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Tarrant County College Libraries

History Information Literacy

Research as Inquiry

As you read the infographic below, consider:

What is the value of curiosity in research and in our everyday lives? 

Image of poster entitled Research as Inquiry. Text below the title: Approach research as an open-ended exploration and engagement with information. Tap into your intellectual curiosity, ask questions, and be flexible - ambiguity can help the research process! A line connects the title/description to a text box below and to the left which reads: What do you already know about the topic, and what do you need to explore further? A line connects to a text box immediately to the right: What is the dialogue or debate surrounding your topic? Line to text box below and left: Think about your ideal source. Who might produce this information? Line to text box on bottom right: Has your research taken you down an unexpected path? Should you modify your focus? Separate text box at the bottom of the page reads: Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field. Footer information is all sources cited: 1) Rider University Libraries; 2) This poster is adapted by Sara Smith from Framework for Information Literacy (ACRL) created by Bucknell University, Bertrand Library Research Services. And 3) This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/

Developing Research Questions for Key Inquiry

Next, view the video below to understand more about the role of historical inquiry and research questions. 

When planning your research question, consider the following criteria:  

  • The question is neither too broad nor too narrow.
  • The question is specific, addressing elements of what, where, who, and when.
  • The question cannot be answered with a  simple “yes,” “no,” or a simple online search.
  • Others have had similar questions, so there may be related published information available.
  • The question is a new spin on a previously explored question or topic or tries to solve a problem.

Continue to the next page to check your understanding through the quiz.