Research For Article Creation

[Matthew Sherborne]

Research For Your Article

If you’ve decided to write about something you don’t know that much about, or that you need actual facts for, you need to do a little research. Let’s go through the actual steps you’ll be taking to research and write an article.

First of all, set the timer and allow yourself no more than 25 minutes of research time. Be sure you have your blank outline handy to start filling in information.

Stay focused. Don’t allow yourself to get sidetracked on the internet!

You’re not researching for your personal enjoyment. You’re doing it to get paid. The internet is huge and the possibility of getting sidetracked is too. If you find yourself detouring from your original plan, bookmark those pages and come back to them in your free time.

It’s important that you gather as much information in as little amount of time as possible. Remember that it’s your goal to complete the article in an hour, including research time.

Let’s say the topic of your article is “how to avoid skin cancer.”

You already know staying out of the sun, wearing hats, wearing sunscreen, and applying sunscreen regularly are key to avoiding sun damage. That can be one of the paragraphs. However, to get paid more, try providing a little more than every-day information in your article.

You want your information to be reliable, so go to the reliable sources. Go ahead and search “skin cancer.”

Click on the advanced search seen in the image below to narrow down your search and save time.




Since you want to find the most accurate and substantial information, try looking at reputable .Org or .Gov domains. .Org usually stands for a non-profit organization and .Gov is maintained by the U.S. Government. These sites are often a good source of information.

There are disadvantages to using some .Orgs. For instance, a popular website, Wikipedia.org, can be edited by anyone. For this reason, not all information found on the site is accurate.

Be smart about your searches - choose websites that offer some sort of proof about their accuracy and are up to date.

You can see below, I’ve added the key phrase “skin cancer” and entered “.org” to display results from.Org domains only.



The Skin Cancer Foundation is our first result. Since it’s a foundation, the information will be dependable. The page has been updated at the time of this writing which means it’s a reliable source of information. This is a great sign. We’ll gather most of our main points from this website.

The Skin Cancer Foundation has a pretty extensive site. Allow yourself less than 5 minutes to browse its pages.

As you’re browsing the website, look for concepts:

·that have enough information to write about (at least 4 key points for a 400-word article, and more than 8 for a 1000-word article) ·that are not common knowledge ·choose only 3 concepts to write about (you can always add more later)

It’s important that you don’t have your outline concepts set in stone. Instead, look for the 3 concepts that all tie in together and have the most information.

After browsing the site for a few minutes, you decide the prevention section has the most information that applies to preventing skin cancer.

Within 5 minutes, your first two concepts are easy to locate. Focusing on prevention, you notice there’s a lot of information about the quality of clothing. That can be the first concept.

The next topic that has the most information is how to choose the right SPF. You select that as your second concept. There’s not an obvious choice for a third concept.

You could go with “what to ask your dermatologist” (which isn’t really prevention) or the generic “other tips to stay skin-healthy.”

Make a quick decision and move on! The generic option seems like a good route since the tips aren’t too common. Now write the 3 concepts in your outline.

Here are the three concepts you’ve chosen:

Concept #1 - about sunscreens

Concept #2 - types of covers - clothing options

Concept #3 - other tips to stay skin-healthy

Now you’re ready to add the key points to each concept. Go back to the section about sunscreens. To extract information quickly, read one paragraph at a time and summarize it in a few words.

Make sure you’ve put it in your own words. Once you’ve reworded the information, it’s legally yours. Write those phrases in your key points.

Remember, you don’t need them to be sentences right now. Write as many short phrases as possible. Once the outline’s filled out, you’ll move on to adding the filler words that make a sentence a sentence. The more key points you have, the easier it will be to write.

This is an example of expanding on the concept “sunscreens” with key points.

[Matthew Sherborne]

Concept #1 - about suncreens

Key point - alcohol-based are best because resistant to sweating

Key point - waterproof will still wash off - put more on when you’re out of the water

Key point - all should be replenished after 2 hours K

ey point - UVA rays don’t show their damage until later, so even with no burn, still at risk Key point - apply 1 oz of sunscreen each application

Key point - put on 30 min before going out in the sun

Key point - SPF 15 good for people in the sun a few minutes here or there

Key point - how to measure SPF The number gives you that many times longer to be burned Ex. If you burn in 10 min, with SPF (sun protection factor) of 15, you have 150 minutes before being burned, or 2 hrs & 30 minutes

Once you’ve done the section about sunscreens, move on to clothing and then the generic tips.

Concept #2 - types of covers - clothing options

Key point - test - if you can see light through the shirt, UV rays will penetrate your skin

Key point - darker color better than lighter

Key point - thicker weave better than looser or light

Key point - heavy better than thin - long-sleeve dark denim shirt has an SPF of 1700

Key point - wet clothing reduces the SPF by 50%

Key point - stretched or washed a lot reduces SPF

Concept #3 - other tips to stay skin-healthy

Key point - newborns must be kept out of the sun until at least 6 months

Key point - then newborns need sunscreen too

Key point - day-time commuters be aware - UV rays travel through the windows

Key point - sun is most intense between 10am and 4pm

Key point - fragrances and medications can make you photosensitive

Key point - that means skin is even more sensitive to the UV rays

Key point - don’t forget the eyelids and eyes - sunglasses reduce the risk of cataracts

Key point - UV rays go through clouds - definitely wear sunscreen!

