Information requires interpretation to become knowledge.
The Interpretation stage engages searchers in the process of analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information to determine its relevancy and usefulness to their research question or information need. Interpretation is another stage in this holistic process that is very important and often neglected. Instructional activities or units must first be designed to require students to engage in critical thinking or problem solving. Middle school students watch a video scenario on a laserdisc that depicts pollution problems in the oceans. Students work in groups to figure out what is causing the pollution and how the problem can be solved.