The Kuhlthau studies identified a number of strategies that students used to work through the Information Search Process.

These were named the 6 C’s of Construction (Guided Inquiry: Learning in the 21st Century p 49.).

Later, the GID Inquiry Tools were designed from the 6 C’s for efficient facilitation of the research process and to support students in the challenges inherent in knowledge construction while using a variety of sources of information.