2. Determine the information requirements for the research question, problem, or issue.

This module will provide instruction on how to decide what kind of information will be needed to complete a particular kind of assignment. Suggested components include:

A. What type of assignment is it?

• speech
• summary/annotation
• short paper/term paper
• senior project/thesis
• original research
• literature review/critique

B. Do you need a lot, or a little information?

• detailed/in-depth study vs. summary/overview
• book vs. article
• entire work vs. summary (Cliff notes)

 

C. Is currency of the information an issue?

• the most recent information?
• historical information?
• information over time? (trends, developments, etc.)

 

D. Do you need information from a particular kind of publication?

• general/popular/tabloid
• scholarly/professional (refereed, footnotes)
• trade
• government

 

E. Do you need primary or secondary material?

• diaries/interview/letters/data vs. interpreted materials

 

F. Do you need to use different formats?

• print (books, articles, etc.)
• electronic (web, listservs, computer files)
• visual/graphic (art prints, slides, maps, videos, graphs)
• numeric (statistics)
• sound (audio tape, radio)

 

G. Is point of view an issue?

• Do you need information that presents:
• a particular point of view
• opposing points of view
• a range of viewpoints
• partisan vs. neutral

 

Misc. considerations:

• geographic coverage
• stability/permanence vs. ephemeral