5.6 Library Research: It’s a Process
Not all of your college grades are based on exams given in class. Papers, oral presentations, and in-depth research projects throughout your academic career will require consultation with resources beyond a textbook or Google. Many students approach research haphazardly not realizing that they can use a step-by-step process to remove the mystery surrounding research and relieve anxiety.
About the Information Search Process
Carol Kuhlthau (n.d.), a professor at Rutgers University, developed a six-stage model called the Information Search Process (ISP) that describes students’ thoughts, actions, and feelings as they move through the beginning stages of a research project to the final product. Though using a formal process may sound troublesome, in fact you already use the ISP in your everyday decisions. For example, the last time you went to the movies with a group of friends you gathered information on which movies were at which theaters, what the start times were, who could go, and how you would get there. Once you had all the specifics, you evaluated the information, made choices, and then acted on them. This is the Information Search Process, and you use it without even realizing it.
Breaking down the research process into similar steps and following the ISP model will make your task easier to conquer and help ensure that you have met assignment requirements and have turned in a well-thought-out, thorough research paper.
The ISP Model and You
It is easy to get lost in a research assignment’s meaning, lose focus on your topic, get overwhelmed with information, and not seek help. In the movie example above, the ISP does not take long to start and finish. This is not the case with research papers.
This section will describe the challenges you can expect at each stage of the ISP model and give you strategies for managing them.
ISP Stage 1: Initiation – Before beginning any research, make certain you understand the requirements of the assignment.
Challenges:
- Understanding instructor expectations
- Strategies: Many instructors will use terms such as scholarly, popular, peer-reviewed, refereed, primary, secondary, authoritative, etc., to describe the types of sources they expect you to use in assignments. To learn what these mean, see UT Arlington Library’s How to Find and Evaluate Sources.
- Listen carefully and take notes when the instructor assigns the paper or project and do not be afraid to ask questions. For tips, see University of North Carolina’s Understanding Assignments.
- Worrying about your ability to complete the assignment on time
- Strategies: Use goal-setting processes learned in this class to create a timeline for completion of the assignment. For an online tool, see University of Minnesota’s Assignment Calculator.
ISP Stage 2: Selection – Once you understand the assignment, select a general topic that meets its requirements.
Challenge:
- Finding interesting topic ideas
- Strategies: Begin by bra