Doing research for article writing is an essential part of any freelance writer’s job. It can be intimidating and time-consuming, but it’s crucial to your success as an article writer.
The first step in doing research is choosing your topic. It should be a topic that you’re passionate about and want to research more deeply. This means that you won’t feel compelled to write about a topic that doesn’t interest you or that you don’t have the knowledge to support.
Once you’ve selected a topic, it’s important to think about who your audience is and what they need to know from your article. You may need to write about a particular industry or an issue facing society in general. You should also consider what you’d like to achieve by writing about this topic and how that goal can be achieved.
Make a List of Ideas and Questions
To start your research for your article, write down all the questions that you’re interested in answering in your writing piece. This is a great way to fuel your curiosity and get yourself excited about writing.
Keep an idea bank of all the questions that you’ve been wondering about, and regularly check it to see if you have anything you’d like to write about. You might even find that some of the ideas and questions you had written down earlier in your article become clearer to you as you continue to think about them, so you can use them in your next writing project.
Read at least 2 articles about your chosen topic before writing your own to get an idea of what readers might be expecting from you and your article. This will help you decide whether the information in your article is relevant, accurate and interesting.
Create a Plan and Outline
If you are unsure of where to begin, it’s a good idea to draft an outline for your article. This will help you focus on what needs to be included in your article and will also ensure that you don’t forget any details or quotes that support your main points.
Another useful tool in creating a plan and outline is to jot down notes about the specific aspects of your research that you intend to include in each section of your article. This will save you time as you can complete one part of your article at a time, and it will ensure that all the valuable information you’ve found isn’t forgotten.
Verify Your Sources
Whenever you’re researching, it’s critical to make sure you use only reliable sources and that all the information you include in your article is completely correct. Mistakes in your writing can leave you looking ignorant, uninformed or careless.
This is not only embarrassing, it can also hurt your reputation as a writer and prevent you from getting paid for the work you do. It’s always a good idea to read over your final draft for any errors that may have been overlooked and corrected in the drafting process.
