You’re working on a heavy sci-fi story dealing with a lot of complex issues, and you don’t have the background in science to help you, how do you research? Sci-fi, or really science research is a topic that comes up all the time with world building and sci-fi writing. If you don’t have a degree in quantum physics, how are you going to pull off the story in your head? This guide to research for writing sci-fi novels will take you through some of the best, broad research tips. It will also address things to look out for and things to avoid when composing your story.

Where to start when conducting research for a sci-fi novel

Where to start your research is a really tough question. Do you write your story first and then research aspects you’re clear on? Do you go chapter by chapter? What information do you even need to know?

The problem with writing a lot and researching later is that you might identify major technical problems with your story’s plot. For instance, if your story is focused on how an interplanetary ship is traveling from one zone to another, and your methods for getting from point A to point B has no theoretical basis, your story is going to need some major reworking.

But if you spend too much time researching, it’s possible you’ll include more information than necessary in your story and get yourself into trouble that way.

Therefore, it’s not about where to start your research but how you start research for sci-fi novel .

1. Look at the objective and focus of your story. Is it highly technical, like a disease outbreak and how a group of scientists develops a cure? Or is it focused on the characters and how they survive the disease? Your focus is important because it’s going to tell you what kind of research and how much information is relevant to your story.

2. Don’t assume you know anything. You’ve read a lot of sci-fi novels and have a lot of ideas about what you can and cannot get away with. But the information you have might not be accurate, or you might not have gotten the full picture to put a specific concept into your context. Here’s the trouble with hard sciences like physics, chemistry and biology, terms and concepts are very specific and context is very important. Therefore, what worked in one story might not actually work in your story because of how the information is presented. One little piece of information can throw it off. Abandon what you think you know from previous fiction and set out to discover what is true for yourself.

3. Question everything when doing research for your sci-fi novel. This piece of advice is just reiterating point 2, but taking it a step further. By assuming you know nothing and beginning to question everything, you start to have a path for your research. For example, you were going to set up feudal system based on previous fiction you have read. By questioning what you think you know, you’re going to seek answers. You will also develop questions you never knew you had and get more inspiration.

4. Figure out what incorrect information you can and should get away with. Yep, that’s not written in error. As you begin to question things, you might find that a certain trope (not all tropes are bad) is scientifically improbably. A great example is the idea of an alien hybrid. It just probably can’t happen due to differences in chromosomal pairing and how the two different biological systems would develop. But the hybrid concept is such a much-loved idea, one that nonscientists wouldn’t questions and one that life scientists would accept because it’s enjoyable. If there is a classic trope that theory can’t support, it’s probably a good idea to hold on to the trope anyway – as long as you’re not overusing tropes. If you’re not sure you can get away with it, just remember, if it’s a common concept within the sci-fi sphere, you can probably get away with it. If it’s a new concept that is improbably, if it’s outside of common knowledge, you might be able to get away with it. If it truly violates the rules of nature, better to reframe it to be more accurate.

5. Don’t forget to research the dogmas of pseudoscience. What is meant by pseudoscience? It’s the idea that hypotheses have never been backed by evidence (peer-reviewed). A classic example is astrology. But there are other topics within the pseudoscience genre that are lesser-known. Even though it’s considered fake science, there are norms and understandings that surround the ideas. Deviating from something that’s well-known within a subgroup could really harm the credibility of your story. If you plan to incorporate any of this in your story, refer to points 2 and 3 – assume you know nothing and question everything when researching sci-fi novels.

Yep, you can visit Wikipedia when doing research for sci-fi novels

Now that you have your flow, objective and areas you’re questioning, you can refer to Wikipedia as your first go-to. Wikipedia has become one of the most popular places for research, and why not? It has so much information and the level of organization is off the charts.

Don’t be too worried about misinformation on Wikipedia. For general knowledge and overviews on a topic, the accuracy rate is going to be pretty good. And for the high-level stuff, you’ll end up fact-checking it to better understand the information anyway.

Here are a few things to consider when researching your sci-fi novel on Wikipedia:

1. Keep with the mantra: question everything. Click around, go down the rabbit holes, learn, explore and discover. You might find new inspiration on your quest.
2. Refer to the sources section of Wikipedia for leads to high-level information.
3. Use citations to identify subject matter experts. You might even be able to reach out to those people.
4. When it’s not underlined in blue on Wikipedia, but it’s a cool concept, remember the highlight>right click>search web/google
5. Wikipedia is a lead generator for more research.

Use real people – subject matter experts when performing research for your sci-fi novels

This is a tough tip if you’re an introvert. Thankfully, we live in the digital world and emails help buffer our aversion to face-to-face and phone conversations.  But we aren’t leaving this tip to cyberspace alone. Connecting with the right people in various ways and asking questions, even trying to get experience is going to really help with your research. Here are some ways you can approach research for our sci-fi (or even fantasy) story with real people:

• Contact a professor or graduate student. You might not know which professor/student to contact or how to find one, so let’s start with that. Let’s say you have a topic – War Strategy and you are interested in somehow incorporating Mongolian strategy into your story, but you’re not sure how since you’re using fighter ships rather than horses. You at least have a lead – you need an expert on Mongolian war strategy. Google is the first place to check, “Professors of Mongolian war strategy.” That already might give you a lot of hits. You could broaden it. You could google dissertations, theses, etc.

