Information Literacy Proficiencies 

Information literacy enables an IPFW student to recognize an information need, develop a strategy to locate, evaluate, and synthesize information, and cite sources of information accurately.

Information Literacy Proficiency #1: Know What I Need
Define and articulate an information need by:

1. recognizing the need to know more information than is already known;
2. stating a research need, problem, or issue;
3. formulating appropriate and relevant research questions;
4. defining a manageable focus and timeline.

Information Literacy Proficiency #2: Select the Best Resources
Identify and select appropriate information resources by:

1. recognizing the variety of information formats;
2. considering the costs and benefits of acquiring needed information;
3. selecting the appropriate resources for searching and understanding their limitations.

Information Literacy Proficiency #3: Develop a Search Strategy
Develop and use search strategies by:

1. recognizing the structure and limitations of information-finding tools;
2. identifying common access points of information sources;
3. identifying and using appropriate search techniques;
4. being able to refine a search as needed.

Information Literacy Proficiency #4: Retrieve What I Need
Locate and retrieve relevant information by:

1. recognizing the components of a citation and differentiating among types of resources;
2. using appropriate components of a citation to locate the original source;
3. applying the conventions for identifying and locating works in print and electronic formats;
4. being able to locate and retrieve both local and external sources of information.

Information Literacy Proficiency #5: Evaluate What I Find
Evaluate the information retrieved by:

1. distinguishing between popular and scholarly sources;
2. assessing the currency, authority, and reliability of the information retrieved;
3. evaluating an author's expertise, authority, and credibility;
4. recognizing an author's point of view (prejudices, loyalties, etc.).

Information Literacy Proficiency #6: Organize What I Select
Organize and synthesize information effectively by:

1. filtering large amounts of information and distinguishing among facts, points of view, and opinion;
2. extracting relevant information;
3. organizing information in a logical and useful manner;
4. communicating the final product effectively, in formats appropriate to the intended audience;
5. incorporating the newly organized and synthesized information into one knowledge base;
6. recognizing that existing information can be combined with original thought, experimentation, and/or analysis to produce new information.

Information Literacy Proficiency #7: Treat Information Ethically
Recognize the economic, legal, social, and ethical issues of access to and use of information by:

1. recognizing that access to information can be constrained by both economic and political factors;
2. citing and acknowledging sources appropriately;
3. being aware of the principles of intellectual property, copyright, and plagiarism, and acting ethically in light of them.

Information Literacy Proficiency #8: Explore Information Landscapes
Recognize the unique characteristics of the body of knowledge within a specific discipline by:

1. distinguishing among primary, secondary, and tertiary sources and their use;
2. recognizing the relationship between currency and relevance;
3. analyzing and comprehending the organization and structure of the literature in a particular discipline;
4. being able to transfer skills from familiar resources to unfamiliar ones.