance to the next rank. In the case of these skills, however, that usually just means crafting a certain amount of items, so as long as you're actually making the stuff your research is unlocking, you should be able to keep up. Speaking of crafting…

Starfield crafting guide

Once you've researched some projects, it's time to turn theory into action and actually craft some of the goodies you've unlocked. Again, the perfect place to do this is the Lodge, because it has all the crafting stations ready for you in one room in the basement, and you can just fast travel there whenever you like. Some ships do have crafting stations—the starting ship has a Galley where you can make food, for example—but I'm yet to find one with the complete suite, and though you can build crafting stations at your outpost for a more home-made feel, it can (ironically) take a while to unlock them all and gather the resources needed to make them.

Speaking of outposts—though outpost buildings are made using resources, they're not actually crafted at a crafting station. You just plonk them down in build mode when you're managing your outpost. 

The crafting stations at your disposal include:

Cooking Station (or Galley)

Used to craft food and drink. One thing to be careful of at this station is that many meals use as their ingredients other items that can be eaten or drunk in their own right. An Alien Sandwich, for example, requires bread, but you can just eat bread on its own if you prefer, so make sure you're not cooking away anything you'd rather munch on raw. Or put on display at your outpost, I suppose.

Industrial Workbench

Used to turn raw resources like metals into more specific items such as wire and building frames, which can then be used for research projects, other crafting, or making outpost buildings. It can be a little confusing to know what you need from here—my advice is to only make stuff once you know exactly what you need, rather than filling your inventory with Adaptive Frames and then discovering you have no use for them.

Pharmaceutical Lab

Used to craft drugs and medical supplies, for keeping yourself in tip-top shape—or better than tip-top, if you indulge in performance-enhancers. 

Spacesuit Workbench

Used to craft and install mods for your spacesuit, helmet, and boost pack. Simply click on the relevant object, and you'll be taken to a list of different mod types that can be applied to it—from there, you can make and apply them.

Weapons Workbench

Used to craft and install mods for your guns. Just like spacesuit modding, all you need to do is click on a gun, pick a category for that gun (such as barrel, scope, or stock), and you'll be presented with the relevant options available for crafting. Keep in mind that different guns have different mod slots, and different mods that can be placed in those slots. Not every gun can have a laser sight, for example, and you can't change an Old Earth Hunting Rifle's stock.

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Starfield | Research Methods - Rank Up Challenge & Effect

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This is a guide to Research Methods. Use this guide to find out about Research Methods, as it summarizes the challenge requirements and skill effects for rank advancement.

Table of Contents

Research Methods - Skill Summary

Background with research methods from the beginning, challenges needed to rank up.

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Skill Tree	Tier
Science	Novice
Description
By skilfully employing both new and time tested methods, a researcher may complete projects faster, and even gain unexpected insights.

Background	Description
Industrialist	There was a time when all you wanted to be was a titan of industry, maybe a ship designer or megacorp exec. Thankfully, that skillset never goes out of style in the settled systems.
Professor	You've always enjoyed learning, but nothing could compare to the joy of teaching others. As humankind spread throughout the stars, there was never a lack of knowledge to obtain, and you gladly assisted.

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Rank	Challenge	Effect
1	Craft 5 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 10%.
2	Craft 10 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 20%.
3	Craft 15 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 40%.
4	-	Sudden developments during research are twice as common. Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 60%.

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Research Methods

By skilfully employing both new and time tested methods, a researcher may complete projects faster, and even gain unexpected insights.

• Type science
• Tier novice

What is Research Methods?

Research Methods cuts down the material costs and increases the chance of sudden developments in the research lab. It's great if you're someone who enjoys the crafting system in Starfield.

• Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 10%.
• Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 20%.
• Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 40%.
• Sudden developments during research are twice as common. Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 60%.
• Craft 5 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.
• Craft 10 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.
• Craft 15 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.

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• Scientist : Learn about advanced technology and craft the best weapons and outposts.

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New switch 2 leaks suggest streaming to tv without docking, “we need to pull every lever we have” - insomniac's narrative director discusses lack of lgbtq content in video games, quick links, what is research, where to find research stations, how do you research, what are experimental projects.

Research projects are pretty important within the world of Starfield . These projects will allow you to increase the number of Mods you can have on your spacesuits, weapons, and boost packs. They will also allow you to increase the effectiveness of items.

RELATED: Starfield: How To Recruit Crew Members Since research is an important part of the game, it is important to understand how it works. It isn't very easy to figure out how to do research from the beginning. Here is a guide to help you figure out research projects and the best ways to do them.

Updated by Erin Rice on September 20, 2023: This update includes details on Research and experimental research. It also adds some places to find Research Stations and the best projects to do.

Research will allow you to increase the usefulness of your items. You will have five main categories of research: Pharmacology, Food and Drink, Outpost Development, Equipment, and Weaponry. Pharmacology will focus on increasing the effectiveness of your aid items and allow you to learn to make certain items that can cure Status Effects and heal heath. Food and Drink will allow you to research different foods and drinks, so you can create more of them and increase their effectiveness. Outpost Development allows you to work on developing the many Outposts you will have in the universe. The Equipment research allows you to work on getting new Mods for equipment. Finally, the Weaponry section allows you to customize your weapons and add more Mods to them. While every single category is important, make sure you strategize which category you want to invest in first. If you find yourself using a lot of aid items, you may want to look into Pharmacology. If you want to do more damage, consider Weaponry.

RELATED: Starfield: How To Fix Sprain Status Effect

Research can be done at any Research Lab in the game. These labs can be found in your ship, around certain faction headquarters, in major cities, and in labs. You can also purchase apartments and build some Research Labs there. Once you find one, all you need to do is approach it and begin working. While they aren't as common as Weapon Workbenches or Spacesuit Workbenches, you should be able to find them fairly easily.

