The Cornerstone of a Successful Search

When you come to the reference desk and ask a question, the first thing a librarian will do is ask some questions. This is called a "reference interview." It is t important because researchers will not always ask for what they are looking for but for what they think the library has. Sometimes they are embarrassed about the question so they ask something else. Others worry that the librarian is too busy or that they would not be able to answer the real question. So,the librarian's first goal is to help them articulate an effective question or "task definition."

Ru Story-Huffman in his article Critical Thinking, Task Definition and the Reference Interview (Higher ed) states that the reference interview is “an information contact that involves the use, recommendation, interpretation, or instruction in the use of one or more information sources; or knowledge of such sources, by a member of the reference or information staff.” (2004, pg 1). So, successfully assisting a student in task definition allows the student to work to identify their information needs. As most research fails due to poor task definition, effective research creates a usable and accurate task definition. There are three simple ways to do this.

1. Use a "Research Helper Task Definition Chart" as a way to write down the information
you need. This should be done as soon as you receive the assignment.

2. Another way to define your task is to write down the question you will answer in your paper in a one-sentence question. It needs to be clear, and have well-defined boundaries. The question "What do you have on drugs?" is not a question with well-defined boundaries, and is an example of poor task definition. "What are the physiological effects of steroid use among high school athletes?" is an example of good task definition.

3. The last technique is to imagine you have found the perfect article about your topic. This article talks about all the things you want to cover and has the answers to all your questions. Imagine the article in your mind; then write down the title of the article.

Task definition is the first step in all research. Determining what needs to “be known to reach an objective” and identifying the location of the information is what librarian’s do. We study it, we practice it, and we do it every day. Just ask, and we will help you.

In his book Real World Intelligence Herbert Meyer writes,

"One difference between failure and success is not how much you know, but rather how much you know about the right things. And figuring out the right things to know about-which is to say the things that will directly help you to reach a particular objective-is one of the trickiest, least understood, most underrated jobs in the world.... Anyone who knows how to determine what needs to be known to reach one objective can also determine what needs to be known to reach any other objective"

	R. Philip Reynolds preynolds@sfasu.edu rm. 202b 936.468.1453 Subjects - Computer Science, Military Science, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science/Geography