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Begin With the Question Your Book Actually Answers

Before you open a single archive box or send a single interview request, write down the question your book is trying to answer. Not the topic — the question. There is a difference between "a book about the history of British allotments" and "why did allotment provision collapse after 1945, and who fought to save it?" The first will have you reading forever. The second tells you when to stop.

Keep that question somewhere visible while you research. Every source you gather should either answer it, complicate it, or point you towards something that does. If a document does none of those things, it is interesting but it is not your book. Learning to set aside good material is one of the hardest and most necessary research skills.

Conducting Interviews That Yield More Than Quotes

Interviews give non-fiction its pulse — the specific detail, the turn of phrase, the anecdote nobody else has. But a good interview is planned, not improvised. Start by researching your subject thoroughly first, so you can ask about the gaps rather than the basics they have already repeated a hundred times.

Ask open questions and then stay quiet. Silence is your most underrated tool; most people will fill it with the thing they were hesitating to say. Follow up on specifics: "What did the room smell like?" and "What did she say next?" pull memory into the present tense, which is where the writing lives.

• Record with permission and always take notes as a backup — technology fails at the worst moments.
• Send a follow-up email within a day or two asking for clarification and confirming spellings of names and places.
• Ask for documents: diaries, letters, photographs, old press cuttings. Interviewees often hold archives they have never thought to mention.
• Offer to read back their quotes in context before publication. It builds trust and catches errors early.

Working With Archives, Libraries and Local Collections

The UK is extraordinarily well served by archives, and much of the best material for a non-fiction book will come from places that are not online. County record offices, the National Archives, university special collections, local studies libraries, company archives and museum stores all hold material that has rarely if ever been published.

Contact the archivist before you visit. Explain your project briefly and ask what they hold on your subject — they often know the collection better than any catalogue does. Order documents in advance where possible, and check the rules on photography, pencils only, and bag storage.

When you take notes, record the full reference for every document: collection name, reference number, box or file, item, and date. You will thank yourself at the copy-editing stage when you are trying to trace a single quotation. Photograph the catalogue entry alongside the document so you never lose the thread.

Fact-Checking as a Craft Habit

Non-fiction's authority rests on accuracy, and readers are quicker to spot errors than you might think — especially in local history, where someone always knows the real name of the pub. Build checking into your process rather than leaving it to the end.

• Verify every date, name, number and title against a primary source where you can, and a reputable secondary source where you cannot.
• Corroborate claims with at least two independent sources. If they disagree, say so in the text rather than smoothing it over.
• Keep a research log with a line for each fact and where it came from. A simple spreadsheet is enough.
• Distinguish evidence from interpretation. "The minutes record no dissent" is a fact; "the committee was cowed" is your reading of it. Signal the difference clearly.

If you cannot substantiate something, either cut it or hedge it honestly. A sentence beginning "It seems likely that..." is perfectly respectable when it reflects genuine uncertainty.

Organising What You Gather

Research expands to fill the space you give it, so impose structure early. A workable system has three parts: a master bibliography of everything you have consulted, a themed notes file organised by chapter or argument, and a separate file for the direct quotations you intend to use, each with its full source and page number.

Tag notes as you go — by person, place, period, theme — so you can retrieve them later without rereading everything. Write a short summary paragraph in your own words at the top of each research session. That paragraph is often the first draft of your prose, and it will save you from the paralysis of staring at a folder of scans wondering what you meant.

Ethics, Permissions and Getting It Right

Research involves people, and people deserve care. Explain clearly how their words will be used, obtain written consent for interviews, and be honest about anonymity if you are offering it. For living individuals, sensitive material and anything potentially defamatory, take advice before publication.

Copyright matters too. Quoting briefly for criticism or review is usually fine, but reproducing longer extracts, poems, song lyrics or images generally needs permission from the rights holder. Archive staff can often point you towards the copyright owner, and it is far easier to clear permissions before your manuscript goes to the publisher than after.

Finally, give something back. Send interviewees a copy of the book, deposit your recordings with a local archive if they agree, and thank the librarians who fetched your boxes. Generosity of that kind is not just good manners — it is how the next researcher, perhaps you, gets helped in turn.