Research Links

As a researcher you come across many resources. The more promising resources tend to have large databases of information which don't get indexed by search engines. If you are lucky you asked the right question from Google and got a link to the site, or someone turned you on to the site, or you showed up here and found it on my page.

As a writer, nothing is unimportant, so it is sometimes difficult not to fall into that trap with bookmarks that so many fall into with their garage full of hobby items. There are certain professions and hobbies where just about anything can be used.

Most of these will be of interest to writers, and freelance researchers.

Academy of American Poets
URL: www.poets.org
Offers poems, discussion groups and articles for the poet in us all.

American Dialect Society
URL: www.americandialect.org
Wordsmiths will find the hot words and phrases in the ever-changing English language, and the reference section lists resources for fiction writers working on regional dialogue.

American Society of Journalists and Authors
URL: www.asja.org
Sign up for the site's free Contracts Watch newsletter to get the latest scoop on writing scams delivered via e-mail. www.asja.org

Associated Writing Programs
URL: www.awpwriter.org
AWP publishes The Writer’s Chronicle, and the site lists writers’ conferences and centers, college and university writing programs, grants and more.

Association of Authors' Representatives
URL: www.aar-online.org
If you're looking for an agent who doesn’t charge fees, check out the list of member agents and their areas of specialty.

Bartleby
URL: www.bartleby.com
Need to search for a Shakespeare quote or fact-check a line from a great classic? Get unlimited access—with keyword searches—to reference, verse, fiction and nonfiction books.

Biography
URL: www.biography.com
If you like the show, try the site: Search more than 25,000 of the greatest lives, past and present.

Center for Life Stories Preservation
URL: www.storypreservation.com
Memoir guidance, prompts, a free critiquing service and beneficial links make this site a resource for those writing about their family history or life experiences.

Children’s Express
URL: www.childrens-express.org
A national news agency, “where young people aged 8-18 produce articles on issues that are important to them but of interest to everyone.”

Columbia Journalism Review
URL: www.cjr.org
Free access to current issue highlights and full archives. The Who Owns What area is still the best place to track major media mergers, or search for a new market with the site’s database of magazines and newspapers.

Corbis
URL: www.corbis.com
One of the most comprehensive sites for photo research. With a free search, you can tell your prospective editor where to find art to go with your manuscript.

Forward Motion
URL: www.hollylisle.com
If you need a tutorial on making your writing a career, look no further. It'll prevent beginners' mistakes and determine if you've got what it takes to go pro.

Google
URL: www.google.com
"I simply cannot exist in the writer’s world without Google—my favorite search engine. I keep it open at all times when I'm writing and find it to be my best companion." —Jerri Brooker, writersdigest.com nomination

Guru.com
URL: www.guru.com
Search for freelance opportunities, with the option to customize and save your results. This site is especially nice for those seeking a niche market, since the search can be subject-based. “A nice hook-up for writers and jobs.”
—Leslie Farnsworth, writersdigest.com nomination

How Stuff Works
URL: www.howstuffworks.com
"It's fast, it has great graphics and animation, and it's just plain fun. In fact, it's addictive. Where else can you find out what WD-40 means (Water Displacement, 40th attempt) and whether flour is inflammable (it's not). Not only can you add credibility to your fiction, you can wow 'em at your next cocktail party."
—Stephenie Steele, director, Writer's Digest School

Infoplease
URL: www.infoplease.com
Online almanac, trivia quizzes and jam-packed reference information satisfy the most fact-hungry writer.

Intellectual Property Law
URL: www.intelproplaw.com
Yeah, you can look up copyrights, trademarks and patents, but there’s a lot more to this law site, including a very useful collection of legal reference links. This is a good place to get article ideas and sources.

International Trademark Association
URL: www.inta.org
Frequently check the alphabetical list or search for a particular brand name so that your writing doesn’t infringe on someone else’s trademark.

iTools
URL: www.itools.com
See the Research-It section to link to useful tools, or visit the Find-It section for links to search engines.

Journalism Jobs
URL: www.journalismjobs.com
Find work! Links to Job of the Day, freelance jobs, internships and fellowships/awards.

Journalist Express
URL: www.journalistexpress.com
A portal site with hundreds of useful links, ranging from specific research topics to directories, as well as contacts for expert sources. Free membership allows you to customize according to your interests.

Library of Congress
URL: www.loc.gov
Look up books by author, title, publisher or ISBN. Also visit the U.S. Copyright Office, www.loc.gov/copyright to find out everything about copyrights and how to protect your work.

Library Spot
URL: www.libraryspot.com
The library of libraries, this site links to every imaginable reference (and library) site and offers plenty of informative content.

MomWriters
URL: www.momwriters.com
Provides support, encouragement and tips on writing for those with children underfoot.

Oyez Database for Constitutional Law
URL: www.oyez.com
Started by political science professor Jerry Goldman at Northwestern University, this multimedia database covers major U.S. Supreme Court cases with abstracts and more. Listen to oral arguments with RealAudio, or see how justices voted. The site links to FindLaw.com, which lists complete written opinions from 1893 on.

