Get Your Facts Straight: Research Skills for Writers is a skill-building series by Dr. Hanne Blank Boyd, published as part of Reasons Not to Quit. Full of examples, resources, and step-by-step tutorials, it’s an indispensable guide for all writers (including academics) but especially those writing nonfiction.
Do you write — or do you want to write — travel, memoir, essay, creative nonfiction, history, science, how-to, cultural criticism, or any other nonfiction genre?
Good research skills pay big dividends: you’ll be less frustrated and spend less time doing the research that makes your writing richer, more informative, and trustworthy.
This series is available to paid subscribers only.
Each installment will be followed by a subscribers-only chat on Substack where you can tell others about your project, ask questions, and build connections with fellow researchers and writers.
Series Schedule
Individual articles will be linked as they are published.
October 10, 2024
Dammit, It Was Right Here A Minute Ago: Organizing Your Writing Research So You Can Find It Again
October 24, 2024
You Need A Research Strategy. Here’s How To Get One.
November 7, 2024
Who, What, Where, When, and How vs. Why: Separating Facts from Arguments
November 21, 2024
Why Wikipedia Doesn’t Cut It: How You Can, and Why You Should, Raise Your Research Standards
December 5, 2024
How, When, and Why to Use AI
December 19, 2024
Ask Uncle Google: Using Search Engines for Research That Actually Gets You Somewhere
January 9, 2025
The Non-Academic’s Guide to Using Academic Research
January 23, 2025
Unoriginal Research: Mining Bibliographies and Notes
February 6, 2025
Primary Sources In A Deepfake Era
February 20, 2025
Trust But Verify: How To Tell If Your Source Is Solid and What To Do If It Isn’t
March 13, 2025
Getting History Righter: How to Not Tell The Same Old Dead White Dude Stories
March 27, 2025
I’m Not a Doctor, But: Medical Research for People Without Medical Training
April 10, 2025
How To Not Lie About Sex: Doing Sexuality and Gender Research That Doesn’t Suck
April 24, 2025
Your Tax Dollars At Work: Finding and Using Public Information
May 8, 2025
Please, Thank You, Homework: How to Get An Expert to Help You (Without Pissing Them Off)
May 22, 2025
Getting The Goods: Research Access Strategy for Independent Researchers
June 12, 2025
Context Without Overwhelm: Getting Background Information Right
June 26, 2025
Avoiding the Braindump Trap: The Art and Science of Selective Detail
About The Author:
Dr. Hanne Blank Boyd is a writer who works with writers, an academic who works with academics, and a medical education expert who works both within the medical industry and with individuals. She holds a Ph.D. in history of medicine and sexuality, is trained as a bioethicist, and is the author of a number of path-breaking research-based nonfiction books. A former professor, Dr. Blank Boyd has taught research skills at the university level and is a consultant and developmental editor for organizations, corporations, and individuals.