How do I go about writing an article?

I want to conduct a survey and write an article about the results. Do I find someone to publish it first and get a commission from them? Will they pay for and help publicise the survey? Or do I have to do it all myself and then find someone to publish it?

How do I go about writing an article?
my guess would be that if you're willing to do a survey on just about anything, you can search around for freelance writing opportunities that a company would pay for.





but if you have a specific topic in mind, you'll probably have to do the work on your own and hope somebody has a need for it. if you do have a specific topic, then that kind of throws you into the scholarly research category where professors research their own topics and submit them for publication to specific trade magazines.
Reply:Sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but it is highly unlikely that a mag will pay you in advance to do a survey and write an article based on that survey. Query publishers first, to see if there is any interest. Read mags like THE WRITER and WRITER'S DIGEST and visit writers' websites for more info.





There are no shortcuts. You would do well to build a body of work to show potential publishers. You might consider writing some articles for your local newspaper, for example.