Before you begin. Be sure you have the proper spelling. Check for nicknames. Decide how much information you need and how current it should be. For people in the news, try Internet biography sources and newspaper indexes .
Obituaries are good sources for information about deceased individuals.
Use national newspapers for well-known individuals, local newspapers for others. For local people, use the web version of the local newspaper . If there isn't a web version check the media directories to identify the paper and obtain their phone number and address. Before you begin. Have a clear understanding of what statistic or data is required.