If you are lucky you will be writing about something that you are familiar with and all ready know a lot about. In that case little if any research will be necessary.

But undoubtedly there will be times that you will want or need to write about a niche or topic that you do not know a lot about. So you will need to do some research first.

Before we begin talking about how and where to do the research perhaps we should discuss the fact that you will need to take a few notes to prompt your memory when you begin writing. The way you take your notes will have a direct impact on how much you remember when you read them.

Studies have proven that a free-form style of note-taking works best when you want to freely associate ideas. One of the most restrictive note-taking methods is that of an outline.

You see, your mind works in a mysterious way. If you put the information in outline format and you begin using that outline as a basis for your article you will find it more difficult to remember anything that is not included in the outline.

If instead you use a free-form style of note-taking such as a mind mapping system you will find it much easier to remember details and to formulate a cohesive flow to your article.

I suggest a mind map because it works for me. I can only recommend what I know works. I simply put my main idea in the center of a page and then add ideas around that as if they are branches on a tree with the main idea being the center most of the branches.

This makes it easy to see how all the parts, pieces and details work together. I can easily see how one branch connects to the next and the next. I do not write full sentences but rather I simply jot phrases or words to jog my memory as I am writing the article. Amazingly this method will help you remember details.

Okay, now for where to do your research. That is the easy part. I always begin with a Google search. I visit websites and I read at least two or three articles on the topic. By getting information from a variety of sources you are more likely to find accurate information. And it is very important that your information is accurate. After all part of the reason you write articles is to build credibility.