2. Chapter Learning Outcomes
By the time you finish reading this chapter and completing its activities, you will be
able to do the following:
Use multiple types of information sources to help you make an educated
decision about a challenge confronting you.
Explain and use the four steps an information-literate person follows when
doing research.
Use a search engine to locate information.
Critically evaluate a source of information for accuracy, authority,
objectivity, currency, and scope.
Explain and practice one strategy for responsible behavior for each of the
following:
a) e-mailing your professor, receiving and sending text messages, and
participating on a social networking site.
b) Create an appropriate online profile that will impress an employer.
3. Activity 1: Reflecting on Your Current Level of Information-Literacy Skills
• Here is the key for the numbers: 0 = never, 1 = almost never, 2 = occasionally, 3 = frequently, 4 =
almost always, 5 = always
• When considering your past successes and challenges with information literacy, how often . . .
1 Did you understand what information you needed to locate to complete a
project?
1 2 3 4 5
2 Did you know where to look for information to complete your project?
3 Did you evaluate information you found for accuracy?
4 Were you able to find enough appropriate information to complete a project?
5 Were you able to determine whether the information you found was well
rounded and objective?
6 Were your projects completed responsibly and honestly, according to the
standards of academic integrity?
7 Did you protect (and not give out) your personal information on social media
sites, chat rooms, or blogs?
8 Did you maintain your integrity and dignity when communicating with social
media?
4. What Does it Mean to be an Information-Literate Person?
What does information literacy mean?
Information literacy—knowing what information you
need, where to find it, how to evaluate it, and how to
use it properly
Becoming information literate is an active process that
requires the seeking out of knowledge from multiple
sources
5. Four Steps to Completing an Assignment in an Information-
Literate Manner
Today’s complex informational system creates challenges.
The key is to know not just where to look for information but also how
to separate the good from the bad, the informative from the
misleading.
An information-literate person can “recognize when information is
needed and [has] the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the
needed information.”
These four facets of information literacy—knowing what information
you need, where to find it, how to evaluate it, and how to use it
properly—are illustrated in Figure 1.
6.
7. Step #1. Know What Information Is Needed
Before digging through the library or surfing the Internet, be sure you understand what to
look for.
Take, for example, the following assignment, which could be given in a study skill class:
Write a 10-page paper identifying and explaining five characteristics of a successful student. Your sources must include at least
five books, three periodicals, and two nonprint sources. The paper is due two weeks before the final exam. The paper will be
worth 25 percent of the final course grade.
By asking yourself a few simple questions, the nature of the assignment becomes clear:
What do I need to do?
Write a 10-page paper
What is the topic?
Identify and explain five characteristics of a successful student
What types of source material must be used?
At least five books
At least three periodicals
At least two nonprint sources
When is the paper due?
Two weeks before the end of the term
How much is this assignment worth?
Twenty-five percent of the final course grade
8. Step #2. Access the Information
Once you know what topic you will research, you will be ready to find
pertinent information.
So, where can you locate the source material?
1. The traditional library: A campus-bound building
Although ease and accessibility make the Internet a remarkable tool
We still may need to go to the traditional library at the campus.
Once you enter your campus (or community) library, you will find the
following:
Online catalogs and databases
Reserve. This material is usually held on a shelf behind the circulation desk.
Reference librarian. The reference librarian will help you navigate the library’s
holdings
Interlibrary loans. Interlibrary loans are the process by which a library borrows or
supplies material to another library.
9. Step #2. Access the Information
2. The World Wide Web library: The 24/7 Internet
Consider the following guidelines to maximize your time when you are using the
internet;
1. Know how and why to use the Internet
Once the Internet, your computer can access a virtually endless supply of information.
Surfing the Web is described as an aimless ride through cyberspace, following one
link to another without much thought or direction.
Not all information on the Internet is created equally.
Some websites provide expert and scholarly analysis
others post inflammatory personal opinions with little substance and support.
Some sites promote particular products, services, or causes
At the very least, be aware of what the sites represent and how their information will
affect your research
10. Step #2. Access the Information
2. Use search engines
The use of search engines provides the strategy to move mindless Web
surfing to a focused ride.
Search engines speed the search process by allowing you to find material
related to the area of your research instantaneously.
The Internet offers a variety of search engines.
You possibly have already used some of the following:
www.google.com
www.yahoo.com
www.altavista.com
www.bing.com
www.dogpile.com
www.lycos.com, and
www.ask.com
11. Step #2. Access the Information
3. Conduct keyword searches
If you search for information on the internet, one of two things usually
happens: Either you find very few sources, or you quickly turn up
hundreds if not thousands.
In the first instance, you may be frustrated by the lack of pertinent
material.
in the second instance, you will find so much information that you will be
overwhelmed.
For example, let’s say you type in consequences of World War II for a
keyword search; your search turns up about 145,000,000 possible sources
By using a few simple strategies will allow you to narrow or broaden
your computer search.
12. Step #2. Access the Information
4. Effective and efficient searching.
One such strategy based on Boolean logic allows you to broaden or
narrow your search using one of three words: AND, OR, or NOT.
Using OR will expand your search to turn up as many hits as possible
The connector words NOT and AND will limit the number of hits
received on a topic
NOT and AND are valuable to use if your initial keyword search turned
up more sources than you wanted.
5. One more effective strategy
The use of quotation marks (“ ”) is another strategy that may help limit
your search to a particular series of words and in that particular order
14. Step #3. Evaluate the Information
Once you locate information on the Internet, you need to evaluate the
information.
How do you know if the information is credible?
When evaluating information, consider these four criteria (Riedling, 2002, p.
