Follow THE BIG SIX to make your research relevant and easier.
THE BIG SIX: Steps in the
Research Cycle
Task
Definition
• What is the problem to be solved?
• What types of information are needed to solve the problem?
Information-Seeking
Strategies
• What are the possible sources of information?
• Which are the best of all the possibilities?
Location
and Access
• Where are these sources?
• Where is the information in each source?
Use of
Information
• What information does the source provide?
• How can you extract the information you need?
Synthesis
• How does the information from all the sources fit together?
• How is the information best presented?
Evaluation
• Was the information problem solved?
• If the problem had to be solved again, what would you do differently?
“Big Six,”
Michael B Eisenberg & Robert E Berkowitz, ©1990.