Information literacy is a key skill that allows individuals to find, evaluate, and appropriately use information. It involves understanding how knowledge is organized and located, how to search for information using tools and databases, and how to apply information to solve problems and share knowledge with others. Mastering information literacy ensures an individual is prepared for lifelong learning by enabling them to continually acquire new information and skills.

1. “Information literacy is a survival
skill in the Information Age” (ALA, 1989).

2. INFORMATION LITERACY
Definition: Information Literacy is the set of skills needed
to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information
(ACRL, 2012).
“Ultimately, information literate people are those who have
learned how to learn. They know how to learn because they
know how knowledge is organized, how to find
information, and how to use information in such a way that
others can learn from them. They are people prepared for
lifelong learning, because they can always find the information
needed for any task or decision at hand” (ACRL, 2000).

3. OUTLINE
How is Information Organized?
Using Library Resources
Research Skills
Evaluating Academic & Popular Sources
Citation & Academic Integrity

4. THE ORGANIZATION OF INFORMATION
Students need to acquire the ability to find, evaluate, and use information
 From a young age people learn how to categorize information as a benefit
to information processing.
 Your understanding of how knowledge can be thought of as bodies of
information, organized from broad areas to more specific blocks of
information, will be most useful as you think about choosing, narrowing
and focusing research topics.
 Practical application of this knowledge relates to:
 Locating databases (A literature database will be under the “English” heading)
 Books are grouped on the shelves, LCCS gathers books on similar topics
together
 Information can be categorized and analyzed based on who produces it,
who the audience is, whether it is scholarly or popular in nature, the
format it is in, the type of information and more
(Jefferson Community College, 2012)

5. SOURCES: DO THEY MATTER?
Academic sources: Pass through peer review
process. Authoritative and sourced. Objective and
written for academics. Carry more „weight‟.
Popular sources are often related to general interest
and do not require writers to provide research to
support their stories.

6. EXAMPLES OF SOURCES
ACADEMIC POPULAR
SOURCES SOURCES
Newspaper Articles
Academic Journals
Periodicals Magazine Articles
Trade Magazines
Academic Books
Organizational Profiles
Edited Books
Anthologies Media Reports
Conference Proceedings Reports from Other
Organizations
Encyclopedias/Dictionarie
s Websites (usually)
Published Reports Grey Literature
Institutional Reports
Brochures
Press Releases

7. INFORMATION LITERACY:
STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH
 Step 1: Defining a topic and planning for research
 Step 2: Information seeking strategies
 Step 3: Critical evaluation of information sources
 Step 4: Reading, examining, taking notes on sources
 Step 5: Citing sources & constructing reference list

8. RESEARCH SKILLS
 Step 1: Defining a topic and planning for research
 Interpret the research question/assignment, define the information need
 Look for command words
 Directing words that tell you what to do. i.e. Evaluate, discuss, comment, critique,
analyze
 Identify the assignment topic
 Area of discussion for the assignment. Take the command word and ask “what?”
after it. I.e. Evaluate “what”?
 Develop a focus (select a specific topic)
 Area of the topic/assignment you will concentrate on.
 In other words, evaluate what, in relation to “what”?
 Take your focus and develop a thesis statement
Example: Discuss the impact of rising tuition costs on higher
education

9. INFORMATION LITERACY:
STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH
 Step 1: Defining a topic and planning for research
 Step 2: Information seeking strategies
 Step 3: Critical evaluation of information sources
 Step 4: Reading, examining, taking notes on sources
 Step 5: Citing sources & constructing reference list

10. FINDING RESOURCES
“More than 31% of all respondents use Internet
search engines to find answers to their questions.
However, people who use Internet search engines
express frustration because they estimate that half
of their searches are unsuccessful” (OCLC, 2002).

