> At a basic level, how can you perform anything besides trivial queries if you don't know what you are searching for?
That's actually pretty doable. Almost every resource provides more context than just the exact thing you're asking. You build on that knowledge and continue asking. Nobody knows everything - we've been doing the equivalent of this kind of research forever.
> How can you assess the validity of a source if you don't know the fundamentals?
Learn about the fundamentals until you get to the level you're already familiar with. You're describing an adult outside of school environment learning basically anything.
That's actually pretty doable. Almost every resource provides more context than just the exact thing you're asking. You build on that knowledge and continue asking. Nobody knows everything - we've been doing the equivalent of this kind of research forever.
> How can you assess the validity of a source if you don't know the fundamentals?
Learn about the fundamentals until you get to the level you're already familiar with. You're describing an adult outside of school environment learning basically anything.