62):
1. Accuracy and authority.
i. Is the site precise and expert?
ii. What experience (credentials) does the author have?
iii. Is there a sponsoring site or organization?
iv. What do you know about that organization?
15. Step #3. Evaluate the Information
2. Objectivity
i. Is the site evenhanded and impartial?
ii. Is the material factual, unbiased, and in-depth?
iii. Is the coverage balanced?
iv. Is the site full of advertisements, or is it scholarly?
3. Currency
i. Is the site up to date and current?
ii. Is there a copyright date?
iii. Has the site been recently updated, or is the information old?
iv. Are there references (bibliography and footnotes, if
appropriate)?
16. Step #3. Evaluate the Information
4. Scope
i. Is the range of coverage small or vast?
ii. What is the breadth and depth of the site?
iii. Does it provide an in-depth review of the topic, or is it a
superficial overview with broad, general statements?
17. Step #4. Use the Information
Is information power? Contrary to popular belief, it is not power.
It is the application (use) of information can bring power.
Regardless, information must be used responsibly, and it must be
conveyed clearly and convincingly.
The presentation—how you use your information—is critical.
18. Step #4. Use the Information
Ask someone you respect who is a better writer than you to
critically review your paper. Check the organization, content,
grammar, and spelling.
19. Social Media: Consumer-Generated Information
In the past, people read newspapers, listened to the radio, and
watched TV. However, times have changed.
Social media has fundamentally transformed the way we live,
relate with friends and family, conduct business, and go to school.
We no longer have to wait passively for the news to reach us.
We—all of us—can now be the producers.
In short, social media is the phenomenon that allows for
consumer-generated media.
20. Types of social media
Social networking sites enable millions of people to share
information with friends and strangers worldwide.
1. Text Messaging
Text messages are brief and usually sent from cell phone to cell
phone.
Texting is used for reasons that range from inane (“What’s up?”)
to significant (colleges or universities sending emergency
notifications to their students).
A jargon of abbreviated words is used. For instance, “BFF”
means “best friend forever,” and “lol” means “laugh out
loud.”
21. Types of social media
2. Social Networking Services
A few popular social networking sites and applications are
Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok,
snapshot, Telegram, LinkedIn, and many others.
3. Blogging
In recent years, the Web has seen an explosion of Weblog sites
known as blogs.
Today, blogs are written pieces posted on websites.
They usually include the opinions or observations of the
writer (known as the blogger) about a topic. Often, the blogger
will include visuals or links to support his or her
thoughts.
22. Types of social media
4. Micro Blogging
Microblogs, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, allow for short updates.
There is typically a character limitation; that is, the user can only type
so many letters and symbols.
5. Skype and Zoom
Skype and zoom allow users to hold audio and video calls from
computer to computer.
Skype and zoom can bring distant experts into a meeting held
halfway around the world. They are wonderful tools for collaboration.
6. Global Collaboration
Wikis are sites that allow people to log on and become content
contributors.
Wikipedia is probably the most commonly known and used wiki.
23. Types of social media
7. YouTube
This video-hosting site is the second-largest search engine in the
world.
Users can create “channels,” save their favorite YouTube
videos, and upload videos they have created.
YouTube is a free service that gives everyone the chance to
become a movie maker, actor, or producer.
24. Effective and Responsible Written Communication in the
Internet Age
When using social media, you still need to maintain your
integrity, dignity, and privacy.
Talk to people online as if they were sitting before you.
If you say something inappropriate, there will be
repercussions.
Simply stated: If you would not say something face-to-face,
then don’t say it online.
25. Effective E-Mail Communication
E-mail communication is quick, paperless, and free.
E-mail is also faceless and open to abuse.
Remember to observe e-mail netiquette (the rules of behavior
for using the Internet).
Especially in e-mails to professors or prospective employers, be
polite, get to the point, and, above all, be grammatically
correct.
E-mail Dos E-mail Don’ts
Follow the rules of grammar and punctuation
Be courteous
Respect the privacy (CC, BCC)
Use it for business and school purposes
Use clear language
choose an e-mail address or screen e that
portrays a respectful self-image
Do not type all in capital letters
Do not send inflammatory notes
Do not abuse the distribution list. Do not
send spam (computer virus, joke,
inspirational story)
Do not indiscriminately give out personal
information
Do not compromise your dignity
Do not be sarcastic
26. Social Media and Privacy Concerns:
Common Sense Is Not Always Common Practice
You might have heard people talk of a “digital footprint.”
Like footprints on the beach, you leave a trace of your visit.
A digital footprint (sometimes called a digital tattoo) is the
online information about you and your activity.
Being safe and responsible online will help ensure your digital
footprint does not damage your reputation.
The online digital tattoo you create can be found anywhere by
anyone.
In short, when you create your digital tattoo, you create an online
reputation.
27. Responsibilities of the Information Age
• Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the commitment to and demonstration of
honest and moral behavior in an academic setting.
When students exhibit academic integrity, they have completed
their assignment in a respectful, responsible, and honest
fashion.
This is most relevant at the university level as it relates to
providing credit to other people when using their ideas
Failure to provide such acknowledgment is considered
plagiarism
Plagiarism is the dishonest representation of someone else’s
work as your own.
To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit when using the words
28. Responsibilities of the Information Age
It generally consists of the author’s name, the title of the
publication, the publisher’s name, the place and date of
publication, and the page numbers from which the material came.
For instance, in APA style, the in-text citation is written in this way
(author’s last name, year of publication). (Abdi, 2018).
In the reference list, we use detailed information about the
sources.
Abdi, A.M.(2018). Never give up. SIMAD University press.
