What qualifies as ‘real’ writing research?

Do you have to pay for research or labor to find it, for it to be legitimate? Or discover it in a book by an ‘expert,’ or primarily via experience? Keep reading, then see today’s writing prompt.

As a writer, what do you think qualifies as proper research for your writing? 

Do you think it’s necessary to consult experts with PhDs in their respective fields who have written loads of articles and books on a subject to consider yourself as researching a particular subject properly? And do you think it’s necessary to have to pay for that proper research? In other words, do you think the most important information, the most specialized information, should come with a price tag? 

Do you believe that it’s infeasible to write about a person you have never met before, or a place you have never visited before, even if you’re writing fiction? In other words, do you think you must experience something first-hand and in person first in order to write about it?

Do you think it’s necessary to have reams of old yellowed articles and dusty stacks of black-and-white photos never seen before, to consider yourself as researching a person, place, or thing properly? In other words, do you think it’s necessary to have to sift through and labor through stacks of physical items in order to properly research something you’re writing? 

Or do you believe a simple online search, or multiple online searches, suffice as proper research? Or do you consider the feedback you receive to a query in an online chat group full of strangers as sufficient research? 

Personally, I think that proper writing research in the twenty-first century often entails a combination of all the things listed above. However, I’m not sure it’s necessary that one should always have to pay for their resources, especially with the help of libraries, librarians, and specialized online groups.  

I think the type of research required for what you’re writing can and should also vary depending on what you’re writing, don’t you? If you’re writing a piece of historical fiction based on a particular person in a particular epoch, for example, you’ll want to research that person and epoch quite extensively via books and articles and experts. You might even want to research certain folklores if you’re writing a piece of fantasy or sci-fi, which can have books and books written about them that span centuries and contain various versions. And so on.

There are also highly specialized groups online in every subject imaginable that are typically more than happy to tell you everything they know that you need to know, especially those in tech and science, for no fee at all. And there are groups that are centered on various life stages and skill sets too, like groups for new grad students and groups for new mothers, etc. Such groups can be quite helpful for research purposes and can save you a lot of time. Need to know about a piece of computer hardware or certain online shortcuts and hacks? You can find them. Need to know where to buy certain baby products or how to feed veggies to your fussy toddler? No problem. You can find helpful advice somewhere. 

Yet, I will say that where a lot of ‘research’ falls flat, especially most online ‘research,’ is when individuals who are researching a topic don’t trust but verify their original source of information or double-check their sources. Sadly, some journalists don’t even do this anymore because they’re always chomping at the bit to be the first to release a juicy headline. 

For example, if someone in an online group with WWII buffs tells me a certain aircraft was used for a particular raid in a particular battle or skirmish (information one could need for a hypothetical historical fiction novel), there are plenty of additional official sources (books and archives) that I can and should consult to verify the information they offered is correct. Likewise, if I read something about marketing trends and best practices in a book that’s a few years old, I can consult a group with real-life marketers who work in marketing right now to verify that the information I am curious about from the book is correct or still relevant. And so on. 

Overall, I would say that any ‘real’ writing research worth its salt requires due diligence and verification more than anything else. Books and experts can have outdated or incomplete information. I mean, you can’t put everything there is to know about WWII in one single book (Anne Frank’s narrative isn’t in most of them, for example), or any other subject for that matter. And experts often have gaps in their knowledge because, well, they’re human beings at different stages in their careers. Likewise, group members from a knowledgeable group and online verified sources can still be well meaning but have information that is based on hearsay, fleeting trends, outdated or inaccurate data, myths, and so on. 

Bottom line, when researching anything, it’s always best to trust but verify your sources, and to complete a little due diligence in whatever topic you’re researching. 

What do you think about this topic? Leave a comment to join this dialogue, then share this post with others so they can join the dialogue too. 

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