Define Task

Puzzle piece labeled: Define TaskYou must define your assignment, problem, or question, so you can identify the key concepts you are researching. In this step you are working to:

  • Understand your assignment, problem, or question thoroughly;

  • Examine general information sources (e.g., encyclopedias) to increase your familiarity with the topic;

  • Identify key concepts and the terms you will use to search for the information you need.

Evaluation Step:

You should assess whether (or the degree to which) your question, problem, or topic requires refinement or modification to achieve a manageable focus (Is it too broad? Too narrow?). In doing this, you may realize that you have another question that must be answered before you can address your original one.

Next Concept: Identify Options

Back to the Information Literacy Puzzle

 

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Information Literacy at Grays Harbor College by the John Spellman Library is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at Seattle Central Community College Library. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available. For more information, contact the John Spellman Library.