As an author, research is often a pivotal part of the writing process. Whether you’re crafting a fictional world or sharing real-world insights in a nonfiction book, research helps ensure your writing is accurate, authentic, and rich in detail. While it may seem overwhelming at first, effective research is about more than just gathering facts—it’s about immersing yourself in the material, understanding the nuances, and weaving that knowledge into your narrative seamlessly.
Here’s a guide on how to approach research in a way that supports your writing without becoming a distraction:
1. Define Your Research Goals
Before diving into the sea of information, take a moment to think about what you actually need to know. Are you writing historical fiction and need to understand a specific era? Or perhaps you’re writing a nonfiction book and need statistics, case studies, or expert opinions on a subject?
Be specific about the questions you’re trying to answer. Creating a list of research goals helps you stay focused and ensures that you don’t get lost in tangents or irrelevant information. Consider these common goals:
Understanding setting or historical context (for fiction)
Character development and psychology (for both fiction and nonfiction)
Gathering data or expert opinions (for nonfiction)
Verifying facts or anecdotes (for nonfiction)
The clearer your goals, the easier it will be to stay on track and avoid research burnout.
2. Start with Credible Sources
The quality of your research matters. Use credible, authoritative sources to ensure that the information you’re gathering is trustworthy. For historical fiction or nonfiction topics, academic journals, books by experts in the field, and reputable websites are great places to start.
For fiction writers: If you’re writing about a particular culture, era, or profession, look for primary sources like letters, diaries, or interviews. Visiting museums or historical sites can also provide firsthand insights into your setting or subject matter.
For nonfiction writers: Peer-reviewed journal articles, government publications, and industry reports are invaluable. But don’t forget about interviewing experts and conducting original research as well. A personal interview or firsthand observation can lend authenticity to your work that no secondary source can.
3. Use Multiple Research Methods
While reading and browsing the internet is the most common research method, there are many ways to gather information, and each can add a unique layer to your writing. Here are a few strategies:
Interviews: Speaking directly with experts or people who have lived through the experience you’re writing about can provide invaluable insight. Whether for nonfiction or fiction, interviews add authenticity and depth to your characters and material.
Observation: Depending on your topic, you may find it helpful to observe your subject in action. For example, if you’re writing about a specific job or environment, shadowing a professional or spending time in that setting can reveal nuances that books and articles may not.
Surveys and Polls: For nonfiction, gathering opinions or statistics from real people through surveys can help you shape your argument, support your claims, and validate your ideas.
Books and Articles: Reading widely, not just about your topic but related subjects, can help broaden your perspective and fill in gaps you didn’t know existed.
Multimedia: Don’t limit yourself to just text-based research. Documentaries, podcasts, YouTube videos, and audio interviews can provide additional context and color to your subject matter.
4. Organize Your Research Efficiently
All those notes, articles, and books can quickly become overwhelming. Organizing your research is crucial to ensure that you can access the information you need when you need it.
Digital Tools: Use digital tools like Evernote, Scrivener, or OneNote to capture, organize, and search your research notes. These tools allow you to easily tag, categorize, and store your information in a way that makes sense to you.
Spreadsheet/Document Tracking: For nonfiction books that require citing numerous sources, a spreadsheet can help you keep track of where you found information, the relevance of each source, and the page numbers you’ll need for citations.
Physical Organization: If you’re someone who prefers hard copies, consider using a system of binders, folders, or even index cards to keep your research organized by theme, chapter, or character.
5. Read Critically and Question Everything
Just because a source appears reputable doesn’t mean the information is flawless. Always read critically and cross-check details to ensure that what you’re reading is reliable and relevant. For nonfiction, especially, it's essential to verify statistics, studies, and quotes to avoid errors that could undermine your book's credibility.
For fiction writers, don’t simply take the information at face value. If you’re writing about a historical period or unfamiliar culture, dig deeper into the nuances and contradictions of that time or place. What are the common misconceptions? What is missing from popular portrayals? Challenge what you read and use it to create a more layered, authentic narrative.
6. Balance Research with Writing
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of research, but it’s important to remember that research is a tool, not a replacement for writing. A well-researched book won’t get written unless you make time to write it!
Set aside specific blocks of time for research and separate time for writing. Avoid the trap of endless researching in the hopes that you’ll find the “perfect” piece of information. When you have a solid base of knowledge, trust your instincts and start writing. Research can be revisited if you need to fill in gaps or check facts, but it’s important to keep moving forward with your project.
7. Integrate Research into Your Writing Seamlessly
The ultimate goal of research is not just to gather information, but to integrate it smoothly into your story or nonfiction book. Whether you’re describing a location in a novel or presenting data in a nonfiction work, make sure your research serves the narrative and doesn’t overwhelm it.
For Fiction: Weave research into your story in a way that feels natural. For instance, if you’ve researched a specific time period, use descriptive details that bring that era to life without making the information feel like a lecture.
For Nonfiction: Data, quotes, and facts should be presented in a way that supports your argument or thesis, not dominate the narrative. Avoid overwhelming your readers with too much information at once. Use storytelling techniques to make your research engaging.
8. Don’t Forget to Cite Your Sources
If you're writing nonfiction, citing your sources is crucial. Not only does it build credibility, but it also protects you from accusations of plagiarism. For fiction writers, while citations aren’t required, acknowledging your sources in your acknowledgments page can help give credit to experts who contributed to your knowledge.