Now that all of the background research and diversity categorizations have been determined and placed in an organizational structure, the majority of the manual work can be done. The audit process is simple: research a book to find the diversity identifiers for each key figure and input the data into the spreadsheet. The quickest method to finding identifiers is to look for keywords that describe the key figures.
For the author, the best method found during the initial audit was to find them on Goodreads and then use the hyperlink to their website. Most authors have a website. The biography page is the author's personal self-made or approved description of who they are, their background, and their personal life. Most often you can find all the information you need about the author on this page. If not, a few choice searches online should find the information. Interviews with the author and publisher's websites can contain some helpful information.
For the main character(s), finding identifier information in a timely manner can be more difficult. The plot summary and skimming the book if time allows works well for finding information. For young children's books, flipping through the book is best since imagery abounds and the plots are very short. Some websites the initial audit used to find information in children's readers and adult popular fiction were: Goodreads, Kirkus Reviews, and various review summaries and character analysis found through online searching. Kirkus in particular was a good fallback point since the reviews often went far enough to describe the race, sexuality, and gender of the main character(s) and any other noteworthy topics of diversity mentioned in the book.
In the spreadsheet, each row after the material information is where you input the identifier information. For example, if the author identifies as heterosexual, mark the box where the material information row and the proper identifier column intersect. Each material's row should be marked at least once for each main identifier for both author and main character and each additional identifier where applicable. In the initial audit spreadsheets, marked boxes are colored white.
Remember to try to find as much information as you can in a timely manner. Determining a set time to try to find data for each material is one good method of standardizing this research. Mark any main identifier you cannot determine as "unknown" and leave instances of unsure additional identifiers as unmarked. It is better to input that the book did not have the main character deal with parental status concerns than to mark that they did and be incorrect.