Is It Worth My Time To Get The Research You Need?

You have too much to do, and not enough time to do it.

Now that we’ve established that, let’s talk about research.

Research is a vital part of the writing process. It helps you determine if the topic you want to write about has been explored by others, or if you’ll be making new content from scratch. 

Research can help you find interviews with sources, or compelling statistics that improve your writing and make it more authoritative and convincing for readers. 

You may be a subject matter expert already, but research also helps you position yourself as an authority on the topic in question. And this leads us to some questions: How do I know if my blog post needs research? 

Is it worth my time to research to back up what I’ve written? In this guide, I’ll tell you how to decide when and how long you should spend researching a blog post before submitting it as final work.

Takeaways
Investing time in obtaining the necessary research is essential for informed decision-making and better outcomes.
Quality research provides valuable insights, enabling you to make strategic choices and avoid costly mistakes.
Consider the potential benefits and impact of research on your goals, projects, and overall success.
Prioritize research that aligns with your objectives and helps you gain a deeper understanding of your field.
Evaluate the trade-off between the time spent on research and the potential rewards it can bring in the long run.

Do A Google Search

In the days before Google, you had to go through stacks of books and magazines to conduct your research. Today it’s much easier just hit “search.” That said, not all searches are created equal. 

The first thing you should do is determine what kind of information you’re looking for. Do a quick scan of the topic headings or topics mentioned in your assignment brief to figure out if there’s a specific question or problem that needs answering. 

If so, use terms like “how” or “why” and look for online explanations that answer that specific query.

If your assignment was more open-ended (i.e., “Find out about…”), then try broadening your search by including some keywords from within the topic itself:

• What is [topic]?
• How do people understand [topic]?

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Look Up The Answer In Your Inbox

It’s a simple question. You want to know something about your business, so you ask for the answer. Your boss says that he’ll look into it and get back to you later. 

You wait and wait but nothing ever comes back from him. It could be that he forgot about the task or just didn’t want to do it in the first place and never intended on following through with his promise of answering your question.

Look up the answer in your inbox instead:

Use Google search (or whatever search engine you like) to find out what information is available on any given topic online; even if there isn’t anything directly related to what you’re looking for, this can be helpful as a starting point for further research;

Use Outlook or Gmail if they aren’t being used by someone else at work; these programs have excellent email search functionality built right into them;

Use Evernote if anyone else has access over their PC (as long as there isn’t any sensitive info kept within); this app allows users to quickly search through their messages by keyword and other parameters such as date range, sender name(s), etc.;

If all else fails: OneNote might work depending upon how much information needs searching through but keep in mind privacy issues may arise depending upon who has access over their PC!

When diving into market research, it’s essential to approach your studies with a critical mindset. Remember to Always Conduct Your Market Research Studies with a Healthy Amount of Skepticism to ensure accurate and reliable insights.

Do A Google Blog Search

Once you have a topic in mind, it’s time to do some research. A Google blog search is a great way to find information on a topic and get the current pulse of what’s going on in the industry. 

You can find older blog posts that may give you new insight into your topic or ideas for what angles you might want to explore further. You can also use this search method to dig deeper into specific topics by using related terms like “you should read” or “you need.” 

This allows you to find experts who are already active in these communities and see how they’re addressing their issues, as well as new voices who are still learning about the space but sharing valuable insights already.

Use Quora For Targeted Questions And Answers

Quora is a great place to find out what people are interested in. It’s a platform where anyone can ask questions and get answers from other members of the community, including experts. 

The best part is that you don’t have to be an expert yourself because you can also answer other users’ questions or make comments on their posts. 

Answering other users’ questions can help you gain valuable insights into your niche that aren’t available elsewhere online because Quora has such a large user base!

You’ll find that many of your competitors are already active on Quora and they’re using it to provide value to their audience while also driving traffic back toward their websites (and away from yours). 

If this sounds like something worth doing yourself, then start by browsing through some relevant topics until you find something interesting enough to comment on or post about yourself:

Read Yahoo! Answers

Yahoo! Answer is a great place to find answers to your questions. You can ask questions and get answers from the community or use the search bar to find answers that have already been asked. Sometimes, Yahoo! 

Answers users will provide links to relevant websites with additional information. This can help you save time by providing you with all of the sources in one place instead of having to go through several sites individually.

You should also note that there are some topics on which Yahoo! Answers has little information and others on which there is too much (that is, people who post irrelevant information). 

If there’s not enough content for you, try searching for similar questions; if too many results come up, narrow down your search terms until you find what you need.

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Use Amazon Book Reviews For Market Research

If your goal is to find a book that will help you do your job better, how can you be sure that the book is any good? The best way to find out if it’s worthy of your time and money is by reading Amazon reviews.

Look For Books With A Lot Of Reviews

You want to look for books that have more than 100 reviews (the more, the better). This will give you an idea of how popular the book has been over time and whether or not there are many people interested in learning from this author’s expertise. 

You’ll also want to look at how recently these reviews were posted people who have read a book within the last six months are more likely to write an accurate review than someone who read it five years ago when they were still in school.

Use Google Scholar To Find Great Academic Sources

Google Scholar is a great resource for finding academic papers. You can use Google Scholar to find research papers, academic papers, and theses. You can even use it if you’re looking for books on a particular subject. 

