Which step in the research process must be completed before a research question is written? avoiding plagiarism, providing citations, evaluating sources, understanding the topic

Ahistorian has discovered a letter written by an early roman emperor. she translates the letter and discovers that it contains orders to a general before a battle. she works to determine when the letter was written to figure out which battle the letter references. the historian in the passage is most clearly demonstrating which historical thinking skill? a. identifying causes and historical contextb. thinking chronologicallyc. making and evaluating arguments and interpretationsd. analyzing historical sources