How Software Engineers Should Do Good Research: The D in R&D

Research is one of the least visible skills in software engineering-and one of the most important. We celebrate shipping and execution, but strong execution is usually the result of quiet, continuous research that no one notices.

This post focuses on the D (Development) side of R&D, and why good development depends on ongoing research, even when it feels like it’s not paying off day by day.

Why Research Matters in an SWE’s Life

Software engineering is not just about writing code. It’s about making decisions under uncertainty.

Good research helps you:

Avoid cargo-cult engineering
Understand why something works, not just how
Choose tools intentionally instead of following trends
Anticipate breaking changes, limitations, and risks

Strong engineers don’t know everything. They know how to reduce uncertainty faster than others.

Research Is Ongoing (and Often Feels Useless)

One of the hardest truths about research is this:

Daily research rarely feels productive.

You read release notes that don’t matter today. You skim docs for features you won’t use yet. You follow discussions that don’t immediately affect your code.

And still-this is where long-term engineering clarity comes from.

Research compounds quietly. What feels irrelevant today becomes obvious context six months later.

How to Research Tools Effectively

Before adopting a language, framework, or library, research beyond “does it work”.

1. Know the Language

Read official documentation (not just tutorials)
Understand the runtime model:
Memory management
Concurrency
Async vs blocking
Learn the language’s philosophy

2. Know the Framework

Ask questions like:

Who maintains it?
How opinionated is it?
How fast does it change?
Is it a thin abstraction or a heavy one?
What problems was it actually designed to solve?

3. Know the People Behind It

Follow core maintainers
Read design discussions and RFCs
Watch conference talks from the creators

This is where you learn intent, not just API usage.

4. Follow the Ecosystem

Release notes
GitHub issues and PRs
Deprecations and breaking changes
Security advisories

Daily exposure here matters-even if you don’t act on it immediately.

How to Research the Product or Company

Engineering decisions never exist in isolation.

Research the product context:

What problem does this product actually solve?
What are the business constraints?
Who are the users?
What failure modes are acceptable?

The “best” technical solution in isolation can be the wrong one for the product.

Good research aligns engineering decisions with business reality.

How to Research a Topic (Domain-Level Research)

Some topics require continuous awareness, not one-time learning.

For example: security, infrastructure, cloud, networking.

Good topic research includes:

Reading industry news (not just blogs)
Following vulnerability disclosures and advisories
Attending meetups and conferences
Talking to people actively working in the domain

Cybersecurity is a good example: best practices expire faster than most documentation updates.

The Learning Cycle (How Research Actually Works)

Research is not linear. It’s a loop:

Learn the basics
Build something
Hit limitations
Research deeper
Refactor your understanding
Repeat

Each loop makes earlier concepts clearer.

The best engineers revisit fundamentals-not because they forgot them, but because they now understand why they matter.

Practical Tips That Actually Work

No hacks-just habits that scale:

Use an RSS reader (blogs, release notes, security feeds)
Follow official docs and changelogs, not just summaries
Skim often, deep-read selectively
Keep lightweight personal research notes
Revisit old assumptions regularly

Daily research won’t feel rewarding. Monthly reflection will.

Closing Thought

Great software engineers aren’t defined by how fast they code, but by how well they research before and while coding.

If you want long-term growth, treat research as a daily background process, not a one-time task. That’s the real D in R&D.