Content doesn’t evolve without effective content research. You should spend more time on research than actually spending on content writing, proving it inevitable. It may be true that you are well aware of what you are up to. But, research will make it more credible and qualitative. The research will favor you in better understanding of the topic rather than leaving you at a point. Sticking to your normal fact-finding in your comfort zone wouldn’t help much. Diverting to newer versions of research would make you confident enough to let your work out to the public.
The Inevitability of Content Research
Certain aspects help to fill the void of your content through content research. Let us call research a solution for 50 % of our article’s issues. The first step of your content building itself is research. You will research, make an outline, and then move on to content writing. Here is a peek through the aspects the research would bring to a content.
Different perspectives
A topic would have a wide variety of opinions to contradict. The research will help you deepen your understanding of different perspectives. Even the writer itself will be biased about certain topics. But while putting it into the paper, it should be unbiased.
Quality
People tend to rely on your article when having quality content. An article is said to have quality when there is valuable content enough to prove the article’s concern. Qualitative research would evoke a better understanding for the writer and reader.
Credibility
Do your content research, remembering that you are making content credible enough to win people’s hearts. Credibility has to be brought right from the beginning of your research. Check into legitimate articles and blogs so you do not produce false information to the reader. Content written with a lot of research is said to be trustworthy among readers.
3 Types of research
- Internet browsing
- Talking to Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
- Run Surveys
Routine to follow
Anything and everything has certain parameters to follow. Follow this routine to bring the most out of your research.
Research
Content research isn’t confined to what you will find on the internet. It can be any mode that you use to grow your knowledge. This includes internet browsing, talking to experts, or conducting surveys. What’s important is that you spend your maximum time on your research and gather the most out of it.
Outlining
Along with doing research, take notes of what you will be writing from it—Mark important points either in a handy note or in the tool itself. Doing so will help you not to miss what you have researched.
Content Writing
This is where you will put your effort into conducting research so far. People tend to have a misperception that you will first start writing. Some people believe that research comes later when you are out of points. But that’s not the case. You should write down what you already know and what you need to add to make it unique.
Editing
This step corrects any grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or if the look of your content is just not good. Also, you can check if you have entered the wrong information apart from what you have researched.
Proofreading
This is the last step done by the expert team, where you finalize the draft. This checks almost everything, including plagiarism and grammatical errors. While doing the outline, you should know the difference between taking notes and simply copying sentences. Otherwise, it will appear plagiarised, making it hard for experts to publish your content.
Also Read: Writing for Audiences: Tips and Tricks
Reliable Sources for Content Research
Can you write just anything you researched? Probably a no! That’s when you need to focus on reliable sources across the internet. Do not use websites like Wikipedia for your research. Such websites are editable by anyone at any time. Wouldn’t it lack the quality and credibility that we are trying hard to implement? Instead, use websites such as .gov, .edu, .org, etc., as these are proven credible sources.
8 Credible Sources for Content Research
- Academic journals
- Science.gov
- JSTOR
- PubMed
- Google Books
- News and Media
- ResearchGate
- Published books
More salient things in Content Research
You should research from as many sources as possible but never from your competitor’s websites. Find what their articles have missed. Note what you already know about the topic and what more you can implement to make it unique. Here are some important things not to miss while doing research.
Target Audience
Your content research should be target-oriented. Find public opinions about a particular topic that people can relate to. Your article is supposed to give extra knowledge to the reader. So make sure your research will grow your knowledge and that of your audience.
No single-source dependence
Looking into any one article will reach you nowhere because that’s just another article written by someone. It can be 100% credible, yet the assurance is not guaranteed. That is when you need to look into more sources to know it from a wider perspective. Visit sources that seem to be more engaging and updated.
Focus on topic
While doing research, skip anything unwanted. Stick to what exactly your content needs to produce. You may find something interesting to include in your content but lacks topic relevance. Be attentive to these things and try not to deviate away from your topic.
Wind-up
Content research helps the article you are writing and your research skills. If you are a learner or content creator, research will favor both ways. It will keep you updated and also help you stick to evergreen content. Research can modify your knowledge in all the ways possible. All you have to do is follow these important parameters and bring the best out of it.
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