A lot of professors will have a website dedicated to their research. It might list publications, press releases, blog articles, courses, notes, books, etc. This is a good place to start before reaching out directly. See if you can gather information there. Then compose a message with your inquiry. An important tip when reaching out to a professor is TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST. Don’t come with a long list of questions. Instead, reference specific sections of research material that you were confused on, and write what you think is the answer, using the professor to validate your ideas. This can open the door to further, enlightening dialog that will greatly contribute to your story.

As far as contacting a graduate student goes, you’ll sometimes find them listed on a research professor’s website, Google, LinkedIn, in certain publications – but a really great place is on Twitter.

Just beware that either person you contact is not always going to have a lot of free time. You also need to make sure they understand that your research is for a book you’re writing. You must clearly inform your contacts about what the research is for, and ask how they would like to be cited in your story.

• Joining organizations and interest groups. People have so many different interests and hobbies. Even without a college degree, there are so many amateur lovers of very technical topics. A great example, which pertains more to fantasy and historical fiction, is a local group of English Country Dancers – they dance “Pride and Prejudice” style once a month, and host regular balls. This is a great way to directly connect to historians and live part of the experience.

Going back to Mongolian war strategy, you might not find a group so dedicated to that; however, you might find an Eastern art history group that meets regularly in your area. Get involved. Be careful that you do not probe for information on your first meeting. Instead, you’re going to have to build relationships with people and find out who your best sources are. Develop a friendship because you never know what else they know.

• Shadowing – live the experience. This piece of advice takes the organization and interest groups idea a little bit further. A great way to do research is to try to experience as much of it as you can first hand. Not everything can be shadowed, but you’d be surprised at what can.

If you’re working on something highly medical, try to set up a shadow in a hospital. If you simply need to know how a person runs an athletics business, get in touch with a store manager and see if you could be a “trainee” for a day. Of course, there are liability concerns which might cause a lot of people to say no. But you should always try.

• Volunteer for experience. So maybe you can’t get a job shadowing experience in a hospital, but there are volunteer opportunities close to the area you’re interested in- sign up! The website volunteermatch.com is a great place to search for some opportunities. Another place is to look for local nonprofits and see if you can help in different departments. This is going to help if you’re looking to research administrative aspects of a person’s role. Or even determine obstacles that might be applied to a situation in your story (supply coordination in a ship).

Universities can often have volunteer experiences and coordinate with outside groups. For example, archeology departments might welcome the public to dig sites to help them with an excavation. Garden departments might be searching for local citizens to help keep the grounds. The direct role you play might not lend itself specifically to the information you’re searching for, but it will connect you to great people who will be more willing to talk to you after you’ve helped them out.

The Library of Congress is a great resource for researching your sci-fi novel

Before you roll your eyes at this idea, libraries are not just a place for books, they are often archivers of useful primary and secondary sources. They also employ researchers to help you locate information you need.

The Library of Congress is probably one of the best places to start, especially if you have a limited local library. So much information is in digital form. You can find old maps, census information, you name it. You just have to be clever in how you look for it. And if you can’t find it, their research librarians might be able to help you. It’s free to ask them, the turn-around time might be a little slow, but they are available to help.

Don’t dismiss your local library, or close to local libraries. Their librarians might have a lot of advice on how to conduct the specific research you’re looking for, or even have ideas of who to contact. Local libraries might also host public events and programs that might help with getting involved in interest groups.

It sounds old-school to even mention a library, but you will be amazed at how much you can find from a good one.

Open your mind to unique source media.

If you’re thinking your research is limited to books and what can be found on Google (and maybe people now), you’re ought to open your mind more. Schematics, maps, research reports, etc. can be helpful too. Research should not be limited to answering questions. It should help you better develop your ideas. Open your mind to all types of information sources, you never know what it will lead to.

When in doubt, leave it out.  

A person who is an expert, is usually only an expert at a very narrow focus. Even a person with a science background is going to have a limited understanding of aspects of chemistry. No matter how much research you do, there will be stuff you’ll just never know. Do not go crazy trying to unearth everything for your story.

At the end of the day, your readers want a narrative not a textbook. If you include too much technical information, researchers used recombinant DNA technology to develop a strain of….. your readers are going to really get confused.

More of the research you’re doing is going to help give you a foundation for the development of your story: am I following the rules, is this plausible, am I on the right track. Telling the readers why it’s plausible or how something works is probably not going to allow your audience to enjoy the story.

What this means is that what you don’t know should be left out, and a lot of what you do know should also leave it out. If you’re not sure, scrap it. Only tell the reader as much as they need to know, when they need to know it.

There you go – this is what and how to go about your research. If you have other tips or things that have helped you tremendously, post them below.