Key point - a blistering sunburn on a child doubles his chance of getting cancer in adulthood

As you’re writing down key points, you may come across something interesting that doesn’t fit in any of your 3 concepts. Add it to “other interesting points/facts.” This information will be great for the introduction, conclusion, and possibly any filler content you need.

Other interesting points/facts

·UVA = wrinkling, saggy skin, leathery skin
·UVB = the main cause of the sunburn
·Both are a cause of skin cancer
·90% of skin cancers are from excessive exposure to sunlight
·in 2007, the most common type of cancer in the US is skin cancer
·one in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime
·more than 20 people die a day from skin cancer
·survival rate with early detection is 99%
·survival rate if cancer spreads lowers to 15% - 65%

Before you know it, you’ll have all the information you need to write an article! What’s great is that the hardest part is over! You’re just a few easy steps away from making cash!

Congratulations! You’ve got your outline complete!

It’s not the case here, but if you find you don’t have many key points, you’ll need to get more information. Make your searches more specific. Instead of searching for “skin cancer,” which produces over 2,200,000 websites, try “how to avoid skin cancer” or “causes of skin cancer.”

[Matthew Sherborne]

Put It In Print

Now that you’ve got your outline complete, it’s time to add the filler words and turn it into a money making article.

As I said before, the basic format for an article is:

1. Introduction
2. Concept #1 in detail
3. Concept #2 in detail
4. Concept #3 in detail
5. Conclusion

The Introduction does exactly that: introduces the concepts or points that will be covered. The conclusion often offers a thought-provoking statement as a closer.

The overall consensus among writers is that it’s easiest to leave the introduction, conclusion, and title for the end. Yes, do the main body first and leave the beginning and end for last.

While you’re encouraged to find which method suits you best, I’ll write the main body first. The next chapters will cover the introduction and conclusion.

You’ve got your first concept outline here:
Concept #1 - about sunscreens

·alcohol-based are best because resistant to sweating
·waterproof will still wash off - put more on when you’re out of the water
·all should be replenished after 2 hours
·UVA rays don’t show their damage until later, so even with no burn, still at risk
·Apply 1 oz of sunscreen each application
·put on 30 min before going out in the sun
·SPF 15 good for people in the sun a few minutes here or there
·How to measure SPF

The number gives you that many times longer to be burned Ex. If you burn in 10 min, with SPF (sun protection factor) of 15, you have 150 minutes before being burned, or 2 hrs & 30 minute
First, choose each bullet in the order you think will flow the best. Obviously, you don’t want to skip from how much sunscreen to use to which one to use.

[see example below] I put a number in front of each key point to determine which one comes first. This makes the article flow smoothly and the writing easier.

Concept #1 - about sunscreens

·3 alcohol-based are best because resistant to sweating
·6 waterproof will still wash off - put more on when you’re out of the water
·7 all should be replenished after 2 hours
·8 UVA rays don’t show their damage until later, so even with no burn, still at risk
·4 Apply 1 oz of sunscreen each application
·5 put on 30 min before going out in the sun
·2 SPF 15 good for people in the sun a few minutes here or there
·1 How to measure SPF
The number gives you that many times longer to be burned Ex. If you burn in 10 min, with SPF (sun protection factor) of 15, you have 150 minutes before being burned, or 2 hrs & 30 minutes

Next, take the concept, “about sunscreens,” and turn it into a sentence.
It’s important to use sunscreens properly to keep your skin healthy and prevent skin cancer.

Now you’re just going to follow your own notes. Start with the first key point, turn it into a sentence. Continue with your key points until the section is complete.

Concept

It’s important to use sunscreens properly to keep your skin healthy and prevent skin cancer. 1 With all the different types of sunscreens out there, it’s essential to choose the correct SPF for you. SPF stands for “sun protection factor.” The number that follows lets you know how long you have in the sun before it’s not effective anymore. For example, SPF 15 means you can be out in the sun fifteen times longer than you normally could until you get burned.

So let’s say that with no sunscreen on, you get burned in ten minutes of being in the sun. However, if you put on a sunscreen of SPF 15, you would get fifteen times the amount of time to be out in the sun. So instead of burning in ten minutes, you would burn in 150 minutes (10x15), or in two and a half hours.

2 The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends an SPF 15 if you’re only going to be in the sun for a few minutes here and there. 3 However, if you plan to be in the sun all day, whether it’s gardening, exercising, or playing Frisbee at the beach, you’ll need a sunscreen that’s more resistant to sweating. In this case you’ll want to protect yourself with an alcohol-based sun screen with a higher SPF.

