On Monday, we talked about using a dictionary or thesaurus
when you're in need of different ways to say or describe something.
Sometimes you may feel that what you need can't be found in
a book. So you take a class, say, in police procedure. Or you talk to a friend
or acquaintance in the police department.
Before you do that, though, do some research. The police or
contact person with the police can't give you the answer you want unless you know
what you want. You're going to have to narrow down your question. Rather than
asking how police investigate a crime scene, try to narrow it down to specifically
what you need to know.
To narrow down your question, you can turn to books. For
example, I have a textbook called "Practical Homicide Investigation:
Tactics, Procedures and Forensic Techniques." It's the second edition and
it's pretty old (1993), but I still check it first for the basics.
There's a guy online who would be a good source: Lee Lofland. He has a Writers Digest book called: "Police Procedure
& Investigation". You can also check out his blog, The Graveyard Shift .
For most subjects, it's fairly easy to do research. And
sometimes you can ask experts, either in person on online.
Reference books can be so useful! I have quite a few that I turn to--both crime-related and general reference. Couldn't do without them.
ReplyDeleteThat's why the closet in my office has shelves of books. You never know what you might need.
DeleteI wonder if there's an English version of those. I contacted an English constabulary in the area where my book is set (by e-mail( and they told me they get too many requests from authors and were not willing to answer questions.
ReplyDeleteAnn
There probably is, Ann. Perhaps there's a way to go online and find out what textbooks are required for a college degree in the field.
DeleteHappy International Women's Day, Helen!
ReplyDeleteWhy, thank you Carole Ann. I had no idea it was International Women's Day!
DeleteHow true! This applies to any kind of research. My biggest problem when looking up something is not knowing how to phrase the question in the first place. Google must think my name is Yoda...
ReplyDeleteLaura, sometimes I think it's not how you phrase the question but that you get the right mix of key words. It could be "bank box safety deposit" and what you're looking for is the type of key needed. And somehow Google would come up with it.
DeleteI needed to research ahead of time before contacting Clemson's basketball coach so I knew what to ask. Her time's valuable and I wanted to be prepared.
ReplyDeleteVery true Diane! You waste your time and their's if your not prepared.
DeleteThat makes perfect sense Helen. You have to know what you want to ask before they can answer and too broad based of a question takes up too much time. Most in the field experts in any line of work are busy. Having a good working knowledge of the area you need specific answers to helps both you and your contact person.
ReplyDeleteSia, you sounds like someone who's done this kind of research!
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