Information Literacy

“Information literacy is the ability to think critically and make balanced judgements about
any information we find and use. It empowers us as citizens to reach and express informed
views and to engage fully with society.” (CILIP, 2018)

Information Literacy is a key skill taught by your Faculty Librarians. We usually meet you in a lecture
or workshop at least once during your course. Lecture and workshop content is supported by online
learning resources which you can explore in your own time to develop this crucial skill for your
studies and beyond.

What skills do you already have and which do you need to develop?  Visit the CILIP Information Literacy website for more information.

Staff members; contact your Faculty Librarian to discuss embedding Information Literacy into your course

 

 

Why do I need to learn this?

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Planning your assignment 

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Navigating the Library

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Starting your information search

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Developing your research

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Academic reading

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At university, assignments, projects and dissertations can often require a step up in the amount of reading that is required.  Textbook reading for a module, background reading for a subject, and perhaps keeping up with professional magazines (or ‘trade journals’) for more vocational courses.  What’s more the nature of the reading changes as you begin to look at topics in more detail and the topics themselves may be considerably harder to understand.

Given that time is limited, subjects may be difficult, and not everyone enjoys reading for pleasure, it’s worth learning a few skills that can help speed up the process or allow you to get more out of what time is available.  We’ve kept these pages short so as not to add to the reading burden!

Academic Reading gives some pointers on book material.

Academic Reading: Journal Articles is a short guide to reading journal articles and conference proceedings.

You might also want to have a look at How can I tell whether it’s an Academic Journal or Popular Magazine? in order to clarify in your mind the differences between an academic journal and a popular magazine.

 

 

Evaluating infomation

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Referencing your sources

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Using generative AI in coursework or research

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