Published documents aren’t the only source of information for a writing project. Nor are they always the best. Publications — such as books, articles, Web sites, or television reports — offer someone else’s interpretation of an event or an issue. By relying on such sources, you are looking through that person’s eyes rather than through your own.

You don’t have to use published reports to find out how an event or issue has affected people — you can ask them yourself. You don’t have to watch television coverage of an event — you can go to the event yourself. You don’t have to rely on someone else’s survey of public opinion — you can conduct your own. And you don’t have to do field research by yourself — you can form a team and share the work.