Information search · 1/6

Define what would count as an answer

Turn a broad topic into a scoped question with an evidence requirement.

About 15–20 minutes. The following cases are fictional.

Record your first judgment

You search for the best AI note tool and receive rankings. You actually need to know whether a tool can turn lectures into checkable notes and export them on your computer.

My initial judgment, confidence and reasons

Understand the judgment process

A topic opens the search; a question determines the evidence. Specify language, recording length, output format and traceable timestamps. A recommendation can suit someone else without fitting your task.

Separate facts, explanations and recommendations. Format support calls for version-specific documentation and testing. Learning effects require a suitable comparison or research. Adoption also depends on constraints. A feature page cannot answer every layer.

Define completion: find the current export instructions and verify a non-sensitive sample, or state what remains unconfirmed. Population, setting and version limits remove results that sound relevant but do not answer the question.

Checks you can perform

State the action the answer will inform.
Limit population, context and time or version.
Separate factual, explanatory and choice questions.
Specify needed evidence and a stopping condition.

Guided practice

Replace “best AI note tool” with two checkable questions and an evidence type for each.

My analysis and checking plan

Explore the explanation

Does the specified version export timestamped text? Check documentation and test. How often does it omit key ideas in your lectures? Audit predetermined sample segments. Export success is not evidence of note accuracy.

Apply it in a new context

A friend calls a city bike-friendly. How would you investigate a weekday cycling commute?

My independent response

Compare after attempting

Specify route, time, distance and parking needs. Check official road and works information, actual route conditions and alternatives. A city ranking does not establish route suitability.

Preserve a revision record

What changed your judgment? What still supports it? When will you review?

Refine questions as you learn, but record why; do not silently substitute an easier question.

Check whether you supplied inspectable evidence, a feasible next step and revision conditions. Revealing an answer is not mastery.

Source and scope

Cornell University Library — Getting Started with Library Research

The source provides conceptual or methodological background. Cases, steps and exercises are authored here; they are not the original experiment or evidence of this course’s effectiveness.

I have completed this section; uncheck to undo

Completion is a personal record, not proof of mastery or certification.