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The Writing Process
Plan - Research Your Topic
Research your topic. When you decide to write a book or an article, you are taking your place in a writing community. To be taken seriously, you will need to demonstrate awareness of the voices that have preceded you in the conversation.
Tips for effective research:
- Search the knowledge center for works previously published by ASQ, and then expand your research to other search engines and databases.
- Visit your local university library. Depending upon your topic, it may be a good idea to visit your local university library for access to specialized and industry-specific databases and publications.
- Say something new. Build on past publications, but make sure your readers will be able to identify what your original contribution is.
- There is no magic number of sources to cite in your manuscript, and you need not cover every instance of published knowledge on your topic. Your goals are to ensure that your original ideas have not already been suggested by someone else, and to show how your own work contributes to the existing body of knowledge on quality.
- Take careful notes about which points you find in which resources. Record a page number for every note you take. You will have to document your research within the finished manuscript.
- ASQ’s Quality Information Center offers research assistance as a benefit for members!
More planning tips:
