When you write a nonfiction book, you will have to do a lot of research. You will need to collect data, gather information, organize your material, and verify your sources. There are a lot of things you need to do when conducting research for your nonfiction book.
The research process may involve going to the library, searching the internet, interviewing experts, conducting surveys, or reading newspapers. You can do the following tasks to help you do research for your nonfiction book.
Visit the Public Library
Just because we now have the internet and the World Wide Web, it doesn’t mean that the library is no longer relevant.
You can still find a lot of useful information for your nonfiction book if you visit your local library. And the best part is that the books you read can help you to verify the information you read online.
So dust off your library card and visit the public library to find the books you need to help you with your research.
Do Research on the Internet
Doing your research online may be very easy and convenient, but you have to be careful of where your information comes from. You have to ensure that the data you collect from the internet is accurate and factual.
Fortunately, the internet contains an unlimited source of materials and resources at your fingertips to help you with your research. To find the information you need for your nonfiction book, you need to know how to use search engines such as Google and Bing.
Most search engines provide helpful tips on how to use them effectively to do your research. You can also use Google Scholar to find academic articles and journals to help you with your research.
Interview an Expert
Interviewing someone who is an expert in your chosen nonfiction topic can help to make your book more authentic. Make sure that you come prepared with questions relevant to the topic of your nonfiction book.
You can do a face to face interview and use a recorder, or you can interview the expert using Skype. You can also write down notes in your notebook and be sure that you understand what the expert is talking about.
If they are saying something that you don’t understand, ask them to clarify. Once the interview is complete, gather your notes and summarize what you understood about the topic.
Organize Your Research
The most difficult part of the research process is organizing your notes, data, and all the information you collected to write your nonfiction book. Use index cards to organize your notes and to note down the citation of where you found the information for your nonfiction book.
If you made notes from a book, write down the book’s title, the author, the publisher, and the page numbers where you found the information. If you made notes from an online article, make sure to write down the title of the article, the name of the website, the author, the date of the article, and the website address.
Re-read your notes and assign subtopic headings. You will be thankful that you organized all the information you gathered which will make it a bit easier to write your book.
You will have to do a lot of research when writing a nonfiction book. I have listed four of the most effective ways to do your research. If you know of any other research techniques that can be used when writing a nonfiction book, please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.
