Mellon advocates the use of qualitative research, as it provided a deeper insight into information behavior. She comments that her study applied the rarely used methods of qualitative research to a library problem, and states that while the study was important, the implications of the research technique were far greater. She used the technique of personal writing or journal writing to collect data in which the writer is "talking on paper" with no concern for audience, style, grammar, or spelling, which allows the writer to tap into a stream of consciousness. The students' personal writing was analyzed for recurrent themes.