Research questionOne precise question, several related questions, or a larger multi-part brief.
Source universeOfficial sites, public databases, industry publications, directories, news or customer-authorized sources.
Freshness windowCurrent-only evidence, a recent period, or historical material where the context requires it.
Comparison fieldsExactly which attributes need to be captured consistently across entities or sources.
Cross-checkingWhich findings materially affect a decision and therefore deserve a second-source check where practical.
Handoff formatSpreadsheet, CSV, document-style brief, PDF-style summary or another agreed deliverable.