Your local public library is an excellent source of free information, journals, and databases (even those that typically require a subscription and include embargoed searches). For example, your search should include everything from health databases (Sage Journals, Scopus, PubMed) to academic and journalism source databases (American Periodical Series Online, Statista, Academic Search Premier) and news, trends, market research and survey data. (the Harris Poll, Pew Research Center, Newsbank, ProPublica).
Even if you find a study or article that you cannot access in one of these databases, consider contacting the study’s author or principal investigator. In many cases, they are happy to discuss their work and may even share the study directly with you and offer to talk about their research.
Get a good filter system
For the article by journalist Paulette Perhach on ADHD in The New York Times, she used Epic Research to see “double-team studies.” This is when two independent teams approach the same topic or question and ideally arrive at the same conclusions. She recommends locating research and experts through key associations for your topic. She also likes to search through Google Scholar but advises filtering out studies and research from recent years to avoid using old data. She suggests keeping your links and searches organized. “Always be prepared to be evaluated by your peers,” says Perhach.
When looking for information about a story or project, you might be inclined to start with a regular Google search. But keep in mind that the Internet is full of misinformation, and websites that appear trustworthy can sometimes turn out to be businesses or corporations with a vested interest in you taking their word as objective fact without additional scrutiny. . Whatever your writing project, unreliable or biased sources are a great way to torpedo your work and any hope of future work.
For more details, contact the government
Author Bobbi Rebell researched her book Launch financial adults using the IRS website. “I could say you can contribute a certain amount to a 401K, but it might be outdated because these numbers are constantly changing and it’s important to be accurate,” she says. “AI and ChatGPT can be great for generating ideas,” says Rebell, “but you have to be careful. If you use an article in which a person has been quoted, you don’t know if they were misquoted or quoted out of context.
If you use AI and ChatGPT for sourcing, you not only risk introducing errors, but also plagiarism. There’s a reason OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is being sued for downloading information from all these books.
Historically, the loudest is not the best
Audrey Clare Farley, who writes historical nonfiction, has used a multitude of sites for her historical research, including Women Also Know History, which allows searches by expertise or field of study, and JSTOR, a library database digital which offers a number of free downloads. month. She also uses Chronicling America, a Library of Congress project that brings together old newspapers to show how a historical event was reported, and Newspapers.com (which you can access via a free trial but requires a subscription after seven days) .
When it comes to finding experts, Farley cautions against choosing the loudest voices on social media platforms. “They may not necessarily be the most authoritative. I vet them by checking if they have a history of publications on the subject and/or degrees.
When reviewing an expert, look for these red flags:
- You cannot find their work published or cited anywhere.
- They were published in an obscure journal.
- Their research is funded by a company, not a university, or they are a spokesperson for the company they are doing their research for. (This makes it a public relations vehicle and not a suitable source for journalism.)
And finally, the best endings for virtually any piece of writing, whether an essay, research paper, academic report, or investigative journalism article, return to start of the article and show your reader the transformation or journey that the piece was presented in perspective.
As always, your goal should be strong writing supported by research that makes an impact without cutting corners. Only then can you explore tools that might make the job a little easier, for example by generating subtitles or discovering a concept that you might be missing, because then you will have the experience and necessary skills to see if it hurts or helps your work.