You just need to enter your keywords into the search field at the top of their page and then click on “Search.” 

This will bring up results from scholarly journals (academic journals) as well as from books that have been published by university presses or reputable publishers like Oxford University Press or Cambridge University Press.

Google Scholar allows you to narrow down your results by date range, language, or publication type so that you only see what’s relevant to your research project

Use Google News Archives To See What Was Popular Over The Past Few Years

You can use Google News to see what was popular over the past few years. This is useful if you want to know what has been covered in your industry, or if you want to see what the mood of the public was at a given time.

To use this function, all you have to do is go into Google News and type in “news archives” (without quotes). 

You’ll get a list of recent articles that have been written on this topic by different news outlets. You can also try searching for related terms like: “news archive,” “news archives,” “news archive search,” or “news search.”

Successful marketers understand the importance of effective marketing research. Get insights into the strategies and practices that drive results with How Successful Marketers Do Marketing Research, and learn from those who have mastered the art of data-driven decision-making.

Find Out What’s Been Going Viral Lately On Buzzsumo.Com

Now that you’ve got a general idea of what’s been working for other people, it’s time to find out what’s been going viral lately on Buzzsumo.com.

BuzzSumo is a free tool that allows you to see which articles have performed well on social media, Google, YouTube, and Twitter. 

It also shows how many shares an article has received – so if your piece gets shared 100 times on Facebook, it’ll display 100 next to the title in the results list. 

This can help give you an idea of how much attention your topic is getting compared to others like it (and whether or not yours would be worth writing).

Try Topsy To Find Top Links And Influencers On A Topic

If you’re looking for trending topics and influencers on Twitter, Topsy is a good place to start. It’s a social media analytics tool that provides comprehensive data about the people and content being discussed across the web.

Using Topsy is as easy as searching your keywords in the search bar at top of their homepage. 

From there, you can view results by popularity (number of times someone has been mentioned), engagement (number of retweets or favorites), or source (the website where someone shared their tweet). 

For example, if we type “marketing” into the search bar at top of their homepage:

We will see that this term has been mentioned over 100k times over the last 24 hours, with roughly 20% coming from influencers:

Check Out The Wikipedia Page On Your Topic

One of the best places to start your research is Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. It has millions of articles and covers every topic you can think of. 

Even if you’re writing about a topic that doesn’t exist on Wikipedia yet, you can find useful information there by looking at similar articles and finding out what other people have written about your topic.

If you start with Wikipedia as your starting point, then it’s easy for other researchers to find any paper or book that was published based on your work which means they’ll be able to read what you did and build upon it!

Ask Your Audience What They Want To Know More About At Quora.Com, Or Use A Survey Tool Like Survey Monkey Or Typeform

If you’re looking for more concrete answers, take a look at the questions that your audience is asking. They may be curious about topics related to your product or service, or they might have specific questions that need answering before they’ll make a purchase.

If you want to find out what people are thinking about a topic, in particular, you can post a question on Quora or Survey Monkey and get feedback from hundreds of people at once. 

The best way to do this is by asking your target audience directly: What do you want to know more about?

Uncover the truth behind marketing research myths and misconceptions. From data interpretation to methodology, explore the debunked myths in 15 Lies We Are Told About Marketing Research and refine your understanding of effective research practices.

Conclusion

So if you’re not sure what to write about, just take some time to ask your audience what they want to know more about. Then, use all of the resources above to find out whether any topics have been written about a lot but haven’t been explored in-depth. 

I would recommend using Quora because it’s an easy way for people who aren’t writers themselves (like me) to get ideas on topics they should write about next!

Further Reading

Explore these additional resources to deepen your understanding of research and its significance:

NIHR – I Want to Help with Research
Discover how you can actively participate in research initiatives and contribute to advancements in healthcare and knowledge.

Study Higher – Importance of Research Questions
Delve into the crucial role research questions play in shaping the direction and impact of academic investigations.

Grad Coach – What Is a Research Proposal, Dissertation, Thesis?
Gain insights into the distinctions between research proposals, dissertations, and theses in academic pursuits.

FAQs

What is the importance of participating in research?

Participating in research allows individuals to contribute to advancements in various fields, from healthcare to technology, ultimately driving progress and innovation.

How do research questions shape the outcome of a study?

Research questions serve as the foundation of a study, guiding the research process and influencing the scope, methodology, and findings of the investigation.

What is the purpose of a research proposal?

A research proposal outlines the objectives, methodology, and significance of a research project. It serves as a plan to secure approval and funding for the study.

How does research contribute to academic and professional growth?

Engaging in research fosters critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a deeper understanding of a subject, enhancing both academic learning and career development.

What are the key components of a successful dissertation or thesis?

A successful dissertation or thesis includes a well-defined research question, comprehensive literature review, rigorous methodology, data analysis, and a clear presentation of findings, conclusions, and implications.

Is It Worth My Time To Get The Research You Need?

Sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes it’s no. But, it’s always worth your time to ask yourself how much research you need to do.

If you’re going to be writing a paper, then chances are good that you will need some research for it. If you don’t know where to start, we can help with that! We have experts in all different fields that can help you get started on your paper or another project.

If you just want some background information on a topic, then we can help! We have experts in all kinds of different fields who will be able to give you just enough information so that you feel confident about what they are saying and be able to use their advice properly.