To ensure your research design or solution isn't already published, conduct a thorough literature review, focusing on identifying gaps in existing research and highlighting how your approach is unique or offers significant improvements over previous studies.Nowadays, most of the journals publish their papers online, so the best way to know the latest updates in a field is to find it online.

If you know the journal where the paper is supposed to be published, visit its website. There’s usually a section for recent publications or an archive where you can search for the paper by title, author, or keywords.

Websites like Google Scholar, PubMed, IEEE Xplore, or Web of Science allow you to search for academic papers. Enter the title, author name, or keywords related to the paper to see if it has been indexed and published.

Continuously monitor recent publications in your field to ensure your research remains relevant and innovative.

Good luck!!