Negotiating pay when I have been out of work

I do not know whether to give a range or ask for theirs. I do not usually post, so bear with me. I do not want to price myself out. How do you research fairly?

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It made the follow-up calls so much easier.

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.