Topic-First Data Curation
Define the question first, then pull only the data needed to answer it.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 95%
Topic-First Data Curation reverses the usual relationship between researchers and information feeds. Instead of consuming every release and waiting for something important to emerge, the researcher begins with a defined subject, identifies the evidence needed, and deliberately retrieves that evidence from known sources. Regular emails or feeds may remain available, but they do not set the agenda. This mechanism reduces distraction, limits exposure to premature interpretations, and makes the provenance of each number easier to track. Over time, the researcher builds a practical map of where to obtain particular kinds of information, allowing future questions to be answered faster without expanding the volume of material consumed.
Origin
Extracted from Masters in Business.
Core principles
- 01Start with a specific question rather than an incoming data feed.
- 02Treat most unsolicited information as noise until it becomes relevant.
- 03Use known primary sources for the data required by the topic.
- 04Keep a small set of trusted sources without letting them dictate the agenda.
How to run it
- 1
Define the subject
State the topic or decision that requires investigation before opening data feeds. Turn a broad interest into a focused research question.
Pro tip Write the question in one sentence and specify the period or population involved.
Watch out A vague topic will still invite an unmanageable volume of information.
- 2
Specify the evidence
List the numbers, comparisons, and contextual facts needed to answer the question. Separate essential evidence from merely interesting material.
Pro tip Frame each need as a field, series, or document you could retrieve.
Watch out Do not let the first available statistic substitute for the evidence actually required.
- 3
Pull from known sources
Go directly to appropriate primary or trusted sources and retrieve the required material. Use tools such as government databases to reduce source-hunting time.
Pro tip Maintain a short source map linking common questions to their original publishers.
Watch out A convenient charting service may reproduce data without preserving all of its context.
- 4
Ignore unrelated inputs
Set aside releases, emails, and commentary that do not bear on the current question. Save only material with a clear prospective use.
Pro tip Use a separate watchlist for genuinely recurring sources.
Watch out Do not confuse staying busy with becoming better informed.
- 5
Retain the source path
Document where each important figure originated so it can be checked, updated, or reused later.
Pro tip Store the original publication link beside any derived chart or note.
Watch out A number detached from its source becomes difficult to audit.
In the wild
An investor wants to know whether wage growth is accelerating. Rather than reading every market newsletter, they define the relevant period, retrieve wage and inflation series from the original agencies, and compare them directly. Unrelated earnings releases and market forecasts are excluded from the research set.
→ The investor reaches a focused, traceable conclusion without consuming the entire daily news flow.
Common mistakes
Letting feeds choose the question
Starting with whatever arrives most recently makes salience, rather than relevance, determine the research agenda.
Collecting before defining
Gathering data without specifying the needed evidence creates a large archive but no reliable answer.
Losing provenance
Saving a statistic without its original source makes later validation and updating unnecessarily difficult.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for investors, analysts, and writers facing more incoming data than they can evaluate.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for roles that require comprehensive real-time monitoring of every market release.
From the transcript
“Mostly I try to ignore most of it, and I curate what I use and what I rely on.”
“I start with a topic that I want to explore, a subject I want to explore, and then I go search out the data that…”
“I know where to go most of the time for what I need.”
From the episode
At The Money: How to Manage Your News & Data Flow