No matter what subject you write on, there will be some research involved. Your opinion is the first step. Backing up your ideas with facts is the second step.
You can do the vast majority of your research online if the topic you have chosen is outside the company expertise. Online tools such as Google.com, Clusty.com, or Dogpile.com are a great place to start. However, using the correct searching techniques will make the difference between getting a great deal of information and getting a scant few.
Google.com provides a great cheat sheet for using advanced searching techniques. Go to google.com/help/cheatsheet.html then print out this valuable resource.
To make sure your search hits are up-to-date use the year in your search. For example: 2004..2006 will give you articles from the year 2004 up to this year. If you are looking for exact phrases put the phrase in quotation marks such as “VP Marketing” or “SL500 Lens”.
When you click on any of the links, check for the validity of the information. What is the source of the article, who wrote it, what is their expertise, or what other resources do they mention. Do not use internet results as the sole basis of your research, check other sources as well. You want your writing to reflect more than just opinions, you want the facts.
You can do more research using Amazon.com. Search for book titles on the target subject matter to get a list of recent publications. If any of the books are using the “Look Inside” feature, you will be able to scan the table of contents for relevant topics and even read the first few pages of the book - particularly the introduction. The Introduction will often give you a clue as to why the book was written and the target audience information. Other pertinent information about the book will be revealed by the popularity of the book and any reviews it may have received. This is all valuable when trying to discover relevance to your topic.
Having coffee at Borders or Barnes & Noble is also good. These book stores will allow you to skim through print publications while sitting in their coffee shops. This is a great way to research topics by skimming multiple books on the subject. This is even better than most libraries as the publications in bookstores are recently published. If you want to look at older versions, then head off to the library.
As time is often short, I most often rely on the Internet and Amazon Table of Contents to get most of my information. If books look like they give me the background I need, I simply buy the book.
You can do the vast majority of your research online if the topic you have chosen is outside the company expertise. Online tools such as Google.com, Clusty.com, or Dogpile.com are a great place to start. However, using the correct searching techniques will make the difference between getting a great deal of information and getting a scant few.
Google.com provides a great cheat sheet for using advanced searching techniques. Go to google.com/help/cheatsheet.html then print out this valuable resource.
To make sure your search hits are up-to-date use the year in your search. For example: 2004..2006 will give you articles from the year 2004 up to this year. If you are looking for exact phrases put the phrase in quotation marks such as “VP Marketing” or “SL500 Lens”.
When you click on any of the links, check for the validity of the information. What is the source of the article, who wrote it, what is their expertise, or what other resources do they mention. Do not use internet results as the sole basis of your research, check other sources as well. You want your writing to reflect more than just opinions, you want the facts.
You can do more research using Amazon.com. Search for book titles on the target subject matter to get a list of recent publications. If any of the books are using the “Look Inside” feature, you will be able to scan the table of contents for relevant topics and even read the first few pages of the book - particularly the introduction. The Introduction will often give you a clue as to why the book was written and the target audience information. Other pertinent information about the book will be revealed by the popularity of the book and any reviews it may have received. This is all valuable when trying to discover relevance to your topic.
Having coffee at Borders or Barnes & Noble is also good. These book stores will allow you to skim through print publications while sitting in their coffee shops. This is a great way to research topics by skimming multiple books on the subject. This is even better than most libraries as the publications in bookstores are recently published. If you want to look at older versions, then head off to the library.
As time is often short, I most often rely on the Internet and Amazon Table of Contents to get most of my information. If books look like they give me the background I need, I simply buy the book.
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