Week of June1, 2013 - Researching for Nonfiction Writing

By Joan Whetzel

When researching for my nonfiction articles and blogs I usually have a plan of action Unless the piece I am writing is based on personal experience, I can’t just sit down and write. Most of my research comes from  secondary sources – books, periodicals, websites.  On occasion I use primary resources in the form of interviews and observations. In most cases, I like to provide a bibliography at the end, which I create while researching.

Research SuppliesI keep certain supplies on:  my desktop and laptop computers (for travelling), pens and pencils, highlighters, paper, a dictionary and thesaurus. Yes, I can always use the online versions, but I refuse to give up my hardbound copies. They offer different options than the online and Word for Windows versions. I also keep copies of the various writing style manuals - should I need them.

I like taking notes or writing by hand sometimes because it slows down my thinking process, which gives me extra time to develop my ideas. I also like the feel of putting pen to paper. . I prefer typing when I'm in a hurry to get the notes down or when the ideas are flowing too fast to get them down by hand  When working in a library, I use index cards to write out individual bibliography entries, which get added to the computer bibliography later.

There are word-processing programs other than Word for Windows, but I prefer Word. I use the grammar and spell check frequently to correct my "dyslexic" fingers. In fact, there are a few spelling errors my fingers make regularly.

Books

I use some books in my personal library for regular research. Other times I go to the library, especially for the encyclopedias and other reference book. Other times I find myself visiting book stores for more recent information. 

Periodicals

I love flipping through magazines. Many main stream and professional magazines and newspapers make good academic resources.

Internet

The internet is my main resource. Like periodicals, I go mostly for mainstream websites. There are times, though when I will visit one of those quirky sites. Following the path less taken offers me a different perspective that I otherwise wouldn’t have gotten. The websites considered non-traditional or not academically acceptable are a great way of looking at an idea differently and frequently sparks  a pattern of thought I would never have considered.