STRATFOR RESEARCH

Introduction to

Communication Always be available during your

scheduled hours and DON’T BE AWOL

Keep Research Dept in the loopQuality assurance for STRATFORAccess to resources and guidance for youAvoid huge wastes of time

Reply-All is the rule, not the exception

Time Management Always start with the assumption that

the information exists Where can the information be found and

how long will it take to find it? Spend enough time that the research is

solid, but not so much that a missed deadline destroys its value

Set goals and try to keep them

Research as Analytic Support Speed

Focus is keyEfficiency – we’ll get more into that laterKnowing where to go (hint: probably not Google)

QualityAccuracy is absolutely criticalCompletion is our goal in everythingNeat, organized, accessible

How Does Research Get Done

Two ways

Do it yourself

Get someone to tell you

DO IT YOURSELFDon’t be lazy

The Importance of Primary Sources

DON’TOutsource your brainTrust “common knowledge”Trust the first report you come across

DOStart stupid, build upBe able to trust your researchBecome an authority

Primary Sources Overview Alphabet soup organizations State Dept background notes, LOC

Country Studies, OpenCRS Government websites

Ministries for everything! Trade, finance, defense, foreign affairs, etc.

Central banks Reference library

Janes, Military Balance, Energy Atlas, China Statistical Yearbook, magazines, etc

Economic IMF. IFS, WEO, SDDS, Article IV

consultations, papers. UN. Commodities, demographics,

external debt, developmental. EIA, IEA, OPEC, BP, Petroleum

Economist, Oil and Gas Journal, FAS, FAO, USGS

Eurostat, ITC TradeMap, bilaterals.org

Military and CT DOD/Dot-Mils, Press releases, PAOs UNHCR, ReliefWeb, Logistics Cluster Global Security, Military Periscope,

SIPRI, INSS, Jane’s, IISS Balance RAND, Brookings,

UnderstandingWar.org, etc NCTC WITS, UMD GTD, SATP Facebook, blogs (surprisingly)

Finding Primary Sources Research sources XLS Networked bookmarks Google - I lied, it’s awesome

Search modifiers, URL analysisDatabase search

WikipediaBe careful – Only good as a jumping off pointCheck the links at the bottom

Trade orgs and market reports – money at stake and boots on the ground

Blogs

Media Reports asSecondary Sources

Media reports almost always reference the primary source

Sometimes information can only be found in media reports – we’ll take it (reluctantly)

Digging up Media Reports Best media reports of all are at

stratfor.com – use it. Your own email

Quick Find vs. Message SearchOS collections and translations

Mailman archives Google News/Archives/Newspapers

Modifiers work here too BBC Monitoring

Radix non grata CIA World Factbook

Woefully outdated, frequently inaccurate Most junk on Wikipedia

OpinionAnalysisOutright lunacy

Indexmundi and NationmasterJust aggregating from sources you should know

anyway (and CIA Factbook) Whatever random garbage your Google search

turned up

Doing It Well Read the fine print Make sure units match Consider the broader context Independently verify

GET SOMEONETO TELL YOU

Make a friend

Cold Calls Can yield information very quickly if targeted

correctly Generate contacts, submit for archival

NamesTitles

How to identify yourselfGlobal intelligence company (mysterious)Research firm (business focused)Online publishing (innocuous)

Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer – get a referral

Emails

Just do it (a lot)

Don’t pester, but persist

Who To Contact Reporters Other academics and researchers Information desks at government

agencies and libraries Public affairs officers The appropriate attaché at the embassy Local business, chamber of commerce,

port authority, police department, statistical agency, etc, etc.

Finding Contact Info

Refer back to section on Google

Academic papers are usually the mother lode of contact info

Check the executive summaries and back covers

Phone or Email? Phone is often better than email

Harder to ignoreInject some humanity into the interaction

and even lay on a little charm Email may be more appropriate

Time zone differencesEasier to relay complex data

Get calls in early, then hit your primary resources while you wait for call back

SUBMITTING RESEARCH

Formatting Rules Learn them once, benefit for the rest of

your time here Senior staff insists on quality Don’t send a Word doc to do an Excel

spreadsheet’s job Your final product must be accessible

Put yourself in your “client’s” shoes

Present It Backwards If you’re asked a question, what is

expected? Put it at the top.

Then include a summary that outlines how you got there

Get into the nuts and bolts last

CITE CITE CITE CITE CITE

Much of this research will be your legacy at STRATFOR. Please don’t make me throw it away.

Fully document both your sources and methods

Be as specific as possible

DATE DATE DATE DATE DATE I’m tired of typing these slides

Just date everything, okay?

That means individual components, sources, entire documents, everything!

Alternative Platforms Google Earth Timeline Maker Slideshow (PPT/PDF) Mixed

Word/ExcelEarth/Text/GraphicsWhatever makes the information most

accessible

EPILOGUE

Real World vs. Academia Different time management strategies

Academia: Two minutes early same as two days early

Real World: Real gains for early submissions. (Caveat: still has to be right)

“Just get it turned in” is not an option Citations must be rigorously traced back

to their original source

The Internet This is our world. STRATFOR wouldn’t

exist in its current form without that great networked ocean of knowledge out there.

Get to know it. Be a geek. Explore creative new ways to obtain

knowledge Invent interesting ways to interpret it Be on the cutting edge