The Big 6 Steps for Research 

For any research assignment or task, you will have to cover the following 6 steps.  The Big 6 can help you plan and organize so you can work effectively and efficiently.

Step 1- Task Definition (What Do I Have to Do?)
      a.  What are the requirements of the assignment?
      b.  What questions do I have to answer?

Step 2- Information Seeking Strategies (Where should I look?)
      a.  What are the resources I could use?
      b.  Which of these resources should I use first?

Step 3- Location and Access (How should I look?)
      a.  What keywords and techniques should I use to locate sources?
      b.  What keywords and techniques should I use to locate information within sources?

Step 4- Use of Information (How can I use what I find?)
      a.  How can I decide if the sources I have found are right for me?
      b.  How can I record what I want to use?

Step 5- Synthesis (How can I put it all together?)
      a.  How can I organize what I have found?
      b.  How can I present what I have found?

Step 6- Evaluation (How did I do?)
      a.  How can I evaluate my research product?
      b.  How can I evaluate my research process?