Research as Inquiry

Key sentence: Novice learners acquire strategic perspectives on inquiry and a greater repertoire of investigative methods. Experts see inquiry as a process focused on problems or questions in a discipline or between disciplines that are open, unresolved, and/or debated; use more advanced research methods; and explore diverse disciplinary perspectives.

Knowledge practices:

1. formulate questions for research based on information and/or existing information gaps;
2. determine an appropriate scope of investigation;
3. deal with complex research by breaking complex questions into simple ones;
4. use various research methods, based on need, circumstance, and type of inquiry;
5. monitor gathered information and assess for gaps or weaknesses;
6. organize information in meaningful ways;
7. synthesize ideas gathered from multiple sources;
8. draw reasonable conclusions based on the analysis and interpretation of information.

We teach:

• Defining the information need and developing a manageable focus appropriate to criteria of assignment/discipline [most courses]
• Brainstorming keywords and information gathering strategies [most courses]
• Developing research questions [most courses
• Articulating research questions within confines/context of discipline [major, capstone/graduate]
• Conducting background research, selecting appropriate databases, and adjusting topic and approaches as needed after evaluating resources [most courses]
• Identifying and using specialized disciplinary sources [major, capstone/graduate]
• Identifying various sources of help (e.g. library and classroom faculty, library staff, peers, research guides, etc.) [most courses]
   

“Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education.” Association of College and Research Libraries, 11 Jan. 2016, http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework. Accessed 21 June 2017.