Sidebar: Research Tips

Tip: Create a research road map to stay focused and track your findings.

Tip: Add value to your report and make it easier for the reader by including supplemental information.

Tip: Identify similar terms of the targeted topic so that you get more complete search results.

Tip: In the words of the television character Gil Grissom from CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , “Follow the evidence.”

Tip: Industry trade associations are an excellent source for background information, statistics, and links to other resources. If your client is an association member, ask for permission to use her user name and password to access the juicy information that is hidden from the public.

Tip: Just ask! If you need additional information, call the author of an article or editor of a trade journal. They usually have material that has not been published but can be shared, such as the raw data behind a published report. If they do not have answers, they can direct you to a subject matter expert who does.

Tip: Publications often run lists on an annual basis. If you come a across a list that is outdated, try changing the year in the URL to see if you can retrieve the most updated version.

Tip: Use organizations’ meeting minutes, event calendars, presentation slide decks, and blogs to locate individuals or organizations with a vested interest in a topic.

Tip: During the proposal phase of a project, make sure you understand who the audience is and how the deliverable will be packaged, so that the final product has the expected tone and appearance.