In order to research things, you will need to select a category and then which project you want to research. You will see that each project requires certain resources in order to complete them. Once you add the resources, the project will be finished. You can increase your research level, allowing you to do more projects. This can be done by slowly doing research or by picking a Background that is proficient in research (like the Professor). If you have a specific Research Project you would like to do, you can track it. This will keep a running tab of the items you need and how many you currently have. This is the perfect way to ensure that you are able to finish any project you need. There are several Research Projects that you should check out first. Medical Treatment, Old Earth Cuisine, Manufacture, Spacesuit Mods, Weapon Mods, and Helmet Mods are all great projects to invest in, especially starting out.

Experimental Projects are unlocked once you unlock higher Skill tiers. This experiments are another round of research projects. For example, you usually have four different rounds of research for each research project. However, when you unlock Experimental Projects, you are able to research these projects even further, creating even more powerful items to use.

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What to research first in Starfield – Progression Guide

Very early on in  Starfield , you’ll board your first ship and can immediately start researching things. Whoa hold on now, don’t get too excited! Here’s what to start researching first.

What does researching do in  Starfield ?

Beyond the skill system and the confines of your equipment, you can research specific mechanics and unlock them for your playthrough. Much of it involves more options for crafting, including new food, medicine, and gear. You’ll kick this process off on your ship through the Research Laboratory . Researching requires materials, so you can’t just go willy-nilly and unlock everything immediately.

If you’re so inclined, you can pick up the “Research Methods” skill early on after leveling up , which reduces the resources required to craft items and complete research projects by 10%.

When can you start researching things in  Starfield ? After the tutorial

After completing the initial mining cave tutorial, you’ll wake up, fend off some pirates, meet Barrett, and board your first ship. Inside of that very ship is where the first Research Laboratory is located. Interact with it to bring up the research menu.

A visual representation of the laboratory can be found in the image directly above.

What to research first in Starfield

So there are several options right away to research:

• Pharmacology
• Food and Drink
• Outpost Development,

Provided that you have the materials, equipment, and weaponry are good first choices to dive into, especially at higher difficulties. Equipment advancements will allow you to craft helmet mods in the early game, while weaponry will let you build up weapon mods. Both research categories are fairly easy to find materials for early on, making them an enticing option.

Pharmacology and Food and Drink aren’t bad early shouts either, as performance enhancements and buffs are extremely useful and simple to craft. Just take Alien Boba Tea, which provides an XP boost when consumed ! It’s one of the first things you can research at the laboratory through the Food and Drink category, under “Beverage Development 1.”

Starfield:Research Laboratory

The Research Laboratory provides a mechanism to expend materials to acquire new crafting recipes for consumables, outpost components, and equipment upgrades.

Most projects require completion of previous projects in the research tree before they can be started. Some projects also require the player to possess certain Skills . There is no limit to the number of in-progress projects, either within or across categories.

• 1.1 Sudden Developments
• 2 Pharmacology
• 3 Food and Drink
• 4 Outpost Development
• 5 Equipment

Mechanics & Game play [ edit ]

Interacting with a Research Lab opens the main Research menu, which displays the projects currently in progress for each category. Selecting one of the categories will open the projects list for that category, which displays all currently-visible projects. The current status of each project can be quickly assessed by the colored bar to the left of each entry:

• Solid green bar - project completed. There will also be a large "Completed" label to the right of the entry.
• Checkered green bar - project is in progress.
• Checkered yellow bar - project is in progress, and the player has materials in their inventory that can be contributed to the project.
• No bar - project is blocked or not started.

All level 1 projects for each category are visible by default, and have no skill requirements or prerequisites. Higher-level projects become visible as lower-level projects in the tree are finished, even if the player does not possess the skill needed to start the next project. For instance, the Performance Enhancement 2 project requires the Chemistry Rank 1 skill, and becomes visible after the player completes the Performance Enhancement 1 project even if the player does not possess Chemistry Rank 1. In these cases, the project is marked as Blocked in the Research Projects list, but the Required Skills, Required Materials, Research Tree, and Description for that project are still viewable. This allows players to plan their skill development and search for ingredients to craft items of interest.

Research projects are progressed by adding materials to the project. The numbers of required materials, and the amount of each material already added, are listed in the Research Materials window. The number of available materials in the player's inventory is also listed where applicable. When a player uses a Research Lab inside of or within range of their Home Ship, the inventory of the Home Ship is also considered.

Similar to the materials tracking system in Fallout 4, the materials required for each project can be tracked using the Track Project button. This will add magnifying glass icons to each material in the project's list, allowing the player to identify tracked items when they are encountered in the world.

Sudden Developments [ edit ]

When adding a material to a project, there is a small chance of triggering a Sudden Development, which adds a random number of missing materials to the project. These "Overflow" materials allow the research to progress faster, even for projects which require rare or difficult-to-find materials. The chance of triggering a Sudden Development can be increased by acquiring ranks in the Research Methods skill, by taking certain chems, and by wearing certain apparel. The chance of triggering a Sudden Development also seems to increase when adding many items to the project at once, e.g., adding 10 Titanium has a higher chance of triggering a Sudden Development than adding 3 Titanium (verification needed).

Pharmacology [ edit ]

Pharmacology projects provide new recipes for synthesizing enhanced drugs, medicines, and other medically-related consumables. It has at least 12 projects.

Pharmacology Research Tree

Project Name	Prerequisite	Required Skills	Materials Required	Description
Performance Enhancement 1	None	None	x2 x2 x3	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Performance Enhancement 2	Performance Enhancement 1	Rank 1	x10 x10 x5 x5 x5	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Performance Enhancement 3	Performance Enhancement 2	Rank 2	x10 x10 x10 x5 x5	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Performance Enhancement 4	Performance Enhancement 3	Rank 3	x20 x10 x10 x10 x8	Discover how to create at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Medical Treatment 1	None	None	x3 x2 x2	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Medical Treatment 2	Medical Treatment 1	Rank 1	x10 x10 x10 x5 x5	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Medical Treatment 3	Medical Treatment 2	Rank 2	x10 x20 x10 x10	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Medical Treatment 4	Medical Treatment 3	Rank 3	x5 x20 x10 x10	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Innovative Synthesis 1	Medical Treatment 4 Performance Enhancement 4	Rank 3 Rank 1	x3 x5 x10 x5 x5	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Innovative Synthesis 2	Innovative Synthesis 1	Rank 3 Rank 1	x5 x5 x10 x5 x5	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.
Innovative Synthesis 3	Innovative Synthesis 2	Rank 3 Rank 1	x10 x8 x10 x10 x5 x5	Discover how to create and at a Pharmaceutical Lab.