Page ONE
URL: www.pageonelit.com
“This site, for several years now, has been my weekly inspiration with a delightful newsletter, interviews, contests, essays, resourceful links, fan photos with their favorite writers and much more.”
—Dolly Currack, writersdigest.com nomination

Poetic Voices
URL: www.poeticvoices.com
A virtual handbook for poets, with information about and promotion of poets and poetry.

PubList
URL: www.publist.com
Search by keyword 150,000 magazines, journals and newsletters. Order specific print articles or search for online content (available on a pay-per-view basis). Features free TOC Alerts that e-mail you with tables of contents from magazines you select.

Refdesk
URL: www.refdesk.com
"Anything you need to know about anything is listed here. A 'must bookmark' for writers and anyone interested in finding anything out." —Lisa Goich-Andreadis, writersdigest.com nomination

Rejection Collection
URL: www.rejectioncollection.com
Don’t cry alone—read other’s writing rejection experiences, and then submit your own. The site also offers up links to other rejection-themed sites, as well as rants from frustrated writers.

Renaissance: The Elizabethan World
URL: www.renaissance.dm.net
From heraldry to general history, you’ll find all you need to know to write that romance novel or other period work. The site also sponsors a discussion group and lists links to other Renaissance sites.

RWA—The Romance Genre
URL: www.rwanational.com/romance.stm
What is the romance genre all about? The Romance Writers of America can tell you.

Salary.com
URL: www.salary.com
Find out what you’re worth as a writer, and then scroll through the career and recruitment sites with the Salary Wizard to get the compensation you deserve. Job advice and career planning tips also are provided.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
URL: www.sfwa.org
Created by the Science Fiction Writers of America, this site’s advice helps writers in all genres avoid scams and legal problems with agents, publishers and contests.

SCR
URL: www.screenwriting.com
This site has a plethora of links gathered by the National Creative Registry staff.

Small Publishers Association of North America
URL: www.spannet.org
Get marketing advice and connect with other authors, self-publishers and independent presses.

Suite 101
URL: www.suite101.com
“It’s a community of writers with information on writing and more than 1,000 other subjects with additional links at each subject site.”
—Jerri Brooker, writersdigest.com nomination

The Onion
URL: www.theonion.com
Funny writing done by the masters of journalistic farce.

The Purple Crayon
URL: www.underdown.org
Maintained by children's book editor Harold Underdown, this site provides free information and links for others interested in children"s publishing. www.underdown.org

The Spark
URL: www.thespark.com
Take the Personality Test, the IQ Test and more, and then survey the other ways to overcome writer’s block (or procrastinate).

Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
URL: www.mcsweeneys.net
Laugh out loud with this online version of McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. You’ll find posted writing ranging from strange stories to tongue-in-cheek philosophy. Maybe their witty and original material will inspire you to create your own humorous prose.

WikiPedia An Internet encyclopedia
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia (pronounced as [?wi?ki?pidi.?] or [?w?ki-], also [-?]) is a multilingual Web-based free-content encyclopedia. It is written collaboratively by volunteers, allowing articles to be changed by anyone with an Internet connection. Also see on the main page links to WikiNews, WikiSource, WikieQuote

Wooden Horse Publishing
URL: www.woodenhorsepub.com
“This is a terrific new resource, including extensive market guidelines, publishing news, author warnings and more. I’m stingy with my bookmarks, but this site earned one.”
—Jenna Glatzer, writersdigest.com nomination

Worldwide Freelance Writer
URL: www.worldwidefreelance.com
The market you seek may be overseas; a plentiful selection can be found here. “Excellent Web site, especially because it is international!”
—Catherine Pawasarat, writersdigest.com nomination

Writers Exchange
URL: www.writers-exchange.com
You'll find writing advice columns, jobs/markets and book and software reviews.

Writers Guild of America
URL: www.wgaeast.org
Find information about writing and how to register your script.

Writers Weekly
URL: www.writersweekly.com
"Provides a list of warnings about deadbeat publishers and publications, and [Editor Angela Adair Hoy] goes to bat for writers who are owed money or who had had a copyright infringed upon. The markets and freelance ads listed are always paying markets." —Barbara L. Vergetis Lundin, writersdigest.com nomination

Writers Write
URL: www.writerswrite.com
Offers current writing and publishing news, message boards and job listings.

WritersNet
URL: www.writers.net
Since its original appearance on our 1999 list, this site has expanded significantly. Search for online writing resources and seek support in the Unpublished Writers Forum.

Writing Corner
URL: www.writingcorner.com
Explore the vast and ever-changing information on this site. Electric Ink is now directed at online writing, and a Reading Corner with book reviews (e-books and print) is underway.

Writing World
URL: www.writing-world.com
This site makes it easy to take writing classes with its no meeting/no schedule approach. YW

YouCanWrite
URL: www.youcanwrite.com
For writers who are just getting started, this site’s FAQ and extensive resources provide useful information geared toward aspiring fiction and nonfiction book authors.

YourDictionary
URL: www.yourdictionary.com
More than 200 translation dictionary links and nine thesauri, plus specialty tools and other information for wordsmiths. www.yourdictionary.com.

Zinebook.com
URL: www.zinebook.com
The world of zines, at the click of a mouse. Find how-to tips, lists of existing zines, article examples, discussion group links and more. The site originated with the print anthology, The Book of Zines (Henry Holt & Company).