Background Information

Devoting time to define and analyze your information need at the beginning of a research project is time well spent. The amount of time spent will vary depending upon your specific information need.

• Selecting Your Topic
  • OWL 9 - Selecting a Topic for a Research Project

• Defining the Research Question
  • State your information need as a question.
  • Broaden or narrow your topic as necessary. Depending upon the discipline there are aspects of the topic that can be "manipulated" to more clearly define your information need.

  Humanities	Social Sciences	Sciences
  Subject (Event or Aspect) Geography Time Age Person or Group Genre	Subject (Event or Aspect) Geography Time Age Person or Group	Subject Geography Time Age (Life Stage) Taxonomy Habitat Chemical Disease

• Analyzing Your Information Need
     Ask yourself the following questions. (For additional background information see OWL 9 - What do you need to know? Analyzing Your Topic)
  • What do I already know or believe about my information need?
  • What type of need is it?
  • How much information do you need?
  • Is currency an issue?
  • Do I need information from a particular type of publication? See OWL 9 - Developing a Research Strategy which discusses the types of information resources available to you.
  • Do I need to use primary sources?
  • Do I need information in a particular format?
  • Is point of view an issue?
  • How much time do I want to spend gathering the information?
  • Are there terms or concepts associated with my information need that I do not understand?
  • Are there questions that must be answered with facts or statistics?
  • What fields or disciplines logically include information about my need?

Assignments: Print off and complete

• Determine the Information Requirements - Exercise

• OWL 9 - Quiz: Strategies for Research