The first thing I look for before investing in crypto is usually I see whether or not there is a famous person behind the project, especially famous in the crypto world, so if there is none I will be doubtful, especially since their team has no connection to any fairly well-known projects. Secondly, I usually check their smart contract if it is available, then it can be a reference whether there is potential for a scam or not, for reference you can see here Several Platforms to Make It Easier to Check SmartContracts. The third is, usually I will check how much funding they have received, and see how fairly they will distribute it, and we can also check this through several platforms such as checking it directly on their official social media (but it is also necessary to verify whether it is true or not), and we can also see or check it here DefiLlama - Raises.

Well, so far that's my reference for doing research before investing in anything in crypto, but I think the best thing to do is to invest in Bitcoin in installments, because fundamentally it is beyond doubt, compared to altcoins/shitcoins.