1. Use INJECT before you start writing

INJECT is more effective when used during the research phase, to discover angles on stories, rather than to add to existing stories. Think of it as a tool to inspire new stories and new angles. Therefore, plan to use INJECT as soon as you are assigned a story, for example after the morning editorial meeting.

2. Do not use INJECT like a search engine

INJECT is not a search engine. Search engines seek to retrieve information that you ask for. INJECT provides you with creative new ideas based on what might be available – ideas that you then might want to investigate further using search engines.

3. INJECT works best for longer and feature stories

Unsurprisingly, because of the news information sources searched, journalist users report that the tool provides effective support when researching reportage and feature stories, but less effective support for short news stories (bulletins) neither for breaking news and event news.

4. Be prepared to use INJECT for short bursts

Journalists sometimes stopped using the INJECT tool after discovering a new news angle in as little as 3 minutes, and pursued other information sources to drill down on that angle.

5. Keep the INJECT sidebar open while you write

Use INJECT to guide you as you explore a story, and start to develop it. INJECT can guide and structure how you work.

6. Enter 2 or 3 key terms at a time for better results

INJECT is more effective when using fewer key terms to describe the news topic you want to explore, because the tool retrieves more but broader information with fewer terms.

7. Use Relaxed rather than Strict search to discover more information

If you find that INJECT is not returning as much information as you would like, go to the settings, and change the search mode from Strict to Relaxed, to retrieve more information.

8. Use creative sparks to discover new angles

INJECT’s hover-over creative sparks are effective for initiating the exploration of new news angles quickly. Explore the creative sparks if new angles are needed very quickly.

9. Share experiences with other journalists using INJECT

Some journalists reported the need to find both the motivation and time to use INJECT for each news story, and sometimes this diverted them from other journalism tasks. Having colleagues in the newsroom using INJECT makes it easier to use the tool, as it allows you to exchange best practices and ask each other questions.

10. Remember that INJECT is still being developed

Treat INJECT as a beta-version that you can help improve by letting us know if something doesn’t work as desired. It is functional, but it is far from being perfect. A small degree of experimentation may be needed to get the creative inspiration you are looking for.