11. USING LIBRARY RESOURCES
 Library Catalogue
 Find books, e-books, reserves, videos/DVDs, request items from other
campuses, place items on hold, mobile friendly.
 OCtopus (library search engine)
 Research Databases
 Organized by subject, search databases for journal articles, e-books, & more
 Electronic Journals Listing
 Search for specific journal and search within the title
 Research & Course Guides
 Created by librarians for students in specific classes or working in certain
subject areas
 Reference sources
 Dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories found online or in campus reference
collections
 Print Journals (Level 3)

12. RESEARCH SKILLS
 Step 2: Information seeking strategies
 Design your search strategy
 Develop a question (brainstorming, concept-mapping)
 Identify key words and synonyms Investigative tools
(research guides, other libraries)
 Identify central concepts
 Locate and gather relevant resources
 Identify key databases, catalogue, reference works, etc.
 Coverage, disciplines, time periods, publication types, doc
types
 Search expressions & Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
 Broaden or narrow your research question
Rising tuition costs will negatively impact higher education
because the disparity between students who can and who
cannot afford an education will have broader
consequences for Canadian society.

13. CREATING A SEARCH: BOOLEAN OPERATORS
Functio Search Strategy Definition
n
Narrow AND Retrieves only records that
contain both words
NOT Eliminates material you don't
want. Careful to not lose valuable
info.
Broade OR Retrieves matches for either
n term, more records. Use with
terms with the same meaning.
Wildcard To search variations of a word.
 Colo?r Use 1 or more symbols within a
 Global (w5) Warming word to replace 1 or more letters
Truncation Use a symbol at the end of a
 Using opera* to search word to replace any number of
for operations = opera, operant, operable, etc. letters
Combin Nesting Combine AND and OR in a single
e  NO: media AND politics OR election search. Divide your terms into
retrieves records that match "media that also units like an equation.
match politics" OR retrieves records that
match "election.“
 YES: media AND (politics OR election)
retrieves records that match media that also

14. NOT
AND OR
Nesting
Truncation
(University of Idaho, 2012)

15. RESEARCH SKILLS
 Keyword searching: typically retrieve more information with less
precision
Good for broad or unknown topic areas
 Field searching: typically retrieves less information with more
precision
Good when looking for few results or source son specific topics
Includes subject searches, title searches, etc.
 Too much information?
Examine irrelevant records in search results
Where did your search term match in search results? (Subject, title, etc.)
Use limiters (Boolean, field searching, database limiters)
 Too little information?
Spelling
Eliminate long phrases or natural language
Use alternate terms
Try broadening your terms

16. MORE WAYS TO FIND ARTICLES
 Reference list and article citations, bibliographies
 Examine the reference lists of resources identified as being
useful, and find other similar resources.
 Subject headings in databases & catalogue
 Terms used to describe resources, controlled vocabulary, assigned by
indexers
 Known authors
 Search for other items by same author(s)
 Books or resources on similar topics
 In-person or virtual „shelf browsing‟
 Searching journals directly
 More direct and focused than databases

17. OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY
 Available in print (REF PE 1625 .O86) & Online:
 FIND  ARTICLES, or HOMEPAGE  ARTICLES
 Select subject from drop-down menu, or choose a database by
title
 Click title for more information, or CONNECT to access the
resource
 Quick & Advanced search: Field and full-text searching
 Historical Thesaurus: Allows browsing by topic

18. LIBRARY CATALOGUE
 Great starting point!
 Use subject headings, call number browsing,
author searches,
 Limit by location
 Request and renew items

19. LIBRARY DATABASES: ENGLISH
 MLA International Bibliography
 Literature Resource Center
 Oxford Reference Online Premium
 Project Muse
 JSTOR
 Ebrary
 Academic Search Premier
 OCtopus

20. REFERENCE SOURCES
 Oxford English Dictionary
 Encyclopedias (print & online)
Choose reference as a limiter in e-resources listing
 Examples: Encyclopedia of Canada‟s
Peoples, Encyclopedia of Evolution, Encyclopedia of
Human Rights, Encyclopedia of Sociology, Encyclopedia
of World Cultures
Search library catalogue

21. USING LIBRARY RESOURCES: GET HELP
 Library reference desks
 Hours vary, phone, email, or in-person
 Citation assistance, research help
 AskAway
 Online, live chat reference service
 Open longer hours than library ; Manned by librarians
from post-secondary institutions across BC
 Chat boxes on website & within databases
 E-mail
 Response received within 24 hours Sept – April, typically
daily throughout summer

