how to write biography research

The individual whose biography you are composing deserves the best you can do, and that means ensuring that your facts correct and from legitimate sources. A good ideas is also to look through some historical bio examples of famous historical figures to get an idea of how an interesting bio should be written. The MLA method of citing sources is widely recognized and accepted. As this is a biography, its probably a good idea to compose a simple outline to keep the chronology correct. His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was an important man. In order to write a great biography, you will need to choose a subject that you find interesting; plus, it should have had some sort of lasting impact on the world. It’s generally a good idea to include: You should include anything you’d include in a professional bio in a bio for your company, but don’t be afraid to personalize it with a few personal details. This is done via thorough interview, or dive into his/her personal documents or both. 4 Quick Tips on Writing A Bio. You can write an unauthorized biography but the lack of authorization can be a jinx in itself. It is of utmost importance, when writing a biography, to indicate one or two features that make the person to stand out, or interesting. As you can see, writing a biography can be a great adventure in and of itself. This can include important dates, locations or historical moments. If the subject’s life is closely connected to their career, the writer can break up the biography into sections such that the various job positions are clearly identified. Fill the body of your biography with material that gives insight into your subject's personality. After all, we are living in the world of Wikipedia and other sites and blogs which churn out condensed biographical information on most celebrated individuals, historic and present day. Are you composing this book for adults, young adults or children? For instance, for any person who is inexperienced in life or if his/her life has never been full of adventurous events, writing a long biography would not be easy. To help you formulate a list of questions, consider the following: It can also be helpful to learn about your subject from the perspective of others. In addition to asking others to proofread your biography, you should also ask for overall feedback. This has to be arranged systematically and the accomplishments must be linked to how the person’s current life is. Do your best to dig deeper and discover what truly makes this person special. If you’re writing a biography for school, or simply interested in learning more about a certain person, follow this guide to create an engaging, informative and well-written story. It's important that you research your subject as thoroughly as possible. But don’t fall prey to bio comparison! In order to write a great biography, you will need to choose a subject that you find interesting; plus, it should have had some sort of lasting impact on the world. In your final paragraph, rather than simply restating your thesis statement, try to look deeper and reflect on your subject’s legacy to the world. What interests a young child about a person will differ greatly from what would interest an adult. No reader gets interested in a bio written by an uninterested writer. Outline your biography, write, polish, edit and cite your sources. Remember, you're telling this person's story and the more detailed you can be, the better so that your readers can feel as if they are watching this person's life unfold before their eyes. Cite sources from websites, magazines and newspapers as well as mention all of your interview sources. All the help you need in writing a successful biography has been researched, compiled, and incorporated into this article. Subject: Robert Johnson, first mayor of Hometown, Indiana Notes. If you wish to start a biography, we’ve taken the time to compile a handy, basic guide. If you choose to write an ‘unauthorized’ biography, then you will be limited to information available in the public domain. Determine whether the person, you want to write about is the kind that arouses interest in the heart of readers. As always, proofread your paper and check for errors. Start with Your Name. All in all, we hope our simple guide will assist you in creating the perfect biography! The expedition resulted in the discovery and description of 122 new animal species and subspecies. Learn how to make a perfect essay. Do not exclude relevant details, and stick to your thesis. Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 in the village of Mvezo in South Africa. Ask yourself what the most impressive thing you learned about this person was. A quote either directly from or about your subject, An interesting story or anecdote about your subject, A notable accomplishment your subject has made, A concluding sentence that wraps up and ties it all together. Copyright © 2010 - 2019A Research Guide. Once you’ve double checked spelling and grammar, go back and edit any awkward or wordy sentences. If you are confused on how to write an outline for a biography, we’ve included a small example below: While the outline feels a little ‘dry’, it gives you a good starting point for gathering facts. A fourth grade biography will be much different from a middle school-level biography or a high school or college-level biography. Your story is only yours to tell, and it has value. This guide reflects the techniques and bio ideas used to compose the best biographies written by authors with a professional background. It details and follows one's journey from birth to the present time. Via interviews: This arrangement is organized after a series of interviews. If you use any direct quotes, be sure to give the appropriate credit where it is due to avoid copyright issues. His death is still an unsolved mystery, although it was ruled a suicide. Read also: Guide to writing a formal research paper. This guide will help you get started by sharing important information, tips and tricks so your biography can be the best it can be. An individual can be identified as being special by their profession, character, or contribution to society in various ways. Content Strategy Manager at Grammarly, Your current role or professional tagline, Your 2-3 most impressive and relevant achievements, One quirky fact about you (if it’s appropriate to the site). In the course of research, you can change, rectify or omit some parts of the outline but the main purpose of having an outline is to give your research a direction. When you begin to research, take some time to look for key information that readers might not be familiar with. Interviewing the person’s family members, friends, and can also be critical sources of information. LinkedIn summaries can read like either a list of accomplishments or a list of professional interests. Purchase a hand held recorder, or use a voice recorder app for your phone, and a durable notepad to collect the information. Once you’ve selected the individual, proceed to collect the basic facts, add pertinent details, qualities, character, achievements, overcoming obstacles and how their life made an impact on the world and other individuals. The following article is in continuation of the article ‘How to Write a Good Academic Biography–Part 1’. With this sociological shift from the once revered “great man” theory of history to the more factual Darwinian theories, a new approach was adopted in biographical writings. If you’re writing a biography for school, or simply interested in learning more about a certain person, follow this guide to create an engaging, informative and well-written story. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Just like we mentioned earlier, it is a way of viewing social sphere through procedural lens, rather than static terms. By topic: This arrangement is topic-based and these listed topics include items of events that affected the person’s life. The growth of sciences and social sciences, at the turn of the 20th century, brought about the birth of the new century’s biographies. Once you have your individual in mind, its time to acquire the proper permission. Bios are usually formulaic—and that’s okay! A biography is often not always about oneself. These are as follows: According to Miller, a Biographical research is a research technique which includes the collection, evaluation and analyses of the full data of a person’s life, or a portion. Capstone project also called a capstone experience, final project, or senior exhibition. After reading this guide, you will be able to boast of professional skill in biography writing. There are a few ways you can keep your “about me” writing on point—without pulling your hair out. The first information you should gather in your research will include biographical details and facts. This depends on the person’s experiences and the entire coverage of the biography. You must be able to prove beyond all doubts that you are also interested in getting the truth about the subject’s existence. Using a descriptive headline about his work and a short list of only his most recognizable accomplishments, Jamie is able to sum up several projects in a relatively small space. In days gone by, you only had the microfiche, but now most newspapers and magazines have archived their past issues online, so feel free to dive in and find information that time forgot. Remember, if you decide to go the unauthorized route, get to know your legal rights as some individuals or estates can sue you for publishing facts which are not true, whether you meant to or not. Fill out the order form step-by-step. Let them know the name of the awards the subject was awarded and when he/she were awarded; the certificates they earned and the reviews they got from the business community, in the press, from your customers and your peers. Some writers find it easier to simply map out a timeline of the persons life, while some writers decide to do both. If you are writing a biography about a well known athlete, then take a look at their style and what make them successful in communicating their ideas to their audience. If your subject is in your community, the best way to conduct your research will be by contacting them directly. I’m not saying only celebrities should be your subjects but the bitter truths is that for an ordinary person’s biography to be interesting, it should include some extraordinary stories – so even if the person is not a celebrity, a biography writer should paint him/her in a way that gets the attention of people. You must use a trustworthy resource to ensure that your information is accurate. Always remember that your biography will only be as good as your research, so dig deep. The “About” section of any personal website can be a slog. It is normal for good writers to re-arrange their sentences to create a better paper. There are a few ways you can keep your “about me” writing on point—without pulling your hair out. Instead, he explains his professional goals and lists his major accomplishment—building Grammarly’s user base. After then, the story will progress to the end. It motivates and encourages the readers. Do not get me wrong. If you are within a year of receiving a prestigious award, mention that as well. Read your story aloud and listen for anything that sounds incorrect or unclear. If the person you have chosen is no longer alive, you will not need to ask permission. How to Structure a Dissertation: Step-by-Step Guide, How to Reference Coursework in Harvard Style, National Archives and Records Administration: http://www.archives.gov/, Center for History and New Media: http://chnm.gmu.edu/, Digital History: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/documents/documents.cfm, EyeWitness to History:  http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/, Time Magazine: http://www.time.com/time/magazine, Sports Illustrated: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/magazine/specials/sportsman/archive/, Personal life (spouse, children, friends), Achievements, events, awards, charity involvement, Facts on death if the individual is deceased. If you do not get your subject’s permission to write about them, you may need to choose a different subject. Detail is a balancing act, too much and you risk boring your readers, while not enough leaves the reader unsatisfied. Why do I feel strongly about this person? Your subject is that person that the whole biography would be about. Other individuals took big risks or gambles which transformed their lives. However, each biography will include the basic details. He worked for the king and was the chief of the village. First, it’s a good idea to make certain that you have enough information on your subject. In the body, you will want to cover all the important facts, fun tidbits and other relevant information you uncovered in your research. How readable your final biography is, depends on the tone, style and flair you choose to engage the reader with. But never fear! When most people think of online bios, they probably can readily name a few common short bio examples first. Write my essay for me - is it your question? After the author’s name comes the title of the book. Additionally, the Alma Mata will also be noted, among many other critical elements touching on early life. If you cannot schedule an interview right away, make a plan to do some initial research. We need you to be detailed. For instance, if you are writing a biography of Elizabeth Taylor, how will your book different from the others? It combines bulky or boring information in an entertaining manner. Explain Your Business or Occupation. Every student will write a biography at some point, but the level of detail and sophistication will differ. The words may not be flowing, you might not fully understand how your professional bio will be used, or you might just be stuck. Structure In a short biography, you will be limited to … Biography Research Paper. Initially, biographical writings were merely considered as a subdivision of history, which focuses on a specific person of chronological relevance. The life of Nelson Mandela. It challenges both your creativity as a writer and your credibility as a researcher. You should never copy a person’s bio—after all, it’s their story, not yours—but you can mimic the structure if you’re feeling stuck. Consult a style guide for proper documentation. