Guides··10 min read
Crypto Research for Beginners: A 7-Day Desk Plan
New to crypto research? A seven-day plan to learn narratives, liquidity, tokenomics, and build your first watchlist without FOMO.
By Alphora Labs Research Desk · Educational content · Not financial advice
You do not need 40 tabs on day one
Beginners fail by collecting dashboards instead of judgment. Limit yourself to a vocabulary set, one discovery loop, and one writing habit: thesis + kill criteria.
A simple 7-day plan
Day 1–2: glossary terms and majors context. Day 3–4: Discover triage only. Day 5: Ask brief. Day 6–7: basket + review what changed your mind.
If you skip writing kill criteria, you are collecting stickers — not researching.
How beginners can start crypto research in a week
- Learn market cap, FDV, liquidity, and unlocks from the glossary.
- Read one majors brief (BTC or ETH) end to end.
- Swipe 30 coins on Discover and force Pass/Watch/Interested decisions.
- Write kill criteria for two Interested names.
- Generate one Ask desk brief and verify two facts manually.
- Create a tiny basket and track P&L for a week without adding noise.
Frequently asked questions
- What should beginners research first?
- Bitcoin and Ethereum context, then liquidity and unlocks. Avoid microcap memes until you can fail a liquidity test in under a minute.
Keep researching
- Crypto glossary
- Full framework
- Create free account
- How to Research Cryptocurrency Like a Desk AnalystA practical crypto research framework: narrative, liquidity, tokenomics, catalysts, and risk — without drowning in charts and Twitter noise.
- AI Crypto Research Tools: What Actually Helps (and What Doesn’t)How to use AI for crypto research without hallucinated theses — desk-style briefs, risk prompts, and when human judgment still wins.
- Crypto Portfolio Tracker Guide: Baskets, P&L, and ConvictionHow to track a crypto portfolio without spreadsheet chaos — baskets by thesis, live P&L, and linking holdings to research briefs.