22. INFORMATION LITERACY:
STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH
 Step 1: Defining a topic and planning for research
 Step 2: Information seeking strategies
 Step 3: Critical evaluation of information sources
 Step 4: Reading, examining, taking notes on sources
 Step 5: Citing sources & constructing reference list

23. EXAMPLE EVALUATIONS
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/1344132

24. SOURCES: TRUE OR FALSE?
 Wikipedia is considered an academic
source.
 False
 A book found in an academic library (i.e.
college, university) is an academic
source.
 False

25. RESEARCH SKILLS
Step 3: Critical evaluation of information
sources
 Critically evaluate information
 Criteria and methods of evaluating information
resources
 Comprehensiveness, relevance, author, purpose
and audience, accuracy and currency, objectivity
In academia we are looking for sources that are
reliable, accurate, objective, and up-to-date.

26. ACADEMIC SOURCE CHARACTERISTICS
 Who wrote it? What are the authors‟ qualifications?
 Academic authors are likely to come from a university or institute.
 Is there a sponsor, owner, funding agency?
 *important for online sources*
 Are sources listed?
 Reference list, bibliography, citations
 Has the item or writing been peer-reviewed?
 Editorial board or committee list, or provided instructions
 Who is the targeted audience?
 Style of writing, advertising, jargon
 Is the writing objective?
 Free from bias, blatantly one-sided
 Who is the publisher?
 Academic writing is often published by a university press.
 What is the appearance?
 Glossy pages, advertisements, graphs, images, photos.

27. EXAMPLES OF SOURCES
ACADEMIC POPULAR
SOURCES SOURCES
Newspaper Articles
Academic Journals
Periodicals Magazine Articles
Trade Magazines
Academic Books
Organizational Profiles
Edited Books
Anthologies Media Reports
Conference Proceedings Reports from Other
Organizations
Encyclopedias/Dictionarie
s Websites (usually)
Published Reports Grey Literature
Institutional Reports
Brochures
Press Releases

28. PERIODICALS
JOURNAL MAGAZINE
 Academic,  General audience
professional,
 Easy reading
technical audience
 May use jargon
 Many advertisements
 In-depth articles  Broad coverage, not
usually in-depth
 Thorough reference
list  Rarely peer-reviewed
 Minimal advertising
 Peer-reviewed

29. EVALUATING: REPUTABLE SOURCES
Print sources Online Sources
Reliable: Sources that check their Reliable: Sources that check their
facts: footnotes, list of references, facts: Footnotes, references, other
other evidence of research research evidence
Accurate & Objective: Quality Accurate & Objective: Quality
control, editor, editorial board, peer Control, Evidence of peer review,
review author identified
Look for: Extravagant claims, URL (.com vs.
.org), funding agencies
Up-to-date sources: What could Up-to-date sources: Copyright date
have changed about this topic since or indication when page was last
publication updated
In academia we are looking for sources that are
reliable, accurate, objective, and up-to-date.

30. PRIMARY & SECONDARY SOURCES
PRIMARY SECONDARY
SOURCES SOURCES
 Original & direct  Draw from primary sources
evidence  Use evidence from primary
sources
 First hand experience  May comment on primary
 Historical documents, sources
interviews, raw  Use primary sources to
experimentY S O U R C E S
data construct argument
TERTIAR
 Books or articles that
 Compile, index, or organize provide analysis, critique, or
 Sources may have analyzed or digest a synthesis from a range of
secondary sources sources
 Abstracts, bibliographies, handbooks.
Encyclopedias, indexes, catalogues.
Cage, K. (2011). Identifying academic sources. Massey University. Retrieved July 9, 2012 from
http://owll.massey.ac.nz/academic-writing/identifying-academic-sources.php

31. INFORMATION LITERACY:
STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH
 Step 1: Defining a topic and planning for research
 Step 2: Information seeking strategies
 Step 3: Critical evaluation of information sources
 Step 4: Reading, examining, taking notes on
sources
 Step 5: Citing sources & constructing reference list