Food and Drink [ edit ]

Food and Drink projects provide new recipes for crafting foods and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. It has at least 16 projects.

Food and Drink Research Tree

Project Name	Prerequisite	Required Skills	Materials Required	Description
Old Earth Cuisine 1	None	None	Bread x3 Red Meat x2 Cheese x2	Discover how to prepare a Reuben and Meatloaf at a Cooking Station.
Old Earth Cuisine 2	Old Earth Cuisine 1	Gastronomy Rank 1	Spice x5 Cheese x5 Egg x5 Butter x5 Poultry x5	Discover how to prepare Carbonara, Chicken Marsala, and Latkes at a Cooking Station.
Old Earth Cuisine 3	Old Earth Cuisine 2	Gastronomy Rank 2	Spice x10 Nutrient x20 Beer x10 Poultry x10 Dairy x10 Egg x10	Discover how to prepare a Barbacoa Wrap, Chapaguri, and Chicken Tikka at a Cooking Station.
Beverage Development 1	None	None	Spice x2 Fiber x3 Water x3	Discover how to prepare Alien Tonic, Yellow Giant Splash, and Boba Alien Tea at a Cooking Station.
Beverage Development 2	Beverage Development 1	Gastronomy Rank 1	Aromatic x5 Benzene x5 Spice x5 Metabolic Agent x10 Tranquilitea Sunray x5	Discover how to prepare an Alien Energy Drink and Sunray Tonic at a Cooking Station.
Mixology 1	None	None	Aromatic x2 Alkanes x2 Spice x3	Discover how to prepare Alien Liquor at a Cooking Station.
Mixology 2	Mixology 1	Gastronomy Rank 1	Aromatic x10 Spice x10 Liquor x5 Can-Uck! Poutine x5	Discover how to prepare Colonel's Choice and Lumberjack Julep at a Cooking Station.

Outpost Development [ edit ]

Outpost Development projects provide new recipes for crafting resource fabricators and extractors, furniture and decorations, power systems, flora and fauna management, outpost defenses, and other outpost-related items. It has at least 20 projects.

Outpost Management Research Tree

Project Name	Skills	Materials	Description
Manufacturing 1	Requires no trained skills	2, 3, 3, 3
Manufacturing 2	at level 1	10, 5, 30, 30, 20, 20, 10
Manufacturing 3	Requires at level 2	20, 10, 5, 30, 40, 30, 30, 10
Resource Extraction 1	Requires at level 1	5, 8, 10, 30, 20, 10
Resource Extraction 2	Requires at level 2	5, 8, 20, 40, 20, 20
Decoration 1	Requires no trained skills	Materials: 3, 3, 2
Decoration 2	Requires at level 1	10, 10, 10, 10, 10
Decoration 3	Requires at level 2	30, 30, 20, 20, 30, 5
Horticulture 1	Requires and at level 1	8, 10, 10, 10, 10
Horticulture 2	Requires at level 2 and at level 1	10, 20, 20, 30, 30, 10
Domestication 1	Requires and at level 1	5, 10, 30, 30, 10
Domestication 2	Requires at level 2 and at level 1	8, 20, 40, 30, 30, 10
Power Generation 1	Requires at level 1	10, 8, 10, 30, 20, 10
Power Generation 2	Requires at level 2	23, 5, 3, 3, 20, 30, 30
Power Generation 3	Requires at level 3	10, 10, 10, 10, 8, 5, 5, 30, 30
Power Generation 4	Requires at level 3 and at level 1	8, 30, 20, 10, 10, 5, 10, 40, 50
Robots 1	Requires no trained skills	2, 3, 3
Robots 2	Requires at level 1	8, 30, 8, 30, 30, 30, 10
Outpost Defense 1	Requires at level 2	8, 3, 30, 10, 5, 5
Outpost Defense 2	Requires at level 3	8, 3, 3, 30, 40, 10, 10

Equipment [ edit ]

Equipment projects provide new recipes for enhancements (mods) to Equipment, including Helmets, Spacesuits, and Packs. It has at least 9 projects.

Equipment Research Tree

Project Name	Skills	Materials	Description
Helmet Mods 1	Requires no trained skills	3, 3, 3
Helmet Mods 2	Requires at level 1	5, 5, 8, 10, 10
Helmet Mods 3	Requires at level 2	8, 5, 8, 10, 30, 10
Spacesuit Mods 1	Requires at level 1	8, 5, 5
Spacesuit Mods 2	Requires at level 2	5, 5, 10, 10, 10
Spacesuit Mods 3	Requires at level 3	Materials: 8, 5, 8 10, 30, 20
Pack Mods 1	Requires at level 1	5, 8, 10, 10
Pack Mods 2	Requires at level 2	5, 10, 10, 8, 10
Pack Mods 3	Requires at level 3 and at level 1	10, 20, 10, 20, 10, 20

Weaponry [ edit ]

Weaponry projects provide new recipes for enhancements (mods) to Weapons. It has at least 19 projects.

Equipment Research Tree

Project Name	Skills	Materials
Barrel Mods 1	None	20, 20, 10
Barrel Mods 2	1	5, 10, 5
Grip and Stock Mods 1	None	3, 3, 3
Grip and Stock Mods 2	1	8, 5, 10
Grip and Stock Mods 3	2	10, 10, 20
Optic and Laser Mods 1	None	3, 2, 3
Optic and Laser Mods 2	1	8, 8, 10, 8
Optic and Laser Mods 3	2	10, 20, 20, 20
Muzzle Mods 1	1	5, 10, 5
Muzzle Mods 2	2	8, 10, 10, 10
Muzzle Mods 3	3, 1	10, 10, 17, 10, 20
Magazine and Battery Mods 1	2	5, 8, 5
Magazine and Battery Mods 2	3	8, 8, 10, 20, 10
Magazine and Battery Mods 3	3, 1	8, 20, 17, 30, 17
Internal Mods 1	2	5, 8, 10, 10
Internal Mods 2	3	8, 8, 10, 10, 10
Internal Mods 3	4	2, 10, 20, 10, 20, 10
Receiver Mods 1	3	5, 3, 10, 30, 10
Receiver Mods 2	4	7, 4, 17, 17, 17

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Research Methods

1234

Rank	Challenge
Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 10%.
Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 20%.	Craft 5 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.
Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 40%.	Craft 10 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.
Sudden developments during research are twice as common. Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 60%.	Craft 15 unique food, drinks, drugs, weapon mods, or equipment mods.

