{"id":9739,"date":"2015-07-16T11:39:26","date_gmt":"2015-07-16T18:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-crowdcontent.com\/?p=9739"},"modified":"2021-05-12T10:41:36","modified_gmt":"2021-05-12T17:41:36","slug":"research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crowdcontent.com\/resources\/writer\/university\/ebooks\/research\/","title":{"rendered":"Research"},"content":{"rendered":"

Research<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re a blogger, you\u2019re already familiar with research. You probably hyperlink to your source when you cite a fact, and you might do a quick Google search before you start writing to see if there\u2019s any relevant info that you should include.<\/p>\n

The same principles apply with ebooks, but are even more important.<\/p>\n

Reputable Research<\/h3>\n

The problem with researching on the web, where you\u2019ll probably do most of your research, is that there is so much content. And while I\u2019m sure that all your content is great, not everyone\u2019s is.<\/p>\n

Using academic research tools such as Google Scholar<\/a>, JSTOR<\/a>, and EBSCO<\/a> will help you find peer-reviewed papers<\/strong>. Doing a regular Google search is fine too as long as you check your sources.\u00a0Research the websites that you want to cite.<\/p>\n

Who owns them? What are their credentials? How well written is the content? Are they well-respected by others in their field?<\/em><\/p>\n

For example, Copyblogger<\/a> isn\u2019t scholarly, but I frequently link to it in these lessons because it\u2019s one of the most respected content marketing sites.<\/p>\n

Needed Notes<\/h3>\n

As you research, take notes. Your notes should include the information that you found useful, where you found it (the specific URL or page number), and when you found it. <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re using a direct quote, place quotation marks in your notes so that you know you\u2019re quoting word-for-word and not paraphrasing.<\/p>\n

When you quote or give evidence in your writing you need to cite your sources, so you\u2019ll be glad that you kept track of them in your notes while researching.<\/p>\n

Since websites are always changing, your citation must include the date that you accessed a website.<\/p>\n

The More the Merrier<\/h3>\n

How much research should you do? <\/em><\/p>\n

Unless you\u2019re writing a highly specialized ebook, you probably don\u2019t want lots of footnotes and a lengthy works cited page. But you also don\u2019t want readers to question whether your basic facts are true.<\/p>\n

Statistics, quotes, facts that aren\u2019t commonly known, and ideas that aren\u2019t your own must be cited.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A common fact, such as \u201cCanada is in North America\u201d or \u201cSteve Jobs lived from 1955-2011\u201d doesn\u2019t need a citation, but a more obscure or surprising fact, like \u201cAmazon sells more ebooks than print books<\/a>\u201d, should have a source.<\/p>\n

Your ideas are yours, so they don\u2019t need a citation, but give credit to the people who inspired your ideas by citing them.<\/p>\n

Learn More:<\/p>\n