32. RESEARCH SKILLS
 Step 4: Reading, examining, taking notes on sources
 Interpret and synthesize information
 Examine information source, identify source type
 Look at context, methods, results, discussion, etc.
 Think critically: ask questions, examine the context (who
did the research, what are the research questions),
research methods used, results, conclusions
 Verify accuracy
 Use and communicate information
 Write objectively (supported by findings, free from influence),
concise, formal (formatting according to style)

33. INFORMATION LITERACY:
STEPS TO SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH
 Step 1: Defining a topic and planning for research
 Step 2: Information seeking strategies
 Step 3: Critical evaluation of information sources
 Step 4: Reading, examining, taking notes on sources
 Step 5: Citing sources & constructing reference
list

34. WHY DO WE CITE?
“Scholarly communication is the entire set of activities that
ensure that research and new knowledge can be made
known” (DeFelice, 2009).
 Citations demonstrate how you
developed your argument and ideas
from the ideas of others
 Citations give credit where credit is
due
 Citations give the reader of your work a
path to the sources you used, so
they can investigate those sources if
interested
(Mohanty et al., 2009)

35. Publication (Registration
Creation and Certification) Dissemination
Manuscript & IP Editor
Academic
Publisher Library
Peer
Reviewers
Reformulation

36. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
If you don’t acknowledge other people’s work, words or
ideas you commit plagiarism
“Penalties for plagiarism serve both to educate students about
standards of scholarship and to deter deception and poor
scholarly practices. Penalties will reflect the seriousness of the
offence; including whether the offence was intentional or
unintentional and whether it was a first or a repeat offence”
(Okanagan College, 2010, Penalties section, para. 1 ).
Okanagan College Academic Offenses regulations and
policies

37. WHAT DO WE CITE?
 Direct quotes
 Paraphrases
 Words or terminology specific to or unique to the
author’s research, theories, or ideas
 Use of an author's argument or line of thinking
 Historical, statistical, or scientific facts
 Graphs, drawings, etc.
 Articles or studies you refer to in your work
(Mohanty et al., 2009)

38. BUILDING BLOCKS OF CITATIONS
What is it?
• Journal article
• Book
• Report Building blocks?
• Author(s)
What format? • Publication date
• Print • Title
• Electronic • Publication information
• Format-specific details
(i.e. page numbers, doi)

39. HOW DO WE CITE?
In text citations: citations given in the body of the article,
essay, paper, or assignment.
Example:
(Morgan & Hunt, 1994)
Morgan and Hunt (1994) noted that….
(Morgan and Hunt 50)
(Morgan and Hunt (50) noted that….)
Reference list citations: “provides the information necessary to
identify and retrieve each source” (APA, 2009, p. 180).
Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship
marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58, 20–38. doi: 10.1504/IJMDM.2008.016041
Morgan and Hunt. “The Commitment-trust Theory of Relationship Marketing.”
Journal of Marketing 58.1 (1994): 20-38. Project Muse. Web. 9 July 2012.

40. RESEARCH SKILLS
Step 5: Citing Sources & Reference Lists
 Identify elements of citation you will need for each item
 Cite your sources as you go!
 Try a numerical system for in-text citations
 Write key author names with notes
 Compile list of database citations as a working
document throughout research process
 Formatting rules provided style guides
 Reference list, works cited list, versus bibliography
 Do not trust MS Word or auto-formatting

41. CITING SOURCES IN ALL STYLES
 Reference List vs. Bibliography vs. Works Cited vs.
?
 Reference list (aka. Works cited in MLA): Complete list of all sources cited
directly in your work.
 Bibliography: All sources used, whether directly cited or not. May include
sources used to generate ideas or gain general knowledge.
 Some reference styles will ask for a bibliography in place of a reference
list, some styles will call it a reference list while others may called it a
works cited list. Some instructors may use the term bibliography to mean a
reference list, always check if you are unsure.
 Annotated Bibliography: Includes a list of sources as well
as a summary evaluation of each source‟s content and
purpose (approx. 100-250 words) (Cage, 2012).

