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 thethe academic world .

The academic world has requirements for doing research and presenting

your opinions

ACRL

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 the ACRL believes that 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

People give their opinions all the time. No one asks them to support what they say.

They give opinions on the Internet about pop stars, athletes, computers, politics and cat videos.

No one demands proof that a person’s opinion is backed by evidence.

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.

Always Remember!

When you write a paper, your professor wants to know what you have to say about a topic. However, your opinion must be based on verifiable evidence.

YOUR OPINION DOES MATTER.

Give a cheer. Your opinion matters!

So, let’s say that you’re sitting in class.

You are 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?

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

She talks about peer-reviewed sources?

Remember, In the academic world opinions do not stand alone.

Opinions are built upon the work of others or upon experience that can be verified.

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

How Peer-review Works.

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

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

The editor of the journal reads the paper.

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

In order to verify her belief that the article is excellent, she invites other scholars, the author’s equals or peers, in the same field to review the article. The peers determine the quality of the information therein.

The peers look at many things.• They examine logic of the article.• They determine the quality and exactness

of the research.• They review the accuracy of the citations• They refer to other works on the same topic

to gain perspective on the subject matter.• They assess the academic style of the

article.

The peers read the article and review the evidence that the author presents.

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. The footnotes and references in an article provide verifiable evidence. Opinions in an academic scholarly paper must be based on verifiable evidence.

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.

Where do you find peer-reviewed articles?

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 to 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 university’s library.

Research is more than looking things up on the web or even a library database.

It’s a process of retrieving information, analyzing that information, forming an opinion and then expressing that opinion based upon the evidence you have discovered.

You already have searching skills. Now you need to refine those skills into researching skills.

Over the next few sessions we will look at the resources you need to consider when doing research.

Do the student activity for this lesson. After that proceed to the next lesson.

Revised Monday, February 16, 15.