This document is comprised of four chapters that show how to use research-abstract worksheets and personal reviews of the literature as tools for linking research and practice in the helping professions. The research tools help to condense lengthy reports, place them into a consistent format, and actively involve the information seeker. Chapter 1 describes the relationship between professional problems and research, arguing that the nature of professional practice in the helping professions relies, to a large extent, on research. It describes the "research game," which stresses public debate, follows a series of conventions, and uses publications for commentary. Chapter 2 describes a process for making a research report, qualitative or quantitative, useful to the practitioner. It outlines the steps involved in creating a research-abstract worksheet and discusses the logical relationships among problems, hypotheses, and variables. Chapter 3 offers guidelines for creating abstract worksheets on reports of educational practices. Chapter 4 presents strategies for using the library intelligently and for developing a personal review of the literature (PERL), and describes the importance of creating PERLs. Appendices contain examples of four research-abstract worksheets and one example of a PERL. Two figures are included. (LMI)