An enquiry that begins with "find everything about X" ends with a folder nobody can use. An enquiry begins with a question narrow enough that an answer would settle it — and, crucially, narrow enough that it could come back no.
"Is the registered owner of this vessel the same company that holds the port contract?" is a question. It has two possible answers and both are useful.
"What is this person hiding?" is not a question. It assumes its own answer, and everything found afterwards will be read as confirming it. This is not a character flaw; it is how everybody's attention works, which is why the structure has to do the job instead.
Then, in order:
- Write the question down before you look at anything.
- Write what would answer it either way.
- Record every source as you go, with the date and what it said.
- Stop when the question is answered, including when the answer is no.
The fourth is the one people skip. An enquiry with no stopping condition runs until somebody gets tired, and what it produces is a pile rather than a finding.