I'm not really asking for reference on ecological statistics (such as here or here), but more on how you can be sure you're doing a new analysis you just learned correctly. I'm often stuck trying to learn modelling techniques by myself without a mentor simply because I know a bit more stats than everyone else and how to use R.
That being said, it doesn't mean I know everything. I know the stats that I've used before, and not necessarily the stats that's required for the current project; much of the stats I learned were from formal coursework (post-grad, workshops, short-courses, undergrad modules, etc.). I can read all the books and go through all the exercises by myself, but I can never be sure if I'm doing the analyses for the project correctly or not.
How do you know if you're doing the analysis correctly? Is there a workflow or formula you use for your learning so you always know you're on the right track? Who do you reach out for help? How much reading do you do before you say "Right, I really have no idea what I'm doing and I'm just going to give up."?