Nuts & Bolts
Tools of the Trade

Research: Beyond Google and Wikipedia

Writers are a curious and inquisitive lot. On a perpetual journey for answers, truths, and knowledge, they tell stories of what they discover. Whether that story is an expose, a biography, a fiction novel or a corporate report, every good writer knows that a good story starts with good research. A badly researched story not only ruins the story, it undermines the legitimacy and truth of that story.

In the age of digital information, knowledge is at our fingertips. All we need is a computer, an Internet connection and a search engine, and we can find information on almost anything. With so much information on the Internet, however, how do we weed the good from the bad? Librarians and research experts suggest starting your research with search engines and Web sites, such as Google and Wikipedia.com, but don’t end with them. Use it as a stepping stone and realize that you won’t get all your answers with just one click.

Having said that, however, it doesn’t mean that Internet research is out. The Internet is a great place to start. One way to better utilize the Internet in your research is to have more than one search engine saved in your Favorites file. Google.com is an obvious one, but here are two other search engines to consider: KartOO and Zuula .

KartOO is a visual meta search engine that provides a visual map of your results—different than the normal list format. Instead of getting a list of sites with the most hits, a screen pops up showing different categories and how they are related to your key word. Sort of like those brainstorm clustering exercises you did in creative English classes, KartOO helps you see how topics are related.

If you’re looking for more specific information, however, Zuula allows you to view results from multiple search engines without reentering the search terms. You enter your search terms once and 7 different search engines will run that search. You can even change which search engines you want Zuula to use.

Another way to use the Internet is to use it to find experts. Go to universities Web pages and find biographies of faculty and professors. Sometimes, faculties and staff may even have their own Web site, or, at the very least, a detailed CV and a list of articles, books, and papers they have written.

Some other helpful websites for finding experts include the following:

EDGAR Full Text Search (http://searchwww.sec.gov/EDGARFSClient/jsp/EDGAR_MainAcess.jsp)
Expert Witness Directory (http://expertpages.com)
JurisPro Expert Witness Directory (http://jurispro.com)
Librarian’s Internet Index (http://lii.org)

After you’ve exhausted your search on the Internet (or are completely sick of reading the same thing over and over again), what next? Lucky for WIW members who live in the DC-metro region, you have access to one of the best libraries in the world. The Library of Congress. As Library of Congress librarian Thomas Mann put it, “There are vast continents of information beyond the Internet.”

The Library of Congress has millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps, and manuscripts in its collection, which is available to the American people. In addition to the books and recordings, The Library of Congress subscribes to over a hundred databases, most of which contains full text articles. Subscriptions to these databases are quite expensive, but at The Library of Congress, you can use it for free. Computer printing is also free (book copy is 20 cents a page).

As the world’s largest library, you’ll surely find what you’re looking for there. And if the idea of wading through so much information is daunting, librarians at The Library of Congress would be happy to lead you in the right direction.

Beyond the virtual world of the Internet and the brick and mortar world of The Library of Congress, there are other ways of getting information. One specific tool to use to acquire information, particularly if you’re looking for information relating to the U.S. government, is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which is a federal law that establishes the public’s right to obtain information from federal government agencies.

Anyone can file a FOIA request, and all agencies are required to have information on how an individual can make a FOIA request. Check the specific agency’s Web site for more information on how they handle FOIA requests. Following the agency’s guidelines will help ensure your success. Depending on your purpose, agencies are allowed to charge processing fees. For more information on fees and other FOIA facts, visit The National Security Archive’s Web site.

Finally, if all this work seems too much work, an independent information professional can do the research for you. Also known as an independent researcher, information broker or information professional, they research information, including document retrieval and delivery, literature surveys, data-gathering, online and manual research, database design, consulting, writing and publishing.

While most independent information professional are geared toward businesses, they can be a source of expertise and advice if you need help in translating articles, locating informational material in another country, independent fact checking, or access to targeted databases. Consult the Association of Independent Information Professional’s Web site for more information and suggestions on how to engage an independent information professional.

With these tips and ideas, writers have more tools to use when doing research. While researching is time-consuming and can be frustrating at times, it is necessary. After all the work is done, however, writers will do what they do best, which is taking raw data and turning it into elegant, readable prose. Happy researching.

This article is written from a break-out panel session at the 28th Washington Writers Conference in Washington, DC. For more information about WIW’s annual conference, click here.