Research Services

We will do research in most subject areas, but have particular expertise in the following areas:

  • Arts and Entertainment
  • Humanities
  • Social Sciences
  • Popular Science

Our research services are keyed to writers and others who need information for professional or personal reasons.

  • We will not do original research for students writing term papers, theses or dissertations.
  • We do not do in-depth genealogical research.

Pricing
All rates are quoted in US dollars, with a base charge of $75.00. Billing is through Pay Pal. Our research services are billed on an hourly or daily basis, depending on the assignment, plus expenses. We will provide an estimate based on what your needs are. We require a 50% deposit before work can begin.

If your needs change as the research unfolds, it may be necessary to renegotiate prices and schedules of payment.

Consultations
For many projects, a short consultation is usually necessary (usually by Skype), so we can understand your needs and goals. There is no charge for the first 30 minutes. After that, consultations are billed at $75.00 an hour.

Some of the assignments we do include:

Fact Checking

  • Verifying or refuting the factual validity of a document of any length, from a blog post to a book.
  • If the facts seem disputed, we will present them in a way to help you make an informed decision.
  • We are very careful in evaluating the sources of the information we find; we do not automatically accept the veracity of certain sources, whether it be a scholarly article or an article on Wikipedia.

Rates: $75.00 per hour, or $450.00 per 8-hour day.

Verifying Citations

  • Checking accuracy of bibliographic citations, using MLA, APA, Harvard, Turabian and Chicago styles, for both form and content.
  • Verifying the exact wording and/or spelling of authors, titles and publishers.
  • Identifying gaps in citations, noting where additional information may be needed.

Rates: $50.00 per hour, or $300.00 per 8-hour day.

Identifying and Finding Sources

  • This is basically doing a literature search and identifying possible sources of information, explaining the value of particular items usually in the form of an Annotated Bibliography (see below).
  • We can explain how to get ahold of particular sources, whether it is a webpage, book, or article in a scholarly journal.
  • We can identify useful archival collections—e.g., collections of correspondence and personal papers—which may be relevant.
  • If we can easily do so at no cost, we will provide copies of the materials in question, or provide suggestions as how you can best get them; for example, would it be easier for you to buy a copy of an out-of-print book or get it through interlibrary loan.
  • We will not buy copies of any research materials for you unless specific arrangements are made.

Rates: $75.00 per hour, or $450.00 per 8-hour day.

Annotated Bibliographies

  • This is a common way to organize research and to help you determine which sources are relevant to your project.
  • Citations are done according to your needs using such standard styles as MLA, APA, Harvard, Turabian and Chicago.

Rates: $75-$100/hour or $450.00-600.00/day (To be determined in advance.)