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Tag: research tips

  • Do Your Homework: How to Research Your Writing Topics

    Do Your Homework: How to Research Your Writing Topics

    Whether you cover technology or hockey, it’s important to know what’s going on and stay on top of the latest news in your field.

    Knowing what’s going on in your field can help you land more stories, and it might help you become your editor’s “go to” person for related topics.

    Follow these techniques to stay on top of your beat.

    1. Use Google Alerts

    Writers use Google Alerts in all sorts of different ways. You can use this free service to subscribe to companies, people or phrases, and Google Alerts will send you an email notification when the keywords appear online.

    Many writers have a Google Alert set up for their name so they see when they’ve been mentioned or have an article published.

    This is also a useful way to stay on top of your niche and the main subjects you cover. If you cover technology, you might want to set up an alert for a specific technology company or a specific kind of technology or an aspect of the field.

    Of course, when you receive an alert, that means someone else has already covered the topic. This is a great way to stay on top of current developments in the field, but not the best way to break the news yourself.

    research writing2. Subscribe to journals

    Whether you cover penguins or parenting, there are likely at least a few research journals that may be of use to you. When you subscribe to academic journals, you can read studies and articles about your field and stay up to date on the latest research.

    Joining a society or organization in your field is often a good way to access these journals as many memberships include a subscription or a way to access one or more relevant journals.

    You can also read many subscription-based journals for free at a local public or academic library.

    3. Network and use your contacts

    In order to stay on top of the latest developments, cultivate great sources and have a chance to break some news yourself, it’s important to network and have contacts in your field.

    If you cover aerospace, reach out to leading aerospace researchers and ask them to keep you up to date on their latest developments. Ask to be included on their public relations media list. However, they are busy with their research and reaching out to the media is likely not one of their top priorities, so you will have to be proactive.

    Check in from time to time and see what’s new. They may be able to give you a heads-up on the research they are currently working on or an upcoming newsworthy project. See what’s going on and check in later to stay on top of their work.

    Be sure to clarify with your subjects what is “on the record” and what is “off the record.” Some may give you a heads-up about a project coming down the line in a few months but not be ready to officially comment on the topic.

    4. Attend industry conferences

    While cultivating individual relationships with the top experts in your field is important, it takes up a lot of time to track down a dozen or more individuals and stay on top of what each one is doing.

    In order to optimize your time, consider attending industry conferences and events to see a number of prominent experts in one place. Use the time to network, cultivate contacts and learn everything you can about the field.

    Industry conferences are different from writing conferences. Writing conferences include writers, editors and agents, while industry conferences feature scientists, researchers and top industry experts sharing their knowledge.

    Conferences typically host panels, speakers, and events where you can also get story ideas. Be sure to check with conference organizers and presenters to see what is “on the record.”

    Sometimes, these types of events involve presentations on in-progress research and other developments they want to share with colleagues but aren’t prepared to share with the wider world. You don’t want to get on an important contact’s bad side by sharing preliminary results without the proper context, so be sure to make sure the findings are ready to publish.

    Staying on top of your beat will take a certain amount of time, but it’s invaluable to cultivate important contacts and learn as much as you possibly can about your field.

    When you know the people, the latest developments, and understand the field thoroughly, you can make yourself a “go to” reporter on the topic.

  • How to Write About Anything: 5 Steps for Researching a New Topic

    How to Write About Anything: 5 Steps for Researching a New Topic

    You’ve just landed a job as a content writer . . . for an industry you have absolutely zero background in.

    You’re a beginner, and this is a great job, your best so far: $100 for 800 words. You’ve gotta make it. There is no way you’re about to mess this up.

    What now?

    You’re going to write those articles, and you’re going to write them well. No one, especially your new client, will ever guess you’re new to the field.

    That’s the right attitude, and you’re halfway there. Now the question is how to do it.

    Ready? Here are five steps to effectively research your subject, so you’ll be able to write authoritative, accurate content.

    1. Define and refine your topic

    Let’s say you’re writing for a marketing manager. You’re new to freelancing, and have no idea what marketing even is. All you know is that when you need vegetables, you can go to the supermarket or the farmer’s market.

    Your first step is to define what kind of marketing your client wants you to write about. Does he want to market a service or a product? Online or offline? Is what you’re writing going to be printed, made into a wall poster, or published on a website?

    Once you’ve figured out what you are marketing, along with where, how, and to whom, you can move on. Remember, you’re not out to become an expert. If you gobble up too much at once, it’ll hurt your writing. All you need is a basic understanding of the subject at hand.

    Take a minute to write down what your specific topic is, just as if you were writing an academic thesis statement.

    2. Determine what resources you need

    Once upon a time, when we wanted to look something up, we went to the library and opened an encyclopedia. Those were the days.

    Today, it’s not so simple. If you’re looking to write for a travel agency, you’re going to read popular websites, search for cheap deals, and see what interests travelers right now.

    On the other hand, if you’re writing about whether breastfeeding has health benefits, you’re going to want to read government sites, medical reports, and organized, reliable research.

    You also need to think about whether written information is enough. Maybe you’re going to need to dig up a video or sound recording, conduct an interview or observe someone.

    3. Start your research

    If you’ve decided that your primary information source is the Internet, start Googling. If you’re looking for people who have been to the Bahamas, look on Facebook. If you need to find out whether it’s worth it to be a dentist, make a list of dentists in your area and ask for interviews.

    How long you spend on this step depends on a few things. First, consider how complicated the subject is, and how much material you will need to cover. Also take into consideration how fast you read, how quickly you learn new concepts, and whether you need to take someone else’s schedule into consideration.

    Tackle at least one of your chosen sources per day if you have the time to plot out your research.

    4. Get your sources to work for you

    It doesn’t take research to learn how to research, but it does take preparation.

    If you’re observing someone, you’ll need to think about who and what you’re observing. Write down your goals. Think about recording the observation session so you can review it later, and be proactive beforehand to obtain permission to record.

    If you’re conducting interviews, make a list of questions to ask and topics that you want to cover. You won’t always be able to ask all the questions (sometimes the conversation will go off on a tangent or you’ll run out of time), but if you have a list of topics, you’ll remember the most important items.

    For those Googling, I recommend reading through the first five-to-10 pages of results, the last five-to-10 pages of results, and a few random pages in the middle. Otherwise, you’re liable to miss important information.

    Whenever possible, take a few moments to research the viewpoint opposite to your own. Knowing both sides of the issue will give you a better understanding overall — and it will show in your writing.

    5. Write down what you’ve learned

    Make a list of the most important things you’ve learned. This can be done on paper, in a Word document, or even just by copy-and-pasting the most important selections into an email to yourself. Make sure that you keep track of your sources, so that you don’t get stuck later on.

    Remember your original document with your topic and list of sources? Open it. See if you’ve done what you wanted to do. You may want to write what you’ve learned in this same document, to keep it all together.

    Do you have tips on how to quickly learn about a new field? Share them in the comments!