When doing research, students are expected to be actively involved in an ongoing process of gathering and examining information in different ways and for a variety of reasons. Depending on the stage of the research work, the topic, or the questions that students generate, this process can focus on specific aspects of the subject being studied (e.g., identifying oil-producing regions in Texas) or be sustained throughout the study (e.g., describing the impact of the oil industry on Texas). The former is an example of a short-term inquiry, whereas the latter illustrates a sustained, recursive inquiry.