FiveFs

=5 Fs: Find, Focus, Filter, Face Fears, File= (see Phase B)

Background research involves a continuing interplay among the **5 Fs: Find, Focus, Filter, Face Fears, File**



> __Find__: Develop skills in using bibliographic searches, enlisting timely assistance from library personnel, identifying informants, etc. to help you find what you are Focused on as well as material that leads you to refine or rethink that Focus.. > __Focus__: What am I looking for now? What do I need to clarify what I know/need to know and keep moving forward? This will evolve as you Filter and digest what you Find. > __Filter__: You can't read everything you find, so use your Focus to push some items to the side (or into the recycle bin). What you do read should be digested actively, so you can refine your Focus. > __Face Fears__: Your Finding may be inhibited if you Fear that others have already done what you want to, or if you Fear your work is not important unless it is Completely Original. Instead, accept—even embrace—that the work of many others overlaps or intersects with your work. And be confident that, in the end, your project will be original because no-one before has ever been weaving that project into your work and life. > __File__: To help you Focus, clear your desk (and computer desktop) of material you are not using right now. Put the printouts and notes in places organized and labeled so you can Find them again easily. Expect to be fuzzy or unfocused at first, but don't wait till you have, for example, clarified your Focus before trying to Find material. Instead, start with your initial Focus and let it evolve as you see what you Find (or don't find), Filter it, and Face your Fears. Keep the 5F's in play as you proceed in your Background Research.