The document discusses a student's research process for a report on the topic of sun exposure and skin cancer. The student refined their topic, then used search tools like Google, Google Images, and YouTube to find relevant resources like an image, video, and blog post. The student analyzed the sources for authority, currency, and bias. They recorded links using Delicious tags and found searching YouTube and images challenging but learned search strategies like focusing on .edu, .gov, and .org domains helped ensure authoritative sources.

1. 27 June 2015
CULINL301A Develop and use information literacy skills
Assessment Task 3
Report
1. What is your topic?
The initial question was ‘What effect does the sun have on our skin?’ and was refined
to focus on sun exposure in relation to skin cancer.
2. Why did you choose it?
My customer is looking for information on sun exposure in relation to skin cancer.
They have extremely pale, sun damaged skin that needs to be checked for changes by
a skin cancer specialist/dermatologist annually. They are looking to update their
knowledge of the subject with reliable, authoritative sources.
3. What retrieval strategies did you apply?
The image was the first resource I tried to find. I searched Google Images and
initially wanted to use a skin cancer chart. I started searching for this using those
keywords, unfortunately the relevant charts were not images but PDF files and/or
not authoritative. A search using skin cancer found this image.
I searched YouTube initially with the keywords skin cancer and then tried melanoma.
When I wasn’t able to find many worthwhile authoritative sources I changed the
search to skin cancer animation.
Tofind a blog/RSS feed was a little more difficult as I searched Google using the
term blog or RSS Feed along with keywords – skin cancer, melanoma, sun. A lot of
the authoritative results were not actually RSS feeds (or blogs with in-built RSS feed)
but simply news pages.
Social Media was easy as I was already following the New Town Skin Cancer Clinic
on Facebook. And the ABC Website article I came across during my other searching
and saved it in Delicious as a possible resource.

2. 4. Which of the following tools were relevant and why?
Definition: Social Media tools allow people to create, share and exchange
information, ideas, and pictures/videos in virtual communities.
Non print sources were extremely relevant tothis topic and all of my sources were
found online.
I have used an RSS feed, a YouTube video, and an image because the assessment
required me to. I was able to use a relevant, authoritative Facebook page as I have
been personally following that page for some time. And my final source of a website
article was used simply because I found it through searching for other resources.
5. Which information agencies or Internet sites did you use?
I used Google, Google Images and YouTube to conduct searches. I needed to find
relevant, authoritative and current sites and so I tried to use organisational,
government and educational sites. I posted using .net (generic domain but
authoritative site of the ABC – Government organisation), .edu (Skin and Cancer
Foundation/Sydney Skin Hospital - educational), .org (cancer council Australia -
organisation) domains and posted indirect links (YouTube, Facebook) with
originating sources of .org (Cancer Research UK - charitable organisation) and .com
(generic domain but authoritative site – New Town Skin Cancer Clinic) domains.
6. How did you analyse / sort the information?
I analysed the information by checking the currency of the information I wished to
use. I then clicked on links such as ‘about us’ and ‘contact us’ to find facts and
information to verify the resource. I checked for any perceived bias,
references/original sources as well as any obvious inaccuracies.
7. Did you need to reassess or follow up?
Yes. Because I had found several resources, more than the assessment requirements,
I found I needed to double check I was planning to use the most relevant,
authoritative information out of what I had found.

3. 8. How have you recorded and managed your information?
I started by creating Blogger drafts to save information but then was introduced to
Delicious in class. And so I started saving links with keywords as tags in Delicious.
9. Discuss and evaluate your blogging experience in light of how your
own information literacy skills have developed.
I found the experience more difficult that I first thought. The ability to find
authoritative sources online is quite difficult, even when researching my topic where
there was plenty of information to be found. YouTube was the most difficult place to
find authoritative clips and it seemed it didn’t have much to do with my search
strategies, but simply through luck. Searching in Google Images wasn’t easy either as
there were many images that were not authoritative but knowing the type of domain
names more likely to be reputable helped a lot. Once I had found my first resource
through trial and error it helped a lot with knowing what may and may not work with
the following searches.