Writing is popularly believed to be a spontaneous exercise. Oftentimes it is, but one cannot sustain oneself as a writer of merit, as a writer whose works will live on when he does not, without research. Research is educative, informative, enlightening. Research invests the writer with the confidence that eggs him to go on writing. Research offers you the credibility you seek in the writing market from editors, publishers, agents and readers.
Research stands the test of time.
Research lends respect to your writing and with time, to your by-line. I was once asked to do a piece on Why Do Indian Women Commit Suicide for a cover story in a monthly magazine. I first wrote a piece culled from newspaper clippings of women having committed suicide over the past few years in India, wrote up the piece and gave it to her. She smiled and gave it back, asking me to do some more homework. I read my piece again and again till I discovered many things were missing.