Conducting Best and Current Practices Research: A Starter Kit:

Different Ways to Conduct Best & Current Practices Research

Step 2: Gather preliminary information

After reflecting on the question and its scope, the research process can start. This may involve hopping on the Web, heading to the library, or picking up your phone. In this phase, use the most cost-effective methods early (like a library search) and the more expensive ones (like interviews) later when you have narrowed the field to a few good prospects. Here are a few suggestions for this phase:

Take a few minutes to think of people you know who may have information about the questions you are researching. Think of the conferences you've attended, recent contacts you've made, the people in your personal e-mail address book, etc. Send e-mail messages or call the people you think may know something themselves or may be able to direct you to someone else who does.
Check with organizations that conduct best practices themselves to see if they have anything on the issue you are researching. Look at associations linked to the program area of your issue, i.e. professional associations that focus on government accounting, or social welfare, or environmental protection. Think of states, localities, or federal agencies with good reputations in the area of interest and check their Web sites or contact them. They might have implemented innovative solutions that you can learn from.
Conduct a broad Internet search. Start with some of the major search engines using different keywords and word combinations. This is where that vocabulary expansion comes in handy. Once you have searched a topic, narrow your results by searching within the search results or formulating a more advanced query. Remember how easy it is to follow link after link as you pursue a lead until you have forgotten where you started. Have a pencil and paper handy and keep track of the sites you visit. Use the bookmark feature of your browser to easily return to the most useful ones later.
Search the Internet to identify similar organizations solving similar problems. Try to take these examples apart to see if the way you are thinking fits with the example, to verify that you are on track. Compare the example with the issue you are dealing with. Go on to find dissimilar organizations with similar problems-there is often a lot to be learned here. Finally, think about the technologies or management methods that might be useful in your project and search for organizations that are known to use them successfully. The key underlying concept here is "leverage." This kind of investigation is designed to leverage your research effort with known experience from a variety of other places.

The following matrix can be used when you are developing this strategy:

WHERE TO LOOK FOR LEVERAGE

	Same Kind of Organization	Different Kind of Organization
Same Problem
Different Problem but Promising Method or Technology

Use the search results to identify knowledgeable people you should talk to. Most sites include contact information. Then contact these professionals by e-mail or phone.

Don't forget to search within the discussion groups of main search engines (such as Alta Vista) which provide this option to see if questions around your areas of interest have been debated within these groups.

Join listservs . Look for a listserv corresponding to the subject you are researching. Subscribe to it and use this forum to ask who knows about or has had experience with your issue of interest. Regularly monitor lists that seem to provide good ongoing discussion of your topic.
Conduct a literature search . Visit the reference desk of your local library and enlist the help of a reference librarian. There are likely to be a number of online and traditional resources that will lead you to publications of interest. Look at articles and corresponding bibliographies, pertinent to your research. Sometimes a good article can be a starting point as it may lead you to more material and other experts on your topic.

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