Related Science skills

• Edit source

Research is a feature in Starfield that allows the player to spend resources to gain access to more advanced items via crafting. [1]

• 2 Restrictions & Interactions
• 3 Starting Research
• 4 Research Strategy
• 5 References

Overview [ ]

There are 5 Research trees in Starfield:

• Pharmacology
• Food and Drink
• Outpost Development

Each tree contains multiple Research Projects. Each Research Project may unlock multiple recipes. Multiple Projects can be researched simultaneously both within and between trees (i.e. you can research more than 1 Pharmacology project at once).

Once a Research Project is completed, you will gain its bonuses. Research Projects are known to grant crafting recipes. There is no current information regarding if they give other bonuses.

Restrictions & Interactions [ ]

Each Research Project can be gated by any or all of the following:

• Skills or Ranks (i.e. Gastronomy )
• Other Research Projects

Some Research Projects have no prerequisites: they are available at the start.

Starting Research [ ]

To research, the player has to visit a Research Lab.

Once you have access to Research Project and meet its prerequisites, an initial cost in base resources will be presented to launch the project. If the player has the resources and starts the project, said resources will then be deducted from the player's inventory and the project will be launched.

Research Strategy [ ]

Research is a major consumer of raw resources in Starfield. Overinvesting in Research could leave you with little to construct Outposts or craft items. Alternatively, neglecting research could potentially leave the player in a situation with underpowered gear and limited options to replace it or upgrade it. Looting or purchasing gear are viable alternatives, but carry with them the risk that the player may not get items they actually want to use.

Constructing mining bases could limit the time the player needs to collect raw resources to fund Research Projects, but this investment would directly compete with funding Research Projects.

As some Research Projects are gated by Skills, collecting the Skills needed to 'tech up' the player's crafting ability could be a priority by early-mid game for a Research-minded player.

References [ ]

• ↑ Bethesda Gamestudios via YouTube, Starfield Official Gameplay Reveal , uploaded 12 June 2022
• 1 Trackers Alliance
• 3 Starfield

• PlayStation 3
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• PlayStation 5
• Xbox Series
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• Help understand Research Methods

Xbox Series X PC

• Topic Archived

11 months ago#1

11 months ago#2

(Topic Creator)11 months ago#3

11 months ago#4

11 months ago#5 it. But like 90% of the skills, it's useful if you want to make things easier or less tedious.

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Cydonia map, gagarin landing map, hopetown map, new atlantis map, new homestead map, paradiso map, red mile map, the key map, waggoner farm map, how to complete starfield research projects with console commands.

Completing research projects can be quite the time investment, requiring you to craft and gather various materials in order to unlock new outpost buildings, recipes, and mods. If you’re on PC and looking for a shortcut, you may be considering spawning in the relevant materials using Starfield console commands - but there’s an even faster way to achieve the same result using the Research Project console commands below.

Complete Research Projects Starfield Cheat

The console command to instantly complete* a Starfield Research Project is:

In order for this cheat to work, you’ll need to enter the specific Research ID for the research project you wish to autocomplete (without brackets).

We've put together a table below with all the Research Project IDs we can find, but if we're missing one you need, you can find it yourself using the command console.

How to Find Starfield Research Project ID

To find a Research Project ID, you'll need to search for one word from the relevant project, in the following format:

So for example, help spacesuit 4 RSPJ would show you the codes for each spacesuit mod.

All Starfield Research Project IDS

Pharmacology
Medical Treatment 1	00389EEA
Medical Treatment 2	00389EEB
Medical Treatment 3	00389EEC
Performance Enhancement 1	00389EEF
Performance Enhancement 2	00389EF0
Performance Enhancement 3	00389EF1
Innovative Synthesis 1	00389EF4
Innovative Synthesis 2	00389EF5
Innovative Synthesis 3	00389EF6

Food and Drink
Mixology 1	00389EF9
Mixology 2	00389EFA
Mixology 3	00389EFB
Beverage Development 1	00389EFD
Beverage Development 2	00389EFE
Beverage Development 3	00389EFF
Old Earth Cuisine 1	00389F01
Old Earth Cuisine 2	00389F02
Old Earth Cuisine 3	00389F03
Exotic Recipes 1	00389F05
Exotic Recipes 2	00389F06
Exotic Recipes 3	00389F07

Outpost Development
Manufacturing 1	00389F11
Manufacturing 2	00389F12
Manufacturing 3	00389F13
Resource Extraction 1	00389F0B
Resource Extraction 2	00389F0C
Decoration 1	00100B8B
Decoration 2	00100B8A
Decoration 3	00100B8C
Horticulture 1	00389F09
Horticulture 2	00389F0A
Domestication 1	003E3D4D
Domestication 2	003E3D4E
Power Generation 1	00389F14
Power Generation 2	00389F15
Power Generation 3	00389F16
Robots 1	00389F0F
Robots 2	00389F10
Outpost Defense 1	00389F0D
Outpost Defense 2	00389F0E

Equipment
Pack Mods 1	000C11A5
Pack Mods 2	000C11A6
Pack Mods 3	000C11A7
Spacesuit Mods 1	001520B9
Spacesuit Mods 2	00178D03
Spacesuit Mods 3	00178D1A
Helmet Mods 1	00178D1B
Helmet Mods 2	00178D1C
Helmet Mods 3	00178D1D

