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VIBEKE BÅRNES • MARIANN LØKSE INFORMATION LITERACY

Get the most out of the many services provided by a research library Search effectively online and in electronic databases Cite different kinds of sources Cite others’ writing in your own work Evaluate source credibility Use footnotes and other citation forms Avoid copying and plagiarism Create correct and complete reference lists Organise sources in a clear and structured manner Structure your own writing process

the authors

vibeke bårnes

have many years of

is the subject librarian for social sciences at the University Library, UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

experience in teaching students information searching, source evaluation

mariann løkse

and academic integrity. is the subject librarian for arts and humanities at the University Library, UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

ISBN 978-82-02-44430-3

INFORMATION LITERACY

• • • • • • • • • •

BÅRNES • LØKSE

is an indispensable handbook for students and researchers who are writing exams, essays, articles and theses. All the technical and formal sides of written academic work are described in this book. In addition, it illustrates how you may benefit from choosing the best and most relevant information sources available to you.

INFORMATION LITERACY How to Find, Evaluate and Cite Sources

www.cda.no

Preface This book is dedicated to all international students in Norway. We hope that we can make your life as students a little bit easier by outlining the most important aspects you need to know about academic writing.

As subject librarians at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, we have for many years taught students how to find literature, source criticism and reference management – in other words, information literacy. We quickly discovered that there was a need for a textbook that covered this academic area in a simple manner. When Høyskoleforlaget (now Cappelen Damm Akademisk) asked us if we might consider authoring a book on information literacy, it was therefore an easy decision for us to agree to be part of the project.

Most examples in the book are taken from our own subject areas in the humanities and social sciences, but we hope, and are reasonably certain, that students of other subjects will also benefit from the book. We have tried to structure the book so that it can be used logically and intuitively. The chapters are designed so that they can be read either chronologically or independently of one another and still be informative. A comprehensive index at the back of the book will hopefully make it easy to quickly find exactly what you need to know.

Three years have gone by since the publication of the original version in Norwegian. Most of the content is still relevant, but where

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necessary we have updated smaller sections and adapted many of the examples to an international readership.

Our thanks go to the staff at Cappelen Damm Akademisk, and Bjørg Torhild Johnsen in particular. We would also like to extend our thanks to Nora MacLaren who very kindly proofread the English translation and helped us with many library words and expressions.

Finally, warm thanks to our former colleague, Rune Blix Hagen, who initially recommended us to the editor and thus gave life to this book.

Tromsø, May 2014 Vibeke Bårnes and Mariann Løkse

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Chapter 1

What is information literacy?

As a general rule, the most successful man in life is the man who has the best information.

Benjamin Disraeli

What does it take to become a successful student? There is obviously no magic formula to prescribe how you can get the most out of your studies. A good piece of advice, however, is: Keep reading! Being a student is largely about acquiring knowledge, and in higher education reading is essential to achieving this.

The process of learning comprises many elements which must be present for the process to be fruitful. You need to acquire academic knowledge of a higher level than what you have studied earlier. You must read the required syllabus and keep up with what your teachers convey in their classes. This alone is a demanding process. In addition, you need skills in gathering and analysing information, in thinking critically and writing in compliance with academic norms.

In other words, you need an academic survival kit, a strategy that will help you along the road to getting your degree. Information literacy should be a part of this strategy.

The purpose of this book is to guide you through the most important elements of information literacy. You can read the book from cover to cover; you can read single chapters in isolation, or you can

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simply use the book as a reference work as you are studying and writing academic papers.

During the past decade, information literacy has developed into a skill almost on a par with being able to read and do arithmetic. More than ever before, we need tools and skills to help us find, analyse and organise data (Johnson et al. 2011:4). Information literacy has become an important part, not just of academic life, but also of work and leisure time, and those who do not possess these skills are at an increasing disadvantage in terms of completing their studies and getting the best jobs. A British research report states that: «Increasingly, learners and new teachers’ needs are defined by their capacity to differentiate information: to recognize what is and what is not research content, to sort out the good from the bad, the useful from the merely relevant» (Hampton-Reeves et al. 2009:1).

Understandably enough, there is still an amount of uncertainty about information literacy, and it is frequently confused with computer skills or ICT knowledge. According to UNESCO, information literacy can be explained in the following manner: Information literacy enables people to interpret and make informed judgments as users of information sources, as well as to become producers of information in their own right. Information literate people are able to access information about their health, their environment, their education and work, empowering them to make critical decisions about their lives, e.g. in taking more responsibility for their own health and education.1

The concept comprises several skills and is built upon a basic understanding of the role that information plays in our society. Whereas information was previously reserved for the privileged few, the tech1

UNESCO: “Communication and Information” http://www.unesco.org/new/en/ communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/information-literacy/ [Accessed 16 Dec 2013].

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what is information literacy?

nological revolution via the Internet has brought limitless amounts of information to the masses. Knowledge has taken over industry’s position as one of society’s most important assets. Those who possess this asset are in higher demand and are in a more favourable position in many areas, in terms of both work and lifestyle.

An information literate person is able to identify his/her own need for information on the basis of a given context. This entails an ability to know that different situations require different degrees of information, and when it is necessary to consult various sources of information. This also means the ability to find out where the most relevant information can be accessed. You need to know which situations require merely consulting a reference work and retrieving factual information, and which ones require deeper study. In other words, the person with information literacy skills maintains a conscious awareness of the situations she is in. She knows that she must use the information she finds in a proper manner, by listing her sources in accordance with academic norms and, not least, she knows how to apply this information to create new knowledge. She is also familiar with the tools she needs to locate, assess and apply new knowledge.

With our everyday lives increasingly being filled with technology, it is not our ability to access this technology that is crucial, but our ability to use the technology to our advantage.

The latter in particular is an important aspect of information literacy. Many people believe it is enough if they merely master the technology. This would mean, for example, that young people today are automatically information literate, since they have grown up with a more or less natural attitude towards digital technology and have never experienced the world before the advent of the Internet.

The truth, however, is that mere access to technology is not enough.

Knowledge about, and competence in the optimal use of technology is what needs to be learned. Like critical thinking, it is something you have to develop through practice in the same manner as any other

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skill, but technological tools can truly make life simpler for anyone setting out to find information.

Fortunately, students have ample access to useful tools in the context of searching for knowledge. Most educational institutions have good, well equipped libraries that provide students with access not only to the literature itself, but also to tools that can help you find the best information, for example academic databases.

Information literacy, however, is not only associated with life as a student. One of the main points about acquiring these skills is lifelong learning. You need to be able to master information literacy and be capable of assessing information later in life as well. Information literacy will enable you to meet new demands for knowledge and new information challenges and thus make you more competitive in the future job market.

Summary • Information literacy includes: - knowing when you have a need for information - knowing where you can find information - knowing how much information is needed - being able to assess relevance and quality of the sources you find - being able to use information in accordance with academic norms • The learning process comprises more than merely academic elements. Information literacy, study techniques and writing an academic paper are some of these elements.

• Become familiar with the technological tools that are relevant for your learning process.

• Learning is a lifelong pursuit. Information literacy includes skills that will be helpful to you now and in later learning situations.

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