Their are tons of scam projects on the internet, so you always have to do your own research before investing your crypto in anything. OP did a great job to point out the ways to do the research before investing.
The best way to do research before investing is to check the project, learn about the team and people behind it, what is the purpose of the project and how the project works.
in conclusion is to check everything in detail. Research is needed to find out all about the project that will be followed. Without doing research is the same as ignoring the risks that might occur. Projects that have just been launched can suddenly go bankrupt, especially new projects that still don't have good relationships. There is much to research before following it. What the OP explained is clear enough, you just need to run it.