Weaponry
Barrel Mods 1	00389F18
Barrel Mods 2	00389F19
Magazine and Battery Mods 1	00389F1A
Magazine and Battery Mods 2	00389F1B
Magazine and Battery Mods 3	00380C4D
Optic and Laser Mods 1	00389F1C
Optic and Laser Mods 2	00389F1D
Optic and Laser Mods 3	00389F1E
Internal Mods 1	00389F1F
Internal Mods 2	00389F20
Internal Mods 3	00389F21
Grip and Stock Mods 1	00389F22
Grip and Stock Mods 2	00389F23
Grip and Stock Mods 3	00389F24
Receiver Mods 1	00389F25
Receiver Mods 2	00389F26
Muzzle Mods 1	00389F27
Muzzle Mods 2	00389F28
Muzzle Mods 3	00389F29

Up Next: Outpost Guide

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The 5 Best Science Skills in Starfield (& How to Upgrade Them)

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Some people may find science to be boring, but in a game with such a heavy emphasis on space exploration , it was always going to play a pivotal role. As such, it should come as no surprise to learn that there is a Science skill tree in Starfield , nor that it is one of the most important skill trees in the game. It boasts plenty of must-have skills that will be essential for those hoping to engage with the game's crafting and base-building components.

RELATED: The Best Social Skills in Starfield (& How to Upgrade Them)

The best Science skills in Starfield tend to focus on making the player's life easier, whether that be by helping them to track down hard-to-find resources or giving them the knowledge and know-how needed to upgrade all of their gear. It could perhaps be argued that all 16 Science skills in Starfield are worth getting, but for those with limited skill points to spend, some can be a lot more useful than others.

Those looking for a list of every Science skill in Starfield can find one here .

1 Research Methods

Rank 1	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 10%.
Rank 2	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 20%.
Rank 3	Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 40%.
Rank 4	Sudden developments during research are twice as common. Resources required to craft items and complete research projects is reduced by 60%.

Whether or not one opts to go down the research and crafting route will perhaps vary from player to player, but most will likely find themselves engaging with these systems sooner rather than later. Once they do, it's a good idea to unlock the Research Methods skill as soon as possible, as this can greatly reduce the amount of resources required.

This can be particularly useful when dealing with rare resources that cannot be easily mined. Having to use fewer of these (or none at all in the event of a sudden development) can make a huge difference and is a big part of what makes this one of the best Science skills in Starfield . To upgrade the Research Methods skill, players will just need to craft unique food, drinks, drugs, and mods.

Rank 1	You can detect uncommon inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces, and more information about ships in space.
Rank 2	You can detect rare inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces, and more specific information about ships in space.
Rank 3	You can detect exotic inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces, and gain better combat information on ships in space.
Rank 4	You can detect unique inorganic resources on planet and moon surfaces, and gain a complete list of cargo on ships in space.

Scanning isn't a particularly exciting skill, but it is one of the most useful. It allows players to scan planets and moons for rare resources, which will become important once players start building outposts in Starfield . It's also helpful for those who plan on becoming space pirates, as it can let them know exactly what's onboard any ships that they encounter.

RELATED: The Best Combat Skills in Starfield (& How to Upgrade Them)

To upgrade the Scanning skill, players will need to scan a certain number of moons and planets. Initially, they'll only be able to do this by visiting said planets, but with the help of certain other skills, they'll gain the ability to scan planets from further and further away, which can make increasing the rank of Scanning considerably easier.

3 Astrophysics

Rank 1	You can scan the moons of your current planet. You have a 10% chance to discover a trait when scanning.
Rank 2	You can scan any planet or moon in this system. You have a 20% chance to discover a trait when scanning.
Rank 3	You can scan any planet or moon within 16 Light Years. You have a 30% chance to discover a trait when scanning.
Rank 4	You can scan any planet or moon within 30 Light Years. You have a 50% chance to discover a trait when scanning.

Starfield 's character Traits tend to be double-edged swords , but understanding the traits of a planet or moon can be incredibly useful. As such, having the ability to easily identify new Traits can be a godsend, as too can being able to scan planets or moons without actually having to visit them, particularly when looking for a rare or exotic element.

As is the case with Scanning, those wishing to upgrade the Astrophysics skill will need to scan a certain number of unique planets and moons. However, as the range from which they'll be able to do this increases together with the skill's rank, this is one of those challenges that should get easier and easier the closer players get to mastering the skill.

4 Planetary Habitation

Rank 1	You can build outposts on planets with extreme temperatures (Deep Freeze and Inferno). Increase the maximum number of Outposts you can build by 4.
Rank 2	You can build outposts on planets with extreme pressure. Increase the maximum number of Outposts you can build by 8.
Rank 3	You can build outposts on planets with toxic or corrosive atmospheres. Increase the maximum number of Outposts you can build by 12.
Rank 4	You can build outposts on planets with extreme gravity. Increase the maximum number of Outposts you can build by 16.

Finding a rare resource is one thing, but actually mining it can be quite another. Sure, if players only need a few pieces of ore then they can just hop off their ship and grab what they need, but anyone hoping to secure a steady supply is going to need to set up an outpost. Unfortunately, this isn't always possible without the Planetary Habitation skill.

RELATED: The Best Tech Skills in Starfield (& How to Upgrade Them)

Being able to build outposts on any planet or moon is something of a must for those planning to dive deep into Starfield 's endgame. Of course, players will need to fully upgrade the Planetary Habitation skill before they can do so, though this can be done fairly easily just by building a set number of habitable outposts on a variety of different planets.

5 Weapon Engineering

Rank 1	You can craft improved weapon mods at a Weapon Workbench, and research additional weapon mods at a Research Lab.
Rank 2	You can research and craft superior weapon mods.
Rank 3	You can research and craft cutting-edge weapon mods.
Rank 4	You can research and craft master-level weapon mods.

Due to the way that Starfield 's loot system works, players will find that they're constantly finding better and better gear as they progress through the game's main story. However, they'll eventually start to find high-end gear, at which point they may want to start modding or upgrading it rather than just swapping it out for the next best thing.

