Afterward, you formed some ideas on how the battle group commander could have improved his control over the operation's events. This would make an excellent subject for a Proceedings article. Expanding the Topic Once you have selected your topic, the next step is to organize your article by setting down on paper a list of questions that you will answer through your research. Marshaling the Evidence Articles on professional subjects should be based on evidence. You obtain primary evidence from original documents and interviews especially with eyewitnesses to the events you're writing about.
Secondary sources are books and articles.
Whatever the source, examine it scrupulously for errors, bias, and falsification. The memories of participants often cloud with the passage of time, so individual recollections should be checked against other sources. Try to find at least two witnesses to confirm visual evidence. Hearsay evidence is always suspect. As you gather evidence, you may find your original convictions changing in light of new information.