EBLIP begins with a question, a need to understand the problem, which is then articulated or clarified. For librarians this may be an area where service improvement is required, or it may be related to the management of the library's collection, for example. It could be a question about how an instruction or academic librarian should best teach information literacy concepts, or it could involve a big decision such as the reconfiguration of reference services in the library. Different stakeholders may have different types of questions; for example, practitioners’ questions may well be about practice, whereas managers, funders or policy makers may want evidence to demonstrate the use or value of a service. This chapter will outline the importance of a clear question and describe methods that have been used to clarify and situate questions within EBP.

The importance of a clear question

Eldredge notes that ‘Questions drive the entire EBL process. […] The wording and content of the questions will determine what kinds of research designs are needed to secure answers’ (Eldredge, 2000b, 292). This is true to a certain extent, but, as noted in the previous chapter, this book follows a holistic approach to EBLIP. We need to ensure that the question allows us to capture what we already know and incorporates local evidence and our professional knowledge. Therefore, it is more appropriate that the wording and content of the question will allow us to consider all the relevant evidence that we may want to use in order to answer the question.

A clear question will enable us to find the appropriate evidence to help us make the decision (Booth, 2006). Just as when embarking on a research project it is important to have a clear research question, because vague research questions tend to lead to vague results, with EBLIP, clear questions will help us make better-informed decisions.

Davies (2011) suggests that articulating the question also involves a period of reflection, considering issues such as ‘Is this really what I'm looking for?’, ‘Why am I looking for this information?’ and ‘Is there another option to pursue first?’ As well as being clear about the question or problem itself, we need to think about what we know already, the ultimate purpose of the decision (or question), and we must be honest about assumptions or difficulties that may present obstacles.