Searching for Information
Understanding Your Information Need
Learning Objectives
- Identify an information need by assessing gaps in current knowledge and understanding how assignment requirements shape the research process.
- Apply the steps of developing a research question, to effectively move from a broad topic to a focused, researchable question aligned with academic goals.
- Evaluate and refine research questions to ensure they are specific, purposeful, and appropriate for the type of information being sought.
Overview
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to identify what information you need and why you need it. Although we present the steps of the research process in a particular order, research itself is rarely linear. You’ll often circle back to earlier stages as your understanding deepens. Developing the ability to recognize and clearly define your information needs is an essential skill that you’ll rely on throughout your academic work and beyond.
Why Understanding Your Information Needs is Important
Being able to recognize when you need information—and what kind of information—is a key part of becoming an effective researcher. Cultivating a research mindset will help you to:
- Understand that new information is always emerging
- Form a habit of actively seeking out new knowledge
- See questions and opportunities as the result of curiosity and investigation
- Realize how vast and varied the world of published and unpublished information is
Developing research skills also helps you to:
- Recognize when you don’t know enough about a topic
- Clearly define a topic or question using simple terms
- Use existing knowledge as a starting point
- Know when more information is needed and where the limits of that need are
- Take responsibility for managing your own research time and process
Before diving into your research, it’s important to pause and consider the broader information landscape. New ideas, perspectives, and data are emerging constantly, and a wide range of experts, enthusiasts, and even influencers contribute to the conversation in different ways. Not all sources are equally reliable, so developing the ability to evaluate the quality of information is essential (we’ll explore this more in the “Evaluating Information” section of this book). By taking time to understand this dynamic environment, you’ll be better equipped to define your topic and see how your research connects to what others have already discovered or said.
Keep Your Assignment in Mind
In addition to understanding the broader information environment, it’s important to consider how your assignment’s requirements directly influence your information needs and the kinds of resources you’ll need to find. College-level assignments often come with specific guidelines, such as the number and types of sources required, the length of the paper, the intended audience, or the need to take a particular stance on an issue. These parameters help define the scope and depth of your research.
For example, if your assignment requires peer-reviewed scholarly articles, you’ll need to focus your search on academic databases rather than general web sources. If the topic must be current or controversial, you may need to include news articles, opinion pieces, or government reports to capture timely perspectives. A short reflection paper might only require a couple of credible web sources to support your thoughts, while a research paper or literature review will likely demand a more comprehensive and critical look at existing scholarship.
Being aware of these requirements from the beginning can save you time and frustration. They help you narrow down which kinds of information are most useful, guide your choice of search tools, and ensure that you meet the expectations of your instructor. In short, your assignment shapes your research strategy and recognizing that early on helps you search more effectively and write more confidently.
Developing a Research Question
Developing a strong research question is a crucial step in fulfilling your information need because it gives your search clear direction and purpose. A well-crafted question helps you focus on what you’re really trying to understand, which in turn shapes the types of sources you seek and the keywords you use. Without a focused question, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available or distracted by unrelated content. A strong research question acts as a guide, helping you stay on track and gather information that is relevant, credible, and aligned with your assignment’s goals.
The steps for developing a research question, listed below, can help you organize your thoughts.
- Pick a topic (or consider the one assigned to you).
- Write a few narrower/smaller topics that are related to the first. You may need to do some background searching to come up with these smaller topics. A quick web search should help.
- List some potential questions that could logically be asked in relation to the narrow topics.
- Pick the question that you are most interested in.
- If needed, change the question you’re interested in so that it is more focused and specific.
Example: Developing a Research Question: College Students and Snapchat
Let’s walk through how to develop a focused and meaningful research question using the topic “College students’ use of social media.” This is for a six-to-eight–page research paper for your writing class.
Step 1: Pick a Topic
You’ve been given (or chosen) the topic: “College students’ use of social media.”
This topic is broad and could lead in many directions, so let’s begin by narrowing it down. You use Snapchat quite a bit, so you narrow the topic to “College students’ use of Snapchat.” After doing some background searching, you quickly realize that this is not narrow enough, so you further narrow the topic.
Step 2: Narrow the Topic
Ask yourself: What specific aspect of Snapchat use are you curious about?
Here are some possible narrower angles:
- Academic impact: Does Snapchat use affect study habits or academic performance?
- Social behavior: How does it influence communication or relationships among students?
- Mental health: Is Snapchat use linked to stress, anxiety, or self-esteem?
- Time management: How much time do students spend on the app, and how does that affect their daily routines?
- Privacy: How aware are students of data sharing and privacy issues related to Snapchat?
Pick one that interests you most. Let’s say you choose:
“How Snapchat affects students’ academic habits.”
Step 3: Brainstorm Possible Research Questions
Turn that narrower topic into a few researchable questions:
- How does Snapchat use influence the way college students study?
- Why do college students use Snapchat during study sessions, and how does it affect their concentration?
- What is the relationship between Snapchat use and academic performance among college students?
- Does multitasking with Snapchat during lectures impact information retention?
Steps 4 & 5: Select and Refine the Question
Choose the question that feels most interesting and manageable.
Let’s pick:
“What is the relationship between Snapchat use and academic performance among college students?”
Ask yourself:
- Is it logically related to the topic? Yes.
- Is it phrased as a question? Yes.
- Can it be answered with a quick Google search? Not really, it requires deeper research and data.
- Is it specific and focused? Fairly, but you could specify “frequency of use” or “academic performance measured how?”
Refined version:
“How does frequent Snapchat use relate to academic performance, such as GPA, among full-time college students?”
Now you have a clear, focused question that you can build your search around.
Final Thoughts: Staying Flexible
As you find more information, your original question might evolve, and that’s okay! Information literacy isn’t just about finding facts, it’s about staying curious, thinking critically, and adapting your understanding along the way.
Keep asking:
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- What do I know?
- What do I need to find out?
- How does this new information affect my original question?
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By staying open and reflective, you’ll become a stronger, more confident researcher.
Reflections
- How might your interest in a topic influence your research-question process? How does your curiosity drive your desire to learn more?
- Discuss your ability to embrace discomfort when you don’t know the answer or outcome of your research question. How do you handle uncertainty and use it to your advantage?
- How should a research question or strategy change as you learn more about a topic? What signs might help you realize a change is needed?
Attributions
This chapter contains material adapted from:
