The Idea Story The whole point of the story is the process of discovering information by those who do not know.
A Question - The idea story begins with a question, and a scientist, a detective, or some other inquisitive character seeks to find an answer.
Quest for Knowledge - Central character(s) gathers information from a variety of sources; he may even employ the scientific method or a form of deduction to reduce the number of variables, but attempts to find an answer are complicated by many failures.
The Answer - Gradually, repented failure leads to vindication, and the question is answered.
Notes:
Most mysteries stories follow this structure, but a great many science fiction stories have employed this structure as well to discuss large questions about man's relationship to God and the rest of the cosmos.
In Arthur C. Clarke's "The Sentinel," which became the basis of "2001: A Space Odyssey," a strange alien artifact is disintered on the moon, and a geologist attempts to find out Who buried it? and Why it gave off a powerful radio signal when it was finally uncovered? The story takes many twists and turns along the way, but it ends when the questions are finally answered: The alien artifact was left for mankind to find, so that when it was ultimately found the master race that created it would know that man was ready to move onto the next stage in evolution.
In Arthur C. Clarke's "The Star," a survey ship from Earth discovers the remains of a beautiful ancient alien civilization on a faraway planet; apparently, the people were very wise and their achievements were great. The story begins with the question of what happened to them, and ends with a very disturbing answer. Told from the point of view of a Christian priest on board the starship, he discovers that the sun went prematurely nova - and destroyed the beautiful civilization - so that a group of wise men on earth could see a shining star as the sign of the birth of Christ. God deliberately destroyed one civilization to save another.
Idea stories about about the process of finding information, and start as close to the point where a question is first raised and end as soon as possible after the question is answered.