Key to Researching – RAR

A content writer can’t take on the pen in all his glory without the backing of a strong background research. It is especially tricky when the topic we’re covering is alien to us. Technical writers in particular would understand the imminence of a thorough research when it comes to writing articulate and informative articles.

Research in itself can be further broken down to three steps: Read, Absorb and Release (RAR).

Read

Time is of the essence and so before investing your time in reading lengthy data, determine whether it relevant to your research. This can be achieved by performing a quick scan through the information to locate the important keywords. Another technique often applied is reading the first and the last lines of an article. This should give you an idea of what is enclosed within. If you’re someone who can speed read your way through the article, then nothing like it.

Absorb

This involves understanding what you read because you can’t possibly read and absorb at the same time, just like you can’t eat and digest at one go. Give yourself a window period to breath and process before you go on to express yourself. If it helps then take notes so you can reflect upon what you read. A good writer will not take word for a claim too easily. He will question and challenge it. So map ideas in your mind and see where it leads you and that in its true sense is absorption.

Release

Putting information into perspective doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve reached the end of the road. The way you implement it is just as important. Firstly, you can’t relay a word to word account of you’ve read. You have to rephrase it according to your understanding and opinion of the same. Frame these ideas using the right words and execute it in short sessions. If you can engage the reader, then you’ve successfully nailed it.

This is your homework as a writer and an inescapable one at that. Enjoy the process and you’ll be whipping out theories by the dozen. And once, you’ve mastered the art of Research, you can blindly preach whosoever crosses your path.