As You Take Notes:

* Be ethical! Look at every available resource you can find to have a balanced, complete story.

* Be open! Allow the research to lead you beyond what you thought you would find. Don't start with conclusions and then find materials to support your conclusions. In an oral history interview I did with Dr. Richard Hughes, he told how R.L. Roberts reacted when he presented his plan to research and write a Restoration Movement history book within one year.

* Be honest! Record the facts and quotations accurately. Do not change the meanings or take material out of context to give the spin that you want it to have. Remember the views of the distressed church members must be weighed against the bubbling hopefulness of newly appointed ministers. The shades of gray need to be blended in the rose-colored narratives.