Information Literacy Instructional Program

Information Literacy Learning Guides

Research Process : Summary

Knowing When to Stop

Remember, the research process is just one part of your job - you must also read all the information you have gathered and organize it into a effective written assignment that answers the questions you asked at the start of this process.

It is often hard knowing when to stop looking for information. Here are a few questions to help you decide if you have enough material.

• How long is your paper?
• What is the focus of your paper?
• Does the information you have leave you with any unanswered questions? Did you answer your questions?
• Have you answered the who, what, where, when, why, and how for your topic?
• Do your sources present only one point-of-view? does this matter?
• Will the inclusion of any other information (charts, graphs, images, one more article, etc.) change your paper from being just OK to being outstanding?
• Given all the circumstances, is this your best work?