When I do school visits
for grades 3-5, one of the questions that always comes up is how I do research
for a book. I tell students that researching a nonfiction book is a lot like
researching a report for school.

Most of the time, I
start out by reading everything I can get my hands on—books, magazine and
newspaper articles. Sometimes I watch documentary films or listen to stories on
NPR.

Depending on the
topic, I may also do firsthand research. For example, I might observe animals
in their natural setting or go to a place where an event happened. I might also
visit a zoo or aquarium.

Once I’ve done as
much “passive” research as possible, it’s time to start interviewing experts. This
is where the Internet comes in really handy. I just google “university of” and
my topic. Most of the time a few scientists will pop up. I look at their
websites, review their resume, and get a list of their scientific papers. After
reading these journal articles, I contact whichever scientists I think will be
most knowledgeable about the particular questions I have.

Once I have all this
information, I start to write. Chances are I will find that I need additional bits
of information here and there, and I may need to contact some of the scientists
again.

I tell kids that they
can follow a similar path as they research. First reading background material
and doing firsthand research, and then contacting experts at museums or historical
sites. These personal contacts are often the best sources of up-to-date
information and interesting tidbits that aren’t in most books.

It’s a reality that many
kids will probably depend on the Internet more than they should, so I also try
to provide some tips for finding the most reliable information. I’ll write more
about that next Wednesday.