One of the major objectives of research in heterogeneous catalysis has been the correlation of catalytic performance with the structure and composition of the catalyst. Development of applicable general concepts has been slow, especially with supported metals, where numerous factors of the solid determine its ability to act catalytically. Progress is inhibited by the attention paid to the physical characterization of catalysts, while there is frequently an insufficiently detailed study of the reaction; a protocol is proposed to remedy this. Devising a mechanism based on measured kinetics allows the properties of the solid to be connected first to the mode of chemisorption of the reactants, and only then to the overall catalytic behavior.