Process
Each article is different. This means that each article will also require a different type of research.
Ex. If you are doing an opinion piece it will add weight to your claim if you do a poll to see how many people agree with you. If you are informing the readers it will add weight to your article if you cite an expert in the field you are talking about.
As you do more research you will develop your own flow of things. The general way of researching is to
- Pick a topic
- Think of information that could help support your topic
- Go find that information from a credible source.
- Document where you found the information
Credibility
All sources of information are not good sources of information. Some sources have a huge bias and can be putting information out into the world for their own benefit. When looking at things online or doing field research, be sure to use your best judgment when judging credibility.
Things to look for in a credible source:
- Does this source have knowledge and experience with this topic?
- Does this source have other articles or pieces of information on the same topic?
- Is this source a well-known source?
Not having credible sources not only makes your article look bad but also reflects badly upon the platform you are published on. Make sure you do your research on the sources you are using. When possible, cite multiple sources to add extra credibility.
Online Research
The internet is filled with information. Some of it is good and some of it is not, it is up to you to sift through the information and find out what is credible and will support your article. There are a lot of websites online, if you are ever in doubt, look up the website itself and see what others have to say about it. If all else fails, do not use the source
.
Good online sources:
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a search engine designed for research. It has resources from a lot of credible sources and contains articles, papers, and books written by experts and researchers from universities. The only issue is that some of the sources require you to pay for the documents. Depending on where you use it, the school or library may cover the fees and you will be able to access the articles for free.
News Outlets
News outlets are good sources of information. These sources actually pay people to go out and do research on topics. There are a number of news outlets ranging from small-town newspapers to national television news stations. The only issues with news outlets are that some do have a bias, some breaking news might be published quickly with less accuracy, and some require a subscription to access their content. Just like google scholar, if you are at a school or library, they may already have access to these so you can use them for free.
Government Websites
Government websites are great sources of information. They are completely free and really credible. The government has many resources to conduct research and studies so a lot of the sources, such as the US census, will have a lot of information. The only issue is that some of the government information is not updated as quickly as you may want due to the time that it takes to conduct the research.
Online Encyclopedias
Although the use of physical encyclopedias may have died off, online ones are still relevant. These are a good source of information.
Universities
University websites are a great source of information. A lot of college professors actually get paid to do research and publish it for the college.
There are many other good sources out there. If you hit a wall and don’t know where to look just search “credible sources” and see what pops up.
Field Research
Field research is the process of you actually going out and doing the research yourself. This can be done in a number of ways.
Ways to do field research:
- Polls
- Interviews
- Investigations
- Observations
Each way has its own pros and cons. Be sure to consider these when committing to a form of research. Some of these require a lot of time. The results are worth it because you will have information on your own that is credible.
Print Research
Print research is finding information through print sources such as newspapers, magazines, and books. These can be a great source of information and usually are credible. The best place to find these sources are at libraries. They contain extensive catalogs that you won’t be able to find anywhere else and it’s for free.
Citing Sources
It is important to cite your sources when you are writing an article. Citing your sources gives credit to the people who took time and money to do the research you are using. Using someone’s information without permission and properly citing it is not acceptable. This is called plagiarism. Plagiarism can lead to fines for you and for the publication you are publishing your article for.