Stripling and Pitts describe their model as a "thinking frame" (Stripling and Pitts 1988, 19) for research. This ten-step process emphasizes a thinking framework that can be adapted for any age level and any curricular subject. The authors maintain that, unless they are instructed to do so, most students do not automatically think about research in an explicit manner. Therefore, by prescribing the method in which to write research papers, the authors hope to improve student thought about the research process. The ten steps of the search process model (Stripling and Pitts 1988) are organized around the major activities performed in writing a coherent research paper: topic selection, planning the information search, locating and accessing materials, and creating a final product. Throughout the model, students have several reflection points that allow them to make judgments about their progress.