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest all have space for a short description of who you are and what you do. A good tip here would be to make the thesis controversial - this way, it has higher chances of getting the reader emotionally involved (and, as a result, interested) in your story. A biography is a written account of the series of events that make up a person's life. If one has noted, in the timeline that the subject excelled at college games or became a prominent professor, it is important to link this to the person’s earlier sporting or academic performance at high school or elementary level. Look back at both your outline and the timeline you created and keep them handy along the way. Academic writing is conducted in several sets of forms and genres, normally in an impersonal and dispassionate tone, targeted for a critical and informed audience, based on closely investigated knowledge, and intended to reinforce or challenge concepts or arguments. If you could only think of “human with face,” or “professional needs job,” you’ve come to the right place. It also lists her contact info and professional website, in case her followers would like to contact her. The main goal of biographical research is recreating rich descriptions of the concerned subject. Most websites, books, articles, etc. Now that you've collected all of your research, it's finally time to write! Writing about famous people or political figures can be a good hint here because of their exciting and celebrated existence. Gather Information and Inspiration. You can find interesting facts by consulting diverse sources. Using research note cards, collect the following data, carefully recording the source for each piece of information: While this information is necessary to your project, these dry facts, on their own, don't really make a very good biography. Find more intriguing details about the man and his work, and weave them into the composition. Was there a personality trait that drove him/her to succeed or impeded his progress? Some of those events are going to be pretty boring, so you'll need to try to make your account as interesting as possible! Before we venture into the useful techniques, in order to assert our basic competence, it is of high relevance that we study the definition and history of Biography writing. To engage your reader, try one of these "attention-grabbing" introduction styles: Next, you will want to follow up with 2-3 sentences of background information that will give context to your biography. For a short biography, maybe a paragraph or two long, the following details should be captured: A person’s date and place of birth, at times with the date and place of death as may be applicable The person’s major achievements in life Their educational background and notable awards Definitions of capsone project, main purposes and examples in our article. For instance, if you are writing a biography about Winston Churchill and gearing it to history buffs, you’ll have to make certain that you provide adequate and factual detail. Who or what did they have a major influence on? The big risk involved in writing an unauthorized biography is that if you hurt someone’s reputation via your unauthorized biography, you could get to a lawsuit. Any story written, in media res style will begin in between the tale, then backward, and, finally forward to the beginning of the story. Diana from A Research Guide Don't know how to start your paper? If you are not sure how to structure your body paragraphs, try choosing three points you think are most important to the story, then follow each of those points with supporting facts. Not everyone writes the same way, some toss notes in a pile and simply write, while others need an outline. The aim of writing a biography is to help people connect more to the reality of the subject. Stop stressing yourself! While it is not always necessary, obtaining permission from the individual or estate can gain you access to more personal information. Also, the expansion of psychoanalysis paved way to a more in-depth and all-encompassing comprehension of biographical subjects, thereby mandating biographers to elucidate more on the subject’s childhood and adolescence. Such details need to be detailed as a narration and in prose form. Your website bio doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs context on who you are and what you’ve done. But never fear! Writing a biography is an exciting chance to learn interesting facts about someone else's life. The modern biography is a form that mandates biographers to use psychoanalysis in filtering the subject’s account and sociology to ascertain the truth of his life. will include sources, or you can site each of them directly. For most professional bios, LinkedIn summaries, and speaker bios at events, you won’t need to stray from the norm too much to stand out. Here are a few ways you can get started on your professional, website, LinkedIn, or short bio. Using research note cards , collect the following data, carefully recording the source for each piece of information: All rights reserved. It details and follows one’s journey from birth to the present time. As you're writing, make sure that each sentence and paragraph is clear and cohesive so that your reader can move effortlessly through your narrative and fully immerse themselves in the story. Create a bibliography and title page according to your teacher's instructions. One could marvel at the efficiency of Jamie’s professional website bio. of service and privacy policy. Contact the subject of your biography directly, via email or telephone to get permission; then, schedule an interview. It gives readers, who do not know the subject before, a feeling of acquaintance with the subject. 