How to Research Your Content
How to Research Your Content
How to research for the content of your book or blog writing seems to be a subject that is being overlooked by many wannabe authors.
Being a writer, one of my favorite parts of the writing process is the research. I love learning about new topics, history and places. Many blog posts, eBooks and even some self-published books I have read online, though, seem to have skipped this step. Or maybe the author just doesn’t understand what good research is.
Now if you already know your subject matter well or are an expert yourself, you won’t need to do much research. This post is for those who are writing on a subject they want to know more about, but haven’t become the expert themselves yet.
Great research can mean the difference between a well-read content piece or one that just sits around collecting virtual dust.
Learning how to research your content online is simply a matter of following a few basic rules. Whether you are writing the piece or having it outsourced try to use these rules. Here are the ones I try to follow when I am writing about something I am not knowledgeable in.
- Always use credible sources.
News or journalistic sites like CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post where factual data can be found.
Academic, research and university sites. Your can find academic and research sites at http://scholar.google.com/. Look for well known university sites such as Harvard, Yale, University of Chicago
Sites from known experts or authority sites such as Brian Tracy or Martha Stewart or the Mayo clinic or WebMD.
- Dig through to get the facts from the fiction and opinion.
Look for generalities, ideas or exaggerating overstatements that are too vague.
Look for evidence from credible sources that support their claims.
- Use a multiple number of sources in your content.
No matter how you research your content, you need to use several different sources. Using only one source may unintentionally cause you to create content that sounds just like the source.
Multiple sources gives you a bigger picture of the facts. Read a lot of information on your topic to get clear. Then you can make the topic yours when you write your content.
Multiple sources can be anywhere from three to five pieces or more depending on how long your writing will be. For a short blog post 3 sources is probably enough. For a book, you will need at least 6 sources.
So how do you research for an eBook?
- Start with general research on your topic to help create your outline. Start with multiple keywords in your topic and search on Google to get ideas for your chapters and sub-chapters.
- Then do a more detailed research on your topic using your chapter outline as a guide. This is where your multiple sources come in. Use credible sources, journalistic sites and known authority sites.
- Take notes as you read. DO NOT COPY! And don’t just rewrite the words. Use your own style and create a piece that is uniquely yours.
- Interview experts to get their take on your topic. This gives you a one of a kind piece that is fresh and new.
Want help with your research? Contact me.
How do you research for your book? I’d love to hear from you so leave a comment below. And feel free to share this with others.
