Musings on Finding Research Contacts

In my last post I mentioned internet searches, Wikipedia and journals/magazines as sources for research. There will probably be times when you look at these and still don’t feel as though you understand the topic well. So what’s next?

Find an expert. Use whatever contacts you have to see if they know anything about the topic or know someone who knows ...

1.      Ask your client to recommend someone you can talk to. (I do this when I accept a job. I mention that it might be helpful to talk to someone to find out the latest and can they recommend someone. They may be able to, they may not. Leave it too late to ask them and you’ll look like you don’t know what you’re doing, and that’s the last thing you want.)

2.      Check your LinkedIn contacts list (I do hope you have one!)

3.      Check out the LinkedIn groups. Are there any groups on the topic? Who’s active on the discussion?

4.      Collect names from the searches you’ve done. Who has written articles? Who has been quoted? Can you find an email address for them? Or a phone number?

Make sure you keep records of all your contacts. They’re a valuable resource and you’ve invested time and effort into finding them. Keep them up-to-date.

Most importantly, let your expert know how valuable they have been. Thank them. Acknowledge them in your article if that’s appropriate. And if ever they ask you for a favour, make sure you try to help them out.

There are plenty of books on research. One I’ve found particularly useful is The Craft of Research by Booth, Colomb and Williams. And remember an internet search on research techniques will swamp you with more than enough links to get you on your way.