by Melissa Abramovitz
If you write fiction for children, you will probably need to do some research.
If you write nonfiction, research is an absolute necessity.
Many writers cringe at the thought of research, possibly because it reminds them of writing term papers in school.
I’ll admit that research isn’t always fun.
But most of the time, I love doing research because I learn so much and get to speak with some amazing people.
Had I not done the research for a magazine article about animals with science-fiction-like superpowers, for example, I would not know that the noise generated when a pistol shrimp closes its claws is louder than a gunshot or jet engine.
I think that’s pretty amazing!
Nor would I have gotten to interview a scientist who found out the hard way that hairy frogs can sprout X-men-like claws through their skin when frightened.
Without the research I did for a book about the science behind sports, I never would have understood concepts like angular momentum that a crappy high school physics teacher made incomprehensible to non-mathematically-oriented students like me.
Since I had to explain these concepts to middle-school-aged readers of the book, I had to understand them.
So I proved to myself that I was capable of doing just that.
Getting paid to do this research and to share the neat things I find out with kids is a dream job for me.
That doesn’t mean it’s easy, and one of the challenging parts about doing research is finding reliable and credible sources.
With so much garbage available on the Internet, separating good sources from bad can be especially difficult.
Book and magazine editors also have some stringent guidelines on preferred types of sources.
So here are some tips to keep in mind when deciding which research sources to consult.
• The best sources are primary sources, such as interviews with experts or with the subject of a profile; journal and newspaper articles; letters; and diaries.
Secondary sources such as authoritative books and magazine articles are also acceptable, but books written for children are not.
• On the Internet, in general, official government websites (ending in dot gov or dot mil), official state or local government websites, reputable educational institutions (ending in dot edu), reputable research organizations (ending in dot org or dot com), and some nonprofit organizations (ending in dot org) that do not have a political, personal, or sales agenda are reliable and authoritative.
Some dot coms are fine, if they are not personally or economically motivated.
For instance, in writing a lot of health-related books and articles, I have often consulted the Mayo Clinic website, which is a dot com written by medical experts.
Newspapers such as the New York Times are also dot coms that make good sources.
But avoid personal websites and blogs for research unless the author is a known expert.
• Never use Wikipedia or its relatives as research sources.
Anyone can post anything on them.
Most editors will reject any manuscript that lists Wikipedia as a source.
You can, however, look at some of the sources listed at the bottom of Wiki articles to get some leads on reliable sources on a topic.
• Make sure your sources are current, unless you are using historical texts or material written by a biography subject.
• Find experts to interview by reading journal and newspaper articles to see whose work is often cited.
• Consult historical societies, library archives, and museum archives for primary sources such as letter and diaries.
Happy researching!
About Melissa Abramovitz
Melissa Abramovitz was a versatile writer who enjoyed writing for all age groups, from preschoolers through adults. While she specialized in nonfiction magazine articles and educational books on health topics, she also wrote on a variety of other topics, including science, nature, and history. She published some fiction and poetry as well, and wrote several rhyming children’s picture books.
