What does it mean to be “information literate” for college?

Now you have a basic idea of where you are going.

Information literacy isn’t all that hard an idea to grasp.

So, why is it different now that you are a college student?

Why make a big deal over something you do all the time?

You search for things on the Internet everyday.

You follow a process that helps you find what you want.

College is different.

It’s in a place called

THE ACADEMIC

WORLD.

ACRLTo get official again, let’s look at how the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) describes Information Literacy in Higher Education.

What does it mean to be “information literate” for college?

To be information literate in college you should be able to:• Determine the extent of information needed• Access the needed information effectively

and efficiently• Evaluate information and its sources

critically• Incorporate selected information into one’s

knowledge base• Use information effectively to accomplish a

specific purpose• Understand the economic, legal, and social

issues surrounding the use of information, and access and use information ethically and legally

Doing research for your college courses is more complex that finding information about a computer store.

Here’s why.

Usually people talk a lot and give their opinions about this and that.

No one asks them to support what they say.

There are opinions given on the Internet about music stars, athletes, computers, politics and cat videos.

No one really demands proof that a personal opinion is backed by evidence.

Unlike your everyday world where your friends and family accept your opinion at face value.

For your opinion to matter in the academic world it must be based on the evidence of your research.

In the academic world opinions do not stand alone.

Opinions are built upon the work of others or upon facts that can be verified and independently repeated.

So, when you write a paper for class your opinions must be verifiable, based on the evidence of your research.

Here’s something important to remember!

When you write a paper, your professor wants to know what you have to say about a topic. But, since you are now living in the academic world, your opinion must be based on the facts.

YOUR OPINION DOES MATTER.

Give a cheer. Your opinion matters!

Okay, you’re sitting in class. Minding your own business.

Thinking deep thoughts.

The professor, out of the blue, wants you to write a research

paper.

You’re sitting in an American History class. (Just thought you should know.)

Professor provides a list of topics.

You pick one. It’s “Abraham Lincoln.”

What will you do?

The last time you searched for information you use your favorite search engine.

In the academic world the tools you used won’t provide you with the type of vital information your professor wants you to use.

Your professor wants you to use something specific in your research paper.

She talked about using peer-reviewed sources?

So, what is a peer-reviewed resource?

To quote myself, “In the academic world opinions do not stand alone.”

“Opinions are built upon the work of others or upon facts that can be verified and independently repeated.”

Peer-review is all about verifying research. It makes sure that academic opinions are based upon verifiable evidence.

This is how peer-review works.

A scholar develops an opinion about an important topic and writes a paper about his research.

The scholar wants the article published and sends it to a journal read by other scholars.

The editor reads the paper.

She thinks it’s a great article and wants to publish it. But, she’s an editor not a scholar.

In order to verify her belief that the article is great, she invites other scholars (the author’s equals or peers) in the same field to review the article and tell her it’s a great article.

The peers read the article and review the evidence.

The peers look at many things:• the logic of the article• citations• Reference lists• other works on the same topic• the overall academic style

The peers pass judgment as to whether the article is fit for the academic world.

If it is deemed fit the article is published.

You now have an idea of how research in the academic world works

You, also, now know to look for resources that have gone through the peer-review process.

Peer-reviewed resources are what your professor wants you to use in your research

This is what is expected in higher education.

Where do you find peer-reviewed sources?

You’re in college so it’s easy.

Peer-reviewed journals and scholarly books are found in the library or through a subscription database on the library’s website.

Don’t forget. The librarians are there will help you through every stage of your research.

That works well for you, doesn’t it?

The things that you need are available in or through the library.

You’ve dealt with the fundamentals of information literacy, examining how to find a computer store.

You’ve gone through the preliminaries about the type of information you need for academic work.

Over the next few sessions we will look at different types of resources used for research and then discuss what you need to put it all together.