42. WHAT IS APA?
APA = American Psychological Association
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association is a
style manual that provides guidance and standards in:
• research ethics
• the publication process
• article format and presentation
• AND

43. HOW DO WE CITE?
Refer to APA resources to determine citation style.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association
6th ed., second printing
 Available at all OC Library campuses; Call no. BF 76.7 .P83 2009
OC Library APA style guide webpage
 PDF and HTML versions of most common APA
examples
Links to other APA resources
Important: The APA manual is the definitive source of APA
citation information. If a resource contradicts the manual –
use the manual.

44. WHAT IS MLA?
MLA = Modern Languages Association
The Publication Manual of Modern Languages Association
is a style manual that provides guidance and standards in:
• research ethics
• the publication process
• article format and presentation
• AND

45. HOW DO WE CITE?
Refer to MLA resources to determine citation style.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.
 Available at all OC Library campuses; Call no. LB 2369 .G53 2009
OC Library MLA style guide
 PDF and HTML versions of most common MLA
examples
 Links to other MLA resources
Important: The MLA Handbook is the definitive source of MLA
citation information. If a resource contradicts the handbook–
use the handbook.

46. APA VS. MLA
A PA MLA
 Double-space and format entries with  Double-space and format entries with a
a hanging indent hanging indent
Capitalize only the first letter of the first Capitalize the first, the last and all significant
word in the title and subtitle. Capitalize words of a title and subtitle. Omit initial A, An
proper names. Capitalize all significant or The and subtitles for journals, magazines
words of a journal title and newspapers
Italicize journal titles and volume Italicize titles of larger sources like books or
numbers. Do not italicize issue numbers. journals; use “ “ around titles of sources like
Italicize book and report titles essays or articles which are within larger
Use only the initial(s) of the author’s sources
given name, not the full name, reverse Reverse the author’s name for alphabetizing
all authors' names but otherwise give the author’s name as it
 Arrange reference list entries in appears in the source
alphabetical order by the surname of  Alphabetize entries by the author’s last
the first author or by title if there is no name or, if there is no author, by the title
author ignoring initial A, An or The or the
For online journal articles retrieved from equivalent in another language
a database, include the DOI or a link to For online journal articles retrieved from a
the journal homepage if no DOI available database include the name of the database
and the word 'web'

47. REMEMBER
 Give credit where credit is due
 Consult OC Library Citation Style guides
 Consult Publication Manual for Your Style
 If you are unable to identify a specific example, use an
example that is most like your source
 OC Library Research Writing & Citing guide
 Ask!

48. REFERENCES
American Library Association. (1989). Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report. Retrieved
July 9, 2012 from http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2009). ACRL scholarly communication 101: Starting with the
basics [PowerPoint]. Retrieved from
http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/scholcomm/docs/SC%20101%20Introduction.ppt
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2012). Introduction to Information Literacy.
http://www.ala.org/acrl/issues/infolit/overview/intro
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2000). Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher
Education. http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.
Washington, DC: Author.
Cage, K. (2012). Reference list vs. bibliography. Retrieved July 9, 2012 from
http://owll.massey.ac.nz/referencing/reference-list-vs-bibliography.php
Jefferson Community College, 2012). Information literacy tutorial. Retrieved July 9, 2012 from
http://sunyjefferson.libguides.com/content.php?pid=127609&sid=1095964
Mohanty , S., Orphanides, A., Rumble, J., Roberts, D., Norberg, L., Vassiliadis, K. (2009). University libraries'
citing information tutorial. Retrieved from http://www.lib.unc.edu /instruct/citations/introduction/
OCLC. (2002). How Academic Librarians Can Influence Students’ Web-Based Information Choices. OCLC White
Paper on the Information Habits of College Students. Retrieved from
http://www5.oclc.org.ezproxy.okanagan.bc.ca/downloads/community/informationhabits.pdf
Okanagan College. (2010). Academic offenses. Retrieved from http://webapps1.okanagan.bc.ca/ok/calendar
/Calendar.aspx?page=AcademicOffenses
University of Alberta. Information literacy at the University of Alberta. Retrieved July 9, 2012 from
http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/~ITL/InfoLit%20v.2.0/index.html
University of Idaho. (2012). Information Literacy Portal: Module 3. Retrieved July 9, 2012 from
http://www.webs.uidaho.edu/info_literacy/modules/module3/3_6.htm