In truth, there's very little to choose from when it comes to the Weapon Engineering and Spacesuit design skills, so players will probably want to unlock both before all's said and done. To reach max rank with the latter, players will need to craft a certain number of spacesuit, helmet, or pack mods, while to upgrade the Weapon Engineering skill, they'll have to craft a set number of weapon mods.

Starfield is available now for PC and Xbox Series X|S.

The Best Combat Skills in Starfield

Starfield: complete guide & walkthrough, the best tech skills in starfield.

• Video Games

9 Best Marketing Research Methods to Know Your Buyer Better [+ Examples]

Published: August 08, 2024

One of the most underrated skills you can have as a marketer is marketing research — which is great news for this unapologetic cyber sleuth.

From brand design and product development to buyer personas and competitive analysis, I’ve researched a number of initiatives in my decade-long marketing career.

And let me tell you: having the right marketing research methods in your toolbox is a must.

Market research is the secret to crafting a strategy that will truly help you accomplish your goals. The good news is there is no shortage of options.

How to Choose a Marketing Research Method

Thanks to the Internet, we have more marketing research (or market research) methods at our fingertips than ever, but they’re not all created equal. Let’s quickly go over how to choose the right one.

Free Market Research Kit

5 Research and Planning Templates + a Free Guide on How to Use Them in Your Market Research

• SWOT Analysis Template
• Survey Template
• Focus Group Template

Download Free

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Click this link to access this resource at any time.

1. Identify your objective.

What are you researching? Do you need to understand your audience better? How about your competition? Or maybe you want to know more about your customer’s feelings about a specific product.

Before starting your research, take some time to identify precisely what you’re looking for. This could be a goal you want to reach, a problem you need to solve, or a question you need to answer.

For example, an objective may be as foundational as understanding your ideal customer better to create new buyer personas for your marketing agency (pause for flashbacks to my former life).

Or if you’re an organic sode company, it could be trying to learn what flavors people are craving.

2. Determine what type of data and research you need.

Next, determine what data type will best answer the problems or questions you identified. There are primarily two types: qualitative and quantitative. (Sound familiar, right?)

• Qualitative Data is non-numerical information, like subjective characteristics, opinions, and feelings. It’s pretty open to interpretation and descriptive, but it’s also harder to measure. This type of data can be collected through interviews, observations, and open-ended questions.
• Quantitative Data , on the other hand, is numerical information, such as quantities, sizes, amounts, or percentages. It’s measurable and usually pretty hard to argue with, coming from a reputable source. It can be derived through surveys, experiments, or statistical analysis.

Understanding the differences between qualitative and quantitative data will help you pinpoint which research methods will yield the desired results.

For instance, thinking of our earlier examples, qualitative data would usually be best suited for buyer personas, while quantitative data is more useful for the soda flavors.

However, truth be told, the two really work together.

Qualitative conclusions are usually drawn from quantitative, numerical data. So, you’ll likely need both to get the complete picture of your subject.

For example, if your quantitative data says 70% of people are Team Black and only 30% are Team Green — Shout out to my fellow House of the Dragon fans — your qualitative data will say people support Black more than Green.

(As they should.)

Primary Research vs Secondary Research

You’ll also want to understand the difference between primary and secondary research.

Primary research involves collecting new, original data directly from the source (say, your target market). In other words, it’s information gathered first-hand that wasn’t found elsewhere.

Some examples include conducting experiments, surveys, interviews, observations, or focus groups.

Meanwhile, secondary research is the analysis and interpretation of existing data collected from others. Think of this like what we used to do for school projects: We would read a book, scour the internet, or pull insights from others to work from.

So, which is better?

Personally, I say any research is good research, but if you have the time and resources, primary research is hard to top. With it, you don’t have to worry about your source's credibility or how relevant it is to your specific objective.

You are in full control and best equipped to get the reliable information you need.

3. Put it all together.

Once you know your objective and what kind of data you want, you’re ready to select your marketing research method.

For instance, let’s say you’re a restaurant trying to see how attendees felt about the Speed Dating event you hosted last week.

You shouldn’t run a field experiment or download a third-party report on speed dating events; those would be useless to you. You need to conduct a survey that allows you to ask pointed questions about the event.

This would yield both qualitative and quantitative data you can use to improve and bring together more love birds next time around.

Best Market Research Methods for 2024

Now that you know what you’re looking for in a marketing research method, let’s dive into the best options.

Note: According to HubSpot’s 2024 State of Marketing report, understanding customers and their needs is one of the biggest challenges facing marketers today. The options we discuss are great consumer research methodologies , but they can also be used for other areas.

Primary Research

1. interviews.

Interviews are a form of primary research where you ask people specific questions about a topic or theme. They typically deliver qualitative information.

I’ve conducted many interviews for marketing purposes, but I’ve also done many for journalistic purposes, like this profile on comedian Zarna Garg . There’s no better way to gather candid, open-ended insights in my book, but that doesn’t mean they’re a cure-all.

What I like: Real-time conversations allow you to ask different questions if you’re not getting the information you need. They also push interviewees to respond quickly, which can result in more authentic answers.

What I dislike: They can be time-consuming and harder to measure (read: get quantitative data) unless you ask pointed yes or no questions.

Best for: Creating buyer personas or getting feedback on customer experience, a product, or content.

2. Focus Groups

Focus groups are similar to conducting interviews but on a larger scale.

In marketing and business, this typically means getting a small group together in a room (or Zoom), asking them questions about various topics you are researching. You record and/or observe their responses to then take action.

They are ideal for collecting long-form, open-ended feedback, and subjective opinions.

One well-known focus group you may remember was run by Domino’s Pizza in 2009 .

After poor ratings and dropping over $100 million in revenue, the brand conducted focus groups with real customers to learn where they could have done better.

It was met with comments like “worst excuse for pizza I’ve ever had” and “the crust tastes like cardboard.” But rather than running from the tough love, it took the hit and completely overhauled its recipes.

The team admitted their missteps and returned to the market with better food and a campaign detailing their “Pizza Turn Around.”