4 Be sure to put on one ounce of sunscreen each application, 5 and do it thirty minutes before you’re exposed to the sun. 6 Even sunscreens that are waterproof may wash off, (repeat 4) so slather on an extra ounce once you’re out of the water. 7 In fact, it’s a safe bet to reapply the sunscreen every two hours to avoid as much skin damage as possible. 8 The UVA rays don’t show their damage until later, so even if you don’t burn, you’re still exposing your skin to the harmful rays.


Congratulations! You’ve finished your first concept and you’re already a third of the way done!

[Matthew Sherborne]

Determine Article Word Count


Let’s find out how many words your article contains.

The easiest way I’ve found to find the number of words in your article is to use the word count feature built in to Microsoft Word. You can find it under the tools tab.



According to Word Count, you’ve already written 304 words.

Now let’s move on to the second concept.

Following the same procedure, number each key point in the order you think it will flow best. As you’re writing, you may need to tweak things every once in awhile, but that’s normal.

Concept #2 - types of covers - clothing options
·4 test - if you can see light through the shirt, UV rays will penetrate your skin
·1 darker color better than lighter
·3 thicker weave better than looser or light
·6 heavy better than thin - long-sleeve dark denim shirt has an SPF of 1700
·2 wet clothing reduces the SPF by 50%
·5 stretched or washed a lot reduces SPF

Now turn the concept and each key point into a sentence.

Concept Believe it or not, the clothes you wear will also affect how much of the damaging UVA and UVB rays your body receives and not all provide the same protection. 1 The lighter color the shirt, the less protection it will offer you. A black shirt is far preferred to a white one. 2 Don’t be fooled by thinking you’re covering yourself up when you put on that wet t-shirt. Wet clothing reduces the SPF by fifty percent.

The material your clothing’s made out of affects your skin’s health too. 3 Thicker weaves are better than looser weaves. 4 A good test is that if you can see light through the shirt, the UV rays can penetrate too. 5 If you’re planning on being outside all day, try not to bring your old favorite shirt that’s been washed countless times. Washing and stretching the fabric also reduces a shirt’s SPF.

6 The thicker and darker the clothes, the better your skin will be protected from sun damage. In fact, a long-sleeve, dark denim shirt has an SPF of 1,700. Now that’s protection.

The second concept has 176 words in it. The total so far is 470 words. At this point, you have two options. You can continue with the third concept, landing your article in the 900-work range after the introduction and conclusion have been added.

Most articles are 450 - 650 words long. Unless you’ve been hired to write a 900 word article, it’s a little excessive.

The other option is to choose not to add the last concept and move on to the introduction and conclusion.

In this case, I’ve decided to move on to the introduction and conclusion. All my work isn’t going to waste though. I’m going to save the information from Concept #3 and use it in a “top tips” article. Never delete your unused work!

So here’s your article so far:

It’s important to use sunscreens properly to keep your skin healthy and prevent skin cancer. With all the different types of sunscreens out there, it’s essential to choose the correct SPF for you. SPF stands for “sun protection factor.” The number that follows lets you know how long you have in the sun before it’s not effective anymore. For example, SPF 15 means you can be out in the sun fifteen times longer than you normally could until you get burned.

So let’s say that with no sunscreen on, you get burned in ten minutes of being in the sun. However, if you put on a sunscreen of SPF 15, you would get fifteen times the amount of time to be out in the sun. So instead of burning in ten minutes, you would burn in 150 minutes (10x15), or in two and a half hours.

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends an SPF 15 if you’re only going to be in the sun for a few minutes here and there. However, if you plan to be in the sun all day, whether it’s gardening, exercising, or playing Frisbee at the beach, you’ll need a sunscreen that’s alcohol-based and has a higher SPF. It’ll be more resistant to sweating.

Be sure to put on an ounce of sunscreen each application, and do it thirty minutes before you’re exposed to the sun. Even sunscreens that are waterproof may wash off, so slather on an extra ounce once you’re out of the water. In fact, it’s a safe bet to reapply the sunscreen every two hours to avoid as much skin damage as possible. The UVA rays don’t show their damage until later, so even if you don’t burn, you’re still exposing your skin to the harmful rays.

Believe it or not, the clothes you wear will also affect how much of the damaging UVA and UVB rays your body receives and not all provide the same protection. The lighter color the shirt, the less protection it will offer you. A black shirt is far preferred to a white one. Don’t be fooled by thinking you’re covering yourself up when you put on that wet t-shirt. Wet clothing reduces the SPF by fifty percent.

The material it’s made out of affects your skin’s health too. Thicker weaves are better than looser weaves. A good test is that if you can see light through the shirt, the UV rays can penetrate too. If you’re planning on being outside all day, try not to bring your old favorite shirt that’s been washed countless times. Washing and stretching the fabric also reduces a shirt’s SPF.

The thicker and darker the clothes, the better your skin will be protected from sun damage. In fact, a long-sleeve, dark denim shirt has an SPF of 1,700. Now that’s protection.

Be sure to save your files and documents in your content portfolio so you know what they are!

Now lets move on to how to write an article introduction.