I want to create a plot based on real robberies that occurred in the 1980's in northern England. Does anyone now where i can shift through old crimes on the net. Is there a law treasure trove i can plunder?
It's the third or fourth time today I bumped into someone saying "here's a great place to research, GOOGLE!" I assure you that 100% of the people who ask for research websites know about google and have used it. And I assure you 100% of the people who answer that question already know that. So why? Really? Why?
1.you're wrong... i've been advising/helping on writing sites for as long as google has existed and can tell you from personal experience that there are still plenty of wannabe writers and others who do NOT know that they can get the info they're asking others to provide if they simply go googling... 2.many who do know about google still don't know that it's easier and quicker for them to google for the info than to ask writing site members and wait for answers that may or may come and may or may not be valid... 3.many who do know about google are too lazy to do their own searching and would rather have others do their work for them... so, that's 'why'!... that's really 'why'!
Maia beat me to it. You would think the current crop of writers, being Internet-aware, would goo=gle as a matter of course. Nothing could be further from the truth. The closest you'll get among the majority is a blind faith in Wikipedia. If they don't find it there on the first try, they go on a board and ask a bunch of strangers. And not even a British History forum (or whatever interest group the question relates to). They ask on a Writing forum, where over half the people are not even from England, and half of the population is in their teens. By the way, our policy forbids links to commercial or questionable sites. We'd allow a link to a public information site, but that wouldn't offer lurid details that would turn it from a case study to a page turner novel. We'd far rather promote good researching habits rather than directing people to random sensationalist websites, or sites with an agenda.
I agree with Mom, which is why I mentioned criminal justice sites, because crimes are covered there-especially in sites that provide investigation info. Lexus Nexus works too, for academic items. However, anytime one wants to know about crime go to...wait for wait...lol...criminal justice sites. They specialized in them. *spoken from one who's been in the field*
Call me old fashioned, but I also like a place called, the public library. Better yet, a college library if you can access one.
