This guide will help students better understand the information literacy concepts underlying the research process. Information Literacy includes media literacy and text-based literacy.
"Searching for information is often nonlinear and iterative, requiring the evaluation of a range of information sources and the mental flexibility to pursue alternate avenues as new understanding develops."
(These assignments are offered as inspirational prompts to be adapted by anyone using this guide.)
Ask students to locate a piece of science journalism, then have them locate the research article that prompted this piece of journalism as well as the name of the research institution (or university) and researchers.
Discuss metadata by giving a brief explanation then asking students to identify different types of metadata (author name, title, page numbers, chapter headings, descriptions, subject headings, etc.)
Generate a list of different places to search (Google, Youtube, Google Scholar, Duck Duck Go, Worldcat.org, non-internet resources, etc.) How would you find statistics? How would you find interviews? How would you find primary sources? How would you find style guides? etc. Identify specific resources rather than general resources (e.g. Statista rather than 'the library'.)
Identify the difference between searching the Internet, a database, or a website. How is the information organized in each of the different systems?
Look up citations found at the end of a research article.
Ask the class to generate a list of search engines (Google, YouTube, IMDB, etc.). How might these sources be used for scholarship?
MACDONALD-KELCE LIBRARY
