The Most Comprehensive Research Guide Now Expanded and Updated

Sept. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- With the vast explosion of growth of electronic technology, virtual libraries, the Internet, and traditional libraries, it’s not always easy to know what sources to consult first or consider accurate. A newly expanded and updated guide takes readers through the process of developing their research and, more importantly, the tool and resources to find everything they need from start to finish.

Award-winning author Jeff Lenburg's “The Facts On File Guide to Research, Second Edition” (Facts On File, $55.00, hardcover; $18.95, trade paperback) explains the process of doing research, from developing a subject or topic and planning research and a search strategy, to gathering information and evaluating sources, and much more.

As the author of 30 books, including best-selling celebrity biographies, entertainment histories, and popular references, Lenburg has found the most important part of writing is finding credible and reliable research and sources of information.

“I’ve always enjoyed getting my hands dirty doing research,” Lenburg mused. “I liken it to being an archaeologist on an important dig. Half the fun is the hunt to unearth something rare, new, or that you never were unaware of or never knew existed.”

Lenburg said what inspired him to do a revised edition was the fact most people don't fully understand how to research. “Their entire concept of researching a subject was surfing Yahoo! and Google, or other popular Internet search engines. As my book demonstrates, there are far more reputable resources, besides the Web, that one should check first. Many are available for free at your local public and college libraries that you can access.”

In writing the new second edition, Lenburg said he consulted with countless library and trade association professionals, faculty members and instructors from other major universities and colleges, fellow researchers and authors, and a wide variety of other sources to delivery the most informative reference on the subject. “I owe much of the success of my book to these talented individuals, many who have devoted their entire lives to the study and practice of library science and research,” he said.

Written for students, businesspeople, and general readers of all ages needing to research and write research papers, articles, books, reports, essays, and class studies, besides discussing general methods to planning and conducting research, Lenburg meticulously details thousands of different sources of information and outlets of information available in the United States and throughout the world. Some of them include archives and archival collections; associations, societies, and organizations with research; biographical information; electronic databases with full-text articles; and electronic journals and newsgroups; general references (almanacs, bibliographies, periodical and newspaper indexes, yearbooks, and more); government agencies and publications, libraries (academic, government, public, school, research, special, and state libraries); newspapers, magazines, journals, and radio and television stations; and research on the Web on virtually any subject.

“No other book, to my knowledge, exhaustively details or provides access to such a plethora of sources in a single volume,” Lenburg noted.

Likewise, Lenburg’s book surveys the most recommended information sources by libraries and researchers, listing important research sources, such selected books and references, print and Web article indexes, periodicals and Web sites, to research any subject or field of interest, from aging to women’s studies. Valuable appendixes featuring style guides for APA, MLA, and “The Chicago Manual of Style” round out the volume.

“The Facts On File Guide to Research, Second Edition” by Jeff Lenburg is available through local and independent bookstores, including Amazon,com, Barnes and Noble, and national wholesalers, including Ingram Book Group and Baker and Taylor, or can be purchased from the publisher on the web at  http://www.infobasepublishing.com. An ebook of this title is also available directly from the publisher.

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Jeff Lenburg is an award-winning author of more than 30 books, including two national bestsellers. His work includes many critically-acclaimed celebrity memoirs and biographies, entertainment histories, and popular references.