How a Christian Writer Should Research Topics

Good research is a science, really. There are clear steps to take and key things you do in performing good research. Then it becomes an art; knowing what bits and pieces to keep and which ones to throw out and how to fit all the pieces together to make the picture.

It is important to remember that research is necessary, of course, in factual and historical writing, but it is also pertinent to fictional writing if you are intending to use any actual events, people, cultures, etc. This makes narrative feel more plausible, more tangible.

The starting point to any good research is knowing what you are looking for. In historical writing, you are taught to create a hypothesis and seek out sources based upon that argument. If you are not writing an argumentative or persuasive paper and merely looking for facts on dates, settings, events, people, etc., you still need to know what information you need.

This is where the scientific steps begin!

1. Find primary sources.

Primary sources are first hand accounts. They are considered the most reliable as to what actually happened in whatever it is you need. These are eye witnesses to the miracles of Jesus, the brutality of wars, the joys of birth, and what it was really like to have a first bowl of ice cream. Primary sources can be newspaper articles, diaries, journals, books, news clips, sound bytes, etc.

For Christians, the best primary source you have is the Bible. It is great, because it is an anthology of primary sources. Books written by John correlate to books written by Paul. Books written in the Old Testament correlate with books written in the New Testament. And so on.

2. Find multiple sources that confirm your point.

My favorite history professor would say,

“Any idiot can say something and put it in writing. If the idiot is wrong, it is less likely you will find four or five other idiots saying the same thing.”

Meaning, if multiple people are giving the same information, it is more plausible. The length of your article, paper, book, etc. will determine the number of sources you need. A ten page paper should have ten sources (as a rule of thumb). The majority of these sources should be primary. They can also be secondary.

3. Find secondary sources to confirm the primary sources.

Most of these secondary sources will have used the primary sources you are using. They are also great tools for mining out more primary sources, if you are struggling to find them. Secondary sources can be interviews, books, movies, etc.

When using a secondary source, you should check the credibility of the originator.

Say you want a source on John the Baptist. You find this beautiful look book called, “John the Baptist, the Early Years.” Title looks great and exactly what you are looking for. You see it was written by Joe Q. Public. You set out to use the always trusting Google search to get some background. Joe has no background in theology and none in history. Joe works at a coffee shop. Mr. Public is no longer a credible secondary source.

You find another book called, “The Days of John the Baptist” by Suzy A. Smith. Another book that looks like what you need. Again, you head off to Google. Suzy has a four year degree in history with a minor in theology from a credible undergrad college and she has a master’s in historical research with an emphasis on theology from a well accredited graduate school. This would be a great secondary source!

Encyclopedias (especially Wikipedia), secondary sources that do not name their sources, and certain websites are not good secondary sources. Check where the content is coming from. If there is no specific author, an accredited university, organization, or entity is just as important as a person!

4. This is one of my least favorite of all the “steps”.

You need to find sources that contradict what you seek to prove or report. If you are trying to prove that the sky is blue, you need to find sources that show the sky was purple, black, orange, whatever and show how either those points are not valid or that they are, but not enough to discredit your argument.

I get so frustrated at this point. I just want to scream, “BUT I FOUND THE SMOKING GUN! CAN I NOT JUST BE RIGHT?!”

Not finding those points and addressing them discredits your point more. It shows that you possibly did not know the whole story or that maybe you did by chance find that one group of ten “idiots” that decided to all tell the same story, despite it being wrong. You might also find that your hypothesis gets proven wrong and soon your paper takes on a whole new direction (something I also hate)!

5. TAKE NOTES!

Do not just stick a post-it on a page and let it go. YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER WHY YOU DID THAT! Write a little blurb about the paragraph you need or the point you were proving. This will also save you time when it comes to putting all the facts and tid-bits together. Trust me, I learned the hard way!

Once the science is done, take out your proverbial paint brush and get ready to be an artist!

It is tricking to know what is important and what is not. There are some easy things to toss out, such as: you are trying to prove the sky is blue.

In one of your first hand accounts, a diary, a boy talked about viewing the blue sky with his dad. A few lines down, he also mentioned he ate ice cream for breakfast. The ice cream for breakfast did not apply to the sky being blue, so it is not worth a mention.

Creating an outline will also help you determine where to put the pieces.

If paragraph A is about debunking the ocean making the sky blue myth and paragraph B is addressing the other colors the sky can be depending upon weather, you would put all information dealing with stormy nights into the pile for paragraph B.

Outlines, as much as I hate these too, are great tools for organization and keeping yourself on track with where you need more sources, what you have completed, and writing coherently.

Also, a good editor is always a great tool to keep on hand. This will help you determine if you have proven your point or used enough information to paint the picture. I try to use someone who would know nothing about the subject I am writing on. Encourage this person to ask you questions and bring up sections where he/she was confused or did not understand what you were trying to say. It is quite easy for us to forget that our reader did not do the research so little things that escaped our radar might be very important for them to know.

There are more research tips that I am sure I am missing, like staying hydrated! Keep 911 on speed-dial for when your 50 book tower collapses on you (I joke!). Always reward yourself with a big bowl of ice cream and some time in The Word!

Good luck in performing good research!

QUESTION: How do you research topics for your own writing? What tips can you share with us?

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