Assignment 1 - Information Search Process Review

                My experience of seeking information mostly comes from Biology and English classes. The most recent time I have done research was for a Biology paper in which the subject was assigned. I would argue that this means that the initiation stage was mostly cut off, but I would agree that early in my lack of understanding there was uncertainty as the author points out in "Information Search Process". Early in selection my thoughts were mostly uncertain as well due to not fully understanding what keywords or search terms to use. After I figured out what keywords to use selection was focused on trying to find general articles to skim through and add to a list for myself to look through again later. Exploration, as well as formulation, and collection were very closely blended together. Although a case could be made that the initial skimming over articles is included in exploration, I think that that more accurately describes the beginning of my detailed search through the sources I found. Initially in exploration, I felt calm as I looked through the data and chose references from the examples that most closely matched the subject that I was assigned in the initiation stage. As I moved through exploration and began to find conflicting examples, or articles which were very different from what I thought they were at first my confusion and stress grew greatly. After comparing many articles, I was able to move onto formulation, where I could understand in greater detail which sources pertained to my subject more accurately. After creating a ‘guiding idea’ which in my example was relating the overall nutrition of bean plants to microbes in the soil, I was able to move onto the stage of collection rather quickly. At this point I had enough of an idea of what my main focus would be, and research moved smoothly from this point with an occasional hiccup. As I moved onto the sixth stage ‘presentation’ I was able to quickly, and accurately select quotes and examples from the sources I picked out in the selection stage. This information would then go on to be used in the main paper that I had worked on.