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Every living thing gathers information continuously in order to survive. That information comes from both the environment and within the organism itself, arriving without conscious activity. Then there is the intentional information seeking we do constantly as human beings in the course of our daily personal, social, and work lives. Suppose you have a doubt about a fact, a sequence, or a policy, for instance, "I don't know where the nearest ABC store is located, if they allow exchanges of merchandise purchased elsewhere, or if they will refund the purchase price in cash or give me store credit." So, almost without thinking, you search their Web site, make a phone call, check a recent newspaper ad - whatever you judge will be the most effective, quickest way to answer your question. It's second nature.
Moving from second-nature reasoning and behavior in everyday life to similar reasoning and behavior in one's academic or professional life should be seamless and painless. But somehow it's not. Confronted with a typical array of factors - motivation (need or curiosity), elements (givens and unknowns), and resources (time available, technologies, tools) - most people tend to panic and falter in a formal setting such as a class- or work-related project imposed by an authority figure. This is a variant of the fight-or-flight instinct, the urge to understand versus the urge to duck. Since the point of education is to learn and apply, it follows that ducking is not an option, whereas understanding is. Any discomfort you might feel with library research is perfectly normal - but so is your innate ability to master the tools and process.
The Nature of Research Projects
I define a research project as any task that requires, or would benefit from, factual information or opinions you do not already have. If you think of research projects as games - not as spectator sports or pastimes, but as activities that demand a commitment to both mental and physical exertion - then it's easier to grasp their variety. Each kind of research project has its own goals, rules, boundaries, tactics, traditions, and ways of keeping score. Some are solitary, while others involve a team effort with each player assuming a necessary role.
There are research projects you...