5 Ways to Learn English Fast and Effectively, What It Means to Put the Reader at the Center in Professional Communication, Everything You Need to Know about How to Write a Letter, Celeste Mora, Sr. Editing means you go through your work polishing bits up, and cutting other bits out. It is necessary for the biography writer to acknowledge whose life the biography is about, in the introductory part of the paper. Consider these factors when you picking your subject. Once one has already established sources, he can now settle down and summarize the information in an interesting manner, in an essay form. If you conduct your interview online, remember to screencap the conversation so you have a copy for later use. A history buff will want to know the facts, dates, and important … By clicking "Log In", you agree to our terms While detail is important in a biography, it needs to cater to your chosen audience. A bibliography entry for a book begins with the author’s name, which is written in this order: last name, comma, first name, period. Bios can be repetitive, sometimes even tedious. You must use a trustworthy resource to ensure that your information is accurate. There are basically two types of biography based on permission and acceptance gotten from the subject of subject heirs, id est; These forms are categorized according to their specializations. Now that you've created an impressive beginning, you'll want to continue the flow. Before you get started, make sure you get the thumbs up from the person you plan to write about. An effective biography will be brief but it will also capture the most important aspects and experiences of one’s entire life. Readers want to know where the subject haled from, and grew up. This is where all your initial organization will come in handy. Depending on your preference or specific directions, you can find various guides on how to cite your sources for different styles such as MLA, APA or Chicago Style. First, the chronological experiences of events in his or her life are arranged in a timeline. One profound form of biographical reporting is termed legacy writing. More than just the fundamental facts for example: education, work, relationships, and death. Start off with great first sentence. Information on their death, if applicable. In the latter case, one needs to gather enough data about the person whose biography is to be written. So if you find a structure you like and think sounds unique, borrow it! A politician, a law enforcer, a teacher, a polite individual, gambler, dictator, an activist, artist, irresponsible person, entrepreneur, a daredevil among others will be identified as such. What were some turning points in this life. We all have people who we truly admire, whether in our personal lives, historical personalities or modern day icons. You can highlight any mistakes you catch, then try reading your essay backward for any flaws you may have missed. When deciding on whose life to research, whether it be a family member or a historical figure, there are several factors to consider. Earlier, we mentioned the importance of writing down the source for all of your information. Even with all of this information on how to write a bio, it might still be difficult to write about yourself. It should point out your main points, re-name the person you're writing about, but it should not repeat specific examples. For instance, in a biography about Meriwether Lewis, you would ask what traits or events motivated him to embark on such a monumental exercise. Aside being a form of writing, biography is also referred to as a genre because of its wide adoption in diverse media works, literary works and film industry. How to Write a Bio Step 1. On reading this article, you are going to learn the truth about biography writing, types of biography, the best techniques used in biography writing and the inspirational benefits involved in biography writing. The final paragraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim about your subject. Below is a small list of reputable research sites, which may help you get a hang for research. This is, obviously, the first thing your reader will learn about this person, and it's your chance to get them enthusiastic about reading the rest of your biography. For this type of bio, you may also want to include a contact form or email, to help prospective clients, employers, or collaborators get in touch. You don’t need to create the next Between The World And Me to write a killer bio. Was there something in your subject's childhood that shaped his/her personality? A biography, usually shortened as bio, is a thorough report of a person’s lifetime. Did you understand the purpose of the biography? A hassle. Also, it helps such bio gain popularity amongst people from a particular area that the subject came from. Not only do you want a good deal of information, but its important for both your credibility and your subjects if the information is legitimate. For example, you may want to consider the following questions: The best biographies often do more than just recreate a person’s life; they offer little-known facts, opinions and even new ways of thinking about the subject. Get professional writing assistance from our partner. This outline will help you organize your thoughts, the information you gathered and help you decide where you want to start your research. Writing a bio on a site like Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn can be daunting because there are already so many fantastic bios (and people!) For example, if you plan to write a biography only at your discretion. The wisest way to start is to determine how much material is available on this subject. For example, if he became a professional footballer, one must connect this with the fact that the subject previously took active part in games at high school level, as a games captain or such other notable achievements. This is very important because it serves as the foundation of the biography. By stating the achievements of the subject, you are giving people a reason to celebrate the subject and biographies of celebrated people sell the most. What adjectives would you use to describe him/her? While you may not use all the information you gather, you can highlight some ideas you think are most important. The following are some core components of all body paragraphs: Having well-written body paragraphs is essential to successfully create an engaging biography. Most school students usually neglect this step (and some professors may even choose to ignore it as well); however, when writing a biography that is to be published, violating this rule may have drastic consequences. From there, you can circle important facts that you want to highlight throughout your biography. The best way of organizing non fictional Biographies is chronological organization. Add them to give your coworkers a sense of who you are before they work with you. Step 3. The biographical events touching on major accomplishments such as academic, sports, career accomplishments, among others have to be arranged in such a way that they follow and mirror each other.

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