I am going to carry out research on plant viruses. What steps should I take before conducting research on viruses? will I have to read research topics? will I have to learn Lab techniques?
A good way could be to read what other researchers have recently published in the field and decide how you can bring your own contribution. Once you decide about the strategy to follow, build your lab accordingly.
Perhaps, it will be a good idea to conduct a thorough literature review and have background knowledge of past related studies which will assist you in contextualising your study.