Clear and present questions: formulating questions for evidence based practice

Abstract

Purpose: The paper seeks to provide an overview and update of thinking in relation to the theory and practice of formulation of answerable research questions within evidence based information practice.Design/methodology/approach: The paper reviews the healthcare and information literature on question formulation, augmented by structured and purposive internet searches.Findings: Although a few key authors have published extensively on all aspects of the evidence‐based information practice process, including question formulation, there is little in the way of empirical research.Research limitations/implications: In the absence of an empirical research base from within the specific domain of information practice, this conceptual paper extrapolates findings from healthcare research to general librarianship.Practical implications: This article models the process of question formulation using a proposed conceptual framework (SPICE) and encourages practitioners to identify their own practice‐based questions.Originality/value: This is the first article specifically to address question formulation for a general (i.e. non‐health) library audience.