Step 1:
Task Definition: Define the assignment and decide what information you need to complete it.

Step 2:
Information Seeking Strategies: Brainstorm a list of possible sources, evaluate the list, and choose the best ones.

Step 3:
Location and Access: Locate your sources and find the needed information within them.

Step 4:
Use of Information: Examine all the information within a source and extract what you need.

Step 5:
Synthesis: Organize the information you gained from all the sources and present it according to the assignment.

Step 6:
Evaluation: Judge your final product for effectiveness, and determine the efficiency of your problem solving skills

Step 1:

Task Definition: Define the assignment and decide what information you need to complete it.

• Look at the information your teacher or professor gave you concerning the assignment and decide what you are expected to do / what is required as an end result (paper, speech, presentation, etc.).
• Pay attention to key words like "assess" or "compare" or "explain," and make sure you complete your task based on these words.
• Based on the assignment, determine what information you need or what you will need to do in order to complete it.
• Consider the due date and create a timeline for completing the assignment.

Information Seeking Strategies: Brainstorm a list of possible sources appropriate for your assignment, evaluate the list, and choose the best ones.

• Determine where you can find the information to complete your assignment. What sources (books, periodicals, web sites, indexes, etc.) will have information you need?
• Decide which resources would be the best ones to use, and what kind of information each one might provide.

Location and Access: Locate your sources and find the needed information within them.

• Look up resource locations using an OPAC (computer catalog) system, a card catalog, web directory, or other method so you can get the needed sources.
• Flip, search, or surf through the item to find the information you need within it.

Use of Information: Examine all the information within a source and extract what you need.

• Read, view, examine, or digest the information from each source and write down what pieces of knowledge you need to complete the assignment or solve your problem.
• Write down the citation information you will need for each source while you are extracting information from it. Keep the source data and the extracted information together for when you compose your bibliography or works cited page.

Synthesis: Organize the information you gained from all the sources and present it according to the assignment.

• Use all the pieces of information along with your own ideas to create your paper, video, speech, presentation, or whatever the assignment calls for you to create. Using transitional words and phrases will create a smooth flow to your writing or to other presentation formats.
• Don't forget to create a bibliography/works cited page and give credit to your sources within the text.

Evaluation: Judge your final product for effectiveness, and determine the efficiency of your problem solving skills.

• After you are all done and your assignment has been turned in or presented, determine how you did.
• Did you complete all the requirements?
• Did your research methods work?
• What was the quality of your final product?




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This page was created by Karen Wanamaker
For more information on The Big 6 go to their site at http://www.Big6.com/