The result? The brand won a ton of praise for its willingness to take feedback, efforts to do right by its consumers, and clever campaign. But, most importantly, revenue for Domino’s rose by 14.3% over the previous year.

The brand continues to conduct focus groups and share real footage from them in its promotion:

What I like: Similar to interviewing, you can dig deeper and pivot as needed due to the real-time nature. They’re personal and detailed.

What I dislike: Once again, they can be time-consuming and make it difficult to get quantitative data. There is also a chance some participants may overshadow others.

Best for: Product research or development

Pro tip: Need help planning your focus group? Our free Market Research Kit includes a handy template to start organizing your thoughts in addition to a SWOT Analysis Template, Survey Template, Focus Group Template, Presentation Template, Five Forces Industry Analysis Template, and an instructional guide for all of them. Download yours here now.

3. Surveys or Polls

Surveys are a form of primary research where individuals are asked a collection of questions. It can take many different forms.

They could be in person, over the phone or video call, by email, via an online form, or even on social media. Questions can be also open-ended or closed to deliver qualitative or quantitative information.

A great example of a close-ended survey is HubSpot’s annual State of Marketing .

In the State of Marketing, HubSpot asks marketing professionals from around the world a series of multiple-choice questions to gather data on the state of the marketing industry and to identify trends.

The survey covers various topics related to marketing strategies, tactics, tools, and challenges that marketers face. It aims to provide benchmarks to help you make informed decisions about your marketing.

It also helps us understand where our customers’ heads are so we can better evolve our products to meet their needs.

Apple is no stranger to surveys, either.

In 2011, the tech giant launched Apple Customer Pulse , which it described as “an online community of Apple product users who provide input on a variety of subjects and issues concerning Apple.”

"For example, we did a large voluntary survey of email subscribers and top readers a few years back."

While these readers gave us a long list of topics, formats, or content types they wanted to see, they sometimes engaged more with content types they didn’t select or favor as much on the surveys when we ran follow-up ‘in the wild’ tests, like A/B testing.”  

Pepsi saw similar results when it ran its iconic field experiment, “The Pepsi Challenge” for the first time in 1975.

The beverage brand set up tables at malls, beaches, and other public locations and ran a blindfolded taste test. Shoppers were given two cups of soda, one containing Pepsi, the other Coca-Cola (Pepsi’s biggest competitor). They were then asked to taste both and report which they preferred.

People overwhelmingly preferred Pepsi, and the brand has repeated the experiment multiple times over the years to the same results.

What I like: It yields qualitative and quantitative data and can make for engaging marketing content, especially in the digital age.

What I dislike: It can be very time-consuming. And, if you’re not careful, there is a high risk for scientific error.

Best for: Product testing and competitive analysis

Pro tip:  " Don’t make critical business decisions off of just one data set," advises Pamela Bump. "Use the survey, competitive intelligence, external data, or even a focus group to give you one layer of ideas or a short-list for improvements or solutions to test. Then gather your own fresh data to test in an experiment or trial and better refine your data-backed strategy."

Secondary Research

8. public domain or third-party research.

While original data is always a plus, there are plenty of external resources you can access online and even at a library when you’re limited on time or resources.

Some reputable resources you can use include:

• Pew Research Center
• McKinley Global Institute
• Relevant Global or Government Organizations (i.e United Nations or NASA)

It’s also smart to turn to reputable organizations that are specific to your industry or field. For instance, if you’re a gardening or landscaping company, you may want to pull statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

If you’re a digital marketing agency, you could look to Google Research or HubSpot Research . (Hey, I know them!)

What I like: You can save time on gathering data and spend more time on analyzing. You can also rest assured the data is from a source you trust.

What I dislike: You may not find data specific to your needs.

Best for: Companies under a time or resource crunch, adding factual support to content

Pro tip: Fellow HubSpotter Iskiev suggests using third-party data to inspire your original research. “Sometimes, I use public third-party data for ideas and inspiration. Once I have written my survey and gotten all my ideas out, I read similar reports from other sources and usually end up with useful additions for my own research.”

9. Buy Research

If the data you need isn’t available publicly and you can’t do your own market research, you can also buy some. There are many reputable analytics companies that offer subscriptions to access their data. Statista is one of my favorites, but there’s also Euromonitor , Mintel , and BCC Research .

What I like: Same as public domain research

What I dislike: You may not find data specific to your needs. It also adds to your expenses.

Best for: Companies under a time or resource crunch or adding factual support to content

Which marketing research method should you use?

You’re not going to like my answer, but “it depends.” The best marketing research method for you will depend on your objective and data needs, but also your budget and timeline.

My advice? Aim for a mix of quantitative and qualitative data. If you can do your own original research, awesome. But if not, don’t beat yourself up. Lean into free or low-cost tools . You could do primary research for qualitative data, then tap public sources for quantitative data. Or perhaps the reverse is best for you.

Whatever your marketing research method mix, take the time to think it through and ensure you’re left with information that will truly help you achieve your goals.

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Research team uses tunable laser to develop straightforward broadband spectroscopy method with Hz-level precision

Since the first demonstration of the laser in the 1960s, laser spectroscopy has become an essential tool for studying the detailed structures and dynamics of atoms and molecules. Advances in laser technology have further enhanced its capabilities. There are two main types of laser spectroscopy: frequency comb-based laser spectroscopy and tunable continuous-wave (CW) laser spectroscopy.

Comb-based laser spectroscopy enables extremely precise frequency measurements, with an accuracy of up to 18 digits. This remarkable precision led to a Nobel Prize in Physics in 2005 and has applications in optical clocks, gravity sensing, and the search for dark matter. Frequency combs also enable high-precision, high-speed broadband spectroscopy because they combine large bandwidth with high spectral resolution.

However, one drawback is the low power per comb mode, which makes detecting trace gases difficult. The gaps between the comb modes also require additional techniques for measuring spectrally narrow features. In addition, high-precision measurements require comb sources with long-term coherence, which demands complex and sophisticated stabilization systems.

Tunable CW lasers offer high photon flux, long interaction paths, and frequency agility, making them ideal for sensitive molecular spectroscopy, gas sensing, and LIDAR applications with high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). However, these systems often suffer from fluctuations in the laser frequency scan speed.

