Formulate a Question > Find the Evidence > Appraise the Evidence > Apply the Evidence > Evaluate the Results > Disseminate the Research
Formulating the appropriate question is a very important step. Think of reference questions that are posed to the reference desk: very often it takes an in-depth reference interview (or at the very least a couple of follow-up questions) to get to the heart of the matter and to discover what the patron actually needs. The same can be said for formulating the question you want to answer at your library and/or in your practice. Questions that are complex and multi-faceted "require a focused approach to ensure that the question is clearly laid out and all the important aspects are covered" (Crumley and Koufogiannakis, 63).
Crumley and Koufogiannakis suggest using PICO as a form for composing the question (63, above citation). PICO is an acronym for Population, Intervention, Comparison intervention, and Outcome.
Example:
| Focus |
Concept |
Question Root |
| Population |
Among,in (who, what) |
Among teens who search the catalogue |
| Intervention or exposure |
Does (how) |
Does help from a librarian |
| Comparison intervention (if necessary) |
Versus |
Versus no help |
| Outcome |
Impact (affect) |
Impact the time it takes to find material? |
Another framework for formulating a well-built question is SPICE: Setting, Perspective, Intervention, Comparison, Evaluation (from the EBLIP Toolkit: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/service/library/gosford/ebl/toolkit/ )
| Focus |
Concept |
Question Root |
| Setting |
Where the intervention will occur; context |
In large urban public libraries, |
| Perspective |
Population affected by the intervention; who |
do patrons |
| Intervention |
The service or planned action; what |
who interact with roving reference librarians |
| Comparison |
Alternate service or action (could be no intervention) |
as opposed to librarians at a reference desk |
| Evaluation |
The measure of effect; what results? |
perceive that they have received better service? |
foreground questions-questions in which you have to choose between several apparent options or alternatives. These questions are generally answered by consulting research studies published in the journal literature.
background questions-questions in which you need to acquire sufficient background knowledge before moving to the step of finding alternative solutions. These questions are often answered by consulting up-to-date handbooks, or by conducting a thorough literature review.
(Booth, Andrew. "Formulating Answerable Questions." Evidence-based Practice for Information Professionals: A Handbook. London: Facet, 2004. 62-3.)
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