Good writers do more than exhibit a flair for words; they practice good research techniques. Content is the key to quality writing. Sharing knowledge requires more than the limits of one's own experiences. It involves using one's talents to meet the expressed needs of publishers in a competitive writing market. This article focuses on Web-based research for Internet-writing. Learn how to become a solid researcher, and an even better writer.
Step 1: Zero in on your topic and brainstorm before beginning your online search.
When approaching a writing task, it helps to do some brainstorming before you begin researching, in order to make your search time more efficient. As everyone's mind works in a unique way, find a process that fits your style.
Linear thinkers outline their thoughts first. Spatial thinkers prefer webs or charts to track related ideas. You can also just list a series of thoughts, like sound bites.
It can also help to break down your topic into key parts, such as:
* explanation, cause, effect
* who, what, when, why, where, how
* Description, details, statistics
* or some schema that makes sense for your topic
You are going to use this framework to guide your queries and keyword/keyword phrase searches. Place question marks next to information you need to find. Circle keywords and keyword phrases. List synonyms and related topics. Now you have a game plan as you approach the Internet.
Step 2: Start with search engines: Remember Google and Yahoo are not the only boys in town!
While every writer develops familiarity (and perhaps some attachment) to a favorite search engine, learn the benefits of different kinds of search engines for different kinds of tasks. In our Information Age, the key is making your search time efficient. Knowing what Internet porthole to use and for which types of tasks helps considerably.
* For general information, consider InfoSeeker and LookSmart in addition to Google and Yahoo.
* For large numbers of search results, try Lycos, AltaVista and HotBot.
* Try meta-search engines to get results from two or more search engines like MetaCrawler and Dogpile. WebTaxi and Internet Sleuth can also help.
* For more specific searches, try Excite and WebCrawler.
Step 3: Be smart about what you put in the search field.
Learning the fine art of searching keywords and keyword phrases saves time and enhances your search results. Some methods work for all searches and some are site specific. Take time to read user guides for search engines you frequent. Also note which keyword phrases result in the most hits. If you find one that provides the highest yield, be sure to use this in your title, introduction, conclusion and a few times in your article; this will maximize SEO results for your published article.
Other tips:
* Use more keywords to get the most results.
* Fine tune your search, but don't leave out important terms.
* Simplify searches by placing quotes around the keyword phrase. This ensures that you get that specific keyword phrase and not every result from each individual word.
* Some search engines allow you to do this by using a + (plus) sign before each keyword you want to target.
* Some search engines permit browsers to place asterisks at the end of a word to allow other variations of that same word or phrase to come up. Eg. If you wrote space*, you'd also cull spaceman, space travel, space exploration, spaceship, etc.
Step 4: While large search engines can get you started, smaller, more specific sites may provide more concrete information.
Fine-tune your approach as you learn more about your topic. Look into consumer guides, newspapers, specialty magazine sites and blogs that may prove pertinent to your subject. Often you will find the most detailed information on these sites.
Many writers find Encarta, Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia a worthwhile starting point, to gain a wider understanding of a topic, but such broad sites should never be an end point. Reach deeply in the Web for knowledge nodes and niches, often discovered in less trafficked sites.
Step 5: Assess a site's reliability before assuming the information is trustworthy.
While one can find a seemingly infinite number of resources on the Web, judging the worthiness of the content is tricky. Ultimately individual researchers must use their own judgment and double-check what information they can. Here are some guidelines that may help:
* Check the URL suffix: .edu (educational institution), .gov (government agency), .com (commercial), .org (both professional non-professional organizations, often non-profits), -Name (personal website).
* Is the author named and/or the source of the content reliable? Anonymously published information is more suspect than authored material. Sites associated with recognizable information sources (Consumer Reports, NYTimes, government reports) are preferred to personal sites. Yet, an individual's credentials on a personal site may prove worthy too.
* Is the information backed up with evidence? Is the information up to date? Have the arguments been presented logically? Is the goal of the article information, or is the author seeking to persuade or sell? Trust facts, timely information and motives that seek to inform.
Step 6: Gather your research efficiently and keep track of your sources.
The initial time you spent brainstorming your topic will maximize your search time and refine how you gather information.
* Be careful to stay on topic and to maintain a narrow enough focus. Depending on the topic, also be sure to connect the importance of your subject beyond the mere specifics. In brief, frame your specific information in a way that impresses upon your reader that they are spending their time in a worthwhile way, to learn about something important.
* Break down your article into two to four key parts. Make sure you have solid information for each part. Explain each part clearly, and back each point up with solid evidence. Facts work best, while sharing authoritative perspectives and one's own experiences can supplement.
* Clearly direct the reader in your introduction, so readers know where you will lead them. Tight and informative articles, with clear directional signals, hold readers' attention and transfer information effectively.
* Do not just copy and paste bits of text in your articles. Instead, put the information in your own words from the beginning of the information-gathering, note-taking process. Also, do not borrow an entire structure from another article or try to copy another writer's tone. All of these factors count for plagiarism. For more information about Helium's guidelines on plagiarism, go to http://www.helium.com/tm/263809
* Cite your sources at the end of the article. For books, site author, title and copyright date. For articles, site author, title, publication and date. For web sites, use URLs.
Good researchers make the best writers. Spending time to think through a topic first makes your research time more efficient and helps ensure that you approach your article in an authentic way, rather than simply following what others have already done. Fine tuning your knowledge of how to use search tools to find the right kinds of information expands your opportunities to get what you need. Making sure you discern the value of the information from a given site is also vital. Pinpointing your focus and finding the best portals through the Internet helps you pluck what you need from the "information highway," to carve your own clear path toward a unique, well-researched and solid article.
Check out these resources:
http://www.writerswrite.com
Taylor and Lejeune, Consider the Source: Finding Reliable Information on the Internet (2004)