Various methods, including interferometric approaches, single-sideband modulation, and optical frequency combs , have been developed to address these fluctuations. Frequency-comb-calibrated tunable laser spectroscopy combines the accuracy of a frequency comb with the tunability and high power of a CW laser. Nonetheless, this method requires a reference frequency comb with a flat optical spectrum and stable polarization over a wide range, which can be challenging to achieve.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light have developed a new, straightforward broadband spectroscopy method with Hz-level precision using a tunable laser.

As reported in Advanced Photonics , this technique involves on-the-fly calibration of the laser frequency using a fiber cavity and a dual radio frequency (RF) modulation technique. This approach enables the precise tracking of the color of the sweeping laser at every point in time. It provides calibration markers that serve as an easy-to-use optical frequency ruler in order to measure optical frequency distances between spectral features with ultra-high precision.

Using this method, the researchers measured minuscule deviations in the free spectral range of a fiber loop cavity over an 11-THz frequency range with sub-10-Hz precision, an order of magnitude improvement over existing tunable laser spectroscopy methods. The measurement speed was 1 THz/s, limited by the reference cavity's linewidth. Compared to frequency comb-based spectroscopy, this technique offers higher optical probe power and better spectral flatness and polarization stability.

The new method was also used to characterize spectral features of integrated photonic devices like microresonators, and for measuring the molecular absorption spectrum of HF gas with two orders of magnitude improvement in precision compared to existing methods. This robust and straightforward method does not require mode locking or phase locking, making it suitable for out-of-lab applications, including LIDAR systems, 3D imaging, open-path trace gas sensing, characterization of photonic devices, and calibration of astrophysical spectrometers. Its simplicity and robustness make it an excellent choice for use in challenging environments.

Journal information: Advanced Photonics

Provided by SPIE

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Sakana AI’s ‘AI Scientist’ conducts research autonomously, challenging scientific norms

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Sakana AI , in collaboration with scientists from the University of Oxford and the University of British Columbia, has developed an artificial intelligence system that can conduct end-to-end scientific research autonomously. This breakthrough, named “ The AI Scientist ,” promises to completely transform the process of scientific discovery.

The AI Scientist automates the entire research lifecycle, from generating novel ideas to writing full scientific manuscripts. “We propose and run a fully AI-driven system for automated scientific discovery, applied to machine learning research,” the team reports in their newly released paper .

Introducing The AI Scientist: The world’s first AI system for automating scientific research and open-ended discovery! https://t.co/8wVqIXVpZJ From ideation, writing code, running experiments and summarizing results, to writing entire papers and conducting peer-review, The AI… pic.twitter.com/SJuat9a2Uw — Sakana AI (@SakanaAILabs) August 13, 2024

This innovative system uses large language models (LLMs) to mimic the scientific process. It can generate research ideas, design and execute experiments, analyze results, and even perform peer review of its own papers. The researchers claim that The AI Scientist can produce a complete research paper for approximately $15 in computing costs.

The dawn of AI-driven discovery: A new era in scientific research

In their study, published on the preprint server arXiv , the researchers detail how The AI Scientist was tested on tasks in machine learning research, including developing new techniques for diffusion models, transformer-based language models, and analyzing learning dynamics. According to the team, the system produced papers that “exceed the acceptance threshold at a top machine learning conference as judged by our automated reviewer.”

This development represents a significant leap in AI capabilities, moving beyond narrow task-specific applications to a more general scientific problem-solving approach. The AI Scientist’s ability to navigate the entire research process autonomously suggests a level of reasoning and creativity previously thought to be the exclusive domain of human researchers.

The implications of such a system are profound and multifaceted. On one hand, it could dramatically accelerate the pace of scientific discovery by allowing continuous, round-the-clock research without human limitations. This could lead to rapid advancements in fields like drug discovery, materials science, and climate change mitigation.

? Stoked to share The AI-Scientist ?‍? – our end-to-end approach for conducting research with LLMs including ideation, coding, experiment execution, paper write-up & reviewing. Blog ?: https://t.co/kBwAgvXDjZ Paper ?: https://t.co/XvkwWfQhyi Code ?: https://t.co/hXlXjxFAD9 … https://t.co/bPB37b9RUY pic.twitter.com/mHn6ShzaiA — Robert Lange (@RobertTLange) August 13, 2024

Balancing act: Human intuition vs. AI efficiency in the lab

However, the automation of scientific research raises critical questions about the future role of human scientists. While AI may excel at processing vast amounts of data and identifying patterns, human intuition, creativity, and ethical judgment remain crucial in steering scientific inquiry towards meaningful and beneficial outcomes. The challenge will be in finding the right balance between AI-driven efficiency and human-guided purpose in scientific research.

Moreover, the system’s ability to conduct research at such a low cost could have significant economic implications for academic institutions and the broader scientific community. This could potentially lead to a restructuring of how research is funded and conducted, with implications for employment in the scientific sector.

The researchers themselves acknowledge the potential risks associated with such powerful AI systems. They explain in their paper, saying, “The AI Scientist current capabilities, which will only improve, reinforces that the machine learning community needs to immediately prioritize learning how to align such systems to explore in a manner that is safe and consistent with our values.”

Ethical considerations: Navigating the uncharted waters of AI-led science

This admission form the researchers underscores the importance of developing robust ethical frameworks and safeguards alongside technological advancements. As AI systems become more capable of independent scientific inquiry, ensuring they operate in ways that benefit humanity and align with our values becomes increasingly critical.

The open-sourcing of The AI Scientist’s code allows for broader scrutiny and development by the scientific community, which could help address some of these concerns. It also enables researchers to build upon this technology, potentially leading to even more advanced AI-driven scientific discovery systems in the future.

As the scientific community grapples with the implications of this technology, it’s clear that the process of scientific discovery is on the cusp of a profound transformation.

The challenge now lies in harnessing the power of AI-driven research while preserving the irreplaceable elements of human scientific inquiry — creativity, intuition, and ethical consideration — that have driven progress for centuries.

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