4 Sites to Help Diversify the Sources You Rely On

book and notebook open in front of bookshelfDo you wish you had more diverse sources to reference in your writing?Sometimes when I’m working on a piece (or on another installment of an ongoing series) I’ll suddenly realize that I’m using the same types of resources and citations over and over again.

It can be easy to rely on the sites and studies that you know and love. And if you don’t know what you don’t know—or where else you can look—it’s especially hard to break that habit.

More and more, writers are considering not just what information they’re conveying but where that information is coming from. So if you’re thinking about promoting diversity in your work (and you should be), paying attention to whose work you’re referencing and whose voice you’re quoting is an important piece of the puzzle.

That’s why I was so excited to find out about the existence of the brilliantly named Women Also Know Stuff page . . . and then, soon after, Women Also Know History, People of Color Also Know Stuff, and Sourcelist.

These sites all provide searchable databases of women, minorities, and members of other underrepresented populations who are experts in their fields. Need a scholar who studies the American presidency and executive politics? You can find out who fits the bill—and in a handy list sorted by location and including links to their own respective websites!

Search by field or location or experience level. See content areas and read short bios and find contact information. Be encouraged by the number and diversity of voices out there who want to talk to you about what they know.

It’s not always easy to seek other resources, but this is a great opportunity to learn more, share more, and recognize the efforts of other experts! Don’t just quote the most readily available content or the voices you tend to hear the most often.

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